Thru-hiking the Border Route Trail

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

I was amazed at the number of vehicles at the trailhead on the Wednesday after Labor Day. We were at the western trailhead, due to start an eastbound thru-hike of the 65-mile Border Route Trail (BRT) through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA). I was already a bit anxious since other than my dog Leo, this would be a solo trip. With many people having the same idea – at least by the looks of the trailhead, I was also concerned about the challenges we’ve faced this year, and the challenge that social distancing could pose on the trip ahead. I kissed my wife Shelley goodbye and she started her drive, some 160 miles back home to Duluth. Not many people would drive six hours to help shuttle my truck to the eastern terminus. She’s awesome.

Leo led the way to start, wearing his own Ruffwear backpack. This was the first time he’s used a pack on a long trip. Years earlier however, we both ran all 310 miles of the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) in sections. Then in 2018, we hiked the 40-mile Kekekabic Trail which connects to the west end of the BRT. For the Border Route, we had trained with the pack, so it wasn't new. On this trip...

In Issue 48 contributor @Eric Chandler details a thru-hike of the Border Route Trail. Check out the full article below in Issue 48:

Border Route Bliss

Issue 48 Page 1

[Dogwood]

Many THX to TG for offering info on two trails that are often overlooked but yet not far from the N Country Tr.