North Star Vol. 28, No. 1 (2009)

January-June, 2009

The Magazine of the NORTH COUNTRY TRAIL ASSOCIATION

Volume 28, No. 1

Branding the Experience Page 8 State of the Trail 2008 Page 10 Keeping Digital Souvenirs Page 17 2009 Conference in North Dakota Page 26

See You at the Annual Conference

TRAIL

HEAD DAVE CORNELL President

The North Country Trail Association is holding its annual conference in Valley City, North Dakota, starting on July 30, 2009.

The registration materials in this issue of the North Star contain detailed information regarding the conference, but the agenda cannot and does not tell the whole story.

The Annual Conference draws together the leaders of our Affiliates, our Chapters, our national leaders and the National Park Service personnel who oversee our trail. They will all be there in Valley City for you to meet and greet and talk to. They would love to hear of your achievements and problems. They know that this is the one time each year when they can learn from you — the people putting the NCT on the ground and maintaining it once it is in place. Come to Valley City and share your experiences with those who can make a difference.

Hikes—Oh, you will love the hikes!

North Dakota is a beautiful state and

the North County Trail is designed to showcase this beauty. Before hiking here for the first time, I had thought I would be able to see where I would finish that day’s hike when I started out in the morning. Surprise. North Dakota has rolling hills and even some deep river valleys! In addition to showcasing the beauty of the state the trail is laid out so as to highlight water control projects and inform you about early paths of migration and settlement. You will see medicine wheels and learn about native tribes and their history. In short, you will be captivated by this great state.

The Conference gives you the chance to sit in on classes that will educate and entertain you. Basic courses in trail building compete on the schedule with classes on more exotic subjects. I loved the class put on

by Fred Szarka when we learned the secrets of cooking with Dutch ovens and then sampled the various recipes.

Sign up for these workshops and be educated and entertained.

Our Annual Conference also gives us a chance to honor those who have served the North Country Trail with special distinction. Trail builders are a breed apart. This is an endeavor that is measured in years and lifetimes. There are no short ball hitters in the trail

building business. You will hear about men and women who have dedicated a big portion of their lives to building and maintaining the North County Trail.

Board member Sarah Julien heads up our awards committee and would love to hear from you if you know someone whom you think should be given an award.

Speakers—Do we get great speakers!

At an earlier Conference, everyone who heard the life-changing story of a blind man who hiked the Appalachian Trail with his seeing eye dog will remember the night and the experience forever (NY, 1995). How about the speaker who survived his attempt at hiking Mount Everest while several of his companions perished? I remember rising to my feet with tears in my eyes after hearing of his exploits (Petoskey, Michigan, 2005).

My wife was enthralled to hear of Ann Bancroft’s first all female expedition to the South Pole. You will not be disappointed in the evening programs.

The best part of the Annual Conference for me is meeting old friends and making new ones. It is a time to share experiences. It is a time to share knowledge. It is a time to share concerns. But most of all it is a time to renew friendships.

I look forward to seeing you in Valley City.

Come Visit Us!

The Lowell office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

229 East Main Street, Lowell, MI 49331 Phone (866) HikeNCT • 616-897-5987 • Fax (616) 897-6605 The North Country Trail Association develops, maintains, preserves and promotes the North Country National Scenic Trail through a trail-wide coalition of volunteers and partners.Our vision for the North Country National Scenic Trail is that of a premier footpath of national significance, offering a superb experience for hikers in a permanently protected corridor, traversing and interpreting the richly diverse environmental, cultural, and historic features of the northern United States.

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Your Adventure Starts Nearby.

A Glance Inside Ray Vlasak

Staff Andrew Bashaw, Regional Trail Coordinator Ohio/Pennsylvania andrewbashaw@northcountrytrail.org

Jill DeCator, Administrative Assistant jdecator@northcountrytrail.org

Matt Davis, Regional Trail Coordinator Minnesota/North Dakota davis@northcountrytrail.org

Laura Lindstrom, Office Manager/Financial Administrator llindstrom@northcountrytrail.org

Bruce Matthews, Executive Director bmatthews@northcountrytrail.org

Bill Menke, Regional Trail Coordinator Great Lakes bill_menke@partner.nps.gov Matt Rowbotham, GIS/IT Specialist mattrowbotham@northcountrytrail.org

National Board of Directors Terms Expiring 2009 Joyce Appel, Pennsylvania Rep.,

(724)526-5407 · joyceappel@windstream.net

Carl Boesel Ohio Rep.,

(740)385-0074 · gboesel@hocking.net

Jack Cohen, At Large Rep., (724)234-5398 · JCohen@zoominternet.net

Sarah Julien, Secretary, At Large Rep., (616)676-0172 · sajulien@comcast.net

Christopher Klein, VP West, Minnesota Rep., (320)766-9635 · klein11@midwestinfo.com

Bobby Koepplin, First VP Finance, At Large Rep., (701)845-2935 · bkoepplin@kwh.com

Al Larmann, At Large Rep.,

(315)697-3387 · AFLarmann@msn.com

Brian Pavek Minnesota Rep.,

(763)425-4195 · pavekb@comcast.net

Gaylord Yost Great Lakes Rep., (414)354-8987 · gaylyost@aol.com

Terms Expiring 2010 Larry Hawkins, At Large Rep.,

(269)945-5398 · hawkeyemd@cablespeed.com

Terms Expiring 2011

Eager beaver: Ray Vlasak of Minnesota's Laurentian Lakes Chapter captured the handiwork of that beast who brings us headaches and drowned trail over thousands of our miles.

Articles NCT Primer.................................4 Field Grant Update.......................7 Branding the Experience...............8 State of the Trail 2008................10 Keeping Digital Souvenirs..........17 Blazing Within Communities.....22 New NPS Staff...........................23 Quality Design and Construction Helps Preserve the Trail..............24 Welcome, Little Cities of the Forest!...........25 Conference Pages........................26 My Favorite Day Hike................33

Cast Your Ballot.........................38 Award Nominations....................42 Volunteer Adventures..................43

Columns Trailhead.......................................2 Matthews’ Meanders.....................7 Fuddy Old Cow..........................16 Going for the Gold.....................23

Departments Who’s Who Along the Trail.......40

Rick Adamson, At Large Rep.,

(419) 853-4332 · rickbta@gmail.com

Lyle Bialk, Lower Michigan Rep.,

(810)679-2401 · lylebialk@sbcglobal.net

Mary Coffin, VP East, New York Rep., (315)687-3589 · mcoffin1@twcny.rr.com

Dave Cornell, President, At Large Rep., (239)561-6512 · onestep@mei.net

Garry Dill, At Large Rep.,

(614)451-0223 · then321elm@yahoo.com

John Heiam, At Large Rep., (231)938-9655 · johnheiam@charter.net Alicia Hoffarth, North Dakota Rep., (701)490-3889 · cahoffarth@hotmail.com

Lorana Jinkerson, At Large Rep., (906)226-6210 · ljinkers@nmu.com

www.northcountrytrail.org

About the Cover Inset: Steve Kinne, left, and Mike Lynch build a stone step switchback, conquering a steep ledge overlooking the former Lehigh Valley Railroad, now a trail segment.

The results of their labors are shown in the larger picture. Central NY Chapter.

North Star Staff

Irene Szabo, Editor (585)658-4321 or treeweenie@aol.com The North Star, Spring issue, Vol. 28, Issue 1, is published by the North Country Trail Association, a private, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, 229 East Main Street, Lowell, MI 49331. The North Star is published quarterly for promotional and educational purposes and as a benefit of membership in the Association. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the North Country Trail Association.

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NCT Primer Stuff you ought to know about the North Country Trail Bruce Matthews Executive Director

M

ost folks don’t just wake up one morning with the fully formed commitment to join the NCTA and build the North Country Trail. It might be nice if that were the case: perhaps something could be added to the water to help make it so, and NCTA’s membership would grow, the trail would get built and we could all sing Kumbaya around the campfire together!

The reality is you join NCTA because a friend asks you to, or you hear about it through the hiking grapevine. Maybe you come to a chapter meeting and we seem like nice folks, so you sign up. However, it’s likely there are gaps in knowing who we are, what we do and why we do it, who does what and how it all gets done. So, because we think this whole deal’s pretty cool, because you’ll enjoy your membership that much more in the knowing, and because you’ll be better ambassadors and NCTA recruiters as a result, we’re offering this brief primer on the North Country Trail and its primary partners collaborating to bring to reality this vision of a premier long distance hiking trail linking the best of the rugged North Country landscapes and people.

What’s this “National Scenic Trail” thing?

The North Country National Scenic Trail (NCNST) is the official name of our trail. It is pretty special since we’re one of only eight national scenic trails in the entire National Trails System. The others are Appalachian, Pacific Crest, Continental Divide, Florida, Ice Age, Natchez Trace and Potomac Heritage.

OK, then, so what’s this National Trails System?

Established in 1968 as one of the landmark pieces of conservation legislation emerging from the 1960’s, the National Trails System Act formally establishes a nationwide system of trails providing public access to inexpensive recreational experiences near home, and protecting trails offering outstanding scenic, historic and recreational values across America.

There are three types of trails recognized under this Act— national scenic trails (NSTs), national historic trails (NHTs) and national recreation trails (NRTs). NSTs and NHTs require an act of Congress for designation; NRTs require only the signature of the Secretary of the Interior (or regional forester if on Forest Service lands). Today there are more than 40,000 miles of trail in the system, which in addition to the 8 NSTs also includes 18 NHTs.

How did the North Country Trail become an NST? Under the National Trails System Act of 1968, which originally established only the Appalachian and Pacific Crest as the first National Scenic Trails, provision was made for study of additional trails for potential inclusion in the system.

In reality these studies were on-going; the North Country Trail was originally identified in the early 1960’s during the

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Nationwide Trails Study and listed in the 1966 Trails for America report. In 1980 Congress formally authorized the North Country NST.

Why does the NCNST start and end where it does?

The simple answer is, while the original studies in the 1960’s envisioned an even more grandiose version, the most politically expedient trail route in 1980…the one assuring Congressional passage…is the one that starts at Lake Sakakawea, ND and ends at Crown Point on the NY border of Vermont.

Interestingly, there are moves afoot to change both these termini: stay tuned to future issues of North Star for details.

How long is the trail, really?

The quick answer is about 4600 miles, with some 2400 miles marked and hike-able. The remaining 2200 are temporary, connected on roads, and while you “CAN get there from here,” it’s not the premier hiking path as envisioned when complete.

These 2400 completed miles, by the way, are already more than the Appalachian Trail is long; what took 50 years for the AT to complete was accomplished by our North Country-hardy volunteers after only 30! That’s impressive!

At 4600 miles the NCNST will be the longest contiguous trail in the National Trails system.

What’s the National Park Service got to do with it?

When an NST or NHT is designated by Congress, it is assigned an administrative agency within the federal government.

This agency has responsibility for managing the trail in accord with federal policy, and to expend federal funds on its behalf.

The National Park Service (NPS) is that agency for the NCNST. Other NSTs and NHTs are administered variously by the U.S. Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management.

National Park Service headquarters for the North Country and Ice Age Trails is located in Madison, Wisconsin, where Superintendent Tom Gilbert directs staff for both NSTs. Fred Szarka is North Country Trail Manager. NPS can be contacted for questions concerning NPS policy, trail route planning and certification, volunteer recognition and Challenge Cost Share fund cycles.

If the NPS runs things, then what’s the North Country Trail Association for?

Since the equivalent of only three and a half NPS staff are assigned to this 4600 mile trail, there obviously has to be another way to get this trail BUILT and MAINTAINED. With no trail-loving millionaires lining up to fund us—even when we do dress up and smell pretty—it is we VOLUNTEERS who will make this all happen. However, we probably need a little bit of management, eh?

Your Adventure Starts Nearby.

The NCTA is the lightly-staffed non-profit organization, directed by your elected board, that administers this vast and dedicated volunteer network, creating maps and guidebooks, promoting and providing information about the trail and funding and supporting the thirty-odd groups who host it through seven states.

NCTA headquarters are in Lowell, Michigan, which is 350 miles from Madison, Wisconsin.

Other Government Agencies?

Ah, yes. Although the NCNST is administered by the NPS, management authorities generally remain with the landowners unless specifically granted otherwise. With state-owned land, much depends on the individual agency within state or local government which has management authority. Public lands can be managed with a wide variety of intended outcomes.

You’ll find one set of regulations for state parks and another for state forest or game lands. Lands managed as a preserve will have different rules from state recreation lands; in all cases the NCNST is subject to local control. Our other option is to move the trail.

And the Forest Service?

The NCNST actually passes through ten National Forests/ Grasslands in its 4600 miles, but our administrative authority belongs to the NPS. As with all the lands through which the NCNST passes, the U.S. Forest Service maintains management authority; i.e., it approves routes and uses for the NCNST on Forest Service land. To make it potentially more confusing, management policies and allowable uses will vary among National Forests. This explains, for example, why some sections of the NCNST in National Forests might be open to mountain bike use. The Forest Service supervisor can make that call even if the NPS might choose otherwise.

OK—glad you asked! What IS the deal with trail bikes and horses?

First of all the NCTA is not opposed to other forms of trail recreation besides hiking and backpacking on foot. More of us bike than not, and many enjoy trail riding. The reality is that all proponents of trail-based recreation MUST work together to ensure a future for trails.

Having said that, it is NCTA’s belief and the National Park Service’s position that the “desired future condition” for the North Country National Scenic Trail is that it be a premier footpath, used and maintained as a primitive pathway for hiking and backpacking. In many cases the extensive efforts associated with building and routing trails suitable for multiple uses, and the resulting wide, hard-surfaced and gently sloping lanes are counter to the primitive pathway concept envisioned for the NCNST. The effort to enable multiple uses too often winds up diminishing the experience or even excluding hikers.

We recognize there are places where the trail surface is hard and flat enough and the pathway wide enough that mountain biking, horseback riding and foot travel are compatible, particularly when all users are educated and courteous in their activity. In these instances multiple use can be appropriate.

www.northcountrytrail.org

Whom do you call for what?

Main NCTA headquarters are in Lowell, Michigan, where you can find: Executive Director, Bruce Matthews NCTA Board of Directors Communications/Outreach/Marketing/Public Relations Blue Blaze Bulletin Annual Conference Community & Landowner Outreach Regional Trail Coordinators Advocacy Policy Development Development and Fund Raising Office Manager & Financial Administrator, Laura Lindstrom Chapter Financial Management Grants management, Challenge Cost Share Field Grants GIS/Cartography Coordinator, Matt Rowbotham NCTA and Chapter Websites GIS/mapping Databook/Guidebook Project Membership Coordinator, Jill Decator Volunteer Adventures Chapter/Membership Records Volunteer Hours NCTA Awards Trailshop NCTA’s satellite offices for our Regional Trail Coordinators (RTC’s) are in: Detroit Lakes, Minnesota; Matt Davis North Dakota and Minnesota

Madison, Wisconsin; Bill Menke Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Shawnee, Ohio; Andrew Bashaw Ohio and Pennsylvania For questions on trail planning, routing, construction, maintenance: RTC’s Matt Davis, Andrew Bashaw, Bill Menke.

To submit articles and photos for NCTA's quarterly magazine, contact North Star Editor, Irene Szabo.

Contact info for all the above is on page 3 of every issue of this magazine, while National Park Service contact info is on the left side of our Who's Who pages.

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NCT Primer Continued from Page 5 What about NCTA committees?

Sales 2.5%

Here’s a list of standing and ad hoc committees and their chairs: Nominating (Board of Directors), Gaylord Yost Bylaws, Gaylord Yost Fund Development, Bobby Koepplin, Sarah Julien Awards, Sarah Julien Field Grants, Lynda Rummel Advocacy, Al Larmann Westward Ho, Bobby Koepplin Data/Guidebook, Chris Klein

Grants 11.3%

Membership 14.2% Donations 8%

NPS 64%

What’s the difference between chapters and affiliates?

Chapters and trail building affiliates adopt, build and maintain sections of the North Country Trail. Both are eligible for funding through field grants and NPS challenge cost share funds.

NCTA chapters are locally governed and directed, and funded by a percentage of membership dues paid to national headquarters. They are linked through their bylaws and finances to NCTA HQ, which serves as the umbrella administrative organization.

On the other hand, affiliates host trail segments which pre-existed the NCT, have their own organization, membership and basic funding, and sometimes even produce their own maps. The original Congressionally mandated route included several major trail systems already on the ground in Ohio and New York, for instance, which explains why we have several types of trail-tending groups.

By far the largest chunk comes through our cooperative agreement with the National Park Service, through which federal dollars are allocated in support of building the trail and telling its story.

Expenses: About 75% of NCTA’s expenses are re-delivered to the trail and membership in the form of direct dollars, publications or services as our volunteers build the trail and tell its story. The administrative costs include membership management as well as the financial management, accounting and reporting required for the NCTA’s 30 chapters and affiliates doing business in seven states. Advocacy involves working with state and federal governments and agencies on legislative issues affecting the trail.

Advocacy 2.9% Administration 23%

Trail Management 26.8%

Where does the money come from and where does it go?

NCTA’s budgeted revenues for 2009 are about $725,000.

Revenue sources break down as follows: Membership Dues 14.2%, Donations 8.0%, NPS 64%, Grants 11.3%, Merchandise Sales 2.5%.

GIS/Cartography 4.9% Chapters 17.9%

Outreach 24.5%

The Founders Circle is Still Growing!

NCTA welcomes your contribution.

