I bet I have paddled through this bog 100 times over the last 25 years, yet there is always something new awaiting me there. One interesting feature near the north end of the creek is commonly referred to as the dolmen. This larger rock is balanced on three smaller rocks on a lump of granite in the middle of the bog. No one knows for sure how the it was created, but some theorize that it is a dolmen, made by ancient people from Europe. Others think it was constructed by the men working for the CCC that built the Kelso Mountain fire tower, or perhaps it’s a geologic anomaly left by the receding glaciers. Regardless of how it came to be, it is an interesting spot to stop and ponder this massive rock perched in such an unusual way.
After visiting the dolmen for a few minutes, we set our sights on the Lujenida Portage. This 1.5 mile trail weeds out most Wilderness travelers.
We have been on a steady diet of an unusual kind lately and we were excited to be able to single portage for the first time in a long time. Our “diet” has consisted of sending out as many unnecessary items as possible. Over time it is too easy to accumulate extra odds and ends.
The Boundary Waters belong to all of us and it is imperative that we all speak loudly for this quite place to ensure its protection. Sulfide-ore copper mines like Twin Metals are considered by the EPA to be the nation’s most polluting industry. This place is just too precious to risk and now is the time to act. Please visit http://ift.tt/1x2erSX and take action today.
#wilderness #wildernessyear #savetheBWCA #BoundaryWaters #BWCA #onlyinMN #CaptureMN #getoutstayout
Thanks for adding this to your blog! My sons and I (Doug, age 73, from Willmar, MN) just returned from a short but sweet 4 days in the BWCA where one of our goals was to find and inspect the dolman. My take on this rock phenom agreed with a Sawbill Outfitter staff member’s opinion that it could have been lifted from the surface of the bedrock by a Civil Conservation Corps crew in the 1930’s. My son the geologist believed it could go either way depending on how the glaciers left it sitting on erosion-able material. My second son, the opera singer said “Wow”! 🙂 In any case it provided a great activity after we set up camp at the north end of Kelso Lake.