North Star Vol. 24, No. 1 (2005)

State of the Trail 2005 Page 27

Didn't Find Your Chapter?

Here's why... lowing their horn rarely occurs to our hard-working chapters. That's why every year, when the North Star produces its annual "State of the Trail" message detailing our accomplishments during the past season, a number of chapters are conspicuous, very, by their absence.

That doesn't mean they didn't do anything. It means they never reported back to us despite all the cajoling and coaching.

The result is what you see starting on Page 27 in this issue. Unhappy your chapter is not represented? Get after your chair or president and push for inclusion next year at least.

B

• Besides the annual trail building and maintenance performed by the Spirit of the Woods chapter, neat activities arise each year from the fertile mind of Joan Young, founder of the chapter. Often they're worthy of exporting to other chapters.

One such was the building of bird feeders out of pine cones, an event her chapter started last year so my Western Michigan chapter copied it this year under her guidance. "Official cones from the Huron-Manistee National Forest, right?" I asked. "Official cones," she replied "from the Scottville

Cemetery."

Joan lives just outside of Scottville in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.

It's pretty easy to make a tasty treat for birds we learned. You melt a bunch of lard-yes, lard, the stuff your grandmother used to fry with or the fat the best bakers use to make crust-and then let the stuff cool. Then, you tie a piece of string around the cone and dip it into the lard. Follow that by rolling the cone into some birdseed, but don't use many sunflower seeds. The smaller stuff works better.

Finally, you hang the cones from branches and ring the dinner bell. We did this during the deer hunting season with rifle reports ringing through the air so the birds waited until things quieted down. Smart of them.

All of Joan's ideas are well worth emulating, as the Western Michigan Chapter did with the pinecone event.

Her Hike for Health contest during 2004, in association with area outfitters and sporting goods merchants who donated prizes, particularly looks like a winner.

Joan is also the queen of our long distance hikers who maintains a nip-andtuck contest with Trail Foreman Bill Menke for most miles hiked on the North Country Trail. Lots of her backpacking adventures have been chronicled in the North Star series that was called North Country Cache.A more complete account of those hikes and many others will appear in the book she is publishing by that name. The release date is August 11, 2005, at the NCT's 25th anniver-

Joan Young shows off a completed cone.

i--rh~--N~~t_h_ st~~--.- j~~~;~~~M;~~h-

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200

Jack Buege of the Western Michigan Chapter hangs a treat in a tree.

sary conference in Petoskey, Mich.

North Country Cache will be available in our Trail Shop and you will be able to order it online from our website, www.northcountrytrail.org., or through the pages of the North Star.

Put me down for a copy!

• Bet you didn't know that Fred Szarka, the National Park Service's manager for the North Country Trail, has the greenest of thumbs, especially when it comes to growing a multitude of squashes. I should have suspected as much since he knew that a small "swede" was a turnip when we reported on the great pasties debate. I guess you would have to be a pretty serious vegetable gardener to know that one.

Anyway, Fred brought a cartonful of his beauties when visiting the Western Michigan chapter during our annual Fun Day. We auctioned them off to help with expenses.

Fred's plethora of delicious squashes.

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A Glance Inside

coUNTJ?y

~ •ASSOCIATION•

229 East Main Street, Lowell, MI 49331 Ph. (866) HikeNCT, Fax (616) 897-6605 www.norrhcounrryrrail.org

NCTAStaff Rob Corbett, Executive Director Tiffany Stram, GIS Coordinator Bonnie Wayman, Office Manager Bill Menke, Trail Foreman Glory Meyer, Public Services Coordinator Allison Barr, Bookkeeper Sherry Staal, Office Assistant Matt Rowbotham, GIS Assistant

National Board of Directors Terms Expiring 2005 Howard Beye, New York Rep., (585)288-7191 · flrc@fronriernet.net 202 Colebourne Road, Rochester, NY 14609

Derek Blount, At Large Rep., (248)548-1737 · djblounr@sbcglobal.net 906 N Alexander, Royal Oak, Ml 48067

The North Country Trail's annual review of which chapters are building trail and structures, who's holding great events and hikes and what everyone is planning for next year.

Dave Cornell, VP of Finance, At Large Rep., (269)623-8659 onesrep@mei.net 4909 Cordes Rd., Delton, Ml 49046

Helen Coyne, At Large Rep., (724)776-0678 · hbcoyne@zbzoom.net 212 Willow Circle, Cranberry Twp., PA 16066

Alicia Hoffarth, VP West, North Dakota Rep., (701)490-3889 · cahoffarrh@hotmail.com 435 Fifrh Avenue NE, Valley Ciry. ND 58072

Mary Lucas, Secretary, At Large Rep. (715)362-0616 · dsmlucas@newnorrh.com 753 West Davenport, Rhinelander, WI 54501

Terms Expiring 2006 James Baldwin, At Large Rep.,

Articles

Columns

Triad Highlights Celebrating HQ Volunteers Outdoor Gourmet: Cobbler.

Scouts Help Out on the Trail Hurricane Ivan Visits Ohio Adirondack Possibilities Annual State of the Trail

8 18 20 21 22 24 27

(269)382-3808 · jgbaldwin@earrhlink.com 6163 Taylors Grove, Richland, Ml 49083

Sarah Julien, At Large Rep., (616)676-0172 · juliensarah@yahoo.com 1650 Tammarron, S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49546

Al Larmann, At Large Rep., (315)697-3387 · AFLarmann@msn.com 7169 Forbes Rd., Canastota, NY 13032

Terms Expiring 2007 Lyle Bialk Michigan Rep., (810)679-2401 · lylebailk@sbcglobal.net 54 Wells Sr., Croswell, MI 48422

Carl Boesel, Ohio Rep., (740)385-0074 · gboesel@hocking.net 863 Northbridge Lane, Columbus, OH 43235

Mikel Classen, Great Lakes Rep., (906)494-2458 · classen@jamadors.com P.O. Box 249. Grand Marais. MI 49839

New View from Lowell Rob Corbett rakes over as Executive Direcor of the NCTA. See page 12.

Editor's Note View from Lowell Trail Head View from Madison Reaching for the Gold

2 12 6 7 23

Departments Trail Supporters Hiking Shorts Milestones Trail Shop Who's Who at the NCT

.4 15 11 .41 .46

About the Cover North Star Editor Werner Veit photographed the snow-covered North Country Trail shield on Thanksgiving Day as an early season snowstorm dumped 11 inches on the southern portion of the trail in Michigan.

Bobby Koepplin, At Large Rep., (701)845-2251 · bkoepplin@kwh.com 230 15rh Sr. NE, Valley Ciry. ND 58072

John Leinen, President, At Large, (651)433-4456 · patleinen@rnsn.com 14205 St. Croix Trail, North Stillwater, MN 55082

Bert Nemcik, Pennsylvania Rep .• (814)927-8303 · bnemcik@cornellcornpanies.com HC 2, Box 62A Duh ring Rd., Marienville, PA 16239

Irene Szabo, VP East, At Large Rep., (585)658-4321 · treeweenie@aol.com 6939 Creek Rd., Mr. Morris, NY 14510

The North Star Staff: Werner Veit, Editor Irene Szabo, Associate Editor Jennifer Tripp, Associate Editor Roger Meyer, Contributing Editor Joan Young, Contributing Editor Aaron Phipps, Art Director

The North Star, Winter Issue, Vol. XX.IV, Issue I, 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.

January-March

2005

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The North Star

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Trail Supporters

We gratefully acknowledge the support of all our members and donors, and especially wish to recognize the following individuals, businesses, foundations and agencies, for their generous contributions over the past 12 months":

Businesses, Foundations, and Agencies $10.000 or more

National Park Service $2.500 to $9.999

Madison County (NY) Board of Supervisors Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation $1000 to $2.499

Chittenango Garden Club Eastern Mountain Sports Finger Lakes Trail Conference Mead Witter Foundation, Inc. Universal Forest Products $250 to $999 Central NY Community Foundation North Country Music Association General Motors Foundation North Country Trail Relay National Cherry Festival T & C Markets IM, Inc. $150 to $249 Adirondack Mountain Club Biii Prall Touring Gear Butler Outdoor Club Campmor Inc. Eagle Optics Lee's Sports and Sportswear

Marietta Area Chamber of Commerce Michigan Mountain Bike Association Moraine Salling Club FS 80 The Outfitter Strlders, Inc. Vlllaume Industries Inc.

A big 'Thank You' to the following Chapters who contributed to this years Development Fund Drive: Brule-St. Croix Central New York Chief Noonday North Country Trail Hikers

*Includes cumulative gifts, membership

contributions

Spirit of the Woods Star of the North Wampum Western Michigan

and grants received between December l, 2003 and November 30, 2004.

Trail Supporters

Individuals $500 or more James Baldwin Melissa Cardon Dave and Jan Cornell Garrett Dill Bobbie Hineline John and Pat Leinen Rod and Margaret MacRae Bill and Donna Menke Bob and Annette Papp Raymond and Elaine Papp Erma Lee Saur Harmon Strong Irene Szabo Werner and Marianne Veit Jim Weiske Daryl Williamson

i2so to i499 David and Jean Adams Jerry and Connie Pausits Allen Len and JoAnne Baron Howard Beye LeRoy Bliven Derek and Margaret Blount John Diephouse Cathy Drexler Kathleen Eisele Loyal and Bonnie Eldridge Richard Flinn Rich Harris Denise Herron Chris and Alicia Hoffarth Al and Mary Kunzler-Larmann James and Elizabeth Mackey Mark Morrow Linda O'Donnel Timothy O'Rourke Martin O'Toole Joseph Raught Michael and Erica SanDretto Frank Smiddy David Tattan RogerTuuk Gaylord Yost

100to $249 Alan and Lou Adsmond John and Phoebe Alden Walt Alexander Pat Allen and Mark Miller John Allen and Edith Maynard Kimberly Arbour Daniel and Constance Arnold Richard Ashbacker Charles Axthelm Aileen Baesemann Brian Becker Richard Beil and Dana Burkley

Lewis and Mary Bender Bruce Bishop Bert Bleke Richard and Sue Boettner Ren and Carol Brander Bob and Judith Bredeweg Brian and Barb Buchanan Robert Burpee Brian Burt Robert Cable Joe and Sharon Callahan Robert Campbell Jay and Mary Campbell Ed and Nancy Chappel Frances and Steve Cheyne Rose Clack Tim and Christine Conners Helen Coyne John and Nancy Crowley Daniel Dardio Mary and Bill Davis Robert Davis Dale DeGirolamo Mary DeGroot Claire Dedow Michele Dienno William Dixon Jack and Karen Dixon Greg and Lynne Durham Clifton and Kay Edwards William Eisenman Duane Elenbaas Gary Ellis Gerard Engler Dave Estrada Alan Fark Joan Filla Joanna Frank Eric Frick and Pam Salaway Kurt Fristup Sue Funk and Wood Kidner Tom Garnett William and Joanne Gerke Tom and Janis Gilbert Marc Gilbert George Girod James Glockner Daniel Gold Donald Gore Paul and Julie Nietling Haan Anthony Haga Chris and Helen Haller Don Halley Mary Hamilton William Hamilton Joy Marie and Joe Harvey J. Daniel Hitchens Mark Hoffmann James and Gladys Hoogterp

Tom and Mary Hord Keith and Katherine Horngren Theodore Hullar Larry Huston David Irish Michael Jarden Richard Jester Randall Johnson Peggy Jones and Andy Zeek Lois Judd John Judd Sarah Julien Thomas Kaiser Hans Kappus Lou and Sandy Kasischke Jerry Keeney Shawn Kelly L. Bill Kick Verlyn and Dorothy Kicker Brooks and Margie Kindel Pollie Knight Stephen Kobylarz Andrew and Nancy Kosseff Karen Kress Hal Lambdin Kurt Landauer Raoul and Jan LePage Christopher and Margo Light John Lindholm Pat and Sharon Loomis Mary Lucas John and Marianne Ludwick Mary Lunt William Lynch George and Patricia Maas Angus MacDonald Tom Mack Raymond and Kristen Majkrzak John Malcolm Guyer and Kimberly McCracken Michael McGraw Laurie McMurray Roger and Glory Meyer Pat and Kathleen Miller Robert Norlin John Norlund Anthony and Kim Notario Eugene Ollila Matt and Colleen Ortwine Boes Nelson Paguyo Derrick Passe Rolf and Carolyn Peterson Richard and Kaye Pfeiffer Aaron and Sharon Phipps Thomas and Diane Piquet Pat Prosser Chris Puehler James Quimby William and Avis Rambo

Paul and Evelyn Reid Mark Reist Kevin Ricker Michael Rochowiak Anthony Rodriguez Dan Rogalla Robert and Grace Rudd Louis Sabo Paula Sagala Frank Sargent Edward Scanlan Lynne Scheer Merl and Pat Schlaack Peter and Emily Schmitz Michael Schultz Richard Schwaab Richard Seabold Brian Seely David and Elvera Shappirio John Sherman Randy Shoemaker Jonathan Sledge Kevin Smith James Sprague Carol Stetter Nancy Stewart Eugene Stohrer John and Nancy Strom Steven Surguy Rolf Swanson Larry Swisher Fredrick Szarka Betty Tableman Bob Tait John Tanton Jay Taylor William Thomas David Tennies Jerry and Beth Trout Miles Trumble John Underhill Betty Van der Smissen Gail VanHaren John and Diane Vanderveen Steve Vear Michael and Diane Veen Jon and Judy Walter Neil Whitbeck Donald Wickstra Kevin, Robin.Kate & Morgan Wilson Jack Wiswell Dewey and Kay Wobma Rodger and Denise Wolf Gary Wright Thomas Zander Reynold Zeller Beverly Zelt

Much Optimism about the North Country Trail I

n my last "Trail Head" piece I announced the resignation of our former Executive Director, Bob Papp.