Bobby Koepplin

Board Development Chairman

T

he Board of Directors has accepted the challenge of leading fund raising efforts in order to improve the quality and services of the trail. The Founders Circle has been created to help further the NCTA Board’s vision of completing the mission to strategically market, plan, build and maintain the longest National Scenic Trail in America.

Membership includes a two tier, annual financial commitment as Trail Blazer ($1,000 or more per year) or Trail Builder ($500 up to $999 per year). Members of The Founders Circle will be recognized at the annual conference, in NCTA publications and other ways as appropriate.

The Founders Circle members will be invited to serve in a volunteer Advisory capacity to the NCTA Board of Directors to guide and assist the Board in the mission to grow and enhance the longest National Scenic Trail in America.

If you have any questions or would like to join The Founders Circle to advance the North Country Trail, contact Bobby Koepplin, Development Chairman, at (701)845-2251 work, (701)840-0250 cell or e-mail bkoepplin@kwh.com.

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Your Adventure Starts Nearby.

MATTHEWS’

I

’ve been thinking a lot about faith lately. About having it, feeling it, practicing it. Because, well, life takes faith… sometimes in abundance. What was it Albert Schweitzer said?

“No ray of sunlight is ever lost, but the green, which it awakes into existence, needs time to sprout… All work that is worth anything is done in faith.”

It seems to me, my friends, the building of the North Country Trail and the telling of its story is all about having faith.

This also speaks to activity lately at NCTA, and here are two things in particular where faith’s playing an important role. The first is our advocacy effort in Washington just completed as I write.

Your team led by Al Larmann (plus John Leinen, Rick Adamson, Derek Blount and me) spent four faith-filled days trekking the halls in Senate and House office buildings, visiting the Members of Congress whose district or state hosts some of our North Country Trail. We sought support for the Minnesota NCNST Arrowhead Re-Route, for willing seller legislation, for enabling legislation so the NCNST could access Land and Water Conservation Funds in all seven states, and for the NCNSTs continued funding through the Interior appropriations process. We advanced the national trails agenda and supported the start of the Decade for the National Trails. Time will tell whether this effort—and faith—is justified.

What we can report is, to members of Congress, the single most critical and impressive NCT fact we share is driven by your faith in volunteering (and documenting!) all those hours on behalf of building the Trail.

MEANDERS BRUCE MATTHEWS Executive Director

This year, the documented value of your time reached $1.1 million dollars—the first time we’ve ever topped a million. For every dollar invested by the National Park Service in NCTA, it returns $2.55 in volunteer effort. Now, that’s faith!

The other faith-based activity underway is centered in Valley City, ND where your fellow NCTAers are planning this year’s annual conference. The details are elsewhere in this issue, but their many efforts on your behalf—and their faith that you’ll show up in Valley City come July—are very much worth noting. They’re planning for a full house, and by any measure the programs, hikes and events planned will be well worth the effort for you to get there.

If you’ve never experienced big sky hiking, you’re in for a treat. And if you have, you know how it is on a star-filled evening gathered around a campfire—just how connected it makes you feel.

Early arrivals will even have a chance to tag the western terminus of the NCNST! My friends, your fellow members in North Dakota are putting out a welcome mat as big as their sky. Please take up their invitation and join us at conference this year!

Field Grant Update Lynda Rummel Chair, NCTA Field Grants Committee

T

he NCTA Field Grant Committee recently reviewed and updated the application and final report forms. The review was prompted by some persistent problems, particularly with applicants not providing the details and documentation that are required and with filing their final reports, and by the fact that the fund is less flush but more applicants are applying. As a consequence, well-documented and complete applications necessarily rise to the top. The following is intended to help all applicants better compete.

First, read the revised instructions that precede the application form and follow them carefully. Secondly, read over the application form before you start filling it out. Note that: You must have the required Chapter, Affiliate, or State entity signatures on your form.

If your project is to build a facility, your application must include a description that includes the dimensions and a drawing If you are applying for money to fund construction of trail or facilities, you must include a letter from the landowner or land manager that states that they are aware of and grant permission for the project as described in the application.

While no match (funds or materials) is required, contributions/donations from other sources are appreciated.

Volunteer labor is expected, and all applications must include an estimate of volunteer hours.

In general, projects should be completed within one year of the award, and projects are not considered complete until a Final Report Form has been filed. If you are unable to complete the project within this time frame, provide committee staff (llindstrom@ northcountrytrail.org) with a brief (informal) “status report” that explains why the project has been delayed and your final report has not been filed.

Projects completed in advance will not be considered, so be sure to get approval before starting your project!

When you sit down to write, think about your application as a persuasive document. Put yourself in the shoes of the committee members, and assume we know very little if anything about your part of the NCT and its natural and socioeconomic environment. Include the critical information that will help the committee envision the project and understand the (many) reasons why it should be funded.

We believe there are many worthy projects out there, but we do not have enough money to fund them all; hence, the applicant’s job is to show us why his/her project is really, really good.

Lastly, there’s one more thing you can do that will help you and every other applicant: Field Grants are funded by setting aside 10% of all membership dues received, so you can increase the size of the pot by recruiting new members and encouraging lapsed members to rejoin.

Field grants are funded with 10% of member dues, so you can increase the size of the pot by recruiting new members! www.northcountrytrail.org

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Branding the Experience of the NCT:

Communicating the Promise

Bruce Matthews Executive Director

W

hat’s a brand? Simply, it’s a promise. It’s a marketing term for the association created between a set of symbols and what consumers know they’re about to experience by, say, drinking a Coke, or going to Disney World. It’s a very useful tool in communicating and creating ownership and loyalty.

And NCTA can use all the help we can get when someone asks, “What’s the North Country Trail?”

A good brand differentiates our trail from others. It communicates with conviction, clarity and certainty what is the NCT and what it’s not. The NCNST’s brand needs to connect deeply with and motivate people and effectively appeal at all levels, and particularly to inspire us to aim high, high enough to create a trail people dream of walking.

So, what does the North Country Trail promise? And what’s the best way for us simply, effectively and clearly to communicate it?

NCTA leadership began last year with a series of exercises designed to re-think the North Country National Scenic Trail’s (NCNST) brand. The first tangible results are the new logos and tagline accompanying this article, being launched with this issue of North Star. Here’s a little of what’s involved with choosing these deceptively simple branding symbols.

We recognize that the North Country Trail as a brand is virtually unknown, even in communities through which the trail passes. NCTA's current "hills and dales" logo is outdated, lacks meaning and is ineffective in communicating what's special, unique and compelling about the North Country National Scenic Trail. It holds little value as a rallying point.

It’s time for a fresh look. We need a logo that helps position who we are, defines why we're so passionate and why it’s so cool to be part of us, communicating that the NCT "belongs" to the people. A logo and tagline are not the only thing in a branding strategy, but they're the most visible. You need them before you can implement the rest of the branding effort.

The NCTA staff kicked off the branding with a broadstroke examination of brand vision, positioning, personality, affiliation and key touchpoints. We ground-truthed the process and outcomes with the board of directors, who helped refine the verbiage into a more manageable form. Here are some key points in the process:

Target Audience All branding must be target-driven; that is, speak directly and effectively to the audience at the core of our efforts.

NCTA's core audience is currently over 55, active, white and outdoors/environmentally oriented, sharing a variety of outdoor interests. This audience also skews toward male and suburban/ rural. While this is not the future, and the NCTA audience clearly must diversify, we cannot do so at the expense of our current strength. Thus it is important to understand how

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new logo proposals "play" with both core and potential new audiences. In other words, we're wise to seek research-based inputs from intended audiences in the development process.

This we've tried to do, and even with limited resources we've got some credible results.

Testing We developed a survey designed to test the top logo and tagline executions we felt might do the trick. We wanted to select the most powerful and resonant choices from among what had been developed thus far. We invited participation by the trails community via our Blue Blazes Bulletin and other e-invitations; we know that at least a couple of trail bloggers picked it up and helped get out the word.

Results More than 200 individuals completed the survey. Virtually all had hiked on the NCT; two-thirds called themselves frequent hikers. Affinity activities included camping (71%), backpacking (60%), bicycling—mountain or touring (52%), skiing (43%), paddlesports (42%), birding (35%), fishing (23%), and hunting (15%). We were successful in attracting a fair-sized sample of our current audience.

Our new logo was three times more popular than the next alternative, and more than half chose it overall. Still, 25% said they did not like either alternative.

The tagline "Your Adventure. Right Nearby." was the clear favorite, with 40% ranking it #1 (almost twice as much as the next highest); 60% ranked it a one or two and only 19% made it their last choice. The others: "Experience it. Right Nearby." (22% ranked 1st, 52% combined 1 and 2; 20% last.)

"Hike it. Nearby." (25% ranked 1st, 50% combined 1 and 2; 15% last.)

"Your Path. Nearby." (14% first, 34% 1 and 2; 46% last)

Cross Tab Analysis It is important to understand whether differences exist among our survey takers that might be masked by the total or average. We particularly wanted to know whether age or gender influenced the results. If we're trying, for example, to diversify and appeal to broader/younger audiences it is important not to select a logo that doesn't speak to them, or worse, is viewed negatively.

Age With almost 70% of those surveyed 50 and over, we need to look closely at any significant differences that might exist between our "50 pluses" and those younger. While we do have enough "under 50's" (63) to enable a valid comparison Your Adventure Starts Nearby.

with "overs," we don't have enough individuals sampled in the cohorts of 18 and under (1), 19-29 (10), 30-39 (23) or 40-49 (29) to reach statistical significance such that we could make valid and reliable comparisons among the cohorts or between them individually and the 50 pluses. The best we can do is cite them as directional indicators, and in fact they are helpful.

With the logo, 54% of "50 pluses" preferred the logo execution while the "under 50's" averaged a 51.3% approval.

Slightly more disapproval was expressed by the "unders"; more "under 50's" than "50 pluses" didn't like any of the logos.

More than half of every cohort prefer the logo execution we eventually chose. Support for the alternative is very much less in all cohorts.

With the taglines, almost 40% of all respondents chose "Your Adventure. Right Nearby" as their top tagline. By age cohort this looks as follows: 19-29: 50% 30-39: 57% 40-49: 40% 50 up: 36% "Your Adventure. Right Nearby" was preferred by all age cohorts, and trended toward higher ranking with younger cohorts, although even among 50 pluses the next closest was more than 8% less.

compare three slightly different executions against the fourth, the “Your Adventure. Right Nearby.” winner. The new version blew the others away, and our new tagline is: Your Adventure Starts Nearby.

Below are the new NCTA logo, tagline and 7-State NCNST logo. These are available for download from the new website or by calling Jill Decator at the office. We’re phasing out all older versions and hope to be completely converted within 6 months. Thanks for helping us start creating more brand recognition with our new logo!

Altering the Tagline Followup discussion among staff and the NPS identified a variation on the chosen tagline that frankly we wished we’d included in the original testing: Ýour Adventure Starts Nearby. We then asked chapter leaders in a straw poll to

www.northcountrytrail.org

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Becky Heise

State of the Trail 2008

Sheyenne River Valley Chapter’s barricade preventing unwelcome uses along their new Ladies Line railbed trail section.

Black soil is native there, not due to railroad cinders.

What follows are the contributions from our compatriots in enthusiasm from all seven states of the North Country Trail, sharing with you the highlights of their efforts in 2008. Feel free to steal good ideas or gobble up some inspiration: that’s what this annual section is for! We enjoyed a great spread of submissions this year from our various trail groups. However, John Heiam of Grand Traverse Hiking Club reminds us that their Hodenpyl Reroute was featured in the December issue, color spread pages 14-15, so invites us to look back at their adventures there.

Sheyenne River Valley Chapter NORTH DAKOTA - The new 4.5 miles of trail from Kathryn

to Clausen Springs Recreation Area were completed, blazed, signed and barricaded from vehicular traffic. We have applied for certification of the route. It is a really interesting and pretty hike with rewards at either end! It was frustrating working with BNSF railroad to purchase the land, and the trail development was hard work, but we persevered and got it completed! We have also been successful in receiving easements from the City of Fort Ransom to add several miles of trail towards connecting Fort Ransom State Park with the Sheyenne State Forest. Some lucky folks will be hiking these trails this year during the NCT conference here in North Dakota! We also continue to add tools and handy gadgets to the chapter trailer.

Our chapter tries to host a different hike each month from April to September. We like to include fun activities as well to lure new hikers and members to our chapter. We have a berry picking hike each year (depending on the berry crop, of

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course) and have at least one winter activity, sometimes more.

Depending on snow cover, we may cross country ski, show shoe, or just hike! We also like to incorporate a canoe trip as well! And ever since the Bemidji annual conference, we have all gone crazy for Skittles tournaments!

On July 8th, our chapter hosted a two mile hike around beautiful Clausen Springs, highlighting a mile of the newly developed Ladies Line Trail segment—a section of abandoned Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad newly turned into trail.

A campfire was enjoyed following the hike. It was a beautiful evening for a hike and a campfire with great company.

The Sheyenne River Valley Chapter plans to complete the segment from Fort Ransom State Park through the City of Fort Ransom this spring. We also plan to host one of the best national conferences ever and hope to see lots of our NCTA friends in Valley City in July!

—Becky Heise

Your Adventure Starts Nearby.

Star of the North MINNESOTA - Extending a helpful hand reaches other helpful

hands in partnership. This year the Star of the North chapter, which is the only MN chapter located off trail, began a push toward membership and partnering. Since the chapter is located in Minnesota’s population center around the Twin Cities, we took the message to all those people. We have left brochures at two REI stores and at Midwest Mountaineering, which is working because I receive several calls per month.

In 2009 the STN is booking a special event in April at the Upper Mississippi National Recreational Area in the Metro, located in the Minnesota Science Museum. This effort was first initiated

by Fred Szarka, then furthered by Dan Watson and Dan Dressler, all of the National Park Service. Folks, government works if you work with it.

Along with the NPS, the chapter also found a great partner in the US Forest Service located up “North.” This last year the Border Route and Kekekabic Trails extended their hands in a partnership to see the trails get rehabbed (after a devastating fire, and overgrowth following the fire) and the reroute bill passed by Congress. Both the BRTA and Kek Club trail associations, along with the government custodians caring for the land where these trails pass, believe working together in partnership will be best.

Like the rest of the chapters the STN did roll up their sleeves on NTD 08 on the Superior Hiking Trail, and worked on the NCT in the Chippewa National Forest, along with five other trail builds, including rehab, and bridge work in Wisconsin.

—Brian Pavek

Laurentian Lakes MINNESOTA - The Laurentian Lakes Chapter celebrates

—­Karen Stenberg, Communications Director

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good year of trail building for the Itasca Moraine Chapter. In addition to getting 4.7 miles of new trail certified, additional trail was built ready for certification in the future. With the benefit of the Federal Highway Recreational Trail Program, the Minnesota Conservation Corps was employed to construct trail. Chapter volunteers contributed an equal amount of work with additional effort from a Boy Scout troop. All trail certified prior to 2008 was adopted and well maintained in 2008. We have less than 5 miles of trail to complete to meet the goal of connecting the Chippewa National Forest on the east to Itasca State Park on the western chapter border. The last few miles have a few hundred yards of challenging wetlands to cross. Testing of the design and obtaining funding for the materials for the longer section of wetlands near the Schoolcraft River are top priorities for 2009/2010.

In addition two new parking lots were constructed at trail heads and one kiosk was installed as an Eagle Scout project. Planning is well underway with the Minnesota Department of Transportation to get signs established at the two places where the NCT crosses state highways. Although beyond the chapter boundaries, we have also undertaken maintaining the NCT within portions of the Chippewa National Forest. The chapter supported “the Chip” with activities on National Trails Day and National Public Lands Day. Relationships with the Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources, Forestry and Parks and Hubbard Country Land Management continue to be strong as well.

Plans have also been launched for more kiosk construction, registration box construction and upgraded signage along the trail. By early spring, through hikers will be directed to follow flagging for a few segments, including detours around the wetlands. Thus, through hikers can follow rough-cut trail and will not have any road hiking between the Chippewa National Forest and Itasca State Park.

—Jerry Trout Ray Vlasak

a successful construction season with nearly 9 miles cleared and 5 miles of treadway built. Volunteers along with the MCC crew crossed State Highway 113 and built south for the first time this summer, entering Becker County. In addition, two bridges were also completed. Future plans are to complete a parking lot at the trailhead on Highway 39 and to build two kiosks. Members have also been involved in several activities in the county to promote the trail and find prospective members.

Handing out brochures, talking about the benefits of the trail, and inviting the public to the trail fest and hikes were some of the ways this was accomplished at several public events in Becker County this summer.

Membership is now at 51 including several Lake Associations. Wednesday workdays are continuing when temperature permits and at times the crew has been as large as ten volunteers. Members took part in hikes at the trail fests in Itasca State Park in Minnesota and Fort Ransom State Park in North Dakota. Also there were opportunities to hike at the Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge’s Fall Festival and our own sponsored cancer awareness hike in October.

The most recent chapter activity was the second annual Winter Trails Day at Maplelag Resort. For the second year near ideal weather conditions (15 degrees F and light wind) made for great snowshoeing and wonderful skiing on the groomed trails.

Thirty-eight people attended and enjoyed a family style dinner following the outdoor activities and the chapter’s 4th quarter membership meeting.

Itasca Moraine MINNESOTA - It was another

Laurentian Lakes' part in a hiking health benefits workshop demonstrates the value of stretching before and after hikes.

