2022

Minnesota and Maine seem similar with similar northern location, forests, lakes, and rivers. However, the wilderness canoe cultures are quite different. Scott Oeth has paddled extensively in both states and will be discussing the differences and similarities.

Scott, owner of Bull Moose Patrol, guides wilderness trips, and teaches outdoor skills in person, on his monthly “Pack & Paddle” radio show, and on BullMoosePatrol.com. Scott is an Eagle Scout and Scouting national High Adventure Instructor, as well as a Minnesota Master Naturalist. He has been trained as a Wilderness First Responder and survival instructor, and has passed the challenging Registered Maine Guide exam. Scott’s passions are wilderness canoe camping, winter camping, and survival skills. When not on the trail, Scott is busy running his financial advisory practice.

14 Rovers spent two weeks traveling and living on two narrow boats (only 7 feet wide but 70 feet long) traveling 120 miles through 104 locks. We traveled along canals which date back to the late 1700’s. Operating the boats and the locks was our responsibility and we managed to get through overcoming a number of challenges along the way! We completed the Cheshire Ring which included going through the center of Manchester. We also spent time off the boats hiking through pretty countryside and visiting historic sites.

Presented by Barry S. and Jen O.

2021 Kathy and Tony Mommsen left from St Croix Falls, Wisconsin to canoe and bike the perimeter of Minnesota. They finished the season at Rainy Lake near International Falls. This presentation shows them in 2022 picking up where they left off. They bicycle from Grand Portage to St Croix Falls and canoe the entire BWCA from Crane Lake to The Grand Portage. They will share their enchantment with the beauty of the state, the big lakes and history of the boundary route, the pictographs, the Grand Portage, the spectacular North Shore, and the woods of northern Wisconsin.

Bio: Kathy and Tony have been married for a long, long time. They have always done outdoor stuff including a BWCA trip every year, cross country skiing in the Midwest and the mountains, and a few bike tours in Europe, Pacific NW, California, and New Mexico. With each trip they ask themselves “how do we make our day-to-day lives feel as relaxed as our trips?

During Covid, no ferries were headed to Isle Royale as nearly everything was closed. Still, single-engine float planes stayed in business, taking hikers across the lake to this enchanted place. I booked a flight from Grand Marais for my first visit ever, walking about 90 miles in a winding path from end-to-end (Windigo to Rock Harbor) and seeing sunsets, animals, and magic all around.

A former professional flutist and American Public Media radio host, Alison Young is the “solo female middle aged titanium reinforced long distance backpacker” Blissful Hiker. She’s hiked on six continents and in one year, walked New Zealand’s “long pathway” Te Araroa and the Pacific Crest Trail. She tells her story through sound on the Blissful Hiker podcast and also hosts and produces Walking Distance. Find out more at BlissfulHiker.com.

How I spent three weeks hiking the Appalachian Trail from Damascus Virginia to Clingman’s Dome.

Pat E has been backpacking for about 25 years. He started backpacking in the late 90s with a two mile trip to a Backcountry site at Wild River State Park. He eventually was able to do a through hike of the Superior Hiking Trail in 2001 and he has done multiple trips into the Boundary Waters, the Border Route Trail and the Kekekabic Trail. Pat also organizes winter camping in the BWCA every year and is into kayaking, canoeing and biking

We will be discussing the Army Corps of Engineers’ disposition study for two Twin Cities locks and dams: Lower St. Anthony Falls and Lock and Dam No. 1  (Ford Parkway), in which dam removal or an ownership change are possibilities being studied this fall. Imagine the Mississippi without these dams. There are many issues involved that would affect habitat, water quality, species, and recreational use of the River.

Maddie Miller (she/her) works as Friends of the Mississippi River’s Grassroots Organizing Coordinator. She works with community members and partner organizations to advocate for the health of the Mississippi River and its future.

More to come

Dr. Kersey Lawrence is a wildlife ecologist and an award-winning university-level teacher who spends half the year in Africa and the other half in the USA. Her Ph.D. research focused on trackers and tracking in Southern Africa. She is the owner of Original Wisdom, an experiential education company where she develops and runs courses for students and groups in the United States and South Africa. Original Wisdom courses emphasize science through “hands-on” ecology sessions outdoors; technology through the use of photography, camera traps, GPS, and GIS; and human dimensions through cultural experiences with local communities. With well over two decades of survival, wilderness and tracking experience she is also a highly qualified tracker in her own right, within both the USA and South Africa.

Join Alan W. for a presentation of a week-long, Swedish hut to hut ski tour north of the Arctic Circle in the Laponia World Heritage Site.  He says, “”We skied through parts of three Swedish National Parks; Sarek, Padjelanta, and Stora  Sjofallets.  At night we stayed in cozy mountain huts maintained by the Swedish Tourist Federation.  Spectacular scenery, great company, good food, perfect snow conditions, and herds of reindeer – simply an ideal trip.”

Alan says he is just another aging boomer with a lifelong interest in the outdoors.  He enjoys backpacking, hiking, canoeing, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, winter camping, and bicycle touring.  He has primarily camped in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the UP of Michigan.  NOLS mountaineering graduate in 1993.  The hut to hut ski tour was an item crossed off his bucket list.

You come to meetings, go on Rover Trips, get gear from the gear locker, do some trail maintenance activities. But do you know how the club operates? Do you know what the board members actually do and how club decisions are made? While many organizations suffered during the pandemic, the Rovers are now larger than ever, with more trips than ever.