As I stated then and believe even more strongly today, ultimately this provides us with an opportunity to grow into an even stronger, more effective North Country Trail Association. Today, with much gladness and optimism I'm pleased to announce that the search for our new Executive Director has been concluded. Rob Corbett, our previous Director of Trail Management, has been offered and has accepted the position of Executive Director of the North Country Trail Association.

Our search committee received many qualified applications for the position. The committee narrowed the list down to six individuals who were offered the opportunity to interview for the position. After the interview process was completed, the Committee deliberated for a very short period of time before deciding that Rob was the best candidate for the job. My thanks to the Committee for the thorough job they did in making their selection.

The last couple of months provided me with a lot of time to talk to Rob about our organization and to observe him in action. In midSeptember, Rob convened a Minnesota State North Country Trail Summit, and a few weeks later Rob again returned to Minnesota for the annual National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service and NCTA Triad meeting, hosted by Chippewa National Forest.

For both events Rob and I shared lodging and we traveled together from the Twin Cities. During this time, I gained insight into Rob's understanding of the needs and challenges faced by the trail and our organization, and his vision for the actions that will be required to meet them. I'm looking forward to working closely with Rob as we continue progress toward our mission and vision for the Association and the trail.

Among the challenges we face will be to hire a new Director of Trail Management. This proved to be a daunting task when we undertook it last time, but it was a new program then and we really didn't quite know what the program would entail. When we hired Rob two years ago for that position, he jumped in and established and defined the program. With the basis for the Trail Management Program now determined, we will be able to articulate more clearly the duties and tasks the position will require and have established criteria by which to evaluate the candidates. The knowledge we have gained will make it much easier to fill this position today.

When we close the books at the end of November we will discover that

Don't forget that the North Star offers an advertising opportunity to reach more than 3,000 outdoors enthusists.

Rates and quotes are available.

Contact Werner Veit by email at wv12@aol.com for more details.

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The North Star

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January-March

2005

we have nearly reached the goal in our campaign to fund a Development and Communications Coordinator for the first two years, which will enable us to begin the hiring process to fill this position. Once in place, this new component of our organization will begin to raise the awareness of the North Country National Scenic Trail and the NCTA, sure to generate additional growth in our membership and in our Chapters. The raised awareness will also help greatly when we approach Foundations and Corporations seeking their support.

We are thus ready to become a stronger, more efficient organization-our new Executive Director in place, poised to hire a new Director of Trail Management, and ready to expand our communications and establish our Development Program.

With the reasonable expectation that the general public's awareness of the NCTA and our trail will soon rise greatly, our ability to raise funding will expand substantially. With additional money we will be able to increase our Trail Management Program, build new trail more rapidly, and maintain what we already have more efficiently. In other words we have much reason to be excited about our future.

We owe a great deal of gratitude to all those who have toiled for this mission and vision in the past: to those who first conceived the idea of a National Scenic Trail across this northern tier of states, to those who worked so hard to establish the NCTA, to all the past members of the Board of Directors, the past Presidents, the past Executive Directors and to those who have served our government agency partner, the National Park Service.

We have them to thank for bringing us to this place poised to make great strides forward towards completing our nation's longest trail. Join with me today in thanking all those who have labored before us and join with me in doing our best to realize their dream, our dream, completion of the North Country National Scenic Trail. Today we're much closer to making this a reality than we've ever been before.

The Work of the NPS Office, Part VIII: Interpreting the trail J\ s we stated in an earlier column, .r\.hiking is more than just moving our feet; the essence of hiking is the total experience of traveling the trail.

Similarly, the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCNST) itself is more than just the trail tread; it includes the natural and cultural resources in the immediate surroundings of the trail.

In fact, what distinguishes a National Scenic Trail from other trails is that it routes travelers to nationally significant natural, cultural, and scenic resources.

To help hikers appreciate, enjoy, and "experience" these special features, interpretive signs and other educational features should be part of the "built environment" of the trail. The National Trails System Act places responsibility on the Secretary of the Interior and National Park Service (NPS) to provide or help provide interpretation of nationally significant resources along the trail to enhance the experience of trail users. The Act states in Section 7(c): "National scenic ... trails may contain campsites, shelters, and related-public-use facilities .. .The appropriate Secretary may also provide for trail interpretation sites ... in order to present information to the public about the

TOM GILBERT NPS Superintendent

trail, at the lowest possible cost, with emphasis on the portion of the trail passing through the state in which the site is located. Wherever possible, the sites shall be maintained by a state agency under a cooperative agreement between the appropriate Secretary and the state agency."

To the knowledgeable reader of this portion of the legislation, two extreme ends of a spectrum of types and costs of interpretive facilities are being talked about here. The one extreme is the "lowest possible cost" end of the spectrum. A simple sign providing information about a tree or flower or other feature along the trail meets this intent. The other extreme is reflected in the directive: "Whenever possible, the sites shall be maintained by a state agency under a cooperative agreement." Congress was thinking of major facilities, such as an interpretive center or visitor center, when it passed this language. This method of telling the story has proven to be popular along National Historic Trails-nearly every community along a historic trail seems to want one-and Congress was concerned that the federal government could be saddled with the expense of running dozens of these facilities. However, the language does allow such facilities to be established along National Scenic Trail, as well, although to date none has been developed by the federal government.

Many of the initial interpretive signs developed by the NPS are designed to provide basic information about the trail.

These facilities are referred to in one other place in the Act. In Section lO(c)(l), where there is the prohibition on federal agencies spending funds to acquire lands, it says " ... except that funds may be expended for the acquisition of lands or interests therein for the purpose of providing for one trail interpretation site, as described in section 7(c), along with such trail in each state crossed by the trail." We have purchased land west of Madison, Wisc., for the one interpretive site for which we are allowed to acquire land for the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.

Theoretically, we could purchase seven sites along the NCNST, one in each state. Our intent in Wisconsin is not to develop a visitor center, but rather a network of trails with interpretive signs at appropriate points explaining how the glacial landscape was formed.

However, a public planning process for this site, which we anticipate beginning in 2006, could reveal public interest in having a visitor center at the site.

Before your imagination starts running, however, be aware that Congress presently has a moratorium on funding any new visitor centers, interpretive centers, educational centers, or any other term you want to call them. And, to be honest, a visitor center may not be an effective way of telling stories along a National Scenic Trail. Many of the major scenic and historic sites along the NCNST are already publicly owned and have interpretive facilities telling their stories.

When we look at this aspect of our responsibilities for the NCNST, we envision assisting our partners in developing and placing high-quality, vandal-resistant interpretive signs at important sites not already interpreted, to fill in the spaces between the sites that already have such facilities. We have available a handbook providing step-by-step instructions on how to design and produce high-quality interpretive signs like you would see in any national park. To the extent our resources allow, we would welcome the opportunity to help you identify sites needing interpretation and then assist in developing appropriate signs or other facilities, perhaps with Challenge Cost Share program funding.

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2004 Trail Triad

Attendees enjoyfall colors in Minnesota's Lake Country Article and Photos by Eric Flood Wilderness Ranger, Allegheny National Forest

T

he fifth annual North Country Trail (NCT) "Triad" meeting was hosted chis year by Minnesota's Chippewa N acional Forest, where attendees were treated to three days of fantastic fall weather and one of the most impressive north woods fall color displays in recent memory. Triad Meeting 2004 was held at the Horseshoe Bay Resort on the shores of beautiful Leech Lake in the community of Walker, Minnesota.

The NCT Triad meetings gather in early October each year for the purpose of promoting good communications and coordination among the North Country Trail Association (NCTA), the National Park Service (NPS), and the six national forests that manage a section of the trail.

The term "Triad" is a direct reference to the trio of partnered organizations which together manage the NCT. The meetings are a great opportunity to exchange ideas, meet and network with other members of the trail community, and discuss and reach consensus on the many important issues relevant to managing the NCT. Triad meeting host privileges are rotated each year amongst each of the National Forests chat manage a section

a···:r·h·~--N~-~t·h·

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of the trail. This rotation presents an opportunity for each Forest in turn to show off their home turf in the course of the second day of the meeting, which typically consists of a field demonstration day. Triad meetings also provide excellent opportunities to demonstrate the unique challenges chat individual managers experience on their respective section of trail. This is also an excellent occasion for the host to cap into the "brain trust" of such a diverse cross-section of the trail community for insight, ideas, and fresh perspectives on how to meet these challenges.

The first day of chis year's Triad gathering consisted of the business meeting, a diversity of topics for discussion, including: Renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOu,J.The original MOU chat established the Triad is nearing expiration, and has been further ~~? amended twice over the past five years.

Therefore, appropriate changes will be incorporated into a new document, which / Y will be sent to all parties for review prior to approval. Any differences will be addressed in a follow-up conference call, if necessary.

Updates to Forest Service Point of Contact List.

Last year, a Point of Contact List was generated for the purpose of establishing clearer lines of communications between NCTA volunteers and the various National Forests. The previous list will be sent out for review and edits so chat an updated list may be distributed.

Coordination of the Program of Work (POW). Both the Forest Service and the NPS have operational requirements for developing an annual Program of Work for the

Triad participants inspect ORV damage, and, some mighty fine pines, on the North Country Trail.

NCT. Each agency develops its respective POW from databases of all inventoried trail structures, but each agency utilizes a different database computer program. In turn, NCTA also has an interest in developing an inventory of trail structures. A working group consisting of chairperson Rob Corbett (NCTA), Joan Young (NCTA), Scott Haas (Huron-Manistee N.F.), Ken Howell (NPS), and Tiffany Stram (NCTA) was established to examine possibilities for developing a "crosswalk" computer program. A crosswalk is a tool, which could be used to facilitate data sharing among the different inventory databases used by the two government agencies and the N CTA. The desired outcome would be a com-

monality of the information contained in each database while avoiding any unnecessary duplication of work. The target date for completion of this working group's report is the next Triad meeting.

Trail Shelter Policy on the NCTA. Development of a trail shelter policy has been an ongoing topic of discussion so a work group was established at the 2003 meeting. The findings of the group were that shelters are an important part of the trail culture in certain areas like the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and the Finger Lakes Trail section of New York, but were nearly nonexistent in most others. Due to the diversity of geography and local hiking cultures crossed in the trail's 4,600-mile path, they found that a single policy on shelter suitability along the trail would be difficult to establish.

The consensus reached at the meeting was to allow each individual forest to decide on the merits and feasibility of shelters for their particular location, and that local land managers should have the final word on any decisionmaking. In addition, the NPS requires any new shelter that is to be funded by the agency to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, Section 106 requirements for protection of existing cultural resources, and must establish a funding pool for future maintenance and replacement costs by the local Chapter.

National Park Service Report on the proposed ''Arrowhead Reroute."

The NPS reported that the proposed reroute of the NCT in Minnesota that would include the Superior Hiking Trail, the Kekekabic Trail, and some new trail construction in Northern Minnesota is progressing well. Much of the new route has already been planned, and with Congressional

approval it will become the new "footprint" of the NCT corridor.

Day two consisted of the field visit portion of the Triad meeting and gave Forest Recreation Planner, Michael Martin, the opportunity to share with the group some of the great hiking opportunities that are available on the Chippewa National Forest's section of the NCT and to demonstrate some of the management challenges he faces.

The weather for the field trip was exceptionally fine for the time of year, warm and sunny, a perfect day to be in the Minnesota north wood, enjoying the outstanding fall colors on display.

The only dim spot in an otherwise perfect day was the continual presence of large numbers of an annoying strain of ladybugs, apparently revived by the unusually mild weather.

The day's program consisted of hikes on two separate sections of the trail that gave an excellent representation of the variety of terrain and scenery available on the Chippewa's length of the trail.

The section hiked in the morning consisted of approximately two and a half miles between Cass County Road 50 and the Shingobee Recreation Area, where the trail follows early logging roads over some surprisingly hilly terrain (believe it or not, Minnesota is not all flat) and along several scenic wetlands and small lakes. Part of this section is the route of the local North Country Trail Marathon race, and much of the group discussion centered on the challenges of managing an activity of this type without compromising the character of the trail.

Near the end of the morning hike, the trail entered the Shingobee hiking and winter sports recreation area, complete with an impressively steep

"Triad meetings provide excellent opportunities to demonstrate the unique challenges... (it) is also an excellent occasion for the host to tap into the "brain trust" of such a diverse cross-sectionof the trail community for insight, ideas, and fresh perspectives on how to meet these challenges. "

Sections of the North Country Trail in the Chippewa National Forest are maintained via contracted mowing services.

sledding hill with a sweeping view of the surrounding valley, a warming hut, and an extensive trail system catering mostly to advanced and expert crosscountry skiers. Our lunch spot under trees on top of the sledding hill offered a view of the red and yellow colors across the valley below.

The afternoon hike of approximately three and a half miles was from Lower Milton Lake near the town of Rhemer to Forest Road 2321 off County Road 52. Once again the terrain was varied, with the first section of trail traveling along the red pine forested spine of a glacial moraine, a long narrow ridgeline of debris left behind as the glaciers retreated from the last ice age. There were several management challenges evident on this section of trail, including ORV trespass, low use by hikers, and active timber sales occurring along the trail corridor.

Because of the relatively remote location of this section of trail, enforcement of ORV trespass is difficult, and violators often demonstrate surprising tenacity in overcoming engineering obstacles. Gates are often vandalized, signs prohibiting use removed, new routes blazed around obstacles, and even very large boulders moved using large vehicles and winches. The

Chippewa recently enacted a new ORV management strategy that will help make enforcement of trail prohibitions somewhat easier to manage. Along with designating only specific roads and trails as open to ORV use, and prohibiting all cross-country travel, all roads and trails are now considered closed to ORV use unless there is a sign present designating them as open.

The discussion of timber manage-

ment within the trail corridor centered around the need for good internal communications and coordination by bringing forest timber management personnel into the loop of how and why we manage the trail.