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Superior Hiking Trail Association MINNESOTA - We had a great season on the Superior

Hiking Trail (someday hopefully to be official North Country Trail!). We celebrated the completion of a new 6.2-mile section near Two Harbors on National Trails Day with a hike and picnic. We also built 8 new miles of trail between Two Harbors and Duluth in 2008. Over 65 volunteers contributed almost 1,000 hours to trail construction!

We also added an additional 6.6 miles of trail without having to build a single foot of treadway when we signed existing park trails through Jay Cooke State Park. Now the SHT is only four miles away from connecting to Wisconsin!

SHTA volunteers performed maintenance and submitted inspection reports on 60 trail sections, 82 campsites, and 48 trailheads. Volunteers helped with four scheduled maintenance projects and helped replace the Mission Creek, Cascade Creek, and Indian Camp Creek bridges.

SHTA offered nine hikes during 2008 with volunteers leading. In addition, the project to paint blaze the entire trail (with official NCT blue) was completed.

We did face some challenges in 2008 with a huge rain event in June that took out or moved many bridges and boardwalk and blew down a large number of trees. It took a couple of months to get all the repairs completed. SHTA’s goal is to build 5.5 miles of new trail in 2009, again with the use of Minnesota Conservation Corps crews and our SHTA volunteers.

—Gayle Coyer, Executive Director

Brule-St. Croix Chapter WISCONSIN - We accomplished our main objective, the

completion of the 3500' Brule Bog Boardwalk.

The Boardwalk has become a favorite destination for local residents of all ages who have begun to appreciate the Trail as a great resource. With the completion of 1.3 miles of trail west of the Boardwalk, hikers can walk through to Crowshaw road and then walk the road to Solon Springs. Through hikers will find a fully equipped backpacker campsite before reaching the road.

Two groups were big contributors to the completion of this part of the Trail. In June we hosted an NCTA Volunteer Adventure. Working with chapter members and guided by the Rovers, much work was accomplished and a good time was had by all. In September we hosted a group of students from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. These enthusiastic, hard working young adults were a pleasure to work with.

Thanks to them, the trail was completed to Crowshaw Road.

With the Boardwalk completed, we turned our attention to working south and west of the Bird Sanctuary, heading towards Minnesota. In October, we completed a 32’ bridge across Spring Creek. Now we are preparing to build trail and boardwalk as we head for the Gordon Dam on the St. Croix River. This will give us a much needed entry point for hikers who live south of Solon Springs.

On the social side, we co-hosted an all day Trails Day Celebration with the Chequamegon Chapter and the Friends of the Bird Sanctuary. We also participated in the first annual St. Croix Riverfest by sponsoring two hikes. With the help of Josh McIntyre, a Naturalist with the DNR, we hiked the Historic Portage Trail and the Brule Bog Boardwalk. The hikes were well

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Volunteer Adventurers on the Brule-St. Croix boardwalk.

attended and gave our Chapter and the Trail more recognition by the local residents. One of our goals is to build community awareness of the Trail. With this in mind we formed a local hiking group. The North Country Hikers hiked many sections of our Trail, joined the Chequamegon Hikers for combined hikes and hiked with a DNR Naturalist. Friendships were formed, new Chapter members were added and Trail awareness was heightened. We will be back on the Trail in April.

—Lynne Nason

Chequamegon Chapter WISCONSIN - On May 17th, the Chequamegon Chapter

started the season with our highest attendance yet at a trail maintenance event, where we completed our first two earthen puncheon improvements on the wettest sections and completely maintained this segment. This high point was followed by a first hand look at major early spring ATV trail damage on our most popular section of NCT, that led the chapter to adopt a 3’ wide ATV Remediation Plan for cutting larger trees that have fallen on the NCT in the Chequamegon National Forest.

The three foot wide gap allows the brush mower to pass but prevents an ATV (most of which are 4’ wide) from passing through. Dedicated Chapter Member Bob Erickson volunteered to straighten up this mess created by just one ATV. We replaced puncheon after receiving approval for a CCS match for the material purchase. Ed Ronkowski, Chapter Treasurer, completed the application, purchased and pre-cut the material, devised methods for transporting it to the site and supervised the construction of the puncheon.

We also installed our first Wilderness Toilet and installed a new metal roof on a shelter.

The Chapter provided funding to print a pocket sized map based on the USFS Chequamegon National Forest North Country Trail Map that will be distributed for promotional purposes.

One example: over 50 maps were handed out at Two Lakes Campground where there is a connector trail to the NCT. 2008 also witnessed increased shuttle services to backpackers hiking our sections for the first time, some from as far away as Missouri.

The chapter held two fun hikes in 2008 and managed record attendances at both. However, fewer biting bugs would be greatly appreciated for 2009.

—Marty Swank

Your Adventure Starts Nearby.

Heritage Chapter WISCONSIN - In 2008 we finished

a mile of new trail that completes the nearly 3 mile section from Casey Sag Road west to Wren Falls, including over 90 feet of boardwalk. You can now hike continuously on established trail and connectors nearly 15 miles from near Hurley to Wren Falls. In this section you can swim in two different lakes, take panoramic photos atop mountain bluffs, fish for brook trout in two rivers, explore an old gold mine and even catch a round of golf midway through the trail. If you’re backpacking you have your choice of 4 shelters, one established campground, and many backcountry sites. If you are birding, you should bring along a large notebook with room for lots of entries. Yes, there are black bears and wolves, and recently, signs of moose.

Our plans for 2009 include building two new bridges to cross small creeks and flagging a new 3 miles from Wren Falls west to Highway 169. Ultimately the trail will continue another 6 miles or so from Highway 169 west to Copper Falls State Park where it will join the Chequamegon Chapter section.

However, depending on the results of a new National Park Service directive, we may opt to concentrate on routing and marking the western most section.

The NPS effort to find the best connection to Upper Michigan has produced three route options: in an effort to keep the trail more of a wilderness experience and follow mostly public lands, two of them exclude significant sections of established trail in the Heritage Chapter. NPS established an advisory group and held a public hearing. Their preferred route is expected soon, to be followed by additional public input. We hope to know the preferred route by our chapter annual meeting on February 15, 2009, since our planned work may be affected by the NPS decision.

It is this author’s hope to keep as much of the established trail section in the new NPS plans as possible. The Heritage Chapter is so named because of its historical significance. There are old mines, working forests and old rail lines along the current trail.

It is as much an experience of history as it is wilderness. In many ways it is currently the best of both.

—Michael Stafford,

President

Peter Wolfe Chapter UPPER MICHIGAN - We had a lot of successes this year,

beginning with the establishment of a trail adoption program, with Laura Bulleit as coordinator.

We sponsored a National Trails Day hike to Tibbets Falls, the Oren Krumm Shelter, and the site of the Baraga Bump forest fire of 2007. The hike was also a field trip for the Ottawa National Forest’s Breeding Bird Census and for the North Woods Native Plant Society, so we had quite a crowd!

Two important land purchases were finalized this year. The acquisition by the Forest Service of critical lands within and adjacent to Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness will provide a key trail connection and interpretive site for the NCT. In addition, the acquisition by Michigan DNR of key lands along the Sturgeon River in the Tibbets Falls area will assure the protection of several miles of the NCT there.

We hosted an NCTA Volunteer Adventure this past fall,

www.northcountrytrail.org

resulting in the completion of several miles of new trail on Baraga Plains. This year we plan to connect that trail to Canyon Falls Rest Area on US 41; this will involve the construction of a 140-foot multi-span bridge over Plumbago Creek.

—Doug Welker

The North Country Trail Hikers Chapter UPPER MICHIGAN - Based in Marquette, we had a busy

2008. As spring trail maintenance began, several of our adopters to the east of town noted an unusual number of windfalls. A trail crew of hard working members, led by our Trail Boss Cliff Stammer, made multiple trips with chain saws to clear the trail.

Our trail exploration crew made several trips to the west of Marquette attempting to locate a way to connect from the Little Garlic segment to County Road 510 and then on from there north and west across the Mulligan Plains area, connecting to our trail north of the Silver Lake Basin. The section from the Little Garlic segment to County Road 510 has been GPSed and flagged. The section farther west, across the Mulligan Plains, still needs refinement but progress was made before hunting season and snowfall prevented further exploration.

In an attempt to stimulate awareness of the NCT with the local college students, we manned a table at Northern Michigan University’s Fall Fest in late August. More than 40 students signed up to get on our activities’ e-mail list and four have actually joined our chapter. Bookmarks with key points about the trail and our website address for maps were passed out. A special hike across the McCormick Wilderness was then held in September for NMU students. Several of the students have joined us on trail maintenance missions and other activities.

More than 20 members and friends participated in a series of hikes in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Hikers’ Challenge to hike all 95 miles of trails within the Lakeshore’s boundaries, including 42 miles of the NCT. Four members, Marge Forslin, Lorana Jinkerson, Don Miller and Cliff Stammer completed the challenge and received a free ice cream cone from the Falling Rock Café in Munising.

The Softies (see "Across the U. P. with the Softies," in the April/June 2008 North Star) continued their easterly hike across the UP when 8 hikers and a driver spent the first weekend in May hiking approximately 22 miles at the west end of the peninsula. They finished the east end of the Porkies and made their way to Old M-64. A log crossing with the spring-meltfilled rushing Little Carp River below gave some of them shaky knees. In the fall, 4 hikers and a driver headed west again, picking up the trail at Old M-64 and continuing east for approximately 17 miles through the Trap Hills. The views were spectacular and the fall color at its peak.

Lastly, new urban signs have been installed at all street crossings along the 6 miles of the Marquette Bike Path/NCT from the Welcome Center in Harvey to the north edge of Marquette along the Lake Superior shore. Interpretive panels are in the process of being developed to add to this segment.

—Lorana Jinkerson

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Tittabawassee Chapter LOWER MICHIGAN - They say “If you build it they will come." Well, when our chapter got permission to reroute 3 sections of our trail off roads and into the woods I thought, “How can our little group of members possibly build nearly 3 1/2 miles of trail?." We advertised, begged and pleaded for help and…they came!

For the first reroute, which included two sections north of M-32, workers came from the National Fish Hatchery, three students came from the Gaylord area, and one man came with his family to help because he lived on the backside of the area where we were working. Private land owners north of M-32 allowed us to cross their property with our tool trailer and then came and helped us build the trail. Now the North Country Trail crosses M-32 going north and immediately goes back into the woods (section 1). It connects up with existing trail and then instead of following two track roads, (section 2 reroute) it climbs hills and stays in the woods for a total of 3 1/2 miles to US 131.

The third section of reroute was the Boor Conservancy property south of Petoskey that was written up in the AprilJune 2008 North Star. The NCT trail that was on Krause Road is now completely in the woods. The middle of the reroute follows the side of a very steep slope for nearly a half mile, our biggest challenge because it all had to be benched into the side of the hill. When it was finished we were painting blazes and heard the cry of a hawk as it rode on the wind that rose from the valley. I couldn’t help thinking of the privilege it was to be there in that spot and all of the people who had contributed to make it possible, starting with the land owners, the Boors, the Little Traverse Bay Conservancy, and ending with our chapter. The Conservancy built a viewing platform where we can see views of the valley and Little Traverse Bay. They also intend to build trail head parking on the west side of Krause Road near the trail crossing.

The extra workers who turned out to help were members from Harbor Springs and Hiawatha Shore-to-Shore Chapters. There were also people from the surrounding community and again more wonderful people who lived right next to the property and grew up using it for their special woods playground. We enjoyed each others' company over the meals we served and made some lasting friendships.

Two years ago we did a reroute in the City of Petoskey that takes the NCT off streets onto a route following the Bear River. City of Petoskey workers plan to build a couple of boardwalks to complete the reroute and then we can connect to the existing trail. When that happens, NCT will go entirely through the City without being on streets, with the exception of where it follows the Bike Path.

Several years ago the Tittabawassee Chapter was rather discouraged at our inability to get permissions from DNR to reroute NCT off of two track roads and into the woods. We had been working toward that goal for nearly 10 years with no progress until Clare Cain and Matt Rowbotham came to our

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aid and did everything in their power to help us. The result was the reroute north of M-32. I hope she reads this and realizes what a good thing she has initiated and how much we appreciate it. We will keep trying to get our whole 76 miles of trail into the woods.

—Cora Killinger

Friends of the Jordan River Fish Hatchery LOWER MICHIGAN - Last year, you might recall,

the Friends of the Jordan River National Fish Hatchery (FJRNFH) constructed a pavilion near the fish raceways for hatchery visitors and NCT hikers. This year the Friends Group added 6 picnic tables, providing hikers the ultimate spot to have a meal and/or get out of the rain! Located about a half mile off the trail, the Jordan River National Fish Hatchery is the ideal place to find refuge.

In addition to amenities offered to hikers, such as parking, trail maps and flush toilets, the hatchery provides use of its facilities to the Tittabawassee Chapter for spring and fall meetings. Perhaps the most appreciated contribution of the hatchery this year is the storage of TBW’s tool trailer AND the tool maintenance and winterization provided by hatchery staff and volunteers. Located centrally within TBW’s 80 miles of trail, the trailer and tools are easily accessible to all volunteers.

Hatchery staff and volunteers had the opportunity this year to assist with some major trail clearing after a violent July storm ripped through the Jordan Valley toppling trees along the trail.

Our partnership with NCTA is the perfect venue for connecting kids with nature, a goal of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Annually, we team with East Jordan Cub Scout Pack 17 on Earth Day to clean up our adopted 2.5 mile NCT section near the hatchery. Always a hit, the Cub Scouts accomplish their good deed while exploring nature and having a great time...just what the USFWS wants to see!

— Peg Myers

Spirit of the Woods LOWER MICHIGAN - In addition to regular trail clearing

and cleanup, several larger projects were completed. Two short reroutes were accomplished to move from private property where inaccurate surveying in the past had placed the trail across boundary lines instead of keeping it on National Forest property.

While two small bridges were rebuilt in Leitch Bayou that were seriously in need of repair, two emergency situations arose that required major repairs. Due to summer floods the bridge over Eddington Creek was severely damaged. This is a medium sized bridge and the job was rather heavy, so a crew of dedicated men worked for 14 hours and completed the job in one day.

The very next week the crew went out again because a 25 foot section of trail north of Highbridge slumped down the steep embankment on which it was located. This forced the closure of the entire section of trail from Highbridge to Dilling Road until it could be fixed. A bridge had to be built to span the now missing section. There was no room for a large group of people to work, so once again the small dedicated band led by Ed Chappel put in another 14-hour day. They lowered lumber Your Adventure Starts Nearby.

with ropes from the top of the embankment and built the new bridge in place.

As always, the chapter hosts a hike every month. Some of these are on the NCT, and some take place on other local hiking trails.

—Joan Young

Western Michigan Chapter LOWER MICHIGAN - Chapter trail crew mitigated crossing

of both Michigan and Tank Creeks in the Huron-Manistee National Forest where illegal horse and bike use and resultant erosion were leading to sedimentation in the creek. They installed hardened bench and turnpike and built horse barriers. U.S. Forest Service staffer Christopher Loudenslager was instrumental in project design and materials procurement.

• Construction began on a 1.0 mile connector trail between the NCT and the Newaygo County Sportsman's Park on M-37.

When completed, the stretch will eliminate another road walk.

• A 1 mile connector trail between the NCT and the Highbanks Lake National Forest campground was completed after the route was scouted and designed by volunteers Andrew Mytys, John Lawton and Ken Knight.

• "Mowing and more" weekends were held on four days in July when miles and miles of bracken fern were mowed while certified sawyers removed dozens of blowdowns.

• Volunteers Gordy Lachniet and Chuck Hayden installed and improved two signage boards in Lowell to help hikers navigate between off-road sections of trail.

• Boy Scout Max Sweet from an East Grand Rapids troop built and installed 9-inch shield signs at another seven road crossing between Croton Dam and 6 Mile Rd in Newaygo County, bringing our total of completed road crossings to 20. The remaining 15 or so crossings will be addressed in 2009.

• Chuck Vannette is off and running on planning an extension to the Trail north of the Lowell State Game Area.

—Werner Veit

Chief Noonday Chapter LOWER MICHIGAN - Last year we were occupied by

maintenance, improvement reroutes at Kellogg and (hopefully upcoming) Yankee Springs, and wetlands work in the Ott Preserve and the National cemetery, in our ongoing relations with the beaver.

We hosted a volunteer group from Bear Naked Granola, a division of Kellogg’s Kashi, for trail cleanup and kiosk replacement in the Middleville State Game Area.

Tom Garnett continues to spearhead the ongoing project to create a trail along the Kalamazoo River, utilizing municipal trails in several cities and naturally advancing the NCT, too. Creating a coalition of many parties necessary to bring this to fruition has been the big task for now, aiming toward eventual creation of the Historic Iron Bridge Trail.

Mick Hawkins and Ron Sootsman have created a trail data book for our three counties’ worth of NCT, providing hikers with mileage, trailhead, and resource information for travel in either direction. Naturally keeping this updated will be an ongoing project, but we feel the data book is a major accomplishment, and hope other chapters will consider something similar for their own websites.

—Larry Hawkins www.northcountrytrail.org

Chief Baw Beese Chapter LOWER MICHIGAN - After an extended period of

inactivity, the chapter has been hard at work for the last year and a half enhancing our existing trail and building new. We focused much of our initial efforts on our 6 miles of primitive footpath in Lost Nation State Game Area. Besides much needed general brush clearing, we opened a quarter-mile relocation around a perpetually wet area and scouted a reroute to avoid a very muddy streamside section and overly steep ascent. We are also currently working to reestablish trail that has disappeared between Osseo and Lost Nation, and will complete this work over the summer.

