Tom McCann enjoyed a long and varied career with the USDA Forest Service while working entirely on the Superior National Forest. Tom began as a Wilderness Ranger on the LaCroix District in 1976. On the former Isabella District, Tom worked in wilderness, recreation, fire and timber management. The last half of Tom's 40 year tenure specialized in managing geographic information systems (GIS) for the entire Superior National Forest while stationed at the Gunflint District office. Tom continues to live near Grand Marais, MN and enjoys all four spectacular seasons. bookmark

Join former US Forest Service cartographer, Tom McCann, as he celebrates the legacy of Arthur H. Carhart and retraces the steps and strokes that helped to preserve the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Nearly 100 years ago, Carhart successfully demonstrated how an extensive system of water trails could substitute for the proposed recreational road network in the Superior National Forest. His research led him to paddle a 94-mile canoe circle route that started and ended at Silver Rapids near Ely, MN. In 2020, McCann and a crew of seasoned paddlers re-visited the nearly obscure "Circle Tour" and uncovered more than just Carhart's legacy.