While the challenges of ORV trespass and timber management may seem somewhat obvious, the drawbacks of lower than desired use by hikers may be somewhat less evident. Hiking trails in the Upper Midwest Lake States are more prone to excessivegrowth of vegetation within the trail corridor than in some other parts of the country.

Because of the annual growth of grasses and other plants along the trail, it is often necessary to employ such maintenance solutions as the use of heavyduty mowers to keep the paths clear. A well-trod path requires less of this type of maintenance, while conversely a trail which is lightly used is much more susceptible to overgrowth.

Upon reaching Forest Road 2321, the pleasantly foot-weary group loaded back into vehicles for the scenic ride back to Horseshoe Bay Resort through the climax fall colors and late day sunshine of early autumn. It was a fine ending to what had been another great meeting of the diverse trail managers and communities that comprise the NCT's Triad.

Wisconsin's Chequamegon National Forest will be the host for the Annual Triad Meeting in 2005.

Fall color in full sun makes the Triad Meeting Field day no work at all!

Most Members Recruited

MILESTONES

These are the people who have recruited the most NCTA Members overall. Thanks to everyone for help spreading the word about the NCT!

Along the North Country Trail Along the way to building the longest continuous hiking trail in the country, we pass many milestones. This page marks some that show our progress.

Trail Building Progress on the North Country Trail The National Park Service certifies those completed miles that satisfy its standards.

In addition, there are many more completed miles that may be enjoyable to hike but have not be certified for a variety of reasons.

State North Dakota Minnesota Wisconsin Michigan Ohio Pennsylvania New York Totals

Percent Done and Certified

Miles Certified

44% 27.1% 54% 54.1% 30.4% 47.5% 41.6% 42.2%

209.1 101.5 107.9 621.7 319.7 126 259.8 1,745.7

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Change Other Since Last Off-Road Issue Miles

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1.3 3.9 2.0 133.4 39.6 34.1 84.7 299

Total Off Road Miles

Marked Road Miles

210.4 105.4 109.9 755.1 359.3 160.1 344.5 2,044.7

0 0 4.9 8.7 0 4.9 0 18.5

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State by State Membership Membership in the NCTA demonstrates public support for the trail. Membership dues help fund activities that benefit the trail. Here's how each state changed since the last issue of the North Star.

State North Dakota Minnesota Wisconsin Michigan Ohio Pennsylvania New York Other Totals

Members Last Issue

61 213 228 1,380 283 304 365 189 3,023

121 70 45 46 45 40 29 26 24 23 23 23 23

Partner Support We work closely with several organizations where the NCT coincides with other trails.

Many members generously support both the NCTA and these regional partners. Here is what we show for overlapping members: Finger Lakes Trail Conference ..

Buckeye Trail Association Superior Hiking Trail Assoc Kekekabic Trail Club NW Ohio Rails-to-Trails Assoc

152 96 57 11 6

Volunteers on the Trail Thanks to the following volunteers who have reported the most hours during the third quarter of 2004:

Recruiting Members

Fastest Growing Chapters

Top recruiters since the last issue and the number of members they recruited:

Highest percentage growth among our chapters since the last issue:

Deb Koepplin Al Larmann, Jr Dave Cornell Roger Meyer Jennifer Tripp

Bob Tait John Kincaid John & Pat Leinen Joan Young Richard Naperala Al Larmann, Jr Rob Corbett..

Gaylord Yost..

Jerry & Connie Pausits Allen Gene & Jean Elzinga Bill Menke Doug Welker Dave Cornell.

3 3 2 2 2

Star of the North North Dakota Sandhills Itasca Moraine Peter Wolfe Clarion Sheyenne River Valley

16.8% 16.7% 15.6% 14.3% 12.5% 12.5%

Joe Burton John Leinen Marilyn Chadwick Richard Kroener Rolf Swanson Mary Kunzler Larmann Kay Kujawa Al Larmann, Jr Richard Krieger Stanley Kujawa Glenn Oster Joan Young

550 325 230 223 219 203

184 178 152 144 133 117

Celebrating a Silver Anniversary and Gearing Up for the Fun Ahead NCTA s new Director reflects on the trails growth opportunities for the future

VIEW FROM [1@~[1[1

ROB CORBETT n 2005 we have a lot of work and a good deal of fun to look forward to.

Our North Country National Scenic Trail has reached the ripe old age of 25 and we are going to let everyone know with gusto. In October 2004, Grand Traverse Hiking Club, Harbor Springs and Tittabawassee Chapters gathered in Petoskey, Michigan, to take a look at the North Central Michigan College campus facilities, meet with town leadership, and get the planning under way. This annual conference will differ somewhat from those of past years in that we plan to invite most of America to come join us for our Trail's Silver Anniversary.

Using the annual conference as a way to invite the uninitiated to experience the trail will bring new faces aboard and bolster our efforts to make our trail a true connector between the places we live and the great outdoors. Many hikes and some interesting keynote speakers are already in the works for the four day event. Look for more in coming issues of the North Star.

In my nearly two years of travels as the NCTA's Director of Trail Management I had a chance to meet literally hundreds of people who are intimately familiar with the NCT, its history and its promise for the future.

I spent endless hours listening to folks share their experiences, wisdom and more than a few tall tales of days and nights on the trail. I must say that these travels and the many people I met along the way provided me with a good education about who we are, what the trail is really all about and where we need to go if we want to get this winding wonder completed.

Many people shared their opinions on how we could better reach the communities close to the trail and how we needed to include allied interests such as local land trusts, historical preserva-

I

Executive Director

tion groups and park districts. Others shared their dismay that state assemblies and some state officials still, after 24 years, were unaware of the NCT, its vision, and value. In Marietta, Ohio, we started to reach out to the cities and rural communities that dot the trail.

Consequently, received with enthusiasm and promise, the NCT now figures in Marietta's planning process.

Last September I had the pleasure of attending the 50th Jubilee for the Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota which ran back-to-back with our Minnesota NCT Trail Summit. Both were held at the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Itasca State Park.

The events gave an interesting look into the future in many ways.

In the long view, it was gratifying to be a part of an anniversary celebration for a like-minded organization that now stands in a leadership role in securing Minnesota's open space and outdoor recreation resources for future generations. Twenty-five years prior to the formation of the NCT, the Parks & Trails Council was started by a small group of determined folk and grew over time to become a key force in shaping Minnesota's outdoor legacy. Continuing its work in that direction, the Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota has signed on to become the NCTA's first Supporting Affiliate.

Their guidance and support will go a long way toward securing our trail in Minnesota.

On the heels of the Jubilee we held a summit to discuss the future of trail in Minnesota with practical short term objectives in mind. Representatives from the Forest Service, National Park Service, and Minnesota's DNR

Division of Trails and Waterways got together with folks from the NCTA and the Parks & Trails Council to discuss the practical short term solutions needed to bring the trail into physical reality. Short term action steps were developed and lead people assigned to each step. It all came about this way because, for once, we had everyone around the table at the same time.

Nothing had to be deferred to another meeting, because an agency or partner was absent. Everything could be addressed even if it was just in outline form, because everyone had fulfilled the ultimate first requirement: they showed up.

State-wide trail summits give everyone, state, federal, local and notfor-profit, the ability to hunker down and do business on a manageable scale.

Face to face meetings breed the familiarity necessary to share ideas, build trust and envision the trail as a do-able project because it is of manageable size.

We'll be doing a few more of these state-wide trail summits in the months and years to come. Approaching the task in manageable chunks, with all the necessary bodies in the same room, can render action steps and solutions that include everyone. If you have an interest in helping to organize a trail summit in your state, give me a call at the office because I'd like to sign you up.

Our Trail's 25th anniversary is about celebration. We have a lot to be proud of and a lot to show off, but it is also certainly a year of gearing up for the next phase. Like a big truck building momentum, it's time to shift our gears and intensify our efforts. In this direction we have a lot of work to do before the snow melts. For example, last year we put out a call to our chapters, affiliates, individual members and several foundations in the hopes of raising the funding needed to hire a Development and Communications Coordinator. The fact that we raised it in a matter of months speaks volumes about the commitment of everyone who contributed. This new position

will give us the reach we need to leverage support for local and national operations and further carry the message of the nation's longest National Scenic Trail to those who need to hear.

While we are in the throes of adding this new player to the team, NCTA also needs to refill the glamorous post of Director of Trail Management. I left that job for my current post with a bittersweet feeling. However, when I show up at the office each morning,

that feeling vanishes as I discover every day anew that I am still doing that job as well as this one! So we are certainly going to fill that Director of Trail Management position before the snow melts and all those chapters begin to stir and ask questions and make phone calls and write emails and make plans for activities and, well, you get the idea!

Please feel free to photocopy the position descriptions that follow and post them in conspicuous

places where they might attract the attention of people with fire in their bellies- trail kiosks, gear shops, colleges, nature centers and other venues frequented by those who see the outdoors as part of their very fiber. Post them somewhere where good men and women who believe a cause like ours is worth sweating for might find them and be inspired to heed the call. Read on! It just may be what YOU we are looking for!

Job Announcement :

DIRECTOR OF TRAIL MANAGEMENT The Director of Trail Management is a full-time, permanent position based in our National Headquarters in Lowell, Michigan, with a salary of $38,000 per year. We currently provide health and dental insurance, and the employee is eligible to participate in our 403(b} retirement plan. We expect the starting date for this position to be some time in April 2005.

The Director of Trail Management position is responsible for all field management along the 4,600 mile length of the NCT. Working closely with our 29 chapters and seven affiliated organizations the Director of Trail Management responds to a wide variety of issues in both office and field work environments. In close communication with the NCTA's Executive Director this position coordinates new trail construction, guides ongoing trail maintenance, formulates policy, develops access agreements, and forges alliances with local units of government.

Our long-term vision is to place a series of full-time

regional trail coordinators along the length of the NCT. As funding becomes available these regional positions will be added under the supervision of the Director of Trail Management. The Director ofTrail Management will be based in Lowell, Michigan and retain responsibility for the state of Michigan while overseeing the NCTA's entire trail program and all trail-related staff including supervising regional activities through the regional positions. If we succeed in placing additional trail coordinators in states along the trail, we would expect the "field coordination" aspects of the position to decrease while responsibilities related to "management of trail programs" would increase. To apply, please submit a cover letter and resume to our national headquarters at NCTA, 229 E. Main St., Lowell, Michigan 49331.

Application materials must be received by March 15, 2005. Though you don't need to submit references with your application, we will require three references if you are selected for an interview.

Please consult our website for additional information about the NCTA and the North Country National Scenic Trail: www.northcountrytrail.org

New 200S Mascot for the Trail-

The Bobcat!

You can order your bobcat, who, by the way, comes complete with adoption papers, for just $12.00.

Just look at that furry little face - how can you resist?

Size is 12" long and shipping is just $4.00.

Add it to your Trail Shop Order Form on page 45 or call 866-HIKE-NCT.

*~coUNTJ?y ~ •ASSOCIATION•

Job Announcement :

DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR

Over the past eight years the NCTA has built a strong membership program and annual giving campaign as the basis of its private funding initiative.

Recently NCTA completed a three year development plan to guide the expansion of its fundraising and publicity programs. Our next step is adding a Development and Communications Coordinator to our team.

The position will support and advance the NCTA's development and communications activities in the areas of marketing and public relations materials, donor research and giving programs, proposals and grant requests, donor acknowledgement and recognition, and development reporting. Working with the Executive Director the position will implement our development plan by creating a number of funding strategies including corporate sponsorship programs, seeking support from various small and large foundations, launching annual and planned giving campaigns and seeking out other creative funding strategies. In tandem with these duties the position will create a corporate communica-

tions program to raise the visibility of the NCT in the public eye and attract the attention of target audiences.

Creating celebration events and publicity materials for the 25th anniversary of the NCT and implementing a marketing campaign utilizing electronic media to build awareness and support will be the heart of these communication efforts.

The Development and Communications Coordinator Position is a full-time, permanent position with salary at $30,000 to $35,000 per year. We provide health and dental insurance, and the employee is eligible to participate in our 403(b) retirement plan. Expected start date for this position is March, 2005.

To apply, please submit a cover letter and resume to our national headquarters at NCTA, 229 E. Main St., Lowell, Michigan 49331. Application materials must be received by February 15, 2005. Though you don't need to submit references with your application, we will require three references if you are selected for an interview.

Please consult our website for additional information about the NCTA and the North Country National Scenic Trail: www.northcountrytrail.org

Attention

Volunteers:

he North Country Trail needs your help! .As a volunteer, you contribute invaluable time to the North Country Trail.

Whether you work on the trail, lead activities, participate in planning, produce a newsletter or lead the work of others, you are the soul of the trail.

In fact, volunteer service is the best measure we have to demonstrate public support for the trail. However, if you aren't letting us know about the hours you put in, you are weakening our stance when we approach legislators, foundations, and potential sponsors to ask for their financial help.

So please, report your hours, if not for your own recognition, then for the good of

the trail.

To submit your hours online at www.northcoun trytrail.orq or call us at 866-HIKE-NCTto request forms.

New North Dakota Visitor Center Highlights the North Country Trail HIKING~ NORTH DAKOTA - Lake Sakakawea State Park has recently constructed a new park visitor center to accommodate customers and staff better. It is conveniently located as you enter the park and contains administrative offices, a lobby/interpretive area, meeting room/ library and restrooms.

The placement on the top of a hill allows a beautiful view of Lake Sakakawea and a large portion of the park. The lobby is surrounded on two sides by windows to take advantage of this view.

The building is constructed of reddish colored bricks which closely resemble the coal baked clay called scoria, which The new Lake Sakakawea State Park Visitor's Center is found along the shores of the lake. Accents of in North Dakota has a stylized pattern in the floor tile that moves you from the front door, through the room redwood and stucco add displays and out another door to the start of the to the natural look of the North Country National Scenic Trail. structure.

Inside, displays interpret the North Country National You then come to the large redScenic Trail, natural history of the area wood sign announcing the start of the and the park's namesake "Sakakawea" North Country National Scenic Trail.