Thanks to the cooperation of the city of Litchfield, we are also currently working on opening 2 miles of new primitive trail there. From the north, the trail follows an old railroad bed near downtown Litchfield, passing through a city park with seasonal water. The trail then passes through some woods and emerges at the site of the former city sewage treatment facility. This is a surprisingly scenic area, as all the buildings are gone and all that remains are the former ponds. One pond still holds water, and there are always many ducks and geese. Two other ponds are in various states of reverting to vegetation. We are in the midst of opening more trail following a berm along the St. Joseph River with excellent views over the water. This is definitely a scenic highlight of our section.

Another development is the extension of the city of Hillsdale’s Baw Beese Trail, which the North Country Trail follows through the city. The Rotary Club of Hillsdale is constructing a half-mile long connection on the northwest side of the city that will connect two existing sections of certified trail.

Our section has a very challenging land ownership pattern, with very little public land. We are working to make connections with private landowners to allow access for the trail, although we have had very little success so far. One of the biggest challenges is connecting our trail with existing trail in Northwest Ohio.

—Ryan Bowles

Little Cities of the Forest Chapter OHIO - We’re very excited to report that we officially became a chapter and elected a small band of leaders in early December 2008. I must acknowledge all the work that others have put into getting it going, including but not limited to Andrew and Claudia Bashaw, Shannon Cook, and our current Trail Work Coordinator Dan Jones.

We’re sad and perhaps a little jealous to note that Shannon has left us to pursue an employment opportunity down in Tennessee near the Smoky Mountains.

Chapter volunteers taught a class on trail development to students at Hocking College, we cooperated with the Buckeye Trail Association on work parties, and we met with staff of Burr Oak State Park and Wayne National Forest to discuss future trail developments. We have done display presentations at various events throughout the year, and completed flagging a section of trail in Wayne National Forest that will form a short loop section at Tecumseh Lake, which is near the new OH/PA regional office of the NCTA. We are waiting patiently for permission from the folks Continued on Page 34 January–June 9

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FUDDY OLD COW Irene Szabo North Star Editor

I

t wasn’t that many years ago that I walked into my little town library, stood in the middle of the room, swiveled my head round and round, and finally asked the librarian, “Where’s the card catalog?” She was gentle with me.

So even though this issue features very modern ways of memory-keeping, you won’t be surprised to learn that I was quite tickled with member Joan Young’s scrapbooks of her late 90's major annual hikes along the North Country Trail.

Scatterbrained piglet that I am, I’m happy if I remember to label an envelope of pictures with place and year, so I thought Joan’s bouts of careful organization were wonderful.

In fat three ring binders she presented each hike, complete with a map, captions under pictures, and brochures featuring local attractions, all in a logical order that let a reader know pretty well what that hundred miles was like, mosquitoes and all.

Now we read of Tim Moberg’s digital “scrapbooks” in his article (opposite), a huge leap in ten short years from Joan’s fun books, while the Association staff in Lowell is considering asking us if we want to receive the North Star online! While that would certainly result in more timely delivery than the postal service yields, I still say it’s hard to curl up in bed with a nice fresh laptop, eh? Besides, I draw the line at installing a computer monitor in the Upstairs Reading Room, the one with a bathtub.

But I also cheerfully acknowledge that I am already hopeless and beyond saving. I, who once thought fax was only for the young and impatient, and even tried to avoid learning anything about computers until forced to in the mid- 90's, now get the bends if I miss more than a day or two of email. But do I know how to embed a picture in a document? Nah. Do I spend time on Facebook or Googling stuff? Nah. All of this means that I almost caught up, but then everything started getting invented so fast that I fell behind, and now there is no hope.

I gave up the one cell phone I owned after a year, when I realized that 5000 unused minutes equalled a waste of

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my money. I go into the woods many times per week alone, without a phone, and certainly without a GPS gizmo. Fred Szarka would be appalled. I own a compass and know how to use it, but will admit that Tim Moberg’s scary opening story of getting off trail in the fog would have left me flat out lost and helpless on a dayhike.

Fortunately when fog descended on me once, I was backpacking so could stop in comfort: near the end of an afternoon fog rolled in so thick here in NY that I couldn’t even see blazes, so I stopped and set up my little camp in woods, very near the edge of a farm field, which was about all I could tell about my surroundings. It was private land, not a sanctioned bivouac area, but I figured this was close enough to an emergency.

After dark, I was startled into extreme wakefulness by a huge brilliant round light visible through the nylon tarp I camped under. I’d been discovered by the farmer, who was standing over my illegal campsite with a single headlight on his tractor. How mad would he be? Popped my head out of the tarp, ready to fess up, only to discover why the dog hadn’t barked: the fog had lifted while the full moon rose, shining through my roof. Snort.

Our mapping volunteer here in NY, Joe Dabes, sends me his GPS mileage corrections to my previously wheeled figures, irritating me no end. What could be more accurate than a homemade iron ring attached to a shaft with annular thrust bearings and a counter scavenged from a parts bin at Kodak? Sure, the ring is 6'7" in circumference, so that’s what each counter click counts, requiring a lot of calculator work at home, but that good old measuring wheel works way better than those expensive things the National Park Service buys us, never clogs with wet leaves, never gets gummed up by wet snow. Okay, so the handle doesn’t fold down when not needed, but I swear by that thing, made by a Finger Lakes Trail volunteer long dead. So what makes Joe think his old satellites know any better than my 6'7" revolutions?

I remain unconvinced.

Yeah, yeah, I know I’m hopeless, and fairly soon will also be helpless as I fall further behind with each passing year. So I’ll be quiet pretty soon, but would like to observe that I pay attention to the passage of the moon across our night sky, and wonder how many of today’s kids even know it’s up there? I notice when bare gray red maple branches on hillsides suddenly pink up a little in mid-February, but can probably count on my fingers people I know who notice also. Again, kids in the school I pay strangling taxes to can dance circles around me with digital tools and toys, but do they pay any attention to the passage of seasons outside, other than walking down the street during a winter thaw in flappy dude shorts?

Oh, dear, I AM sounding like my mother. Time to shut up.

Your Adventure Starts Nearby.

Keeping Digital Souvenirs

Enhance Your Adventure Trips Using Digital Technologies

Mary and Tom, Tomlin House in St. Bees.

Scenery along Nannycatch Beck.

Tom Moberg

L

osing the path while trying to cross a mountain ridge in thick fog, heavy rain, and high winds was not what Mary and I would have anticipated as one of the most memorable moments on our hike across England. The path up Lining Crag and across Greenup Edge between Rosthwaite and Grasmere was marked by rock cairns several hundred feet apart, but with visibility under 50 feet and the path hidden among bogs, high grass, and rocky ground, we got off course. As we wandered with increasing nervous-

Marrick Priory from 1154, along River Swale.

Elegantly horned sheep along Witsundale Beck. www.northcountrytrail.org

ness around deep pools of water and through ankle-deep sloughs, getting colder and wetter by the moment, it began to seem like we might have a serious problem. So many hikers get lost in this part of the Coast to Coast Walk between the Irish Sea and the North Sea that the Walk’s famous founder, Alfred Wainwright, warned hikers about the trap of taking the wrong route off Greenup Edge and ending up far off course. We knew that at the end of a hard 10 mile hike, adding an additional five or six miles to compensate for a navigation error was distinctly undesirable, if not downright risky.

Our compasses and excellent Harvey maps were adequate navigational tools for most of the 190 mile route across the Lake District, the Pennine hills, the Yorkshire Dales, and the North York Moors, but not in the fog on Greenup Edge. With the help of a GPS receiver, however, we eventually got back to right part of the ridge, bushwhacked over the rim until we ran into the actual trail, and found our way to downhill to a snug B&B in lovely Grasmere.

During the rest of the Coast To Coast Walk, Mary and I often reflected on our experience on Greenup Edge. Along the Walk, we met several other Coast To Coasters who were also lost up there the same day we were. Mary and I realized that getting lost was an important experience we really wanted to understand and remember because of its impact on our hiking confidence and knowledge. Fortunately, we had several types of technology to help us document the day. Photography, the traditional way of recording a trip, was limited because of the dense fog. And we were Continued On Page 19 January–June 9

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Eastern wall of Ricmond Castle, Richmond rest day.

Herding sheep and coasters with a dog and ATV, Marske.

David, Jan, Mo, Tom, having a "light lunch" in Marske.

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Mary fixing her blisters along the River Liza.

Tom on Windy Kidsty Pike, highest point on C2C at 2,560 feet.

Tom at Rughwite Lodge Climbing Hut. Your Adventure Starts Nearby.

Digital Souvenirs Continued from page 17 both too tired to do much writing in our journals at the end of the day. However, the GPS track, when viewed later in Google Earth, showed exactly where we had walked and helped us understand what went wrong in our navigation. But best of all, we had digital audio recordings that we dictated shortly after getting off the trail. More clearly than anything else, our voices on those recordings communicate the story of what happened and provide an emotional immediacy and intensity unavailable in the other media.

The way we organized the “digital souvenirs” from our Coast To Coast Walk experience demonstrates the use of digital technology to enhance adventure trips. The technology helped document the people, places, and events that were interesting to us during the trip and afterwards, let us create a multi-media “scrap book” as a comprehensive chronicle of the trip. This article describes the process for compiling such a record.

People have probably always wanted to record their travel adventures in order to remember and relive those significant events. From cave art and oral histories, to drawings, paintings, and journals, to movie cameras and tape recorders, and now to modern digital technologies, people have adapted technology to help record events and tell stories. New possibilities have emerged in the past few years that make it much easier to assemble and integrate a wide variety of travel adventure information.

The technologies Some of the technologies that can enhance adventure trips are digital photography, global positioning systems, digital voice technology, and software packages and Webbased tools for managing and integrating travel information.

These are all “digital” technologies in the sense that they create or use electronic “data” in the form of digits, i.e., zeroes and ones. Each of these technologies can be used by itself, but their real power is the ability to integrate data from various sources. Of course, our real interest is converting the data to complex visual, audio, and spatial “information” (such as photos, videos, audio recordings, and GPS tracks) and combining that information in new and creative ways. Some of this organization, management, and editing of data files takes place in the devices themselves, but integrating various types of data and using Internet-based resources is usually more easily done on a full-function computer (PC or Mac) with access to the Internet.

Digital photography is now a widely used technology that has nearly replaced film photography. Digital cameras can be cheap or expensive, simple or complex, depending on the interests of the photographer. Because of the memory capacity of a digital camera, a photographer can indulge in quantity while still striving for quality. A digital camera acquires not just an image but also information about the image, and then stores that information as part of the overall photo file. The information about the photo is called “metadata” and is a key feature of digital photography that allows photos to be integrated with other types of information.

Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, originally developed for military purposes, is rapidly moving into the consumer and hobbyist environment. This technology basically www.northcountrytrail.org

identifies the location of any point on the surface of the Earth, relative to a position coordinate system or grid (such as latitude/ longitude). By using microwave signals transmitted from a system of about 30 satellites, a GPS receiver (GPSR) determines its location, its velocity, its elevation, and the time.

From the point location data, a GPSR creates waypoints (a single location identified by its GPS coordinates), tracks (a travel path stored as a trail of GPS coordinates), and routes (directions to a destination consisting of labeled intermediate location points along the way). A GPSR can also store maps, provide compass and elevation data, measure distances and areas, facilitate navigation, and connect to a computer to upload and download information.

Digital voice technology is based on earlier audio technology devices such as handheld tape recorders and dictation equipment. But the new generation of devices records audio (voice, music, sound) in digital form, similar to what digital cameras do with image files. With the ability to store hundreds of hours of digital audio files in various formats and then upload or download files to a computer, a small digital voice recorder (DVR) can be a very useful tool for travelers.

By combining the features of a digital camera, GPS receiver, and digital voice recorder, a traveler has a wide range of opportunities for collecting and using “digital souvenirs” from an adventure trip. For instance: • The GPS track from a hike, especially when overlaid on a dynamic map browser such as Google Earth, provides a wonderful way to “fly” over the route afterwards. And Google Earth can provide a 3-D view of the terrain, something that is especially interesting when the route runs through mountains.

• Audio and video recordings help add important dimensions to your trip recollections. One of my favorite “digital souvenirs” from a bicycle trip to Morocco is an audio/video recording (from my digital camera) of a drum band composed of camel drivers that I heard in a small bar on the edge of the Erg Chebbi dunes. Hearing that drumming again is a great way to relive that experience.

• By uploading photo sets to an Internet host site such as Google Albums or Flickr, you can easily store your photos on the Web and share them with anyone interested in your trip.

• Website creation tools such as Google Sites allow you to create a sharable website that can be used to provide access to just about any kind of digital data. This provides a comprehensive collection of information that is about as close as you can get to giving life and substance to your adventure travel memories.

It does require a little work to become fluent in using new digital technologies, but the investment is worth it.

Developing efficient habits for using the technology is helpful.

The following flowchart outlines a process for using these technologies before, during and after your trip.

Some suggestions for getting ready for a trip While you are planning an adventure trip, you should prepare to use your digital technology just as you would get ready to use any other important equipment. Naturally, you should understand the equipment, practice using it, and figure out how you are going to carry it and use it on the trip.

Continued on page 20 January–June 9

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Digital Souvenirs Continued from Page 19 Electronic devices can be used various ways, so the device settings should be adjusted for the intended use. Of course, digital devices require electrical power and memory storage, so be sure to carry spare batteries and memory cards. In order to maximize the internal memory on the digital devices, it is useful to clear out any old data you don’t need such as photos stored on the camera, tracks and waypoints on the GPSR, and audio files on the DVR. It is very important to set the internal clocks on a digital camera, digital voice recorder, and GPS receiver so they all register the same, correct time at the location where the trip will take place. These devices record the time when they are used and this time data is used to synchronize the data from the various devices. For example, if you know the exact time when you took a photo and you know the GPS coordinates where you were at that particular time, you can use software tools to associate the location coordinates with that photo.

This process is called “geocoding” or “geotagging.” The key to making this work is setting the correct time on each device.

Tips for using digital technologies during a trip: It probably seems silly to mention, but remember to use the digital devices regularly while you are on your trip. Some people haul equipment along and either forget to use it or don’t know how to use it effectively.

Keep your camera handy and take lots of photos. Don’t worry about taking too many – you can always delete the junk later. Since most digital cameras take videos as well as photos, remember to look for visual opportunities where a video might provide better documentation than a photo. Note however that videos consume much more memory than photos.

If you are recording your trip on a GPS track, keep each segment (such as a day) as a separate active track log by turning

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the GPSR off at the end of the day. If you want accurate location data for an important place, record a waypoint there.

Be careful about using the “Save track” function on a Garmin GPSR because saving a track compresses the data and deletes the time data for the points. You may want the time data later to geocode your photos or audio files.

Use a digital voice recorder to supplement a written journal and to keep track of observations, thoughts, and ideas while in motion. Record interesting conversations, music, and sounds (like bird calls) to add audio texture to your memories of the trip.

Managing your digital information after a trip Once you get back from your trip and have access to a full-function computer, you can use various tools for organizing and editing the information. For each type of digital device, there will be files to organize and edit. For example, photo files, GPS track files, and audio files all need to be organized in a convenient folder structure with standard names that are comprehensive, extensible, and flexible.

Some files, such as poor photos or audio fragments, should be deleted. Many photos can be improved by simple editing techniques such as cropping, eliminating red eye, leveling the horizon, and adjusting contrast and color.

Many free or commercial tools are available for managing photos, GPS data, and audio files. For example, Google Picasa is an excellent, free package for organizing and editing photo files. With a tool like Picasa, it is also easy to add captions and sortable tags to digital photos to help identify and organize them. MapSource, a program distributed with Garmin GPS receivers, is a handy program for uploading, downloading, and managing GPS data. GPS TrackMaker is another comprehensive (although not very user friendly) GPS program that can be freely downloaded from the Internet.

Your Adventure Starts Nearby.

For managing audio files, most vendors supply software along with the purchase of a DVR. Sony, for instance, provides an easy-to-use audio file editor named Digital Voice Editor.

Another audio editor is Audacity, one of the best free, crossplatform tools available. It is also possible to transcribe digital audio files into text files using powerful software such as Dragon Naturally Speaking.

Various processes and tools exist for linking a photo, video, or audio file to a GPS waypoint or track location point that has the same time value. Picasa, for example, can be used to manually geocode photos by referencing the location in Google Earth. For geocoding large sets of photos, it is usually easier and faster to use specialized software packages such as RoboGeo or GPicSync

Displaying and sharing multimedia data Many free websites provide convenient opportunities for people to share information about their adventure trips. Google WebAlbums and Flickr, two of the major sites, let a user upload photo and video files to a personal web address and control access to it. Organizations such as Backpacker magazine and EveryTrail encourage hikers to post GPS tracks from their favorite hikes and download tracks provided by other hikers.

However, you may want to go a step further by combining all the “digital souvenirs” from your adventure trip in one convenient digital “scrap book.” A personal website is a handy way to accomplish this. For example, you can easily create a website that will…

• incorporate your written journal notes and a spreadsheet of your daily travel data • display the GPS tracks, maps, and elevation profile from your trip • provide access to your trip photos stored on the Web in Picasa WebAlbums • play audio files that you recorded during the trip • and display your photos and GPS tracks together as a 3-D photo map of the trip in Google Earth.

There are many options available to allow individuals to create personal websites. While the free tools usually provide only limited options for page layout and style, they are easy to use and allow full control over access to the site. One useful free tool that will serve as a convenient example is Google Sites.

