Elyites celebrate their birthday the Dorothy Molter way

Close friends Lexy Fenske and Kelsey Pearse traveled 30 miles over slushy ice via kicksled last Saturday to the Isle of Pines, the home of Dorothy Molter.

The expedition to Knife Lake was part of their tradition of doing an adventure together every year on March 2 to celebrate their shared birthdays.

“A couple of years ago, we skied across Burntside Lake and stayed in a shack. Last year, we went dog sledding up the Tomahawk,” said Fenske. “This trip was one we have wanted to do for a while, though.”

Due to concerns over the weather and ice conditions deteriorating, Fenske and Pearse attempted the voyage to Knife Lake the weekend before their birthdays, only to be blocked by open water and thin ice.

“We had our tails between our legs two weekends ago because we tried a new way to get to Knife Lake but had too much standing water,” said Fenske.

At each Portage, and in certain areas of the Knife River, Fenske and Pearse described how the water was “rushing” and how they needed to bush-wack their way around each portage to pass.

“There was too much water on the Knife River. We were stopping every 10 minutes to bush-wack around it,” said Pearse. “It was nerve-racking for a lot of it because of how much water there was.”

Fenske and Pearse got within a mile of Dorothy Molter’s Island before being blocked by a large body of standing water, which they deemed not worth trying to get around.

“We were bummed because we were so close to Molter’s Island. It was just out of reach,” said Fenske.

But, as they say, ‘If at first you don’t succeed…’ The following Saturday, their birthday (March 2), Fenske and Pearse tried again to make it to the Island of Pines, this time going a more conventional route and avoiding the problem areas they ran into the weekend prior.

“It was pretty humid but beautiful,” said Pearse. “The ice was good, but there was still standing water and cracking ice in a lot of spots.”

“There were times it felt like you were going to bust through the ice,” said Fenske. “Logically, you know you’re fine, but breaking through a thin top layer of ice or stepping into slush is always a creepy feeling.”

Both of the women wore life jackets when the situation called for it.

Fenske and Pearse eventually made their way over standing water and slush to Knife Lake, where they had to briefly stop and look at their map to point out which island was Dorothy Molter’s.

“Since we had to access her island from a different way than we are used to, we didn’t know where exactly it was,” said Fenske. “We accidentally went past her island, and Kelsey (Pearse) looked on her map, and she’s like, ‘Wait, that’s it behind us.’” They kick-sledded their way to Molter’s island, where they were greeted by one of Dorothy Molter’s favorite class of animals.

“On one of the biggest white pines was a bald eagle sitting up there. We were just joking that it was Dorothy being like, ‘Yoo-hoo, you boneheads, I’m over here,’” said Pearse.

Once at the island, they relaxed for a while before their journey home.

“We found this like beautiful open area with the sun hitting us, and that had a bed of pine needles, and we just laid down. It was beautiful,” said Fenske.

Fenske and Pearse said traveling via kicksled was the right choice for the weather, and they were glad they didn’t walk the 30-mile round trip to Knife Lake, which they had originally planned on doing.

“Kicksleds are awesome,” said Pearse. “With the conditions, it was the perfect way to go.”

Both girls said the kicksleds made carrying their 60-pound packs 30 miles less strenuous, and that the lightweight (14 pounds) of the kicksleds made them easy to carry across standing water when necessary.

In their 60-pound packs, Fenske and Pearse carried extra clothes, bibs, sleeping bags, fire-starting kit, and rope, and carried ice picks around their necks.

When asked what advice they have for people wanting to do a similar trip, Fenske and Pearse advised people to “do their homework.”

“Study the maps, talk to people, and know what you’re capable of,” said Fenske.

“Try and gauge the ice where you can, and go relatively slow,” added Pearse.

“For people wanting to do a similar trip, we recommend you over-prepare,” said Fenske. “While we didn’t use a lot of our gear, it was there if we needed it. The rope and ice picks would be especially important if one of us fell through.”

Fenske and Pearse don’t advise hiking on lakes and rivers in the BWCAW when the ice is sketchy, but “if you are going to, travel in the middle of the big lakes because that is where the ice is thickest.”

The close friends said they will remember this trip for the rest of their lives and are looking forward to next year’s birthday adventure.