This meeting is your chance to get to know board members and what they do. Everything that happens in the Rovers is the result of volunteer efforts. We have a large board, with varied responsibilities because many hands make for light work. That is how we have trips, programs, classes, extravaganzas, conservation activities, gear to loan, involvement in public events, t shirts and Rover gear, and everything else we do. You can hear from board members and also consider whether there may be a role for you in determining the direction of the club.

In the summer of 2021, Rover Doug Johnson and his grandson Miles backpacked 60 miles through the 140,000 acre Philmont Boy Scout Ranch in northeastern New Mexico. Along with two other adults and seven other Scouts, Doug and Miles experienced hail, rain, stream crossings, tough scrambles, and high altitudes over the course of ten days. Great Scouting skills and leadership experience for the boys were the result.

Doug Johnson is a retired educator who enjoys biking, hiking, writing, and travel.

Ethan and Andrew will talk about camping from a paddleboard. They have crossed the BWCA on the Border route and over 200 miles of the Wisconsin river on Paddleboards with plans in 2023 to finish their source to the confluence of the Mississippi River

Andrew Elkins has been out in the wilds since his first family outings when he was just five years old out in the Killarney Provincial Park. Andy has over 50 trips to the Boundary Waters and Canada Crownland. In recent years, he and his son Ethan have tested themselves with longer trips like crossing the entirety of the Boundary waters without resupplies on paddle boards. They have spoken at Canoecopia, REI, scout camps, and the Parks Commission. With a combined 70 + years of wilderness camping, they hope to help you with taking your camping trips further and with a bit more confidence.

Fifty some years ago, Lorri Otto, founding member of the natural landscaping movement said:  If cities and suburbs “…were landscaped with meadows, prairies, thickets, or forests…then the water would sparkle, fish would be good to eat again, birds would sing and human spirits would soar.” Now the stakes are higher than ever.  Native plant landscapes support biodiversity, mitigate climate change, and make our communities more resilient in the face of challenges to come.  Marilynn explains fall preparation now for spring planting.

Marilynn Torkelson is passionate about the concept of “Bringing Nature Home”.  For the past 7 years, Marilynn has been the president of the Prairie Edge chapter of Wild Ones: Healing the Earth One Yard at a Time.

Teri Fick, the Minnesota Advocate for Leave No Trace will present on the principles and how to apply them.

Watch this page for more info.

New Rover, Chris B. recently backpacked the Resurrection Pass Trail in Alaska. He wants to share with us lessons he learned. From Chris:

“It happens, things don’t go perfect.  How to avoid problems, learn from ‘mistakes’ and ‘get back on the horse’.  I’m also going to talk about the impact of increased use on our most coveted trails.”

Chris was born and raised in Anchorage, but has lived in Minnesota most of his adult life. He loves Alaska and says he yearns for the mountains and being above timberline. Fortunately, he still has family in Alaska and can use them as a base of operations for his alpine adventures. Typically, he backpacks with one or more of his now adult kids. He has also hiked in Colorado and the Grand Canyon.

This is the Rover twice a year program to inform prospective members who we are and what we do. There will be a presentation initially about the club, then the famous slide show of various Rover trips and activities. See if you are in a picture from that trail clearing trip or the Extravaganza. Look for your Rover friends. After the slide show, we will set up breakout rooms focused on various activities so you can check out your specific outdoor interests. Talk to members and ask specific questions about biking or climbing or paddling or whatever other activity you enjoy.

This program will be virtual over Zoom. The link will be sent out to the Rover member e-group a day or two before the program.

Bring your used gear to Como Park for other Rovers to take off your hands. Bring your money to get that piece of gear you need from someone else who does not need it any more. Many deals are struck between Rovers It’s a chance to clean out your garage and refill it all at the same time!

If someone is injured in a trip in a remote area, would you know what to do? Rovers is offering a 2 day Wilderness First Aid course in the fall. However, this presentation will be a short review of ways to be prepared in case something happens miles from civilization. Tom O’Neal will be presenting. He has taught Wilderness First Aid to the Rovers for several years and also teaches it to Boy Scout groups and Inland Sea Kayakers.

Yoga is a great way to take a break and get energized for the next leg of a long hike, bike ride or paddle. It can be done in the outdoors without any equipment – a mat is truly optional. You probably know that yoga increases balance, flexibility, and strength, but did you also know it protects the spine, cartilage and joints so we can continue to pursue an active lifestyle?

If you don’t want to sit or lay on the ground, bring a mat or blanket.

Bio –Tammy has done plenty of yoga in studios, but she loves that it can be done outside.  Her favorite yoga memory is Fall 2014 at Whitewater State Park during a Rovers Extravaganza.  Tammy stopped on a hike to do some sun salutations and saw the fall colors from a variety of perspectives.  It was a kaleidoscope.  Sometimes simple quiet stretching allows us to absorb our surroundings on a deeper level.

Do you know what to do if someone were to collapse and not be breathing? Have you had CPR training, but it has been in the distant past? Would you know how to use an AED? This program will be presented by people who were actually rescued from cardiac arrest with CPR and an AED. They will demonstrate and give you an opportunity to practice hands only CPR and to see how an AED works. You can just observe or you can try it yourself on a manikin that will be sanitized between people. There will not be any mouth to mouth breathing practiced. Except in a few specific situations, hands only CPR is the  recommendation.

This is not a certification class but a brief opportunity to practice and understand how important it is to be prepared to perform bystander CPR if the situations arises. This is information everyone should know. Bystander CPR significantly increases the odds of survival.