Google has developed a variety of useful free tools for sharing information including Mail, Calendar, Sites, Docs, Groups, etc. To get started using any of the Google tools, you first sign up for your own unique Google username and password which gives you access to all the Google tools. To set up your own Google website, you navigate to the Google Sites Web page, set a few parameters, and begin creating your pages.

On a Google Site, the owner can create sub-pages, include files of various types on the pages, import files from outside the site, reference documents stored in Google Docs, embed a Google Calendar, and link to other websites. For example, a link on a Google Site could be the address of a photo set stored on Picasa WebAlbums or a GPS track built into a Google Map. While a personal Google Site layout is fairly limited and plain, it has all the linking capability of a professional website. In short, a personal website provides a powerful and comprehensive technology to provide access, for yourself or others, to all the www.northcountrytrail.org

“digital souvenirs” from an adventure trip in one place.

Since Mary and I successfully finished our 17 day Coast To Coast Walk and dipped our boots in the North Sea at Robin Hood’s Bay, we have enjoyed reliving that adventure by working with our digital photos, GPS tracks, audio files, and other trip materials. Creating a Google Site about the trip provided a great way for us to organize and share our “digital souvenirs” in a multi-media digital scrapbook that continues to enhance our memories of the trip.

Our Coast To Coast Walk site can be viewed at http:// sites.google.com/site/coasttocoastwalk/.

Following are the website addresses for various tools and resources mentioned in the article: Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/ Backpacker Magazine: http://www.backpacker.com/ EveryTrail: http://www.everytrail.com/ GPS TrackMaker: http://www.gpstm.com/ Dragon Naturally Speaking: http://www.nuance.com/ naturallyspeaking/ Audacity: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ RoboGeo: http://www.robogeo.com/ GPicSync: http://code.google.com/p/gpicsync/ Picasa: http://picasa.google.com/ Picasa WebAlbums: http://picasaweb.google.com/ Google Earth: http://earth.google.com/ Google Sites: http://sites.google.com/.

Special Lodging Offer to NCTA Attendees traveling through Minnesota to the 2009 Conference!

An NCTA Bed & Breakfast is being hosted by Beth and Jerry Trout from Hackensack, MN. Distance from the conference site is ideal for a morning drive over after overnight at the Trout’s. If you are coming from Duluth, Wisconsin or Michigan, their place is seven miles south of HWY 200 and less than ten miles from the North Country Trail.

There are beds for 14 and additional room for tents for those wanting to camp.

Three bath rooms with showers, plus a toilet in the RV. There is a great beach with water sports available.

Beth and Jerry will even serve an evening meal and breakfast! There is no charge but those staying are asked to make a donation as they wish to the NCTA. For more information or reservations, contact Jerry and Beth Trout at jbtrout@tds.net or 218-675-5448.

January–June 9

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Blazing Within Communities

The Urban Blaze

Bill Menke Great Lakes Regional Trail Coordinator

W

hen the trail passes through communities, whether small villages or larger cities, special challenges are encountered to adequately mark it and to maintain our blazing "thread of continuity."

Frankly, our typical painted blazes just don't fulfill the need for a variety of reasons. Mostly, they are just not "classy" enough to be well accepted on fancy light poles or along a highly sophisticated urban, lakeshore or river walkway. City planners and park managers sometimes "come unglued" at the thought of our painted blazes being used along their streets and walkways.

Because of the need for a special way to mark the trail within communities, our National Park Service partners developed a new sign that they dubbed the "Urban Blaze."

It consists of a white, metal backing plate that can be mounted on any support (u-channel posts, wooden poles, or fancy metal light poles) using stainless steel banding or special bolts.

For placement on the metal plate, the NPS also designed a new, oversized blaze decal.

Recognizing that when the trail passes through a community, an increased number of people see our trail blazes, this blaze was designed to provide a lot more information than a plain, painted blaze. It provides the trail name, a seven state map, an emblem, and the "follow the blue blazes" wording.

The thought is that this decal will provoke the public's imagination. It will be seen by local citizenry as they go about their normal shopping and notice these things along the sidewalk. In a similar fashion, it will be seen by tourists and it will help both groups realize that a National Scenic Trail ("Wow! I didn't know that!") passes through this very town and help them understand what the plain, painted blazes mean that they might see at the edge of town. We hope it will encourage them to follow the trail out of town and tweak their interest in learning more about the trail.

The metal backing plates are somewhat larger than the decal in order

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to accommodate a variety of configurations that include extra decals. On non-certified segments, this decal stands on its own. Generally, one sign facing each direction per block is enough. These should be placed at the far side of each cross street to indicate that the route continues in the same direction. When the trail route turns at a street corner, add an arrow to the sign plate.

When the trail segment through town is certified, an additional set of decals is used. The official triangular trail emblem should be in place, located in the top position on the backing plate, followed by a regular stick-on 2x6 inch blaze, and then followed by an arrow if one is needed. However, because the multi-color, official trail emblem is considerably more expensive, it is intended that this configuration be used on about every fourth sign plate installation with the standalone urban blaze being intermixed along the route.

To date, I have been involved in installing the urban blazing system within two towns. With a little practice, the banding machine becomes quick and easy to use and the finished route signing looks very nice. It is definitely more attractive and professional looking than the regular painted blazes. Each of the Regional Trail Coordinators, the Lowell Office, and the NPS office has a banding machine and the other necessary supplies.

Your Adventure Starts Nearby.

Reporting Volunteer Hours

I

t is spring and folks are getting ready to do some trail work again. I know many of you have been busy during the winter planning, scoping, flagging new routes, and all of the other tasks necessary to be ready to work once warmer weather arrives.

Whether you worked through the winter or not, I hope that you are eager to get started again this spring. At the same time there is one additional task that I want everyone to understand and do. That is reporting the hours that you volunteer for the North Country NST. We really need you to track and report your hours. It doesn’t really matter whether you are a real “trail dog” who is out there every week building or maintaining trail.

Or you volunteer as hike leader who assists with public programs or chapter outings.

You could be chapter historian who takes notes and photographs of chapter activities.

If you do any of the myriad other tasks that the trail or the association needs to be accomplished, we need those hours.

Why are the hours important? First because they are an important measure that Congress uses to judge how effective programs like Challenge Cost Share are.

When you report your hours, you tell Congress that you donated your time to make the North Country NST a reality.

Even if your chapter hasn’t applied for Challenge Cost Share funds for years, your volunteer hours support the overall trail.

A small but significant source of funds for our program comes from the Volunteers in Parks program. Those funds are used to provide tools, recognitions items, and other support directly for volunteers. And they are apportioned to the various NPS parks and trails based directly upon the number of hours reported.

In addition to the time you actually spend on the trail, remember that you also should report the time spent in travel.

After all you wouldn’t be able to work on the trail if you hadn’t spent the time to travel to it. If you are organizing an outing,

GOING FOR THE GOLD

FRED SZARKA National Park Service

please don’t forget the time you spent planning and setting up the outing. Same goes for taking notes at Chapter meetings, maintaining the scrapbook, calling the local paper to let them know about an event, accomplishment, or activity, or speaking to Scouts, civic organizations, or local government.

Finally, this year many folks may not be able to volunteer as much as they have in the past due to the current economic situation. So if you can volunteer please also report your hours. I’m sure that in the next few months our new Volunteer in Parks coordinator Dan Watson will be contacting every chapter to remind you of the value of your hours to the NPS.

Funds for Volunteers in Parks programs are apportioned to the various NPS parks and trails based DIRECTLY UPON THE NUMBER OF HOURS REPORTED!

New NPS Staff (and he’s half ours!)

I

In 2003, Dan became Chief Park Ranger of Fort n 2008, the National Park Service budgets for the Necessity National Battlefield and Friendship Hill North Country and Ice Age National Scenic National Historic Site, both located in southwestern Trails were each increased to provide for a half-time Pennsylvania. In 2007, he was promoted to Unit Volunteer Program Coordinator. Tom Gilbert, Manager of both sites while retaining his Chief superintendent of those trails, decided to create one Ranger duties as well. full-time position serving both trails, and selected “I look forward to working with the many Dan Watson, a 27-year veteran of the NPS. dedicated volunteers associated with both Trails, Dan began his career as a seasonal ranger as well as the leadership of partner groups such as at the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational the Ice Age Park and Trail Foundation and North River (NY-PA) in 1980, where he had duties in both Country Trail Association,” Watson said. “My hope interpretation and law enforcement. In 1985, he gained is that I can provide support and assistance to the his first permanent NPS position at Delaware Water Dan Watson, Gap National Recreation Area (PA-NJ) working in Volunteer Program impressive work that is already underway.”

Originally from Rome, New York, Watson has both fee collection and front country road patrol.

Coordinator for NPS. an associate’s degree in Wildlife Technology from the In 1988, Dan transferred to the upper Midwest DuBois Campus, Pennsylvania State University, and a bachelor as a law enforcement ranger at St. Croix National Scenic of science degree in English, with a minor in Journalism, from Riverway (WI-MN), where he worked for the next 16 years, the University of Wisconsin—Superior. His life and career eventually attaining the position of Supervisory District Ranger certainly have provided him with good connections to the route in 1999. For the first 11 years of his stint at St. Croix NSR, he of the North Country Trail. was also the Volunteer Coordinator for the park’s Marshland Dan, his wife Connie, and teenage daughter MacKenzie District where he worked with a wide variety of volunteers, have relocated to River Falls, Wisconsin. He will work from a including underprivileged urban youth from area summer camps, duty station located in NPS offices of the Mississippi National the Minnesota Conservation Corps, and corporate groups such as River and Recreation Area in St. Paul, MN. He may be REI, Inc. Volunteer projects that Watson helped organize ranged contacted there by telephone at 651-290-3030, ext. 243, or by from construction and maintenance of the Willard Munger email at daniel_watson@nps.gov.

Hiking Trail, to NPS campsite rehabilitation and eradication of exotic invasive plants such as purple Loosestrife. www.northcountrytrail.org

January–June 9

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Quality Design and Construction Helps Preserve the Trail Tom Gilbert Superintendent of NCT for NPS

W

e all grew up hearing it from our parents (at least those in my generation), and it’s still true. I’m certain my own sons have heard these slogans from me. “Anything worth doing is worth doing right.” “Do it right the first time.” And so on.

These maxims are applicable to so many aspects and activities in our lives. They are definitely applicable to our collective efforts to plan, lay out, design, build, and maintain the North Country National Scenic Trail. The advantages of doing so are many, not the least of which it will help ensure that walkers and hikers—our customers—will have a satisfying experience.

Another important reason for designing and building trail to high quality standards is that it preserves the trail itself, while reducing the need for maintenance and periodic rehabilitation. While many of us passionately enjoy working on the North Country Trail, there are only so many of us at any given time. Meanwhile, and thankfully, the miles of completed trail keep increasing. Thus, the magnitude of the job of caring for the trail is ever expanding. (This is not one of those projects where participating works us out of a job.)

Trails have been around for a long time. They predate any other kind of transportation facility. However, the “art” of laying out and designing a good trail—one that provides a satisfying experience and minimizes the amount of expense and work to maintain it—has really come of age only in the last couple of decades. Prior to that, trails often followed the most direct route, or the route that was initially explored that successfully connected points A and B. Oftentimes they went straight up and down the “fall line,” or slope, of a hill.

As we have gotten “smarter” about our environment and how and where we build things in it, we have learned that such routing is detrimental to the environment and it requires a lot more work to maintain such a trail in good condition. Today, we now know how to build a “sustainable” trail, one that tends to stay where it was established, hold up under the level of use it receives and the weather of the area, and requires more modest levels of maintenance.

Curiously to me, as I have learned about laying out and designing good trails from my staff and partners, it turns out that the most sustainable location is on hillsides. That, to me, seemed counter-intuitive—surface run-off going down hillsides would run down and erode the trail, trail users stepping on the outer edge of the trail would cause it to crumble and slough, and it’s a whole lot more work to create “benched” trail sections on hillsides. Doesn’t it make more sense to keep the trail down at the bottom of a hill, perhaps following the gentle gradient of a stream, or reach the top of the hill where it might be possible to follow fairly level ground for a good distance? For variety and enjoyment, any scenic trail will want to have sections following along a stream and traversing the high ground providing vistas from hilltops. But the most sustainable sections will be

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those on hillsides. If the trail is constructed with the proper cross-slope (out-slope) and running grade, surface run-off from rain will flow across the trail and continue down the hillside—not run down the trail, eroding as it goes. If properly constructed, the outer edge will be stable and the inner edge (backline) will not slough and, over time, narrow the usable tread width of the trail. Level trails, particularly those at the bottom of hills on poorly-drained soils, will pond and collect water because there is nowhere for it to flow. This results in wet, muddy trails. We have all walked trails that are perennially wet. Trail maintainers often invest time, effort, and resources in repeatedly trying to remedy this condition with fill, or structures like puncheon and boardwalks. The better answer, if it is geographically and physically available, is to move the trail to a more sustainable location.

The “proof is in the heavy rainstorm” (not the pudding) when it comes to trail sustainability. A trail constructed along the fall line of a hill will be a conduit for surface runoff in a heavy storm and may wash completely away. A trail constructed to sustainable design standards should survive major storms with minimal damage.

While it may take more work to design and construct quality trail to sustainable standards, those who invest the effort will be rewarded by the fact that their work will endure.

…And Making Tom’s Point…

Lynda Rummel

T

he first drops of rain fell just as I painted the final blazes last September on the newly built switchbacks in state forest near Corning NY. The trail building crew was on its way home, the first two hikers had walked through, and I could not believe our good luck: more than two weeks without a drop of rain and all the work that required grant-funded strong backs and compli­cated logistical support was done.

The rain was moderate for the next 36 hours. Then Bill Meehan, local State Forest Ranger, reported that heavy rains washed out the road in nearby Corbett Hollow. Worried, I checked the new switchbacks and drainage ditches on the EAST side of the project area; everything was okay.

On October 4th, Laurie Moore, the regional representa­tive from the NYS Office of Parks who administered our grant, and I met up to “inspect” the entire project. We drove to the WEST side of the project area and headed south down ancient Moss Hill Rd. The evidence of flash flooding was everywhere—huge, Your Adventure Starts Nearby.

Welcome, Little Cities of the Forest!

Lynda Rummel

bulldozed mounds of fresh earth, piles of rocks, brush and tree limbs pushed off to the sides, and both roadside ditches scooped clean and widened. David Peterson, whose property borders the west side of the trail in the hamlet, told us that 10 inches had fallen on the South Bradford hills on September 28th. My anxiety abruptly returned: was I about to show Laurie that the grant money had been washed down the drain?

The trail (on old Moss Hill Rd. at this point) was strewn with debris, and several deep, new ruts sliced across it. As we crossed into the state forest, I was relieved to find that the NEW section of trail was in great shape.

But then, at the bottom of the descent, we found the trail completely obliterated by a large field of stones spewed across the trail by the torrential run-off. Looking back at the bypassed section of old trail, which was now reduced to bare bedrock and tangled roots and rocks, Laurie understood immediately why much of the trail had to be relocated. After that first moment of shock, we realized we could pick our way across without too much trouble, and from that point south to the Moss Hill Shelter, all of the new and salvaged trail looked great—a terrific testament to the value of taking the time to build trail correctly and to standards.

Published with permission from the Finger Lakes Trail News. www.northcountrytrail.org

Andrew Bashaw

T

Regional Trail Coordinator, OH

he newest chapter of the North Country Trail Association, Little Cities of the Forest, is off and running in southeastern Ohio! The chapter takes its name from regional redevelopment efforts based within the historic coal mining region called Little Cities of Black Diamonds whose hills have now regenerated into maturing forest canopy. The chapter spans from the Muskingum to the Hocking River, roughly from Stockport to Logan, through hills, Burr Oak Lake SP, Wayne National Forest, to the edge of the Hocking Hills. This group has been active over the past year hiking, GPSing, trail building and gathering members along the way. Through this region the NCNST is coincident with the Buckeye Trail and the American Discovery Trail, so the chapter will work closely with both of these partners to complete the trail.

Meanwhile, in western Ohio, the Miami & Erie Canal Towpath is being developed as the route of the NCNST by several partners from the Maumee River south to Piqua. While the Buckeye Trail Association carries out most trail projects, a new supporting affiliate, the Miami & Erie Canal Corridor Association (MECCA) works to preserve and enhance the Miami & Erie Canal Corridor as a viable resource, advancing the cultural, historical, natural, commercial, and recreational opportunities that exist along the corridor.

Another new supporting affiliate, the Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor, identifies historic, natural, cultural and recreational resources in the Maumee River watershed, principally in those counties adjacent to the Maumee, and aims to increase public awareness of these resources and help protect them as necessary. Their accomplishments to date include initiating studies by the National Park Service that have led to Congressional designation of the Fallen Timbers Battlefield and Fort Miami as an affiliated unit of the NPS. The organization has also successfully garnered designation of 60 miles of roads along the Maumee as state Scenic Byways, published an annual calendar of heritage and cultural events, and increased awareness of the many historical and cultural attractions in the Corridor.