This is the ideal spot for hikers to take of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

The stylized pattern in the floor their keepsake photos after a long hard hike from New York or at the begintile moves you from the front door, through the room displays and out ning of a short leisurely hike over the another door to the start of the North next hill.

Country Trail. A donated brick walk- David Leite way takes you the first 50 feet from Appalachian Trail the building and to the four acre native prairie restoration. Beautiful wildflowConference to Change Name VIRGINIA - On November 20, ers such as Blue Flax, Purple Prairie Coneflower and Downy Paintbrush are 2004, the Board of Managers of already becoming established here. the Appalachian Trail Conference

from the new Sakakawea Visitor's Center.

overwhelmingly voted to change the organization's name from Appalachian Trail Conference (ATC) to Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

The new name-scheduled to take effect as the ATC celebrates it's 80th anniversary at the biennial meeting on July 4, 2005-is a much better fit for the ATC's responsibility to protect and promote the biologically and culturally diverse units of the national park trail.

The ATC website states, "Not only have we outgrown the name 'Conference,' which originated in 1925 when the organization was primarily a coordinator of clubs, we've earned the right to proudly declare that we-all of us who work tirelessly to maintain the Trail's pristine 2,174 miles from Maine to Georgia-are focused on preserving America's premier hiking experience for the next 80 years...

'Conference' does not describe our primary work today, and it confuses people who might otherwise want to support us."

The recommendation to change the ATC's name was the result of a years-long planning process along with market research and analysis. In accordance with the direction of its strategic

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plan adopted in 2003, the ATC leadership selected a marketing firm oriented to nonprofits to examine the issue of a name change, among other marketing initiatives.

Look for more derails in the January-February issue of the Appalachian Trailway News or visit the ATC website at www.appalachiantrail.org.

Minnesota Route Assessment Update MINNESOTA - Following the close of the public comment period on the Northeastern Minnesota Route Assessment/Environmental Assessment, NPS staff prepared a finding of no significant impact on the preferred alternative. What that essentially means is we reviewed all of the comments received on the proposal to relocate the trail via the three existing long distance trails in the Arrowhead region of Minnesota, found no objections to the change, and reported to the National Park Service in Omaha that there was no reason not to make the change in the route.

Regional Director Ernie Quintana signed the official Finding of No Significant Impact on September 30.

We now need to obtain approval by the U.S. Congress of the change in the route of the trail.

- Fred Szarka

NCT Board of Directors Meeting Highlights MICHIGAN - The annual budget was the main topic of discussion at the December meeting. A look at the 2004 budget showed it to be ontrack with good prospect for again ending the year in the black. Good work by the bookkeeper, Allison Barr; Vice President Finance, Dave Cornell; and the Executive Director has consistently resulted in budgets which quite accurately project the yearly needs.

The Board announced the fundraising campaign to cover the salary for a new Development/ Communications Coordinator is at 90% of the goal, and the job opening will be posted in the near future.

A new Supporting Affiliate was welcomed, the Parks and Trails Council of Minnesota (PTCM).

PTCM has been working closely with the NCTA for several years to aid in the connection of the trail from Ely to Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The classification of Supporting Affiliate of the NCTA has recently been created for organizations such as PTCM who would like to align themselves with the NCTA's Vision and Mission, but who do not specifically maintain concurrent trail.

A report from the Minnesota State Trail Summit concluded that summits will be planned for the remaining six NCTA states. Leaders from the NPS, Forest Service, Minnesota DNR, and NCTA discussed state-wide strategy.

The summit provided the opportunity for the NCTA to work directly with land managers and policy makers to discuss the trail in Minnesota.

In January, NCTA and NPS representatives will travel to New York to continue with some real efforts to secure a route for the trail through the Adirondacks.

GIS Assistant, Matt Rowbotham, demonstrated an interactive mapping feature for the trail which is to be incorporated onto the web site in time for the 2005 hiking season. The maps will be at a scale which will allow day hikers to find the trail and trailheads, with easy links to purchase more detailed maps.

Excitement over the 25th Anniversary year of the North Country Trail is growing. Glory Meyer, Public Services Coordinator, unveiled an array of new products with an anniversary logo. Plans for the August Conference, also with an anniversary theme, are on track. Chapters are being asked to consider incorporating the 25th Anniversary into their activites.

The Strategic Plan was reviewed with progress toward the various goals noted.

Insurance for non-profit organizations is an issue of increasing concern.

An agent located in New York, Don Pachner, has worked hard to create an affordable policy for the NCTA, and he has succeeded in doing so by defining activities and finding specific insurers who would cover them.

Other regular reports and discussion filled the day.

We should all thank faithful NCTA board members and staff who work hard to ensure that the organization continues on a focused, economical road towards the creation of a premier hiking trail!

-Joan Young

Correction from October Issue On the Milestones page the overall highest volunteer hours feature in the last issue did not include Bill Coffin who had the highest number of volunteer hours at 4,170 hours. Our apologies, and thank you for all your hard work, Bill!

AHS Announces 2005 Volunteer Vacations Have you been hiking and enjoying trails for years and wondering who built the trails or how you might get involved to give something back?

Well, here's your opportunity.

American Hiking Society's (AHS) Volunteer Vacation projects are trail work trips which range from easy to very strenuous, from front country and camping out of the back of your car to backpacking into a remote base camp.

And if trail work is not your cup of tea, you might volunteer for "camp cook" and clean-up detail. There's something for everyone to do.

For more than 25 years, AHS Volunteer Vacations has sent hundreds of volunteers per year into America's most treasured natural places-including national parks, forests, and rangelands-to revitalize trails.

Experience is not necessary. We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers with a willingness to learn. To participate, you must be in good physical condition and at least 18 years of age unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. You must arrange and pay for your own transportation to and from the work site. Many hosts provide an airport pickup. Travel expenses for public service projects are considered charitable contributions and are tax deductible.

What can you expect to do on your Volunteer Vacation? Typically, you'll enjoy a hearty breakfast, be on the trail by 8 a.m., work six to eight hours, and return to camp in time to

Members of Wisconsin's Brule-St. Croix Chapter Roving Trail Crew proudly sit on their newly completed bridge. From left to right: Bill Menke, Dick Kroener, and Bob Gould.

enjoy the long afternoons. On twoweek vacations, you'll enjoy the weekend off. All vacationers perform a fair share of camp chores, including cooking, washing dishes, collecting firewood, and maintaining tools. Usually there's free time during the project.

There are trips planned for Texas, Arizona, Hawaii, and Florida. For the full 2005 schedule check the AHS web site at www.americanhiking.org.

Proud support for AHS's Volunteer Vacation program comes from a select group of governmental agencies and business partners committed to providing the resources necessary to carry out a successful volunteer trail building program, now in its 27th year. Please support those who support America's trails.

Roving Trail Crew Builds Bridge ~ WISCONSIN

~

- J erseth Creek is a small, clear, and cold creek that gently gurgles and tumbles its way from the extensive sand plains in Brule River State Forest to where it joins the Brule River, cold and clear enough that, from where the NCT crosses the creek, we have seen large Steelheads strug-

t

gling upstream to their place of birth where they will deposit their spawn and once again start another life cycle.

Several years ago, when the NCT was first built, a couple of steppingstones allowed the hiker to pick his way delicately across the creek. Over the years, however, the depth of the stream as it flowed around the rocks has become deeper, and the creek was now more difficult to cross. So early this year, the chapter applied to the National Park Service for CCS funding to build a small bridge. Once the funding was approved, applications were made to the Wisconsin DNR and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the appropriate stream crossing permits.

By September, everything was in place. Materials were purchased, precut, and the bridge pre-assembled in a driveway where more precise power tools and a level working surface was available. The bridge was then taken apart and hauled to within Yi mile of the creek crossing. On Saturday morning, members of the Chapter joined the Roving Trail Crew and spent several hours carrying the bridge materials into the site. The following day, our crew spent the entire day building the 22-foot bridge and creating rock and earthen ramps leading up to it.

Actually, the ramps took more time than the bridge itself, but they make

the bridge accessible to all.

Building the bridge was a fun project for our crew, a diversion from the benching and tread work that we normally do.

-Bill Menke Arden C. Johnson Memorial Painting MICHIGAN - On September 7, Arlen Matson, former Chairman of the Lower Michigan Trail Council, dedicated a watercolor painting of the Jordan River Valley in memory of Arden C. Johnson, a view enjoyed

by Arden and his wife Doris, family members and friends at their summer residence at the East Jordan Tourist Park where the Johnsons spent over 40 years. The northern Michigan location was ideal for Arden, since it was a central spot for working on the North Country Trail while he was the Lower Michigan Trail Coordinator.

The large painting is a springtime view of the Jordan River Valley where Arden spent much of his time constructing and administering the NCT. Pat Tinney of East Jordon completed the painting this summer and presented Mrs. Johnson with a smaller version as a gift.

The painting is on permanent display at the North Country Trail Association headquarters in Lowell for all viewers to enjoy.

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Headquarters Office Volunteers They'rea good thing...

Sherry Staal and Bonnie Wayman NCTA Headquarters

id you ever wonder how many helping hands the renewal notice you receive every year passes through before it finds its way to your kitchen table? Or of the private schedules and lives that are rearranged on a dime to drive anywhere from ten to fifty-some miles to see that it happens when it needs to happen? Some of you may not know just how much North Country Trail Associaton (NCTA) staff rely on those irreplaceable hearts and hands that support the broad spectrum of administrative tasks performed here at headquarters. This includes not only mailing the thousands of documents we produce each year to maintain and build membership, support local chapters, and inform the board, but also extends to balancing and posting accounts receivable, helping out in the trail shop, and yes, even to helping change the light bulbs in our mile-high ceiling.

Murphy's Law has always been waiting in the wings to rear its ugly head when deadlines for board meetings, fundraising campaigns, and annual conferences loom over us and we have always been able to count on our volunteers to help remove the panic-stricken look from our faces.

In October, headquarters staff held a volunteer appreciation party.

Volunteers were invited to the Lowell office to join NCTA staff in carving pumpkins and enjoying cake and ice cream. The NCTA staff presented the volunteers with certificates of appreciation and displayed the decorated pumpkins in the office window.

Let us tell you something about our great volunteers: Our longest-standing volunteer is Char Chandler. Char began helping out in 1995, shortly after the association moved out of the schoolhouse in White Cloud to Sparks Drive in Grand Rapids. At that time, the only employees were the Executive Director and one administrative staff person. Shortly

D

NCTA's headquarters volunteers show off the Halloween pumpkins they decorated at the Volunteer Appreciation Party in Lowell. Volunteers were awarded Certificates of Appreciation for their hard work at the NCTA office.

thereafter, she committed to preparing our bank deposit on a permanent basis and has been doing a superb job ever since! Char is a retired bookkeeper of 47 years, and now, in addition to keeping us on the straight and narrow, shares her time and talents with Blandford Nature Center, the local Audubon Club, Park Congregational Church, the local election board, her friend Gertrude, and two dogs Pupper and Sandy.

Another one of our "treasures" is Jann Bidwell, who is responsible for posting most of the accounts receivable in our database. Jann is a graduate of Cornell University and Ferris State with degrees in Math and Education.

Jann trained staff at Forest Hills Public Schools in computer technology after leaving Grand Rapids Community College, where she was an instructor for five years. She is a member of the Western Michigan Chapter, an avid hiker, cross-country skier, kayaker, and international traveler. On occasion, Jann's good friend and fellow adventurer, Lynn Martin, comes with her and fills in where needed. Lynn has had extensive experience in an office environment even though her true love

is anything outdoors. Also a member of the Western Michigan Chapter, Lynn is one of the few volunteers certified by the NPS to operate a chainsaw and last year traveled to northern Wisconsin to work on the trail there.

There are not many tasks that Norma Noall, who has been one of the faithful for over three years, hasn't helped out with at one time or another.

Earlier this year she came to our rescue when one staff member was on medical leave. This involved dedicating several hours a week over a two-month period.

Norma is a local resident, most recently retired from the Lowell Area Schools where she worked for 26 years managing the food service for an elementary school. Norma is a bluegrass enthusiast, and when the three day semi-annual festival she and her husband attended every year was looking for a new home, Norma suggested the Lowell Fairgrounds as a perfect spot. Our city has been host to the festival for two years now, and we're pleased to hear that Norma recently became a Board Member of the Western Michigan Bluegrass Association, which can mean only good things for our town and the blue grass community at large.

The school system seems to be a rich source of volunteer spirit, as our two newest helpers, Pat Cyrocki and Judy Ellison, also share this working background with Norma and Jann.

Both are recently retired, Pat from food service, while Judy was a principal's assistant for many years. They share interests in gardening, families, and cooking and both are a joy to work with. They always are willing to help out in a pinch, even if it means having to leave on the fly from stuffing and posting the last renewal and rushing directly to the airport to catch a plane for a family visit (as happened to Pat one day recently). Pat typically helps out once or twice a month with mailings, and Judy comes in every Monday morning to pinch-hit where needed.

Another long-time friend, Elizabeth Loos, has supported us through the birth of two sons, Benjamin and Thomas, and drives 30 miles round trip once or twice a month to send out gift and member acknowledgements. Although Elizabeth holds a Master's degree in epidemiology, her "young mother's" schedule keeps her very busy and we are very grateful that she is able to fit us in. Elizabeth is an

When we think of these people what comes to mind is the generosity of the human spirit and how amazing and humbling it is at the same time. They epitomize the trail at its very heart. ... Thank you all very much .from our hearts. avid reader and keeps us up-to-date on the latest movies.

When it is time to assemble the thousands of NPS brochures and NCT membership brochures we send out every year, we know whom to call. .. Len and Joanne Baron, Jim and Gladys Hoogterp and Roger Meyer. All are members of the Western Michigan Chapter and the office staff enjoys their camaraderie as they gather around the table to swap witticisms and hiking stories. (Although Jim Hoogterp's idea of the perfect hike usually involves a fairway and white ball, he has Gladys to keep his horizons broadened with trips to national parks and daily 3-mile walks around the neighborhood.)

