In winter 2022, Emily Ford spent 28 days crossing Minnesota’s million-acre Boundary Waters with her dog; the expedition raised more than $5,000 and highlighted mining concerns

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness lies along Minnesota’s northern border with Ontario, a region of lakes, portages and forest that draws paddlers from across the country in summer. In winter, the lakes freeze and the canoe trails become snow-packed paths used by fewer people. There has been an ongoing debate about the possible copper-sulfide mining in the area near the wilderness and there have been various attempts by conservationists to keep the issue in the public eye. One such attempt was made by Emily Ford, a thru-hiker from Duluth, Minnesota, who hikes with her sled dog. She chose winter on purpose because most people think of the Boundary Waters in summer.Ford’s Ice Age Trail hike and the Friends of the Boundary Waters sponsorshipFord had already completed Wisconsin’s 1,200-mile Ice Age Trail in winter with her sled dog, Diggins, as the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness note in the post Emily Ford to Ski Across the Boundary Waters. She was then sponsored by the group in a planned 210-mile winter journey from the westernmost point of the wilderness to Lake Superior in Grand Portage via the border route referred to as the Voyageur’s Highway. There are two listed objectives of the campaign: to raise awareness about copper sulfide mining and to promote diversity and inclusivity in the outdoors.A 28-day expedition from Crane Lake ExplorersWeb reported that the pair would begin their journey from Crane Lake on February 11, 2022, combining skiing, snowshoeing and carrying their supplies on foot. She would pull her pulk with supplies and carry snowshoes for the portages through deep snow. The Friends of the Boundary Waters event page summarizes the journey as a 28-day winter expedition by Ford and her dog. According to Ford, she intended to bring the face of the wilderness into wintertime. The Quetico Superior Foundation article titled “Adventurer Emily Ford faced slush, wind, ice in 200-mile Boundary Waters crossing” is the source for this account of the expedition.Training at Wintergreen Lodge According to the article by the foundation, Ford was trained at Wintergreen Lodge in Ely, an outfit that conducts dog sledding and winter camping. The training was done by Paul and Sue Schurke. Ford had intended to skijor behind Diggins for the whole expedition, but deep snow made that impossible. She said that Diggins is a lead dog that makes its own decisions.Slush, wind, ice and a blizzard, then an early finish on March 11, 2022The article by the foundation notes that the crossing was full of freezing temperatures, slush, wind and ice, with stretches of loneliness. According to Hilleberg, the tent manufacturer, the two experienced blizzard conditions but stayed warm in their tent. The journey ended on March 11, 2022, falling short of the original destination of Grand Portage. The open water on the Pigeon River made them deviate from their route, and the two finished their journey via a ride to Grand Marais.More than $5,000 raised to send young people to the Boundary WatersQuetico Superior Wilderness News reported that Emily Ford raised more than $5,000 during her expedition for Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness to help young people from underserved backgrounds experience the Boundary Waters. In the same article, Communications Director Pete Marshall stated that Ford's story was inspiring. For Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, the fundraising fits a broader goal of encouraging people to experience the wilderness. The Nelson Institute at UW-Madison notes that the Trump administration restored Twin Metals’ federal mineral leases in 2018.Those leases were canceled in January 2022, one month before Ford left Crane Lake. Less than a year after the expedition ended, on January 26, 2023, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland signed Public Land Order 7917, withdrawing approximately 225,504 acres of land in Minnesota’s Superior National Forest from new mineral and geothermal leasing for 20 years, subject to valid existing rights. Conservation advocates saw the order as an added safeguard for the Boundary Waters watershed, the institute notes.The film A Voice for the Wild and the March 2023 screening in MadisonIn an associated documentary of the journey named “Voice for the Wild,” Ford and Diggins travel through the wild land described by the Nelson Institute as occupying more than a million acres. The film was shown on campus at UW-Madison during March 2023, after which Ford participated in a Q&A session. After the trip, Ford spoke with the Friends and thanked them for giving voice to the Boundary Waters during wintertime.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.