Little Cities of the Forest Chapter: Travis Neely, Chapter President, travisneeley@hotmail.com, 216-308-2945 Miami & Erie Canal Corridor Association (MECCA): Neal Brady, Director, meccadirector@nktelco.net, 419-733-6451, http://www.meccainc.org/ Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor, Inc: Dick Kudner, President, dickkudner@cs.com, 419-407-9745, http://www.maumeevalleyheritagecorridor.org/

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2009 Annual Conference * Valley City, North Dakota * July 30 - August 2

Join Us in VALLEY CITY, North Dakota for the

2009 North Country Trail Annual Conference July 30 - August 2

Welcome to the beautiful Sheyenne Valley

Outdoor enthusiasts are invited to explore the North Country National Scenic Trail in North Dakota. The focus of the conference is educational workshops, tours, and a full slate of outdoor activities including 12 planned hiking opportunities and canoeing the Sheyenne River. Family and nightly entertainment are also provided. The conference will provide learning opportunities, networking and fun-filled events for the whole family. The event is being hosted by the Sheyenne River Valley Chapter of the North Country Trail Association and will be held on the campus of Valley City State University.

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2009 Annual Conference * Valley City, North Dakota * July 30 - August 2 Prairie Hiking at its finest!

North Dakota offers hikers a unique experience. The state is known for its wide open spaces and features the western terminus of the North Country National Scenic Trail which spans seven states and stretches 4,600 miles. Certified segments of the trail in North Dakota are located along the Sheyenne River Valley National Scenic Byway including Sheyenne State Forest, Fort Ransom State Park, Valley City, and Lake Ashtabula. These segments offer opportunities for prairie hiking that are not available anywhere else in the country.

Irene Szabo, editor of North Star magazine, said, “The state offers trail that is undeniably different from anything the other six states feature, because it is, after all, the remains of the prairie where buffalo once roamed. Vast grasslands and impounded waterways are protected variously by the federal Corps of Engineers or Bureau of Reclamation.

Some trail lands are National Wildlife Refuges, others National Grasslands, while still other spots are protected as state parks or managed by North Dakota Wildlife divisions. Immense farms provide views of hundreds of acres of wheat, soy and pinto beans, and most visually appealing, miles of bright and colorful sunflowers with their ripe faces turned toward the sun. With these farms and open prairie dominating the area, everything is bigger than imagination.

A sunburn is likely after a day’s walk, for this is hiking in the wide open spaces indeed.”

Welcome to North Dakota!

The Sheyenne River Valley Chapter invites all North Country Trail Association members to join us to learn, have fun, and hike some of the most scenic areas in the Midwest. We would like to show you some best kept secrets like wooded trails, massive railroad bridges and a waterfall!

We have planned some “out of this world” entertainment, lively music, and delicious meals (please note special dietary considerations at registration time). Limited shuttles are available to/from the Fargo airport and Amtrak station based on need. For ridesharing information, visit www.northcountrytrail.org/srv.

Let Us Entertain You!

Across two years. Across 7,800 miles. Deia Schlosberg, 28, and Gregg Treinish, 26, two Montana-based wilderness educators, became the first two people to backpack the Andes Mountain Range, the first two to walk it through the mountains without relying on roads, and the first woman to have walked South America. Named National Geographic Adventurers of the Year in 2008, these dedicated hikers persevered through high peaks, deep valleys, knee-deep peat bogs, rainy seasons, trackless deserts, bamboo forests and incredible views. Deia and Gregg will be featured during Friday night's community benefit night—you won't want to miss their account of this unforgettable trek “Across the Andes” or the live and silent auctions that come before them!

The E Company of Custer’s Memorial 7th Cavalry was first formed in 1967 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the old Fort Ransom post. On Thursday night at the picnic, they will allow you to share camp life with them and their families. Thrill to their re-enactment of drills on horseback and demonstrations

For more details and up-to-the-minute info visit www.northcountrytrail.org/srv www.northcountrytrail.org

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2009 Annual Conference * Valley City, North Dakota * July 30 - August 2 of marksmanship with black powder pistols! Afterwards, Brother Jukebox will have you rocking to the best of Country and Rock and Roll music.

For more than ten years Nature/Wildlife Tourism has demonstrated one of the strongest growth patterns in the travel and outdoor recreation market, contributing over $47.7 billion to the US economy. After dinner on Saturday night Jim Mallman, President and founding Board member of Watchable Wildlife, Inc., will provide an overview of what is happening in nature tourism worldwide and explain the reasons for promoting it in your community.

Would you call it obsessed, spending several nights sleeping in a van in sub-zero temperatures to capture scenes just before dawn? Daron Krueger and Clint Saunders, better known as the Obsessed Photographers Group, give you a pictorial glimpse into their latest book, Obsessed with North Dakota. A book signing will follow, all on Saturday night after Jim Mallman.

New to the 2009 Annual Conference: Family & Youth Activities Bring your children or grandkids along with you to the conference and help recruit the North Country Trail users and volunteers of the future! A variety of activities will be offered to appeal to both NCTA members and area families centered on getting kids outdoors and away from the video games. Some of the scheduled activities will be offered for kids (under 12) so that parents/grand parents can enjoy the “boring adult stuff” parts of the conference, but a majority of the activities are designed for families to participate in together.

Please note: Registration for kids under 16 is free, but a-la-carte meal fees will apply. In addition, some activities will have a special fee (noted below) and may be cancelled if not filled.

Specific activities for kids and their families include: Family hikes on the NCT at Clausen Springs Recreation Area and in Valley City including a visit to Medicine Wheel Park.

A drop-off program for kids to visit the VCSU planetarium to learn how to navigate with Lewis & Clark (extra fee of $10, minimum of 10 participants). Afterwards, participants will visit the Rosebud Visitor Center.

A hands-on hiking with kids workshop for the family.

A family day trip to the National Buffalo Museum in Jamestown, ND and hike on the White Cloud Nature Trail (extra fee of $18 per family (mom/dad & kids), minimum of 10 participants).

Outdoors games for kids at Riverbend Farm on Thursday and on campus on Saturday, a kid’s auction on Friday and a family scavenger hunt on Sunday morning.

For more details and up-to-the-minute info visit www.northcountrytrail.org/srv 28

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2009 Annual Conference * Valley City, North Dakota * July 30 - August 2

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Preconference Activities Wednesday, July 29

7. 2:30pm – 5:00pm - John Deere Seeding Group/Malach

USA Tour

1. 7:30am – 8:30pm - Dakota Day Trip

Explore some of ND’s legendary places on this journey to the Western Terminus of the NCT at beautiful Lake Sakakawea State Park. Hike the western-most 1.5 miles of the NCT. Learn the history of the lake’s namesake with stops at the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site and the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. Limited seating. Cost of $25 includes transportation, breakfast, lunch and park admission fees. Leave at 7:30am Wednesday July 29 return by 8:30pm. Dinner on your own. Pre-registration required. Hosted by Tom Gilbert and Fred Szarka, National Park Service.

Visit a state-of-the-art air seeder manufacturing facility—the only one of its kind used by John Deere in the US! The company employs 300 people in a 236,000 sq. ft. facility. Malach USA is a manufacturer and preferred supplier of metal products for the bus industry and supply construction markets in the Midwest. Check out their all new computerized equipment.

2. 8:00am - Wild Dakota Adventure! (overnight)

Join us for a 10-12 mile (over two days) hiking adventure at the Lonetree Wildlife Management area, a 30,000+ acre tract managed by the ND Game and Fish. Enjoy a stop at the Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Visitor Center on the way. At Lonetree, you will hike to a secluded camping spot for an evening on the prairie dining by the campfire. Camping gear will be transported ahead to the site.

Fall asleep under the huge star filled skies to the music of a coyote serenade. Return for the conference after breakfast. Limited to 12 participants. Cost of $25 includes transportation, supper and breakfast. Meet at 8am Wednesday July 29 return by 4pm Thursday.

Lunch on your own on Wednesday and Thursday. Pre-registration and own camping/sleeping equipment required.

Thursday, July 30 3. 11:30am - 5:00pm - Explore the Sheyenne Canoe/Kayak Trip

Grab a canoe and traverse a section of the 581 mile Sheyenne River through rolling hills, flat plains, tall grass prairies and hardwood forests near Fort Ransom. Limited to 20 participants, subject to cancellation if water levels are low. Cost $20 per person for equipment and shuttle or $8 if you bring your own equipment.

Family friendly.

Friday, July 31 8. 8:00am - 4:30pm - Trail Crew Leader/Trail Maintainer

4. 11:30am – 5:00pm - The Great Karnak/Prairie Hike

Begin this 6 mile hike by walking beneath the 2,741 foot long Karnak High Bridge where the marsh opens up to form Lake Ashtabula. Gently rolling terrain offering scenic views from the west shoreline. Moderate in difficulty.

9. 8:00am - 9:50am - Chapter Management: The Tough Issues

5. 12:00pm – 5:00pm - Medicine Wheel Park Family Hike

Hike through the woods, visit the Medicine Wheel and take a walk through our Solar System all in one afternoon! Moderate 1 mile hike.

6. 12:00pm – 2:30pm - Rosebud Visitor Center & Specialty

Shops Tour

Visitor Center exhibits include a restored 1881 Superintendent’s rail coach with original furnishings, railroad and homesteading history and ND Ag Hall of Fame. Browse through some of the numerous specialty shops for which Valley City is known.

Classroom discussion focusing on proper planning and communication with volunteers and hikers to insure group safety while working and hiking on the trail. Then the session moves into the field for hands-on discussion about how to properly maintain and sign the NCT in a sustainable way that makes for a pleasant hiking experience for the casual hiker. Topics covered will include trailheads, blazing, mowing and trimming intervals and techniques, trail structures, to bench or not to bench and what do we do with wet areas, livestock and other critters.

Peer discussion moderated by Executive Director Bruce Matthews and facilitated by key chapter leaders. Some topics are member relations, reaching out to new audiences and working with landowners. Bring your own issues and questions to share and maybe you can help others in return!

10. 8:00am - 9:50am - Chapter Web Page Design and Maintenance

Whether you are high-tech or techno-deprived, this workshop will have something for you. For those lacking professional expertise, Matt Rowbotham will show you how to create and maintain your own website using the new NCTA template. See it first here! Helpful hints and tips on how to make your site great.

For more details and up-to-the-minute info visit www.northcountrytrail.org/srv www.northcountrytrail.org

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2009 Annual Conference * Valley City, North Dakota * July 30 - August 2

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE 11. 8:00am - 9:50am - Outdoor Photography by the

Obsessed Photographers Group

Want to shoot photos like a pro? The Obsessed Photographers will show you how! First hour will be in the classroom with the second out on the trail using what you learn to take amazing photographs.

Don’t forget your camera!

12. 8:00am – 10:00am - Morning Kids Activities (Drop off

the kids)

Visit the VCSU Planetarium and learn to navigate with Lewis & Clark, followed by a tour of the Rosebud Visitor Center and the 1881 Superintendents railcar! Minimum of 10 participants, must pre-register, cost of $10 per person for admission and supplies.

Saturday, August 1 20. 8:00am – 5:00pm - Family Day Trip

21. 8:00am – 5:00pm - Sheyenne River Valley National

Scenic Byway Guided Bus Tour

13. 10:00am -11:50am - Fundraising: Show Me The Money

Grant sources, writing tips and hints, the big ask and leveraging funds. Also learn how NCTA HQ accounting is structured to support chapter fund-raising review of NCT board policies, Participants are guaranteed to make money at this workshop!

14. 10:00am - 11:50am - GPS Skills

NCT instructors will show beginning to advanced users how to utilize GPS and computer mapping to accomplish what you want for fun or trail use. Classroom training followed by question and answer session. Bring your own unit or one may be provided for you. Discussion will be followed by a presentation from Tom Moberg on using GPS and other techniques to create “Adventure Travel” websites or document your hikes and trips on-line!

15. 10:00am - 11:50am - Hiking Fun for Kids

Let’s face it, sometimes getting a child to hike is about as easy as asking them to eat vegetables. This class will present some exciting and enticing ways to get young people out on the trail.

This 2 mile loop around the lake at Clausen Springs Recreational Area includes scenic lake views, secluded picnic and camping areas, pine forests, a trek across an earthen dam and a geocache or scavenger hunt. Easy hike - family friendly.

17. 12:00pm – 4:30pm - Ladies Line Railroad Hike

This 4.3 mile segment connects the city of Kathryn with Clausen Springs Recreational Area on an abandoned rail line. This segment is a great place to see pheasant or deer and to pick up railroad artifacts! Easy hike - mostly level.

Begin with a tour of Baldhill Dam at the US Army Corps of Engineers headquarters followed by a leisurely stroll along the shores of Lake Ashtabula. Easy 2.5 mile hike – family friendly and opportunities for birding.

19. 12:00pm - 4:30pm - GPS Demo/Practice

Field session for those who attended classroom course. Includes a short hike and possible geocache session!

The Oak Ridge Trail was the first segment of NCT certified in ND (1983). The route includes the “Stairway to Heaven,” a beautiful stand of white pine, spring-fed brooks and a wooded abandoned roadbed leading to the only registered waterfall in the state. Moderate 6.4 mile hike.

23. 8:00am – 5:00pm Prairie flowers,

Pelicans and

Norwegian Elk Hike

Visit the badlands of Lake Ashtabula. See the cactus and “Baldhills!” Easy to moderate 10 mile hike with lots of scenic views and wildlife viewing opportunities.

24. 8:00am – 5:00pm Grasslands Prairie Hike

18. 12:00pm – 4:30pm - Quick Trip to Lake Ashtabula Hike

The byway follows the Sheyenne River, the longest river in North Dakota. The ancient river was formed by the melting Wisconsinan glacier about 13,000 years ago which carved a trench that can in some places be 330 feet deep and a mile wide! Visit a number of the 40 interpretive sites along the 63 mile route. Family friendly. $10/person bus fee.

22. 8:00am – 5:00pm - Stairway to Heaven Hike

16. 12:00pm – 4:30pm - Clausen Springs Loop Family Hike

Take the kids to see a herd of live buffalo including two rare white buffalo at the National Buffalo Museum in Jamestown, ND. Hike the White Cloud Nature Trail, visit the Pioneer Village and pet the world’s largest buffalo. Minimum of 10 participants, must pre-register, cost of $18 per family includes transportation and admission.

This 72,000 acre grassland is home to the largest population of the greater prairie chicken in ND, the threatened western prairie white-fringed orchid, and two unique butterfly species, the Dakota Skipper and Regal Fritillary. Easy to moderate 8 mile hike.

25. 8:00am – 1:00pm - Historic Fort Ransom Hike

Stroll through Fort Ransom State Park, nestled in the Sheyenne River Valley, past the 1884 Sunne Demonstration Farm and all the way through to historic Fort Ransom. Snoop through the specialty shops and enjoy your lunch enroute back to Valley City. Easy to moderate 3.7 mile hike.

For more details and up-to-the-minute info visit www.northcountrytrail.org/srv 30

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Your Adventure Starts Nearby.

2009 Annual Conference * Valley City, North Dakota * July 30 - August 2

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Saturday, August 1 (continued) 26. 1:00pm – 5:00pm - Historic Bridges Hike

Designed and built in a time when appearance was as important as function, the bridges of Valley City are a priceless collection of some of the most beautiful and unique bridges in the United States. See the beautiful arches of the Rainbow Bridge and stand beneath the towering 162 feet high, 3,860 feet long High Line Railroad Bridge. Also includes the Medicine Wheel Park, the only park which overlooks the city – easy hike.

Sunday, August 2 27. 9:00am – 10:30am - NCT/VC GPS Scavenger Hunt

Learn more about Valley City and the North Country Trail in this fun family activity!

28. 9:00am – 11:00am - Historic Bridges Driving Tour

From the delicate steel lattice work of the University Foot Bridge and the sculptured concrete “Rainbow” Bridge to the breathtaking engineering feat of the High Line railroad bridge, each is unique in its design and story. Self-guided tour.

29. 9:00am – 1:00pm - Waterfall Hike

Join us for an out and back stroll through wooded coulees and river bottoms, scenic overlooks, a spring that flows out from a hillside beneath a stately basswood tree and the only registered waterfall in the state! Moderate 4.4 mile hike - family friendly. Carpool and lunch on your own in the scenic town of Fort Ransom.

Please Send Your Completed Registration: Mail: NCTA, 229 E. Main Street, Lowell, MI 49331 Fax: (616) 897-6605 Phone: (866) HikeNCT (445-3628)

Accommodations: The conference is being held on the campus of Valley City State University. Its beautiful 55 acre campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Accommodations are available for conference attendees in two of the university’s dormitories: Kolstoe Hall offers recently-remodeled 2-bedroom suites with air conditioning, living area and private bathroom. Workout facilities and entertainment areas are also included. Snoeyenbos Hall is a more traditional dormitory without air conditioning.

See registration form for rates and reservations.

Other Places to Stay:

A block of rooms has been reserved for the conference at these Valley City motels: AmericInn: 280 Winter Show Road; Indoor hot tub and pool, jacuzzi, executive suites, cribs and rollaways available. 701-845-5551 or 1-800-634-3444.

Super 8: 822 11th St SW; family restaurant next door, cribs, small pets allowed. 701-845-1140 Wagon Wheel Inn: 455 Winter Show Road; lounge, jacuzzi. RV Campground. 701-845-5333 or 1-800-319-5333.

