“Each spring I would take the two maps covering the trails and cut away two-thirds of it with a scissors,” says Martin Kubik, founder and president of the Boundary Waters Advisory (BWA) Committee. “I then would tape the remaining pieces together to make it easier to take in and out of my pocket.”

Such a crafts project is no longer necessary. The BWA Committee and McKenzie Products have unveiled a new hiking map for the Eagle Mountain Trail in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and Brule Lake Trail. Measuring 12 by 15 inches, it retains the map scale that BWCAW canoists are familiar with. It is printed on a waterproof, tear-resistant synthetic paper. The map includes a new campsite on Fishook Lake, the result of a two-year collaborative effort between the Forest Service and the BWA Committee.

The “Eagle Mountain/Brule Lake Map” can be purchased from McKenzie Products, info@ bwcamaps.com, or by calling 1-800-749-2113. The map is also available at the Lake Superior Trading Post in Grand Marais. For more information about volunteer trail clearing trips, visit www.bwac.smugmug.com or contact Martin Kubik at bwca.trails@yahoo.com.