We were happy to see Jean Replinger in a slew of newspaper articles this month–during the 1960s she helped open Outward Bound to girls. More recently, as an officer of the Oberholtzer Foundation, she’s been a great help and resource for Wilderness News thanks to her dedication to the north country.
An article by Karin Elton in the Marshall Independent explained that Replinger originally led boys’ trips at Outward Bound but asked for the opportunity to take girls on wilderness trips in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Like many organizations at the time, there was some skepticism. But the board agreed and this October Outward Bound held a reunion for 12 of the women on those early trips. Read the full story HERE.
While her trip-leading days are a memory now, she stays active in the history of the region. Most recently she published the journal of Ernest Oberholtzer in a book called Bound for the Barrens. The book chronicles his canoe trip from The Pas, Manitoba to Hudson Bay and back with is Native American friend, Billy Magee. (You can read excerpts of the book on Canoeing.com).
Elton’s story also picked up by the Star Tribune and Minnesota Public Radio. It was even picked up by a few different outlets as an obituary, but the Marshall Independent assures us that she is alive and well. That’s a relief!