Sometimes things don't go as planned. After driving 4 hours to Ely, MN, I received a call from the forestry office telling me the trail I had a permit to hike in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) was just closed due to a forest fire. The Delta Fire was very near the Snowbank and Kekekabic Trail. The ranger told me to stop in and they would assist me with finding a new place to hike.

There were no permits available on the Angleworm Trail and other loop trails that were a similar length to the Snowbank Trail (about 30 miles) were the Sioux Hustler Trail and Pow Wow Trail. Since I had already hiked the Sioux Hustler last year, I chose the Pow Wow Trail. I didn't really know anything about the Pow Wow other than hearing the name before and knowing it was a 30 mile loop only about an hour away. It's the BWCA, so it great right? I drove into Ely grabbed a couple maps for the trail and was in route for my hike.

The Pow Wow Trail was devastated by the Pagami Creek Wildfire in 2011. The fire burned 95 percent of the trees around the whole trail. Ten years later there was some smaller trees growing back, however in the middle of serious drought the area felt more like a desert than a forest. The trail was not maintained recently and had frequent tree falls across the trail. I made it about 6 miles in before deciding to retreat and drive about an hour to the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT).

Being a frequent hiker on the SHT, I knew exactly where I could drive to for a large campsite (with room late in the day) that wasn't too far from a trailhead. I set up at the Onion River Campsite near Oberg Mountain as the sun was setting after a long day. Not having SHT maps on me and not having good cell service, I was unable to plan a good hike for the next day.

I slept in the next day, was not feeling motivated and decided to drive to another trailhead near one of my favorite campsites. I make the short walk in to Lake Agnes and set up my hammock. I relaxed next to the lake, took a swim, and enjoyed the company of other hikers around the campfire. Having such a relaxed day felt a little weird, but it was great!

The next morning, I packed up made the short walk out and drove home. While I thought about quitting after the trail closed and the new trail was horrible, I am glad I didn't and salvaged a great weekend.