Come summertime, we usually can count on our youngest volunteers for a helping hand. Conor and Kayla Barr

SPONSORED

MEMBERSHIP

(our bookkeeper Allison's children) help out whenever they are needed, folding maps, counting and banding brochures or collating material for mailings or the annual conference.

When we think of these peoples what comes to mind is the generosity of the human spirit and how amazing and humbling it is at the same time.

They epitomize the trail at its very heart. Whether someone volunteers on a one-time occasion, or keeps coming back for more, every single effort builds on the next, and is the glue that helps us hold this dream of building a 4,600mile hiking trail together. Such a giant project is built by individual gifts of time, one piece at a time and each of these volunteers knows it wouldn't happen without them. Thank you all very much from our hearts.

FORM

Our Sponsored Membership Program allows current members to sign up new members at an introductory rate of just $18.00.

To qualify, Sponsored Members

must be new to NCTA, or not have been members for at least two years. The $18.00 rate is good only for the first year of membership. To use the program, just fill your name in the "Sponsored by" box. Then, give the form to a friend to finish.

Please choose your Chapter affiliation:

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Member of a specific Chapter:

0

Member of my closest Chapter (If one exists)

D At-Large Sponsored

•ASSOCIATION•

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To begin your membership, complete this form and send it with your $18 payment to: 229 East Main Street Lowell, Michigan 49331

Member (Not affiliated with any Chapter)

by

Name {Please Print)

Daytime Phone (Area Code First, Extension

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Tasty Campstove Dessert Article and Photo

By Edward Ronkowski Superior Hiking Trail Association

"\V.There permitted, nothing beats the W ambience of an evening campfire. Cooking over the campfire means less fuel to carry in your backpack, but brings its own challenge, an extremely variable heat source. Besides, the chance of heavy rain or fire bans means that a backpacker should bring a stove as a backup, and a stove also means a faster breakfast and a quicker return to the trail.

Each type of backpacking stove has advantages over others in certain situations. Coleman fuel stoves burn inexpensive white gas, have extremely good heat output for winter cooking, and the total weight of the stove and CLIP AND SAVE THIS RECIPE! r -

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fuel become the lightest alternate for a backpacker on trips longer than three or four days because the fuel has the highest BTU's per ounce of weight.

The XGK Expedition is my choice for winter camping. A homemade alcohol stove is the lightest alternative for weekend backpacking trips where you have only to boil water for freeze dried meals. Most Appalachian Trail thru-hikers now use alcohol stoves.

Canister stoves have the advantage of convenience and a great heat range to cook from a simmer to frying. But near or below freezing temperatures, the heat output of the butane propane of the canister stove becomes too anemic

to use. The canister stove I use is the Superfly because of the wide burner head which allows you to cook things like omelets, scones, pancakes, fajitas, crab cakes or even a cobbler. However, cobblers cook better over a wood fire since you can have hot coals reflect heat over the top of the covered fry pan for a golden brown crust. Nothing beats a hot cobbler for dessert after a long hike on the trail.

The following recipe won a 4th place finish in the 2003 Titanium Chef Backpacking Cooking Contest held last year in the Cumberland Gap National Park on October 11, 2003.

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Hot Cobbler from Dehydrated Fruit From Edward Ronkowski At Home:

Put in a snack sized ziplock bag: 4 ounces chopped dried peaches or sour cherries Put in 1/4 1/2 1/4 1/2

a second snack sized ziplock bag: cup white sugar tsp cinnamon cup dark brown sugar tsp vanilla powder (optional)

Put in a 3rd ziplock bag: 1/3 box yellow cake mix Bring: 1 tablespoon canola oil 12 inch square of aluminum foil On the Trail: Rehydrate fruit by pouring 8 ounces of boiling water into the bag of dried fruit and let it sit for an hour.

Put rehydrated fruit in an 8 inch Teflon-coated thick aluminum skillet and stir in the sugars, oil and spices.

Sprinkle the yellow cake mix on top. Do not stir the cake mix. Cover tightly with a square of aluminum foil. This

recipe will go from done to burnt in three minutes, and cooking conditions can be quite variable with a wood fire or even a one burner backpacking stove. If you use a campfire, place four or five hot coals underneath at the start and refresh with a couple hot coals after about 8 minutes. The hot coals underneath should just cause a simmer; put four or five hot coals on top of the aluminum foil and position the skillet close to the campfire so that the heat reflects off the top to the aluminum foil. Rotate the pan once or twice during the cooking to spread the heat. If you use a backpacking one burner stove, simmer over a one burner stove at its lowest setting. After about 12 minutes, check the cobbler for doneness. The average cooking time is 15 minutes, but it can take as long as about 22 minutes.

To check for doneness, remove from the heat source and lift up one corner of the aluminum foil to peak, and slightly tilt the pan. If the entire mixture slides, recover and return to the heat source for three more minutes and check it again. If the mixture doesn't slide but is bubbling, and the top is browned to perfection, it is done. If at any time you smell burning, remove from the heat as it is done and the sugars will start to caramelize too much. Let it cool 5 to 10 minutes before eating.

Serves: Two to four persons

Boy Scout Leads the Way on the NCT Editor's Note: Michigan's Hiawatha Shore-to-Shore Chapter submitted this article on behalf of Ethan Parker.

y name is Ethan Parker; I am a 14-year-oldcandidate for Eagle Scout, the highest rank in Boy Scouting.

In order to qualify, you must complete an Eagle Scout Leadership Service project to prove your leadership skills.

You must guide your troop members, friends, and family and direct them in finishing the ser/? vice project. I ./ b chose to clean ~ 2'-

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last year my troop and I went on a high adventurebackpacking trip on the North Country Trail. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and decided that cleaning a section of trail would allow others to have as great a time on the trail as I did.

As soon as I got back from the trip, I contacted Julia Rawlings, a member of the North Country Trail Association, and asked her about a segment of trail that needed to be cleaned up because of trees that had

Ethan, Cory, and Conor Parker working on boardwalk.

Troop 105 heading out to work on the trail.

fallen across the path. She approved of my idea, which was the first step in starting on my Eagle Project. We hiked the trail together and laid out the exact plans for what would need to be accomplished on the trail. I then had to write up a proposal with a full list of all safety procedures and exactly what I was planning to do on the trail, and also any costs for the clearing. My plans included cutting out large trees that had fallen across the trail, marking the trail with the blue diamonds, widening the trail to accommodate backpackers, and building a boardwalk. This had to be approved by my Scoutmaster and by the district Eagle Board Chairman. After that, I could start work on the trail.

When I hiked the trail with Ms. Rawlings last fall, we counted about five or six trees that needed to be moved out of the way. So when my family and I came out in June to cut down the trees, we were surprised to see that there weren't five trees that had fallen, but because of the winter, there were now about 20 trees that needed to be cleared. It took a long time, but we finally got all the trees after two whole days of work. We then crossed another problem: all of those trees that had fallen were ones that had blue diamonds on them. We had to put up new diamonds, but in some areas, there weren't many trees to put blue diamonds on, though we eventually

got the trail properly and sufficiently marked.

The scouts in my troop did most of the brushwork, which wasn't too hard of a job because we had 15 kids, though we didn't fare too well with the weather. On both occasions it rained, so it wasn't exactly the best day to be working on trail improvements.

With the brushwork done and all the trees and diamonds taken care of, this left only one thing to do, build the boardwalk. There was one problem I ran into with the boardwalk: where would I come up with the funds for building materials. I went to the Forest Service and asked if they had any funds available to build the boardwalk.

Instead of giving me money the Forest Service said that they would buy the materials, and deliver them to the work area. I was very pleased about this. We started work two days later and had the boardwalk built in three hours.

The project is now done, and I am glad to say that the scouts did a better job than I expected. All together everyone who worked on the project put in about 200 man-hours of work. All I have to do now is turn in the application, photographs, and trail summary, and my project is done.

It will take a few weeks to get all the paperwork sent in and the Board of Review set up, but other than that I now have all the work completed for the rank of Eagle Scout!

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Ivan Pays a Visit to Marietta, Ohio Site of the Annual Conferenceflooded by fall hurrincanes Article and Photos by Jay Brown Ohio River Valley Chapter

or those of you who attended the NCTA annual meeting in M~rietta, Ohio, ~~ _/\ this past August, )f ~ \ you were lucky. You -~ were lucky to have '•... _.J. ./' seen Marietta at its .A-·- ') finest, the quaint / ...,;:·./ appeal of unique ··,,-s ~ shops, restaurants and historical buildings. All that changed within a few hours on September l Sth when heavy rains from the north from hurricane Ivan caused the Ohio River to cover over one third of the town.

On the eve of the 17th, downtown merchants and homeowners were preparing for a minor flood as they had many times in the past when the National Weather Service downgraded their predictions from a flood warning to a flood watch. In the aftermath it was reported that the technicians felt that their equipment was malfunctioning and they decided to make a judgment call. The result was the worst flooding in over 40 years when the river rose 23 feet in 24 hours.

Front Street in Marietta was hit the hardest, with about five feet of muddy river water covering the street from the Lafayette Hotel to the intersection of Front and Putnam.

The proposed trail of the Ohio Valley Chapter of the NCT was under several feet of water in the downtown section.

My parents' business, Brownie's Bakery, has been located on Front Street for over 50 years. The morning of the l Sth we were open for business as usual at 6:00 a.m, with customers filling the store until around 9:00 a.m.

By 10:00 a.m. we were wading through 12 inches of icy cold muddy water.

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With the water coming in quickly everything was raised a few feet to protect it from the destructive waters, but by the end of the day it was a total loss.

With help from the Ohio National Guard, family, friends and customers we were able to empty the building of all the debris, but it seemed likely that this was the end of the third generation bakery.

Almost every business in town was affected, so many lost both their homes and their workplaces. But Marietta is a strong community! After the waters receded, the clean-up could begin. Fellow citizens came out in huge numbers to offer a helping hand. Some came with shovels, power washers, and strong backs while others brought food and drinks to the many workers.

It was amazing to see a community work together in a time of need. When

word was out that Brownie's Bakery would likely remain closed the town would not let it go quietly. Customers stopped by to offer their services, and some even sent donations to keep the doors open. My family and I were deeply touched at the response from the people of Marietta and were happy to reopened in November.

I wanted to tell you this story, a story of how a town came together to help one another. I want the future hikers who come to Marietta for a day hike or those who are thru hikers to know what kind of town they will be visiting. I invite my fellow club members back to Marietta, to share a meal in the many renovated restaurants, to find that perfect gift in the newly remodeled stores and most of all to see for yourselves why I am so proud to be part of this community!

Left: Kayaking past the historic Lafayette Hotel in downtown Marietta, Ohio.

Below: Jay Brown's family bakery with five feet of flood water.

No New Trail Segments to Report, Again I

t's November and it's time to prepare another article for the North Star.

Quick! Check to see how many new segments are on the latest list of certified segments. Oh no! The last update was July and we already reported on those additions. This is my fourth article in this series that was proposed to highlight and recognize the efforts of trail builders along the trail, and the second one where I didn't have any new segments to report.

This has become a problem for us at the National Park Service because one of the few measurable outputs that we can show to the folks in Washington for our very non-typical park is certified miles. Tom Gilbert had to explain why we hadn't made our goal for added miles of certified trail for the annual report.

Changes in CCS projectscoring I guess it is time to explain some changes in scoring applications for Challenge Cost Share projects for the coming year. By the time you read this article, we will have sent out the new project ranking values to chapter presidents and trail coordinators and we will have received most of our applications for Challenge Cost Share projects.

Preliminary applications should have

GOING FOR . FREi).izARKA NPS Trail Manager

projects that propose constructing new certified trail at less that 100% will receive five points per mile. Trail construction without a commitment for certification will not receive any points. See your chapter president for additional details on project scoring.

Applicationsdeadline been received by December 15, 2004, although we will consider later applications if funding permits.

In order to encourage applicants to submit projects for building and certifying additional trail, we will rank projects that propose new certified trail built to 100% of handbook standards at ten points per mile of new certified trail. Chapters that submitted trail for certification in the last two years will receive five points per mile for those previously submitted certifications.

(Chapters that have eligible segments completed, but not submitted, can also receive those points if they submit applications for certifications along with project applications.)

Encourage new standards We also want to support the goal of encouraging new trail to be built to 100% of handbook standards, so

Sta-y1 at the Historic Davis Hollow Cahin! <This stone, fo!f anl1fate cabin was 6uift 6e{ore the 1lmerican 'R.P1JOfufian anl current§ serves a:r fhe 'Penm!/vania .Stale 1:.o'.Je for Narlh Count"!} <frail1&10ciafian 1JOfunlem anil h;{ef"!f refaleloultfoor !froup1. f:.ocalelin 'Moraine .State 'ParkriJhlon the North Counl"!J <frai[!f Facilities include 11 bunk beds, lull kitchen, 1-1/2 baths with shower and a great room with lireplace. Tent pads and lean-to shelter are available for hikers on the North Countni Trail. Make the cabin the site ol qour next trail-related outing, or reserve a single bunk for qour PA hike!

For information: 1-866-HilceNCT or email Linda Matchett lmatchettÂŽzoomintemet.net This facilitl) is main fained bl) the {Jenerous eUorts of NCTA ~ Pennsl)lvania State Trail Council.

One major change this year is that we will screen projects for environmental compliance. This also includes reviewing the project for impact on a variety of cultural resources including archeological sites. If the project involves ground disturbance, it needs to be screened for potential archeological impacts. If it involves construction in wetlands, we will need to comply with a variety of regulations relating to wetlands. Because of the need to screen projects, we will retain the December 15 due date for preliminary consideration.

Projects will have to be described fully enough to assess potential impacts, especially the legal description of the project area. However, we will relax the requirement for projected costs, vendor lists, and price quotes until February 1. That should take some of the burden off project planners. The preliminary application should still have a rough cost estimate, but we will not hold chapters too tightly to those figures.

