ELY- For most outdoors enthusiasts, the prospect of a 110-mile hike would have them headed to the nearest gear store. Not Ozzie Rief, of Ely.
Instead, as Rief prepared for his hike from Ely to Grand Marais, he’s relied on his own skills to outfit his journey, using basic materials like wool, hemp, cotton, leather, or wood. His project is part of an individual artist grant funded through the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council. He received the grant in March and has spent the five months since making the gear for his hike.
“I do have a small amount that I didn’t make,” Reif conceded. “I have a compass, a first aid kit, and a SPOT device.” The SPOT device allows Reif to check in as he hikes and can summon help in case of trouble. He didn’t make the blade on his knife but he did make its hilt and sheath. He also purchased trail guides for his route.
Rief spoke about his planned journey last week at the Ely Folk School, and left the next morning. He brought all the gear for the hike and passed it around to his audience.
Reif’s pack is a basket he made from black ash wood he collected in the forest. His cooking gear is a wooden spoon he carved and a pot he smithed himself from a copper sheet. He hollowed out a gourd and lined it with beeswax to carry his water, sealing it with a basswood stopper.
“I talked to some of the ceramic artists in town about making a clay pot for the hike but they talked me out of it,” Reif said.
Reif will use flint, steel, and charcloth to start his campfires. He made a tarp out of waxed canvas and rope from wool. He will sleep in a waxed canvas bivy sack lined with a wool blanket.
Reif also made clothes for his hike, including socks and two pairs of shoes. Both pairs have moose leather soles and deerskin uppers. One of the pairs used a pattern for Anishinaabe moccasins. “We’ll see if the soles are a mistake after starting the hike. If the shoes fail, then I’ll be making birch bark sandals.” He sewed the shirt, pants, anorak, and underwear for the hike. Reif has no change of clothes for the trip and admitted he may be ripe by the time he gets to Grand Marais. His ride home to Ely from Grand Marais will be bringing fresh clothes for him. “It wouldn’t be a fun trip home otherwise,” Reif joked.
When his gear is packed in the basket, it weighs a surprisingly light 20 pounds, and 30 pounds when the food is added.
Reif began his trek at Snowbank Lake and was planning to travel along the Kekekabic Trail through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. “It was super easy to get a permit for the trail,” Reif explained. He will connect with the Border Route Trail and then take the Gunflint Trail into Grand Marais. All the segments of Reif’s route are part of the North Country National Scenic Trail.
“I get a patch for completing one hundred miles!” Reif gushed.
Reif is a familiar face around Ely, especially with the outdoor enthusiasts. He is the owner of the Ely Mitten Project and the president of the Ely Chapter of the North Country Trail Association.
Reif was set to give two more talks about his hike and his unique gear.  The first was scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 24, at the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center, located 55 miles up the Gunflint Trail, otherwise known as Cook County Hwy. 12.
The second talk is set for Friday, Aug. 30, at 7:30 p.m., at the North House Folk School Blue Building in Grand Marais.