Pine Valley Blue House and Lost Forester runs

This is a fund raiser for the Blue House Orphanage in Uganda, which is home to 30 girls. Your participation in the Pine Valley races help girls and young women grow in a safe, caring environment, and receive more education. They can now become independent adults, with a chance to beat the poverty that they faced as young, vulnerable children and orphans.

The Blue House is now so much more than an orphanage. Some girls live with relatives and receive an education that had not been an option before. Young women are in vocational school or university. Our girls, and women from the community, are learning skills at the Blue House sewing school.

The trail runs through scenic pines and hardwoods and has 35 hill crests with 2 major hills - 100 feet, 3 minor hills - 50 feet, and the balance bumps - 2 to 20 feet.

Choose either the 5.5 km, 11 km, or Lost Forester run.

As a special addition we are adding the Pine Valley - Lost Forester to the Labor Day events.

The Pine Valley - Lost Foresterrun is designed to be hard. It is a 20K trail and off-trail race up and down the steepest hills in Pine Valley, through swamps, in creeks, and through dense brush. The route is 11K of trails followed by an undetermined distance of an off-trail ribbon line of flagging like that used by foresters. Runners will be self-supporting the whole distance. They will have to carry their own water, gels, and compass. Long sleeve shirts, pants, and sturdy shoes are highly recommended.

Pete Bunyan, Paul Bunyan’s older-younger brother, is a forester. His job was to scout out pine and aspen trees for Paul and Babe, the Blue Ox, to cut and float down to the sawmill. Pete has not come back from his last assignment. Somebody has to go find him and bring him back. That somebody is you.

First, you need to get to the stand of pines and aspen. To do so, you need to run two laps on the Pine Valley Ski Trail – going first in the reverse and then in the forwards direction.

Second, you need to follow Pete's trail of ribbons through the woods and brush, uphill, downhill, through swamps and creeks off-trail until you find him. A change of shoes and pants for the off-trail ribbon line is highly recommended as the ground is very uneven.

Third, you need to bring back evidence of Pete. A compass will be handy to get back.

The Lost Forester is limited to 25 searchers to minimize environmental impact.

After the race stay for the Labor Day parade in downtown Cloquet.