Nearby Inns and B&B’s: Victorian Charm Guest Inn: 535 Central Ave. N 701-845-0887 Three Oaks Guest Inn: 530 3rd St. SE 701-845-4571 or cell 701-490-6000 Velkommen Guest Inn: 445 3rd ST NE 701-845-1995 Valley Bed & Breakfast: 3611 117 R Ave. SE (south of Valley City), swimming pool, 701-845-5893 Sheyenne River Bend Farm Guest Inn: Four miles south of Valley City For reservations call, 701-845-1377 Beste Mor Guest Inn: Kathryn, 17 miles south of Valley City 701-8451995, cell 701-490-0801

For more details and up-to-the-minute info visit www.northcountrytrail.org/srv www.northcountrytrail.org

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2009 Annual Conference * Valley City, North Dakota * July 30 - August 2 PLEASE COMPLETE ONE REGISTRATION FORM FOR EACH PERSON! Name: Address:

City: State: Zip: Phone:

e-Mail:

Registration Fees (under 16 FREE!): Non-member registration (includes 1 year membership): Early-bird (before July 1): $55.00 = $ Regular (after July 1): $60.00 = $ Member registration: Early-bird (before July 1): $35.00 = $ Regular (after July 1): $40.00 = $ OR per day registration: ____ days x $15.00 = $ Child under 16: Specify age: ____ $ n/c

Enter the number codes and descriptions of your activity choices below (refer to the hike/tour schedule)

Conference Dorm Lodging: I plan to stay: ___ Tues. ___ Wed. ___ Thurs.

Code # Day & Time Hike/Tour/Workshop

___ Fri.

___ Sat.

Single room no A/C ____ days x $17.00 = $ Double room no A/C ____ days x $14.00 = $ Single room w/AC ____ days x $27.00 = $ Double room w/AC ____ days x $22.00 = $ Linen fee (required) $ I would like to share a room with: (name) Conference Meals: Thursday Dinner & Entertainment $8.00 $ Friday Breakfast $6.50 $ Friday Lunch $6.50 $ Friday Evening (Dinner, Auction & Program) $30.00 $ Saturday Breakfast $6.50 $ Saturday Lunch $6.50 $ Saturday Dinner & Entertainment $15.00 $ Sunday Breakfast $6.50 $ Other Conference Features: Wed. Dakota Day Trip Wed. - Thur. Wild Dakota Adventure Thur. Explore the Sheyenne w/o rental Thur. Explore the Sheyenne w/rental Fri. Kids Activities Program Sat. Family Day Trip (per family) Sat. Guided Bus Tour: Scenic Byway CONFERENCE TOTAL:

$25.00 $ $25.00 $ $8.00 $ $20.00 $ $10.00 $ $18.00 $ $10.00 $ $

Commemorative T-Shirt (indicate size) Adult size: ___ Sm ___ Med ___ Lg ___ XL ___ 2XL Child size: ___ Sm ___ Med ___ Lg

9.00

Code # Day & Time Hike/Tour/Workshop

Code # Day & Time Hike/Tour/Workshop

Code # Day & Time Hike/Tour/Workshop

Code # Day & Time Hike/Tour/Workshop

Code # Day & Time Hike/Tour/Workshop

Code # Day & Time Hike/Tour/Workshop

Code # Day & Time Hike/Tour/Workshop

Code # Day & Time Hike/Tour/Workshop Payment: My check to NCTA is enclosed Please charge my registration to: Visa Discover Master Card

Card Number

Amex

Exp. Date

Name as it appears on card (please print)

Signature

Waiver: Please read and sign the following: Those persons enjoying the North Country Trail (NCT) and/or activities sponsored by the North Country Trail Association (NCTA) or any chapters/clubs conducting activities on behalf of, or in support of the NCTA, accept full personal responsibility for their own well being, or, for the well being of a minor when acting in the capacity of parent or guardian. Further, users of the NCT accept and understand that hiking is a rigorous activity often conducted in rugged outdoor conditions subject to variations in weather and terrain conditions which may involve the risk of injury or death, and, that these persons are fully responsible for their own safety and selecting activities that are consistent with their physical capabilities.

Print Name Signature

Date

Early-Bird Registration Deadline is July 1 32

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Your Adventure Starts Nearby.

My Favorite Day Hike Marty Swank

y favorite day hike would be from the National Forest Campground Two Lakes (via a short connector trail) to Porcupine Lake in the Porcupine Lake Wilderness in the Chequamegon National Forest near Drummond, Wisconsin. This is the section of NCT that my (now) wife and I hiked on our “first date” and is now my adopted section of trail.

Two Lakes Campground is one of the most popular campgrounds in our area and because of its close proximity to the NCT allows for a variety of activities including fishing, swimming, boating, hiking, etc., without even getting into the car. For a full day hike, you can shuttle and hike the entire Porcupine Lake Wilderness (4,446 acres) segment of NCT, approximately 6.8 miles in length.

On the section from Two Lakes to Porcupine Lake you will notice a lot of downed trees. Because this is a wilderness area, salvage logging does not take place and only an opening has been cut to allow passage on the North Country Trail. You will see the amazing damage that “straight line winds” can do (Fall 2005).

About midway between the northern Porcupine Wilderness border and Porcupine Lake and just after crossing a tributary to 18 Mile Creek, you will encounter 18 Mile Spring Pond and a very scenic overlook of the pond’s southern end. While doing trail maintenance, I try to make this my “lunch break” spot. Just before reaching Porcupine Lake the NCT meanders right along the very beautiful and heavily wooded Porcupine Creek and crosses over a rustic two log bridge built over the creek in September of 2007. Shortly after crossing the log bridge you will arrive at the northern end of the long and naturally beautiful Porcupine Lake. There are several primitive popular camping spots at this end of the lake. Special wilderness rules do apply.

The remainder of the Porcupine Wilderness missed most of the major damage from the 2005 storm. From www.northcountrytrail.org

Marty Swank

M

Dark woods of the Chequamegon National Forest keep Marty coming back.

the lake heading east, about midway between the lake and County Road D, you will run into some large beaver dams. Heading east, the top of the last beaver dam is actually used as the route of the trail so you will get to see the awesome engineering abilities of these creatures up close and personal.

You leave the Porcupine Wilderness just before County D where there is a small parking lot.

Most of the trail in the Porcupine Lake Wilderness is fairly easy to follow although some care should be taken in the beaver dam area. We are not allowed to use blazing in this federally designated Wilderness so you won’t see any blue blazes, but there are rustic signs at most of the confusing intersections with current connector or old trails/grades.

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State of the Trail Continued from page 15 at WNF to complete this section.

We have also nearly completed GPS’ing approximately 40 miles of trail that include the loop around the lake at Burr Oak State Park as well as the Wildcat Hollow backpacking loop. One of our plans for 2009 is to flag and complete a section of trail to connect these two loops.

—Travis Neely

Great Trail Sandy Beaver Canal Chapter OHIO - Keith Brown, local trail builder

and activist, was instrumental in working with Beaver Creek Park staff last year, coordinating trail work and reroutes.

Otherwise our progress is limited due to a lot of private property between the modest amounts of public land and slow progress negotiating permissions.And even on state forest land near the Pennsylvania border we have been stymied by litigation involving encroachment onto public land by a mining company, so our trail work there must wait until this issue is settled, along with ATV intrusion problems.

—Brad Bosley

Butler Outdoor Club PENNSYLVANIA - BOC

members have adopted many miles of NCT in our area, plus work on other trails in the area, helping also with special events. We provide volunteers for both the Rachel Carson Trail’s annual 36 mile Challenge and the February Cherry Pie hike, among other hiking festivities, plus sponsor the Annual Outdoor Extravaganza over Memorial Day weekend. Hikes, some of them on the NCT near McConnells Mill State Park, are offered along with biking, sailing, rock climbing, horseback riding, canoeing, and workshops, to mention only some of the possibilities. Over 250 people typically attend. Info? Contact Joyce Appel at 724/526-5407 or joyceappel@windstream.net

—John Stehle

Wampum Chapter PENNSYLVANIA - Two separate trail crews were utilized to

build and maintain 40 miles of trail. Weekly work sessions were held on Tuesdays and Sundays from April through November and volunteers chose to work on either or both crews. This twocrew system was definitely responsible for our success.

Co-Leaders Bob Cody and Dave Brewer and their crews added a half mile to an existing trail section, upgraded 3,500 feet of established trail, repaired numerous sidehills and switch backs, installed four bridges for $30 by using available materials, did regular maintenance and were kept busy for a month with tree removal due to Hurricane Ike. Highlights included reopening a vista that looks toward Ohio, building a spur that offers a beautiful view of the upper Beaver Valley, and building a bridge below a small waterfall, using materials salvaged from a hundred-year-old barn. The weathered timbers matched the setting and the fact that the Garrett Family, who are the landowners, also owned the barn brought some historical harmony to the location.

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Outreach Projects were organized by Gail Blakeley and Jo Ellen Sokoloski with the help of many chapter members.

They presented NCT programs to local groups, passed out NCT information at various gatherings, attended grant writing workshops, met with local and state politicians to discuss the importance of the NCT to the PA economy, and made possible our chapter newsletter. Our main event was “A Fall Hike on the NCT” which was well attended by the public.

In addition to regular chapter funding, we received $7,320 thanks to a Field Grant, a DCED Grant, the Wal-Mart Foundation, and chapter sponsors.

—Gail Blakeley

Clarion County Chapter PENNSYLVANIA - 2008 was

a bench mark year for the Clarion Chapter. After several years of cajoling, we were finally able to convince the National Park Service to adopt the Allegheny Valley Trail right of way from Shippenville to Parker as a temporary connector and so identify the trail on future maps. This action will avail through hikers of 45 miles of flat scenic trail instead of 40 miles of road walk along treacherous rural roads. Additionally adopting the AVT route will establish a continuous completed trail from Eldorado Road in Butler County through to the New York line. Though we will continue to pursue a Clarion River corridor that may eventually give us a 75 mile loop adjacent to the North Country Trail, in the meantime, we will have an identified trail along the Allegheny River, through two half-mile tunnels, along Sandy Creek and over several high trestles. As an extension of the AVT route at Shippenville we were also able to enter into an agreement with the PA Game Commission to relocate our trail through Game Land 63, thereby eliminating a 4 mile road walk along Route 322. Information can be pursued by contacting Ed Scurry at 814-437-1168 or Dave Galbreath at 814-226-5574.

—Ed Scurry

The Allegheny National Forest Chapter PENNSYLVANIA - ANF is alive and well and living in the

woods. We have just updated our charter so we’ll be around for a while.

We have completed a 5 year plan in order to work with the Forest Service more efficiently. This plan includes 4 more shelters, 2 bridges, 4 re-routes. By doing this, our chapter can work with the Forest Service in obtaining the necessary documentation for the improvements. For instance, the NEPA and EIS studies will all be done for that area at the same time.

The ANF chapter will host a chain saw certification weekend at Davis Hollow Cabin in spring. This will be open to all NCT members in Pa. Hopefully, everyone can get certified who needs to.

—Keith Klos

Your Adventure Starts Nearby.

Lorana Jinkerson

Rebecca Bowers, Stewart Bridge, Superior Hiking Trail Association.

Marge Forstin and Kathy Davis of NCT Hikers on fall softie hike.

Below: Marge on spring softie.

Lorana Jinkerson

Spring Creek Bridge, Brule-St. Croix, Wisconsin.

Finger Lakes Trail NEW YORK - In addition to keeping

Cub Pack 17 has a great time doing their good deed for the Friends of Jordan River. www.northcountrytrail.org

up with maintenance of all 880 miles of our whole trail system last year, despite repeated vile wind storms, new trail was built in two directions. The Onondaga Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club continues to create new miles eastward toward a connection with the Central NY Chapter, striving always to build Gold Star certifiable trail from the beginning, while more new miles were added southward toward Pennsylvania on the “GET.” The Great Eastern Trail has grown from a proposal just a few years ago to a nearly completed long distance system from the western Florida border to a junction with the NCT in west central NY, generally parallel to but west of the famed Appalachian Trail. While the system links many existing trails, a lot of new trail has to be built in southwestern Virginia, and a connection was needed Continued on page 36 January–June 9

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Spring on the Trail near Nelson Road, CNY Chapter.

Left: Tittabawassee Chapter joint work party, during which they fed everybody working on the new trail they built.

Below: Spirit of the Woods project building a wooden walkway along a new cliff.

Joan Young

from northern Pennsylvania (but well east of the NCT in the Allegheny National Forest) to the NCT/FLT. A few years of planning and negotiating have resulted at last in the first miles on the ground, in the vicinity of Corning NY, an effort spearheaded by Pat Monahan’s patient work with private landowners, local municipalities, and state foresters.

The latest march across the state by means of cross-county hike series was completed at the Pennsylvania border at our western end, with more than a hundred happy participants, some of whom were also completing their “endto-end” of the main FLT. Next year we’re starting all over again, this time at the east end in the Catskills, with Jon Bowen bravely organizing the festivities.

As reported earlier, our longtime supervolunteer Howard Beye died suddenly in September, and by late winter is slowly being replaced by THREE new “jobs” filled by volunteers, two of them brand new to their roles, while several other previous Howard functions have been distributed among other people, too. It’s a worthwhile lesson every group should remember: when too much work is done by one volunteer, his loss is dramatically upsetting to the organization. Spread out the work load, AND make sure somebody always knows what each other is working on!

—Irene Szabo

Central New York Chapter NEW YORK - Last year, thanks to

50-degree temperatures on New Year’s weekend, our chapter was able to get a jump on 2008’s planned trail work. An 8.8 mile section of heavily overgrown trail,

Above: BSA Cub Pack 17 helps clear the trail of storm toppled trees in Jordan Valley.

Pat Prusila

The Chequamegon Chapter had a record turn out for its first trail maintenance of the season on May 17, 2008. Pictured left to right: Ken Reader, Kay Reader, Bob Norlin, Cheryl Trieschmann, John Prusila, Sue Kranz, Mike Ryan, Derrick Passe, Laura Nitsche & Chase the Dog, Bob Erickson, Mike Trieschmann.

Not pictured: Pat Prusila & Marty Swank.

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Above: Pavilion near fish raceways at Jordan River invites hatchery visitors and NCT hikers with six tables added in 2008.

Your Adventure Starts Nearby.

Dave Brewer

Tuesday Crew benches trail on Cemex East, Wampum Chapter, PA. Left to Right: Tom Bencinic, Bob Cody, Jake Erhardt, Dennis Duda.

almost unrecognizable as a former railroad bed, had been the focus of our attention since mid-2007. As co-hosts of the annual NCTA conference to be held in Cazenovia, our goal was to finish that section in time to include it as one of the hikes in the program. Except for a little freshening up, our chapter completed its mission in late spring, only to have to return to rebuild a section of rock stairs that had been vandalized (see front cover).

In our frenzy to prepare for the conference, the larger meaning of completing that section of trail snuck by us: the NCT/ Link Trail from within the Tioughnioga WMA to the Canal Museum in Canastota had been completed!! About 25 miles long, the trail is 82% off-road, with work planned to increase the offroad share.

Before we could celebrate our accomplishment, NY Parks, the landowner of 7 miles of the Link Trail/NCT in northern Madison County, informed us that it was instituting a one year horse-use pilot program on one segment of the trail just south of Canastota beginning that summer. As a result, we have had several meetings to educate the Park Manager about the trail, to discuss ongoing improvements to those sections under his supervision, and to report on trail conditions as necessary. It is our stance that opening the trail to equestrian use will negatively impact both the physical condition of the trail and its use by hikers/walkers.

Thankfully, the conference gave us a needed boost in morale, and we enjoyed sharing some of the highlights along the trail with fellow conference attendees. Later, we were saddened by the sudden loss in December of our friend and dedicated NCTA member Dave Parker of Canastota. Dave was one of our Trail Stewards, and he also worked tirelessly to help further our mission of building the Link Trail/NCT in our area.

Looking ahead, our goals for 2009 include working to increase the name recognition of the NCT throughout Central NY by using comparisons to the better-known Appalachian Trail to get the message across that the NCT is a rare, national asset that enhances every community through which it travels. We will also revamp our chapter’s web site, promote increased local use by getting information to the media about cross-country skiing on the flatter sections of the trail, and seek certifications locally and between Pixley Falls State Park and Boonville.

NCTA Group Travel Discount Fly Northwest Airlines To help you attend Conference, NCTA has secured a group travel discount from Northwest Airlines. To take advantage of this discount, use code NM3L8.

Make your reservations by going to www.nwa.com: From the 'Flights' tab, click the link: 'Do you have a Discount Travel E-Cert or other voucher?'

Complete the 'Flight Options' section of the Flight Search screen.

In the 'Additional Search Options' section, navigate to the section labeled E-Cert: Do you have a Discount Travel E-Cert, Electronic Credit Voucher (ECV), Meeting?

Select: Yes From the drop-down select 'Meeting Agreement (WorldFile number).Enter the Meeting Agreement code NM3L8 in the box provided and complete your transaction.

If you will be using a travel service, your agent should go to www.worldagentdirect.com

Mother Jarin Weber submitted this picture of her husband Mike Hall, and their son Kendel Hall, age seven, as they are setting out for Kendel's first overnight hike last June, Southeast of Traverse City, Michigan in Pere Marquette State Forest. Kendel loved his adventure and wants to go again.

—Kathryn G. Woodruff www.northcountrytrail.org

January–June 9

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Board of Directors Candidates

offered for our members’ votes by the nominating committee

Great Lakes Representative

Pennsylvania Representative

Gaylord Yost has been involved with the NCTA since the 1980’s when employed by the USDA Forest Service, serving as their representative to the NCTA board until his retirement. Since then he has been devoted to building the North Country Trail in Wisconsin. He served as Wisconsin Trail Coordinator and as the Heritage Chapter Vice Chair.

He is the recipient of a Distinguished Service Award from the NCTA, has been awarded Chapter Volunteer of the Year, and received NCTA’s highest honor the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Joyce Appel has been active in Pennsylvania’s trails community for many years, including the Butler Outdoor Club (board member and former president), Sierra Club, Explorers Club, Nature Conservancy, Keystone Trails Assoc. (board member), Moraine State Park Regatta (board member), and Hosteling International USA (leading trips).

