53 WINTER 2022 ISSUE 02 / VOL . 03
Complete with a local Amish population , Browerville is a living time capsule surrounded by massive tracts of farmland and great ditch riding .
On a clear February day , our group of three set out from Brainerd following Highway 210 / Trail 116 west toward the town of Pillager , population 467 .
For our chosen chariots , trail performance was the key , with enough storage to carry snacks , water and basic tools to lighten the loads in our backpacks , which were stuffed with clothes . We enlisted the services of the Arctic Cat F 800 Sno Pro RR , Ski-Doo MXZ X 600 H . O . E-TEC with a modified front end and the Polaris 600 Switchback Pro-R . We unloaded quickly and deserted the truck and trailer for a couple of days .
Several miles past Brainerd ’ s city limits , we spontaneously turned onto a spur headed north to explore some tight woods trails that headed toward Gull Lake . Along the way , we found a spectacular overlook atop a tall hill — rare for central Minnesota — that provided a view of many nearby lakes . With plans to meet friends for lunch at midday , we stashed the cameras after taking it all in to rejoin the main trail and get our odometers spinning .
The scene became much more rural after turning south at Pillager . We crossed gently rolling hills as we paralleled the sprawling Camp Ripley military base to the east . It ’ s a 53,000-acre training ground for the National Guard , State Patrol , Department of Natural Resources