Project planning In order to encourage certification and assure that other construction meets with the approval of the land owner or land manager, we will also require that the preliminary application be approved by them. This approval will allow the chapter to submit the segment for certification when it is completed.

I ended my last article with a plea for submission of additional trail for certification. I hope that with the end of the fall trail construction season, we receive additional applications for certified trail before the next North Star deadline.

Considering the Possibilities: The North Country Trail in the Adirondacks Article and Photos By Bill Ingersoll NCTA Member

N

ew Yorkers have a distinguished history of preserving large, truly wild areas. The state has no national parks and only one national forest, but as any North Country resident will be quick to point out, Adirondack State Park alone is larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Grand Canyon national parks combined. It is as large as neighboring Vermont.

At six million acres, Adirondack Park contains dozens of small hamlets and villages, with a permanent population of about 150,000 people.

The state-owned half of the park, the Forest Preserve, is one of the best-protected wild areas in the world. In 1894, the voters approved a constitutional amendment-the so-called "forever wild" clause-that protected the trees from being harvested and the land from being sold or leased. This amendment has been vigorously upheld ever since.

The Adirondacks will soon become the eastern anchor for the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCNST), with Crown Point on the Lake Champlain shoreline as the ter-

One of the large, remote lakes in the West Canada Lake Wilderness, and a waypoint along the proposed "Central" route.

minus. However, not one foot of the NCNST exists yet in the Adirondacks, but not because of a lack of interest or possible routes. Current efforts on the part of the Central New York Chapter of the NCTA may bring the NCNST up to the park boundary very soon, and thus the time has come to consider seriously the trail's role in the Adirondacks.

The Adirondacks are a southern extension of the Laurentian Shield, a band of billion-year-old bedrock that is the foundation of the North American continent. Over the millennia, there have been several orogemes, or mountain-building epochs, but the mountains as they exist today are relatively young, including 5,344-foot Mount Marcy, the state's highest. An unknown force within the Earth's mantle is uplifting the crust into a rounded dome, The NCT will likely pass North Pond in the Hoffman Notch Wilderness Area on its way to Schroon Lake Village. Hoffman with some peaks still rising at the Mountain rises in the background.

24路--;:h~--N~-~t-h-st~-~-.-;~-~~-~-;;~M~~-~h-~~~~-

rate of over one millimeter per year.

The Adirondacks are one of the world's few round mountain ranges, radiating rivers in all directions.

While there are only forty-three 4,000-foot mountains, the lakes and ponds number 2,700. In most of the Adirondacks, the lakes are the most dominant feature. There are also tens of thousands of miles of streams draining this plateau, including the Hudson, Black, and Raquette Rivers. Valleys were scraped, scoured, and molded by the retreating glaciers of the last ice age. Roughly 500,000 acres of forest are either true old growth or stands that are returning to maturity after selective logging well over a century ago.

Currently, only two facts are positively established about the future route of the NCNST: it will end at the historic pre- Revolutionary ruins at Crown Point, and it will not pass through the overused High Peaks Wilderness Area. There are, however, three proposed routes that are conceptually acceptable to the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which manages the Forest Preserve.

Given that the NCNST will likely enter the Adirondack Park on its west side near Forestport, these three potential trail corridors are probably the only

High Peaks Wilderness Area

Adirondack

I

State Park lets than either of the other routes. This provides through-hikers with re-supply options.

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East of the Hudson River

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options that avoid private land and road walks to the greatest extent possible:

Central Route

I

The northernmost of the three proposals is the only one where great sections can already be walked, because the route links existing foot trails. The "Central Route" would pass through the northern core of the West Canada Lake Wilderness Area, the home to several remote bodies of water. One of the likely waypoints would be Horn Lake, a small pond that is well known for its native (and genetically unique) brook trout fishery. Another waypoint, Brooktrout Lake, is ironically devoid of fish, a victim of acid rain. The trail would then cross N.Y. 30 and the Jessup River to plunge into the Siamese Ponds Wilderness, the home of many ponds and rocky summits.

Southern "Wilderness Route" Enough wildernesses remain intact in the Adirondacks that there are large sections of state land with no marked trails at all. This route would certainly diminish some of these trackless areas, but it would also link a number of spectacular sites that many people

would not otherwise get to see. Among the likely waypoints would be T Lake Falls, where a small stream tumbles down a rounded escarpment. Because this route takes such a circuitous tour of the southern Adirondacks, and because several key sections would be very remote and difficult to maintain, this is probably the least feasible of the three.

Southern "Wild Forest Route" The Adirondack Forest Preserve is managed under two primary classifications: Wilderness, which is managed similarly to those in the National Forests, and Wild Forest, which is more lenient towards snowmobiles and mountain bikes. This route would likely take advantage of several abandoned snowmobile trails. Hikers would quickly become acquainted with the word "vly" (sometimes pronounced "fly"), used by early settlers and trappers to describe the many wetlands and beaver meadows that dot the area.

The route possibilities are wide open, but the NCNST would be remiss if it did not pass Spectacle Lake, Good Luck Mountain, or the County Line Lakes. As an additional bonus, this route passes closer to more small ham-

The Central and Southern routes converge in the Siamese Ponds Wilderness, near Peaked Mountain. This cone-shaped summit would make an excellent side loop from the NCNST. The trail would then head north to cross the Hudson Gorge on an unused railroad bridge, and then swing back east across the Hoffman Notch Wilderness to Schroon Lake village. Because state land falls well short of Crown Point, the last few miles will inevitably involve partnerships with private landowners if the trail is to be located off-road.

Routing the trail through the Forest Preserve will present challenges beyond those found in state parks and along canal towpaths. The Adirondack section of the North Country Trail will not have a stone dust surface, and brush mowers are out of the question.

The DEC will retain all responsibility for trail maintenance, coordinating the efforts of rangers, volunteer groups (Adopt-A-Natural Resource Agreements are anticipated), and professional trail crews. The DEC will have final say as to the NCNST route within the Park.

The only other "long trail" in the region that could serve as a model for the NCNST is the 134-mile Northville-Placid Trail, or NPT, constructed by the fledgling Adirondack Mountain Club in the 1920s. Although it passes through four wilderness areas, it has always been maintained as a primary trail, intended for substantial

The "Central" and "Southern" proposals both converge at this point, near the foot of Peaked Mountain in the Siamese Ponds Wilderness.

traffic. As a result, large footbridges span all of the major rivers-and most of the lesser tributaries-so that the trail is easily passable at any time of year. It also means that the backpacker will pass no fewer than 38 conveniently located lean-tos along the length of the trail. On the five-point classification system that DEC now uses to rate its trails, with a Class V trail being the most developed, the NCNST would be managed as Class IV. Some people would balk at the construction of another Class IV trail, fearing that a well-developed trail would detract from the wilderness setting. There is also a legitimate concern that some of the existing trails along the proposed routes are simply not Class IV material. The Central Route would likely require the construction of two substantial bridges at remote sites over wild rivers where there currently are no bridges, and substantial hardening over notoriously wet pieces of trail.

The Southern Routes would require many miles of brand new trail.

The NCNST could be designed and managed as Class III, meaning it would be a fine hiking route, but with bridges only in critical locations, blowdown removal only on a 2-to-3-year rotation, and with few lean-tos. The goal of a Class III trail is to provide a more "primitive" hiking experience.

Such a route would still be marked and easy for most people to follow, and it could still be constructed to NCT standards, but lazy hikers might bemoan the fact that the trail is not always in tip-top condition, or that they have to risk getting their feet wet crossing a stream.

A route that looks good on paper does not necessarily look good in the

1

field. Trail scouts should be keeping several factors in mind when exploring potential routes: can an existing trail segment withstand additional use? Would it be better to build a new trail segment, giving designers a "clean slate" to work with? Would a bridge be necessary, or just convenient? Does the route pass something worth seeing?

Does it pass close enough to a town where through-hikers can stop and resupply? Is there an opportunity to link existing trail segments into a loop with the construction of a new segment?

Interest in the Adirondack portion of the NCNST is building; after all, this will be the first new long trail in the Adirondacks in eighty years.

A primary reason why the trail has been delayed this long is that the DEC has not been able to complete all of their required unit management plans (UMPs) for the individual parts of the

Flowing through the heart of the Siamese Ponds Wilderness, the East Branch of the Sacandaga River parallels many miles of the proposed "Southern" route, in this case, a segment that can already be hiked.

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Forest Preserve. Without these essential documents, there is no hope of any new trail construction. However, the DEC is currently writing UMPs for all of the areas along the proposed routes.

The recently released Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest Draft UMP is a start. Not only does it mention the NCNST as a pending long-term project, but also it even goes so far as to suggest a few possible site locations.

When the UMPs are all in place, the next step will be to assess the proposed routes on a park-wide scale. For this, it is essential to involve individuals with a working knowledge of the potential routes in the field evaluation.

Patience is a prerequisite because this complex project, involving many management areas and linking many scenic resources, will meet the NCNST goals only if it is well planned and broadly supported.

â&#x20AC;˘

"'\V,7hat's the old cliche: two

W steps forward and one back? For the North Country National Scenic Trail in 2004 it was more like one and a half strides ahead and one back as we continue our epic effort to build and maintain the 4,600 miles or so of hiking trail.

What follows is the North Star's annual recitation of the past year's accomplishments and next year's hopes as reported by our chapters and affiliates. Here's what they said: Central New York Landowner relationships have been maintained and publicly recognized, although many of these are liability insurance sensitive. Although all trail segments were m~intained, _ iV ~ emphasis was ~ placed upon two " that are candidates for NPS certification before year end; together these approximate 3.9 miles of the long abandoned Lehigh Valley Railroad and some adjacent private land. Major drainage issues have largely been resolved. We found the "Toro Dingo" machine to be a useful one for drainage ditching.

Simultaneously, the planning and fieldwork required to expand the NCT eastward toward the Adirondack Park border's "blue line" became the "Rome North Project". In brief, this involves a number of interested volunteers seeking viable routes from the City of Rome northward toward the Adirondacks through a maze of private lands, with active guidance and support from the chapter. We are also supporting a separate initiative undertaken by the City of Rome focused on possible urban

d

trail options. than be valued but essentially passive We continue our efforts not only supporters. Given the nature of our ongoing tasks and the demographics of to increase our chapter membership, but also to provide both our memour current and potential membership, bers and the nearby communities this is a daunting challenge! with information about the trail and -Al Larmann its goals. The addition of articles of Finger Lakes Trail general interest in our chapter newsConference letter as attractions along the trail has been well received; in one case, it was extracted and sent to the local system was mainCazenovia newspaper by an unidentitained as normally as it could be, fied parry. Presentations to local civic when it wasn't and government groups primarily in the Boonville area have been well received and are scheduled through December. These are important in building support for the NCT, particularly since the area is heavily oriented toward seasonal snowmobile usage and, unfortunately, ATVs. There is one broad challenge that we must face successfully in 2005, the need to have more of our members/volunteers Central New York Chapter's Walt Pohley cutting become active participants in our total effort, rather deep drainage ditches.

Trail Reports: 2004 raining, which was seldom. Trail stewards and clubs hadn't turned in totals for 2004 before the copy deadline, but 2003 reports totaled over 14,000 hours. Some new trail was built, notably a major reroute in the Sugar Hill area west of Watkins Glen in order to provide an exclusive footpath instead of the previous route shared with horses, and to avoid a recently logged region.

Our "Alley-Cat" workweek crews completed a complex dug-in switchback down an extremely steep hill in the southwestern part of the state. Another week in the same program also built a log shelter at Shindagin Hollow near Ithaca to replace one of the earliest on our 42-year-old trail system. Since an immense tree crashed across it last year, it was fortunate that the project had been scheduled for this summer anyway.

Challenge Cost Share funding paid for the Shindagin Lean-to materials, and more handsome picnic tables and fire grates, similarly funded, have been appearing around the state at backpackers' campsites. Another batch of routered and painted mileage and destination signs is slowly being installed, too, while a bridge was also provided by a Boy Scout troop as part of an Eagle project.

Efforts continued in many locations across the state to work with permitting landowners, either to reroute around those permissions that had changed, or to arrange new signs where new landowners requested the trail be closed during hunting season.

One full mile of trail on one property was protected forever by a trail route easement, an incredible gift from a generous landowner, and trail stewards are working with several other owners on potential easements. The FLT News was probably our most visible change during 2004. At no additional cost (taking lessons from how the North Star is printed, frankly) we changed our quarterly newsletter into a larger magazine, which includes eight pages of color, including spectacular cover photographs. That cover picture is already enough of a coveted honor that members are fighting over the opportunity to be published there! New editor

The Finger Lakes Trail Conference's Alley Cat Trail Crew constructed the new Shindagin Hollow Lean-to using Challenge Cost Share funding. Part of their crew is pictured here, from left to right, Bob Schmidt, Bob Emerson, Joe Dabes, Ken Reek, Kristin Schafer, Tony Rodriguez and Ray Kuzia.

Jo Taylor is doing a wonderful job with the fine publication she inherited from Tom Reimers, who shepherded our newsletter into modern times for ten years.

The Finger Lakes Trail Conference continued its cross-county hike series again this year, enabling two full busloads of people to "do" Tompkins County on foot along the FLT, one hike each month over six months.

Sigrid and Jim Connors were wonderful, warm organizers of the whole smash, supported by their Cayuga Trails Club, and have even agreed to lead next year's march across adjacent Schuyler County. This has become a wonderful outreach project for our trail.

Since local hiking clubs tend segments of the FLT across the state, often they are also pressed into service as hosts of our FLTC spring or fall weekends. This year the Adirondack Mountain Club - Onondaga Chapter (Syracuse area) hosted the spring meeting, during which we sampled some of the new trail they are building in order to extend the NCT northeast away from the FLT. Our fall campout was held in relative luxury at a YMCA camp deep in the Catskills, enabling many hikers to walk the far eastern end

of our main trail during a rare sunny September weekend.