She has served the NCTA since 2005 and was elected to her first Board term in 2007. A retired teacher, Joyce has organized events including the “Outdoor Extravaganza,” worked on fundraisers, led hiking, skiing and canoe trips, and is very involved in NCT trail building and promotion.

She recently received a local “Outstanding Contribution Award” for her many years of service to various outdoor organizations and communities.

North Dakota Representative Bobby Koepplin is finishing his 2nd term, transitioning into the Board President’s position from First VicePresident. Bobby’s activities on behalf of the NCT are many, including establishing the Founder’s Circle fund development, obtaining over 28 miles of trail easements, and assisting the 2009 NCTA conference in Valley City, ND. Bobby is Manager of Rural Development for Cass County Electric Co-op. He is Chair of the 63-mile Sheyenne River Valley National Scenic Byway, and has secured over $2.3 million of grant funds from 39 funding sources and over 75 partnerships. Bobby serves on numerous boards and committees and is a recent recipient of the National Rural Economic Developers Association “Rural Leadership Award” and 2008 NCTA Distinguished Service Award.

Pennsylvania Representative Jack Cohen has been the Executive Director of Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau since 2003, and prior to that he owned Safari Sam’s Family Entertainment Center. A member of the Butler Outdoor Club, he has served on the boards of many organizations, including the Regatta at Lake Arthur, the International Association of Family Entertainment Centers, the North Country Trail Association, Moraine Preservation Fund, and the Cranberry Area Chamber of Commerce in Pennsylvania.

Minnesota Representative Brian Pavek: I caught the hiking bug about ten years ago, and since then my wife and three daughters have walked many trails in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. In fact, I am planning to through-hike the Kekekabic Trail this spring.

While I don’t live near the trail, I have participated in trail building projects with both the NCTA and Superior Hiking Trail Association. Now I’m President of Star of the North Chapter, and have promoted the trail frequently at outdoor shows. I also serve on the Minnesota Recreational Users Trail Association, which makes decisions about allocating funds to various applicants. In my career working with system designs, I have participated in fundraising, grant writing, and capital requisition projects.

I want to be a part of the decision-making process, part of the solution, and part of the success in meeting our goals.

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This is your official ballot for 2009 Election of Board of Directors.All votes must be postmarked no later than June 30, 2009.

Your Adventure Starts Nearby.

Get your maps from the Trail Shop before you hit the trail. www.northcountrytrail.org Click on The Shop.

NCTA Official Ballot 2009 Election Board of Directors

You will not receive a separate ballot by mail. Each NCTA membership is categorized as a household, and our bylaws permit only one ballot per membership. Please mark the ballot and mail or fax to: NCTA - Elections, 229 E. Main St., Lowell, MI 49331, fax (616) 897-6605.

All votes must be postmarked no later than June 30, 2009.

Great Lakes Representative Vote for One Gaylord Yost Write-in

North Dakota Representative Vote for One Bobby Keopplin Write-in Minnesota Representative Vote for One Brian Pavek Write-in

Pennsylvania Representative Vote for Two Joyce Appel Jack Cohen Write-in

Ballot is not valid without your name and/or membership number.

Your Name/Membership Number

www.northcountrytrail.org

Your Signature

January–June 9

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Who’s Who Along the North Country Trail?

If you have questions about the North Country Trail, there are many different places to go for information.

This directory provides you with key contacts.

1

Visit our web site; it’s a sure bet that you’ll find most of what you need. Here you can join or contribute to the NCTA, browse the events calendar, explore NCTA Chapter pages, purchase maps and trail-related products, follow links to Partner organizations, read up-to-date news items, report volunteer hours, and, of course, learn more about the trail itself!

National Park Service: The NPS office in Madison is an excellent technical resource for volunteers, agencies, partner organizations, and the media. As our official trail administrator, the NPS sets trail standards, determines the trail route, and provides the overall vision for the trail.

700 Rayovac Drive, Suite 100, Madison, WI 53711 (608) 441-5610 Fax: (608) 441-5606 Tom Gilbert, Superintendent: tom_gilbert@nps.gov Fred Szarka, Trail Manager: fredrick_szarka@nps.gov Ken Howell, Land Protection Specialist: ken_howell@nps.gov

NCTA Chapters: For information about local activities or volunteering, contact the Chapter representative for your area of interest. We have more than two dozen local volunteer trail clubs scattered along the trail that are Chapters of the NCTA. NCTA members can affiliate themselves with any Chapter they’d like.

Whether or not the member volunteers, a portion of their dues will help support Chapter activities. Chapters build and maintain trail, host hikes and other events, and work to promote the trail and the Association in their areas.

Affiliate Organizations: The NCTA enters into affiliate agreements with other organizations who envision the completed trail.

Trail Maintaining Affiliates are independent organizations who also work to build, maintain, and promote sections of the trail. Supporting Affiliates are independent organizations who work with us to help fulfill our Mission, but are not responsible for a specific section of trail. Each has its own membership program, so we encourage NCTA members to support them as well. If you have questions about a section of trail that is managed by one of these organizations, your best bet is to contact our Affiliates directly.

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5 3

When in Doubt, Try NCTA Headquarters: If you’re not sure whom to contact, or prefer to talk with our office instead of contacting a volunteer at home, your best bet is to connect with the NCTA’s National Office. If we can’t help you, we’ll be able to put you in touch with someone who can. Staff members are listed on page 3 (table of contents page).

North Country Trail Association 229 E Main St, Lowell, MI 49331 Toll-free: (866) HikeNCT Fax: (616) 897-6605 www.northcountrytrail.org HQ@northcountrytrail.org

1 2

NORTH DAKOTA

1. Lonetree Chapter Kim Moen • (701)324-2000 office kim@harveynd.com 2. Sheyenne River Valley Chapter Deb Koepplin • dkoepplin@msn.com 3. North Dakota Prairie Grasslands Chapter Ron Saeger • (701)232-1612 • msaeger@cableone.net

MINNESOTA

4. Star of the North Chapter Brian Pavek • (763)425-4195 stn@northcountrail.org 5. Laurentian Lakes Chapter Ray Vlasak • (218)573-3243 • highpines@arvig.net 6. Itasca Moraine Chapter Jerry Trout • (218)675-5448 • jbtrout@tds.net 7. Kekekabic Trail Club (Trail Maintaining Affiliate): Mark Stange • info@kek.org 8. Border Trail Route Association (Trail Maintaining Affiliate): Brian Wautlet • info@borderroutetrail.org 9. Superior Hiking Trail Association (Trail Maintaining Affiliate): Gayle Coyer • (218)834-2700 • hike@shta.org

GREAT LAKES

10. Brule-St.Croix Chapter

David Zosel • zosel@centurytel.net 11. Chequamegon Chapter

Marty Swank • (715)682-2254 marty808@centurytel.net 12. Heritage Chapter

Gaylord Yost • gaylyost@aol.com 13. Peter Wolfe Chapter

Doug Welker • (906)338-2680 • dwelker@up.net 14. North Country Trail Hikers Chapter

Lorana Jinkerson • ljinkers@nmu.edu 15. Grand Marais Chapter

Bill Menke • bmenke@northcountrytrail.org 16. Hiawatha Shore-to-Shore Chapter

Kay Kujawa • kay1940@lighthouse.net Your Adventure Starts Nearby.

2 4

6 3

47

8 5 9 7

4 2 10 9 12 10 8 11

13 14 12 15 13 11

LEGEND Chapters Partners Not Yet Adopted

16 14 17 15

0 18 2

15 18 19 17

18 21 19 22

LOWER MICHIGAN

27 35 20 23

27 34 22 24

17. Harbor Springs Chapter Jerry Keeney • (231)526-9597

22 25 keeney10@charter.net 18. Tittabawassee Chapter Gary Johnson • (989)842-3478 gwj2@charter.net

Friends of the Jordan River National

Fish Hatchery (Trail Maintaining Affiliate): (231)584-2461 26 www.fws.gov/midwest/jordanriver/friends 19. Grand Traverse Hiking Club Chapter

John Heiam • (231)938-9655 • johnheiam@charter.net 20. Spirit of the Woods Chapter

Joan Young • (231)757-2205 • jhy@t-one.net 21. Western Michigan Chapter

Werner Veit • (616)776-1630 • wv12@aol.com 22. Chief Noonday Chapter

Larry Hawkins • (269)945-5398 hawkeyemd@cablespeed.com 23. Chief Baw Beese Chapter

Ryan Bowles • bowlesr@msu.edu

OHIO

24. NW Ohio Rails-to-Trails Association

(Trail Maintaining Affiliate):

Tom Duvendack • (419)822-4788 tomfortrails@windstream.net 25. Buckeye Trail Association

(Trail Maintaining Affiliate):

Patrick Hayes • (937)962-4884 • president@buckeyetrail.org 26. Adams County Chapter

Andrew Bashaw • abashaw@northcountrytrail.org 27. Little Cities of the Forest Chapter

Travis Neely • (216)308-2945 • tneeley@holzerclinic.com 28. Ohio Valley Chapter

Ryan Smith • (740)374-5666 • rsmith365@hotmail.com 29. Great Trail-Sandy Beaver Canal Chapter

Brad Bosley • (330)227-2432 • bbosley@cceng.org www.northcountrytrail.org

27 36 27

22 29 25 22

33 32 26 31 23 30 24

27 26 28 26 PENNSYLVANIA

30. Wampum Chapter

Lee Fairbanks • (724)847-0589 • fairbanks14@comcast.net 31. Butler Outdoor Club

(Trail Maintaining Affiliate):

John Stehle • (724)256-0674 • stehles@yahoo.com

Butler County Chapter

Dan Mourer • (724)445-3315 • mamourer@embarqmail.com 32. Clarion County Chapter

Ed Scurry • (814)437-1168 • EDSDC85@yahoo.com 33. Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy

(Trail Maintaining Affiliate):

Patty Brunner • (724)325-3224 • info@rachelcarsontrails.org 34. Allegheny National Forest Chapter

Keith Klos • (814)484-7420 • nct001@verizon.net

NEW YORK

35. Finger Lakes Trail Conference

(Trail Maintaining Affiliate):

Gene Bavis • (585) 658-9320 information@fingerlakestrail.org

Additional Maintaining Organizations

Coordinated by FLTC:

Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK),

ADK-Genesee Valley Chapter, ADK-Onondaga Chapter,

Cayuga Trails Club, Foothills Trail Club, Genesee Valley

Hiking Club, and Hammondsport Boy Scout Troop 18 36. Central New York Chapter:

Kathy Woodruff • (315) 697-7017 kwoodruff001@twcny.rr.com January–June 9

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Help Honor Our

Top Volunteers

Recent Award winners: 2008 Distinguished Service, Bobby Koepplin (left), 2008 Lifetime Achievement, Bill Menke (center), 2008 Trailbuilder of the Year, Scott Bowen (right).

Do you know someone who devotes countless hours to build or promote the North Country Trail? Someone who silently maintains a section of the North Country Trail year after year? Nominate them for a North Country Trail Association award. These awards will be presented on behalf of the Board of Directors at the annual conference in Valley City, ND this August.

I would like to nominate Vanguard: A legislator or other public official whose leadership, actions and advocacy have substantially benefited the Trail.

Trailblazer: A business or foundation for far-sighted vision and support, demonstrated by significant contribution(s) to the Trail or the NCTA. Lifetime Achievement: An individual, in recognition of more than a decade of true dedication, exceptional service and outstanding contributions toward the dream of the Trail. Service may be performed in a voluntary or paid capacity.

Distinguished Service: An individual, in recognition of exceptional volunteer service in furthering the goals of the NCTA, and outstanding contributions toward the dream of the Trail. Individual should have made a significant commitment and accomplishments over three or more years.

Trail Builder of the Year: A volunteer, whose work in Trail construction, planning, or negotiations have resulted in the development of outstanding new trail or facilities over the past year.

Trail Maintainer of the Year: A volunteer, who has demonstrated exceptional dedication or achievements over the past year in maintaining or restoring preexisting Trail segment(s).

Leadership: A volunteer, who has demonstrated exceptional leadership leading to significant local achievements or highly successful events.

for the following award (check one): Outreach: A volunteer, whose efforts to build coalitions, partnerships or other forms of local support have contributed significantly to the ongoing success of the Trail.

Communicator of the Year: A volunteer, for exemplary work in promoting the Trail or the NCTA through a communications medium (newsletter, web site, brochure, etc.) or personal contacts.

Rising Star: A volunteer between the ages of 8 and 18, who has made significant contributions to the Trail, and whose dedication to the Trail and the NCTA sets an example to other youths and shows exceptional promise.

Sweep: A volunteer, for tireless work and achievements behind the scenes on behalf of the Trail or the NCTA. Chapter or Affiliate: volunteers who demonstrate loyalty, commitment, and hard work annually to the local organizations chosen activities. Each Chapter or Affiliate may nominate one volunteer who demonstrated loyalty, commitment, and hard work in the past year to that local organization's ]activities. Those awards will be read at the annual conference but presented during a meeting of the local group.

Friend of the Trail: An employee of a unit of government or an organization whose leadership, accommodation and active collaboration have substantially benefited the North Country Trail.

Please write a brief statement of your reason for nominating this person. Include name, address, phone number and e-mail address for both nominee and nominator. Deadline for nominations is May 1, 2009. Send nominations to: North Country Trail Association, Attn: Awards Committee, 229 E. Main, St., Lowell, MI 49331 or e-mail to jdecator@northcountrytrail.org, please put “awards nomination” in the subject line. Go to http://www.northcountrytrail.org/awards.php to download a copy of this form.

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Your Adventure Starts Nearby.

Discover A New Section of the North Country Trail This Season!

2009 Volunteer Adventure Projects More information, including links for local information, is on the website.

1. Scioto Trail in Ohio: In partnership with the Buckeye Trail Association, new trail will be built in the foothills of south central Ohio, to move the trail to a hiking-only route.

Chippewa N.F.

T

Lonetree W.M.A.

U.P. West

U.P. Central

he North Douglas Co. Forest Country Trail Association’s Volunteer Adventure Program offers a series of week-long trail building events in each state. NCTA staff works closely with local organizations ... NCTA chapters, affiliates, state and federal agencies ... to create each Volunteer Adventure. Volunteers come from other areas to swell local volunteer forces, enabling bigger projects to build new or improve existing trail segments. Skills are taught, best trail management and safety practices are shared, and quality trail results.

Each Volunteer Adventure lasts seven days: 2 days for travel to and from, 4 days of trail work, and 1 day of recreation which highlights the area’s cultural and natural offerings. Dates are arranged carefully so that volunteers can move from project to project.

Adventures are free and open to the public; however, a $50 registration fee commits a volunteer to the program, which is refunded upon completion of the event. While volunteers are expected to provide their own travel to each event, food and camping fees are covered by the NCTA. For now, minimum ages of 12-17 are welcome if accompanied by adult supervision. Camping is normally primitive, so we expect volunteers to have their own gear.

NCTA provides a VA T-shirt, materials and tools, on-site training and supervision by NCTA staff, meals, and the organized recreation day.

April May June June June July

15-19 Scioto Trail, OH 16-20 Wisconsin Rover's Crew, WI 6-10 Slippery Rock Creek, PA 22-26 Finger Lakes Trail, NY 25-29 Upper Penninsula, west end, MI 5-10 Lonetree Wildlife

Management. Area, ND Aug 24-28 Chippewa National Forest, MN Sept 17-21 Upper Penninsula, central, MI

www.northcountrytrail.org

2. Wisconsin Rovers Crew: In extreme northwestern Wisconsin, about 40 miles from Duluth, new trail will be built in Douglas County Forest.

Finger Lakes Trail This is an opportunity to work with the Slippery Rock renowned Brule-St. Croix Scioto Creek Roving Trail Crew and learn Trail some of their skills.

3. Slippery Rock Creek in Pennsylvania: Rock work in McConnells Mill State Park, along the creekside trail, to repair portions of the trail which need to be rendered sustainable, despite a high level of usage and periodic flooding.

4. Finger Lakes Trail, NY: In state forest south of Syracuse, with glacial ridges, steep hills, and waterfalls, existing trail needs rehabilitation and improvement.

Adirondack Mtn. Club - Onondaga Chapter will host.

5. Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, west end: Build 140 ft bridge over wetlands and beaver pond, plus new trail building, in Peter Wolfe Chapter territory.

6. Lonetree Wildlife Management Area, N. Dakota: Projects to define trail better in grasslands with signage, mowing, and trail tread work. Lots of work with motorized equipment and hand tools.

7. Chippewa National Forest, Minnesota: Itasca Moraine Chapter maintenance projects, including mowing, signage improvements, ATV blockading.

8. Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, central: NCT Hikers Chapter wants many hands for ambitious project to build up to 5 miles of new trail from Little Garlic River; route is flagged but clearing and benching remains to be done.

January–June 9

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NONPROFIT U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

North Country Trail Association

Grand Rapids, MI Permit 340

229 East Main Street Lowell, Michigan 49331

Peg Jones­—Tittabawassee Chapter

Happy trails to you. Our eight newspapers across Michigan cover the great outdoors, including the best nature walks, day hikes and overnight backpacking trips. Read us, then find a slice of heaven of your own on foot. Booth Newspapers: The Ann Arbor News, The Bay City Times, The Flint Journal, The Grand Rapids Press, The Jackson Citizen Patriot, The Kalamazoo Gazette, The Muskegon Chronicle and The Saginaw News.

LV19892