 Bart Smith (courtesy photo) |
In October 2008, Bart Smith completed a 16-year quest to hike all the National Scenic Trails. He was the 9th person to complete the entire length of the NCT. Ed.
Northern Wilds recently received a phone call from Bart Smith, the man featured in our last issue who is hiking all of the National Scenic Trails. He passed through Grand Marais last summer as he hiked the Superior Hiking Trail, which will soon be part of the national North Country Trail. At the time, some local trails were closed due to fire danger, so Bart had to return in the fall to complete his Minnesota hike.
When he returned, he hiked the Border Route Trail and Kekekabic Trail. He called to ask Northern Wilds to warn other hikers that both trails were in poor condition and very difficult to follow.
On the Border Route Trail, which follows the Canadian border east of the Gunflint Trail, he found the past was very brushy and difficult to discern. Although the trail was marked in places with blue plastic flagging, sometimes the ribbons were in the wrong place.
Still, Bart says, “I’m glad I walked the Border Route Trail. The lookouts were spectacular.”
On the Kekekabic Trail, which runs west from the Gunflint to Ely, Bart passed through recently burned areas. He met a party of hikers from the Granite Gear company who were coming from the other direction. He said it was helpful to follow their footprints through the burned area, because the trail was very difficult to follow. He was unable to complete the Kekekabic, because he eventually lost the trail.
See Walking Down a Dream for pictures from Bart's hikes.
Read Bart Smith completes epic adventure
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