2005 dreams? Find a way to obtain more consistent trail maintenance throughout the system. Continue the admirable "grown-up" directions the Board of Managers is taking. Recruit more board members with talent and energy. Market our trail to the public better (Jay Zitter is making great inroads there!). Develop a plan of succession so that more volunteers take on the tasks now done by too few.

- Irene Szabo

Clarion Richard Lutz has recently GPS' d the section of the NCT in Clarion County from the parking lot at Game Land 283 on Highland Road through to White Oak Road.

Additionally Richard GPS' d the section under development from White Oak Road to Brenniman Road in Game Land 72. From Brenniman Road to the southern boundary of Game Land 72 the trail is also open, and will soon be blazed from the boundary of Game Land 72 to Kiser Wagner Road. From there it will be a 3-mile road walk west-

Trail Reports: 2004 erly along Route 322 to the railroad grade in Game Land 63, which will access the trail owned by the Allegheny Valley Trails Association (AVTA).

We have an agreement with AVTA to piggyback on their trail along Sandy Creek to the Allegheny River, then along that river to Foxburg. Depending on the weather we may get the AVTA route blazed this winter. The GPS data should be available to the national office shortly, thanks to Richard.

We are working on an alternative route from Kiser Wagner Road to Shippenville that will eliminate much of the 3-mile road walk. One of the property owners, a timber company, is already on board and a National Fuel Gas subsidiary is looking at our proposal that will bring the trail into Shippenville near the old Marrianne Iron Furnace.

There was a minor relocation caused by a change in property ownership near Sarvey Mill Road; fortunately we had access to the adjacent property and were able to make the transition easily, although a lot of grunt work was lost.

Ron Rice is working on signs for the above sections that will identify the distances from road-to-road, and will posthumously recognize the primary property owner Hank Ochs.

There is a project in place with the Student Conservation Association to do upgrade work in Game Lands 283 and 72 during the summer of 2006. We have offered in-kind service as part of the matching funds.

-Ed Scurry >

Butler The year 2004 represented many changes for the Butler Chapter of the NCTA. Our first annual training weekend was held in May 2004 along with an American Hiking Society Volunteer Vacation to repair a bridge and construct trail benches.

The Davis Hollow Outdoor Center (DHOC) has seen many improvements to make the stay there more enjoyable for backpackers. A sidewalk was

In 2004, the Butler Chapter made major improvements to the Davis Hollow Outdoor Center In Pennsylvania.

constructed from the parking area to the cabin, in addition to a new council fire ring/cook out area, sidewalk along the entire west side of the cabin, and a gravel work area near the basement tool storage area.

The Link Road Shelter is now ready for year-round use, and thanks to Ron Rice, we have a sign along the main trail for this shelter. A 48-foot bridge near Parker was destroyed by a fallen tree and subsequent flooding by hurricanes. Dan Maurer has agreed to reconstruct this bridge (he and his family originally constructed the first bridge with the help of other chapter members).

The year 2005 promises to be a busy one with the Student Conservation Association, originally scheduled for the summer of 2004, who will complete the work on wet areas near the Link Road Shelter, for which material was purchased with a field grant.

The big push in 2005 will be for trail awareness and recruitment of new members. An NCTA Awareness Day will be held on May 14 at the DHOC for the state chapters. This will then be followed by a Trail Adopter/ Maintenance training weekend. Other projects will be reconstruction after damage caused by flooding, construction of more trail benching which the Moraine State Park has requested, painting the DHOC, and weekend activities such as Wilderness First Aid/ Rescue and GPS Training.

- David Myers

Wampum This year the Wampum Chapter, with the help of other chapters, rerouted trail around logging operations, cut up blow downs, and made additional trail near the town of Wampum by the Beaver River. East of the river we built 1-112 miles of trail, installed a bridge, and, will soon have this section completed. Reroutes on the west side of the river are underway so that the trail avoids damage caused by this past summer's floods. Another 112 mile of new trail was added on private property just east of Rt. 60. The Edwards family deserves special recognition for granting us permission to cross their land.

We also received an NCTA field grant to help us promote the Trail in our area, which is being used to print an NCT informational brochure and to provide refreshments for volunteers. We also staffed an NCT Information Table at local fairs and festivals.

On December 4 we participated in two large local parades. We proudly carried our NCTA Wampum Chapter banner and held slogan signs to increase public awareness. Many of our chapter's members, friends, and hiking enthusiasts joined us as we showed support for the North Country Trail.

-Paul Henry

Trail Reports: 2004 Great Trail ~ Sandy Beaver Canal We are working closely with Ohio Department of Natural ResourcesForestry to acquire passage on a section of Forestry ground so we can mark, sign and make a visible appearance to deter ATVs, horses, etc., which are not allowed.

We are currently working on a section of trail in Beaver Creek State Forestry ground to provide a link off road and a connector close to the PA 285 Game Lands trail, and have a small bridge planned next to Pancake-Clarkson Road on Richard Berg's property. Two 30-foot steel roof joists were donated by Diamond Steel to be used for a walkway, but we need to apply for a field grant to cover the expenses of wood decking, railing, associated hardware and a landing area.

We need more local trail builders so we contacted the County Sheriff and court system to get registered as a group where those individuals who owe community service hours can fulfill their time. The other problem is to get someone to meet or contact landowners during the daytime hours and not infringe on their evening relaxation

time. We are afraid it may be like a telemarketer contacting them at dinnertime and may discourage landowners from wanting to discuss the trail.

Chapter Activities: We have advertised in local papers for volunteers needed to help with the construction of portions of a National Hiking Trail but the ads do not pan Out for help.

Every year our chapter gets involved with the Ulster Project here in Ohio, involving Protestant and Catholic teenagers from Northern Ireland and the USA to interact with each other. We inform them about the NCT and the goals locally and have information available for them. We then hike a section of the NCT and discuss what we are doing and complete the day with a picnic; this usually involves about 40 people.

In 2005 our chapter plans to finish a few sections of trail and apply for certification. We will try to contact a few other landowners about the trail and finalize some agreements with interested landowners about the trail corridor along their property. The Great Trail-Sandy Beaver Canal's biggest dream for 2005 is to establish regularly scheduled workdays and events, plus find a meeting place that can be used at our convenience. The biggest goal

will be to get more involvement and support from the local public officials.

County Commissioners own public grounds but we cannot get their support to use the areas for trail use.

- Brad Bosley Adams County Adams County Chapter received its charter at the annual conference this summer that was held in southern Ohio.

Because we are a new chapter, we performed no trail care.

Two public meetings were held to introduce the concept of making a line on the map onto a real hiking trail by joining the NCTA, with Rob Corbett helping. In total about 50 individuals attended with positive responses to our goals.

Rob also held two radio interviews on the local radio station C-103. At the courthouse, Rob met the County Auditor and spoke with three Adams County Commissioners; he also met at length with the Southern Ohio Nature Conservancy Director, Pete Whan, discussing routing some trail through the Edge of Appalachia Conservancy.

Chapter President Myrna Hixson was delighted to be in Marietta to meet the NCTA Board of Directors and excited to receive our charter.

The chapter held its first meeting since receiving its charter on November 8th with six members present. Individual reasons for wanting to be a part of the organization were discussed during the opening mixer. Two main committees were formed, trail planning and public relations. Officers

In 2005, the newly founded Adams County Chapter hopes to get some of its own trail on the ground and to assist the Buckeye Trail Association with the construction of a Serpent Mound trail in southern Ohio.

Trail Reports: 2004 were elected: Myrna Hixson, President, and John Johnson, Secretary/Treasurer.

Another committee is planning a hike in the Shawnee State Forest for the entire membership (after college football season).

Each and every individual who has participated in any way is vital to us. Without the people who attended meetings, or joined with almost blind faith, or who are running with the ball, or especially those members I call who ask, "Now just where is Adams County?" we would be nowhere. And thanks to Rob Corbett who inspires us all.

Our dreams for 2005 are getting the trail on the ground, learning to blaze (and build trail), developing skills to work with private landholders, and working closely with the Buckeye Trail Association on its Serpent Mound area trail. Our biggest dream is to establish a trail from Serpent Mound to Davis State Memorial and get it certified, approximately 15 miles.

- Myrna Hixson

Buckeye Trail Association Garry Dill, Ohio Trail Council Chair, and ~~ Jim Runk, Buckeye (/. ~ Trail Association (BTA) Trail Crew .,.. "} 4f \., Boss as of January / "'•'/A-·- ··· l, 2005, have blazed '·,.-; ~ connecting roadwalks within Ohio between certified NCT segments that had not already been marked as part of Buckeye Trail. This significant effort provides an NCT hiker with a route through Ohio that has assured continuity.

A portion of the former 5.7-mile certified segment between Tuscarawas County 82 (near Zoar) to County 109 (near Somerdale) has been shortened.

The segment suffered from flooding, ATV abuse, and unfriendly landowners, so rather than fight this losing battle further, we requested the NPS decertify this difficult segment, a loss of 2.7 miles.

At the north end, the trail can be extended across the Tuscarawas River on an historic iron bridge into Zoar.

This bridge, that once conducted C-

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82 across the river but had been closed for many years, was converted to a pedestrian bridge during 2003. We can certify at least as far as the Zoar Levee, a gain of 0.3 miles. What further new trail can be obtained in Zoar remains a subject for future negotiation.

Over the past two years, BTA has built 2.4 miles of new trail on the south side of Leesville Reservoir. When a short connector is completed during 2005, this whole piece will be certified.

BTA will issue two new maps early in 2005 that will link the certified segments of the NCT in Wayne National Forest in Monroe and Washington Counties with the off-road BT on AEP (American Electric Power) Recreation Lands in Noble and Morgan Counties.

This short loop, about 150 miles, offers interesting backpack possibilities even though over half of the route is now on road. Several of the roads are so remote that they may not carry a car for several days.

ODNR Division of Forestry, the Ohio Trails Partnership, and Buckeye Trail Association have worked hard to bring the trail between Big Pine Road and Culp Road up to the standards expected by the National Park Service.

While there is still a way to go, significant progress has been made. BTA installed culverts and ditches along several wet areas of trail to provide better drainage. Ohio Trails Partnership and Division of Forestry have rerouted and hardened other problem sites.

The relocation of US-35 has been completed. While the culvert intended for use by NCT was buried under a mudslide this summer, it has now been cleared and is ready for use. All that is needed is a trail! This region did not exhibit good trail prior to the construction of new US-35 so it could take us a year or more to restore the trail to certifiable condition.

There are several uncertified, walkable segments of trail along the former Miami-Erie Canal Towpath in Shelby County. We will work with the County Park District to certify as many of these dispersed off-road segments as make sense in 2005. The tread surface, as well as parts of the route of this segment, have been modi-

fied by local action. Parts of the trail even became multi-purpose trail. In addition, foot trail north on the edge of Ohio Historical Society's Johnston Farm is available for incorporation into the certified route.

In Defiance County, State Representative Jim Hoops and BTA personnel are working to extend more trail on the Miami-Erie Canal Towpath between the presently certified trail that ends just east of Florida and Napoleon. Here, much of the former towpath appears to belong to the state.

However, several private structures and a drive have been built upon significant portions of the former towpath. Live in hope.

- Jim Sprague

Chief Noonday

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The V" "r' Chapter's frequent workdays have provided necessary trail maintenance including a major cleanup of a trailside "old dump site" within the Ft. Custer National Cemetery, accomplished with the welcome assistance of the ECO (Ecology) Club of Albion College. Eight members of that group spent a morning working alongside other volunteers creating a mountain of old farm trash deposited some three to four decades ago. The National Cemetery Grounds Crew supported the effort by disposing of the collected trash.

Following a devastating straightline windstorm in the fall of 2002 along a section of trail in Kalamazoo County near Kellogg Forest, the undergrowth along the trail began growing by the foot rather than the inch.

Within a short time the trail was nearly impassable and required a major effort of many chapter members to clear.

Newly appointed adopters of that section, the Durhams, have done an outstanding job of keeping it nicely cleared and groomed since.

Trail adopters have been actively working during the year along the off-road sections of trail within our three county chapter area allowing our

Trail Reports: 2004 In Michigan, the ECO Club students from Albion College helped the Chief Noonday Chapter pick up trash alongside the North Country Trail in the Ft. Custer National Cemetery.

The trash was the visible remains of an old dump site that had not been used in many years but remained an eyesore along the trail.

regular workday team to concentrate on some major trail building and maintaining.

During the year the Chief Noonday Chapter members have accomplished a number of significant goals. Perhaps the most notable was the opening of a new 2.8-mile section of trail through the Ft. Custer National Cemetery. An official trail "rope cutting" ceremony was held early in May. Official representatives from the NCTA, Senator Debbie Stabenow's office in Lansing, and the administrative office of the National Cemetery participated.

In addition, we have actively participated in the planning phase of a major new section of trail along the Kalamazoo River from Battle Creek to Marshall. This beginning was achieved through the cooperative partnering efforts of the Chief Noonday Chapter, the National Park Service, and the Calhoun County Parks and Recreation.

The unified effort of this group resulted in a planning grant awarded by the Michigan Department of Transportation, which has enabled us to move effectively forward. The plan will be completed by September 2005.

An additional 3-mile section of new off-road trail was opened in the Middleville State Game area north of Hastings. This was accomplished through the leadership of Larry Pio and Larry Hawkins coordinating with

the local state game manager, Mark Bishop. Through the effort of an Eagle Scout candidate and his troop, five new trailhead kiosks were built and installed this year. Another three were also built by chapter member Steve Drenth and installed by our work crew. One short section of trail has been rerouted within the Kellogg Biological Station property. This reroute keeps the trail away from the county road and affords hikers easier access to the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary, another 'jewel' along the Chief Noonday section of the NCT. During the construction through the Ft. Custer National Cemetery, approximately 3/4 mile of trail was built through a marsh, utilizing an existing dike system discovered by our hard working trail scout, Charles Krammin. This required a number of workdays in summer heat, swatting mosquitoes and mud wrestling 2 x 6 and 4 x 4 sections of lumber into the site, where they were properly laid into position to assure secure footing through some parts of that section.

