Gunflint Trail Association

     It was an evening of wind, rain, laughter and fun at the 30th annual Gunflint Trail Canoe Races hosted by the property owners of the Gunflint Trail.  Friends, neighbors, business owners and folks from all over the county gathered on Wednesday, July 18th to support the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department.  The canoe races are the largest fundraiser for the Fire Department and this year donations appear to be at an all time high.

     The Ham Lake Fire can be thanked for the outpouring of support for the Volunteer Fire Department and their efforts during the fire.  All of the 3500 raffle tickets were sold and there were more donated items and monetary gifts than ever before for the popular event.  Proceeds from this year's event are expected to be double the normal amount and the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department will put that money to good use.

     The participants of the races had a great time while supporting the department with their race entrance fees.  People of all ages could be seen paddling, pumping, and swimming on Gunflint Lake throughout the evening.  What makes the races so unique?  The people of the Gunflint Trail.  

     It's a small, close-knit community where residents wear many hats.  There's Fire Chief Dan Baumann who owns Golden Eagle Lodge who gives his time to the department and community, donates a prize for the races and whose kids can be seen racing during the event.  There's Deputy Fire Chief Bob Baker and his wife Shari who are both EMT's and members of the GTVFD and owners of Gunflint Pines Resort.  They donate items to the raffle, spend hours training and responding to incidents on the Trail and then Bob can be seen winning races with his son Jaret.  Owners of Voyageur Canoe Outfitters Mike and Sue Prom are both members of the GTVFD as well as their manager Don Kufahl.  During the Ham Lake Fire alone these three spent more than 500 hours volunteering their time to the community. The races are extra special for Voyageur who loves to support the races by giving their staff money for food, buying them raffle tickets and making a big deal out of the fundraiser.  There are more folks like John and Jenny Hughes who are both members of the GTVFD and who have been race organizers for two years in a row. Department Member John Silliman who works for Gunflint Lodge could be seen volunteering his time on the rescue boat at the races.  The list goes on and on and the giving just doesn't end.

     Thankfully the support of this community will not end either.  It's a great place to visit and an even better place to live.  A huge thank you to everyone who helped make the races a success and who support the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department year round.

And on another note…Congratulations Voyageur Crew for taking the 1st place trophy home for the 6th year in a row! Posted by Sue Prom of Voyageur and the Boundary Waters Blog