Since the opening of this section of trail through the National Cemetery, the cemetery superintendent John Bacon and his grounds crew have given significant support and encouragement.

This is an outstanding example of a chapter partnering with a land manager to provide a beautiful section of trail for hikers to enjoy.

During the year our chapter was

also active in outreach activities including the Hastings Summerfest and Earth Day at Kellogg Community College. We provide an exhibit telling the story of the trail and the chapter, and volunteers to talk with folks interested in knowing more.

We also had a number of programs at our chapter meetings where the public was invited to hear of adventures in such places as Isle Royale, following the trail of the American Indians in and around the Great Lakes area, Acadia National Park, Denali National Park, and in December we will hear of a member's adventure hiking in the mountains of New Zealand. We also were fortunate to learn about water quality and land conservation from representatives of the Department of Agriculture and the Michigan Groundwater Stewardship Program.

The success of a chapter depends entirely on the contribution of many volunteer hours. One person in particular has contributed many hours of time through the year, but not out on the trail. She has been sharing her talent sitting behind a computer keeping our website current and helping us tell the world about the activities of the Chief Noonday Chapter. Gail Speer is our "unsung hero" for all she has done to bring the NCT to Southern Michigan hikers, so a special "thank you" goes to her. She and her husband Mike moved this past summer to a retirement home

Trail Reports: 2004 in northern Wisconsin, but she continues to serve as our Webmaster from her new home. Another individual, Jeff Fleming, has given of his time and has even purchased some of the raw materials to make new supplementary trail signage. Beautiful routed, painted and nicely preserved wood signs announce the NCT to all who pass. Jeff is also a trail adopter and played a significant role in the reclamation of the winddamaged section of trail.

Our biggest dream this year, I would say, is to engage more of our chapter membership in the building, maintaining, promoting and hiking of our beautiful 90+ miles of the North Country Trail in south central Michigan.

- Tom Garnett

Michigan Chapter began its construction year with a bang on April 17, when most of the day's 50-plus volunteers descended upon the -<----~...-路Manistee National Forest to resume a reroute begun the previous year.

Additional volunteers conducted routine spring maintenance all across the Chapter's trail. The end of the day was marked with a sumptuous dinner hosted by the Chapter.

The reroute project on April 17 was a continuation of the Bigelow Creek reroute, a partnership with the Manistee National Forest that moves the trail off busy roads and links the NCT to the unique oak savannah prairie ecosystem found in the neighboring Coolbaugh Preserve. The 2004 work on the relocation built approximately 1.5 miles of trail east of a bridge and added a LO-mile reroute. In all, the project took two consecutive weekends and the labor of more than two dozen individual volunteers.

A second relocation in the Manistee National Forest was next on the Chapter's agenda, but heavy thunderstorms delayed this project twice

Devoted members of the Western Michigan Chapter braved the fall rain and downpours to replace an old bridge over Cedar Creek. The chapter plans to install more puncheon in 2005 to complete the bridge approach.

in May, forcing us to build the entire reroute in July, after the mosquito hatch. On July 17, a crew of about 20 made quick work of this two-mile long reroute. The previous trail followed an old rail grade that was low and wet from the beginning, plus illegal ORV use had churned the trail into a mud pit. By the end of a long workday, the high-and-dry reroute was complete.

Fall was a time for bridge building in the Manistee National Forest.

An old bridge over Cedar Creek in northern Newaygo County needed replacement, so in mid-October, US Forest Service Staff organized a prison crew to remove the old structure and to install the footings of a new bridge.

On a very rainy October 23, 15 dedicated chapter volunteers installed the decking and railing.

While everyone was beyond soaked, the energy level was high and the work top-notch. Just a little more puncheon needs to be installed in 2005 to complete the approaches to the bridge.

The beauty of the new bridge is a testament to the strong, supportive partnership the Western Michigan Chapter enjoys with the U.S. Forest Service in the Manistee National Forest.

-Paul Haan

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Our chapter performed routine maintenance including mowing, weed whacking, and brush trimming to maintain the corridor.

We also regraded several hundred yards of trail and removed deadfall trees and branches over trail. Most of our entire trail has been visited at least once this year and is in good to above average condition.

The Spirit of the Woods Chapter (SPW) worked on several special projects. We began updating signage at road/trail crossings; completion is expected next year including installing 9-inch NCT logos on selected roads.

We used the Heckman Memorial Fund to install four tent pads, a fire ring, bench and landscaping at Bowman Lake. Heckman family and friends, SPW members and Forest Service personnel all supplied labor. An erosion gully on the Manistee River Trail connector was spilling sand onto the suspension bridge and also eroding steps.

The water path was diverted, the gully was cribbed, filled and re-vegetated, and the bridge cleaned off. We also rebuilt a badly collapsed 30-foot long benched trail by building a retaining

Trail Reports: 2004 wall, cribbing the interior, filling with debris and soil, and tamping.

This season we also rerouted two sections of trail. Leitch Bayou was rerouted about 300 feet to avoid seasonally wet areas and we installed short puncheon sections where needed. At Huff Road we rerouted 30 feet of trail after new bridge construction obliterated old route.

We also built several trail structures this summer. North of 76th Street we constructed a 20-foot natural log bridge over a stream and a 40-foot section of causeway after the bridge.

More causeway is scheduled to be built next year. West of the Manistee River suspension bridge a 50-foot long stepped bridge was installed over a wetland, constructed as an Eagle Scout project under SPW direction. North of Freesoil trailhead additions to existing boardwalk were installed, consisting of 20 foot ramped extension, deck with wheelchair turn-around area and two benches.

For trail work, we utilize Bill Menke and local Forest Service contacts, Brian Belt and Scott Hass, for advice. We also utilize the Forest Service Trails Handbook, the Student Conservation Corps handbook, and the National Park Service North Country Trail Maintenance book.

South of Freesoil a landowner has informed the Forest Service that they want the trail removed from their land but are willing to sell a parcel where the trail lies. At this time, Huron Manistee National Forest Baldwin District is leaning towards a I-plus mile reroute and SPW is helping with an evaluation, but no decision has been made yet.

"Hike For Health" was a series of 15 short hikes to locate features on the trail. Prizes were donated by local businesses awarded to participants with the most hikes or correct answers. The North Star and chapter newsletters are distributed to libraries/businesses and news releases are made locally.

We hold monthly hikes (except in summer) on or near NCT. Participation can be as low as three while a good turnout is about eight.

We have presentations every other

Right: Ed Chappel, the Spirit of the Woods Chapter Work Foreman, chipped away at a two log bridge over a creek in Lake County, Mich.

Below: Spirit of the Woods aslo constructed a boardwalk extension and benches in Dead Horse Marsh in Mason County, Mich.

month, aiming for a speaker about hiking gear, trips/opportunities (like Volunteer Vacations), canoe camping, slide shows, etc. Attendance is usually good. We have held the "Big M Chili Event" for several years now where folks meet to hike, snowshoe or ski while the chapter warms chili on a wood stove in a log cabin. This is a very successful event.

Our local heroes are Scott Haas and Kathy Bietau, both Forest Service personnel, who were both extremely helpful and cooperative in finding a use for the Heckman Memorial Fund.

Consumers Energy has also helped out by offering cooperation in building a bridge on their property and allowing us to install regulatory signage. Finally, Home Depot has become a new volunteer source this year by recruiting an enthusiastic crew of employees to help with trail work on their day off. There are plans to utilize them in future.

- Richard Krieger Grand Traverse

Hiking Club Spring found Richard Naperala & Arlen Matson flagging potential reroutes, meeting with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) of

Wexford and Grand Traverse Counties, and performing a multitude of related administrative duties.

Five teams with their leaders were involved in relocating the trail from the east side of U.S. 131 to the west, necessitated by the fact that Michigan Department of Transportation will fence U.S. 131 north of the Manistee River Bridge, due to the new freeway approaching from the south. Also, the trail had linked into the Shore-to Shore-Trail (SST) in that general area, but the condition of the trail due to horse damage and snowmobile usage necessitated a change. In May and June, the teams completed seven miles of reroute beginning 1 mile west of the old U.S. 131 campground north to Forrestt Road. This new route proceeds north along an unnamed creek near our double bridge project of last year, through a large area of red pine, along an abandoned railroad bed, and past a couple of ponds. It crosses M-113 and continues north through a mix of pine

Trail Reports: 2004 and hardwoods, rejoining the SST at M-186 & Forrestt Rd. The signage is complete at all road crossings along with mileage signs. In May we also completed a 1/2-mile reroute approximately one mile east from the Wheeler Creek Bridge. The trail had been using a deeply rutted two-track that did not meet certification. Working with Bill Sterrett, Cadillac DNR, we replaced a dangerous day-based ravine with a more gentle approach and a bridge covering the adjacent wetland. This new route entirely eliminates the old twotrack and moves through an abandoned logging community with its street of maples. This section of improvement was brought about through the efforts of trail adopter, Jerry Freels.

In the early fall, working closely with Traverse City DNR's Dave Lemmien, we surveyed the deteriorated SST at Sheck's Place Campground.

Through timely coordination the DNR approved the relocation away from the SST from the Boardman River north onto the Muncie Lakes Pathway. In October, ten trail workers completed this 112-mile reroute including a long benching session up a huge hill onto the Muncie Lakes Pathway.

Our chapter maintains 15 sectors of the trail, four DNR trail systems in Grand Traverse County, and the spur trail leading into the Old U.S. 131 Campground, a trailhead off U.S. 131 as well as a canoe landing. Bill & Bonnie Mathias are the adopters of this spur trail and an adjoining one that proceeds east along the Manistee River for another mile.

Our tool trailer, gallons of blazing paint, and Carsonite posts have been the key to these projects. The Challenge Cost Share funds from the NPS in Madison, plus Fred Szarka's & Bill Menke's assistance, have enabled us to put quality and substance into our projects. Consumers Power, Home Depot, and Grand Traverse Nature Reserve have been other assets, providing utility poles, lumber, transportation, and signage for this year's projects.

Our future includes continued improvement of the NCT. Our major concern as indicated by most of this

year's projects stems from horse damage to the treadway of the NCT where it uses the SST, which is mostly a horse trail today. We hope to continue to make adjustments where the hiker's walk is a depression of churned-up sand and would hope that someday the "multiple use" policy for Michigan's trails is changed to single usage. The quantity of users per activity necessitates this change.

The 50 chapter workers involved in maintenance, the leadership of the Executive Board, the two trail coordinators, and the teams involved in construction and reroute work are a joy to our hiking club camaraderie. The involvement of new members has also been a stimulus by their willingness to give of themselves to our great North Country Trail.

-Arlen Matson

There were no new trail construction or reroute projects this year, but we did perform routine maintenance, includ-L--~ . ..--ing two complete trips along our section. We built several hundred feet of boardwalk in wet areas in the Jordan River Valley, Harmon Hills and Warner Creek Sections.

Problems included horseracing events being held on two occasions on certified sections of trail (with consent from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources). Our ridge runner program in the Jordan River Valley continued this summer. We had personnel on the trail every weekend, Memorial Day through Labor Day. In October we met with a private landowner to obtain permission to construct a trailhead parking area on his property and to cross 300 feet of his land in Charlevoix County.

Tittabawassee Chapter activities included an information booth at "Backpackers Days" in Jay's Sporting Goods in Clair, Michigan.

Our heroes include all the hard-

working, sweat and grime-covered members who carried lumber and built boardwalk, along with those who performed ridge runner duties this past summer. Special recognition goes to Peg Jones, our ridge runner coordinator, and Verna and Cora Killinger, our project coordinators.

In 2005 we look forward to helping with a successful NCTA conference in Petoskey.

- Jerry Allen

Harbor Springs

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It's that. . time of year in the tip of the mitt in northwestern Michigan when all trail activity ceases for two reasons: 1. The deer-hunting season is underway and we don't want to be dodging ammunition. 2.

The weather ranges between blowing rain and snow. Hunting is the major tourist activity for the last two weeks of November until December, when skiers and snowmobilers become the major sources of tourist income. The best uses of our section of the North Country Trail are cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. We hope to do a better job of promoting these activities this year.

We tried to delegate more of the routine maintenance to trail monitors, so our secretary, Anne Billiard, took on the responsibility of communicating with the monitors. We intend to have a meeting with them early in the spring to prepare the trail for the NCTA annual meeting in August. Most of our maintenance centered on clearing slash near logging activities and regrading entry points for heavy equipment after the logging activities ceased. We tried using water bars on one section of the trail and found them very effective in reducing soil erosion.

Our biggest project this year has been the cleanup of a trash site near the Wilderness State Park. We had tremendous support from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources through their "Adopt a Forest Program"

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Trail Reports: 2004

Above: Members of the Hiawatha Shore-to-Shore Chapter installed more than 50 North Country Trail road signs this past year. Right: Tiffany Stram, NCTA GIS Coordinator , visited Michigan's eastern Upper Peninsula to take GPS readings of the official trail location.

which provided payment for the disposal or recycling of 15 cubic yards of scrap metal, 16 large appliances, 15 yards of non-compactable trash debris, 3 cubic yards of compactable trash, and 27 automobile tires.

We were able to accomplish this through the generosity of local merchants who either gave us generous discounts for heavy equipment or loaned us equipment free of charge. Members and friends accomplished most of the removal by using hand tools and muscle. Unfortunately, a lot of the debris was located near poison ivy so several members were inflicted with the rash.

We were able to close two motor trails into the area using a front-end loader to move boulders to the beginning of the trails. We were given permission to close these roads by the DNR and saved the State of Michigan taxpayers money that would have been spent to bring in a bulldozer to accomplish the task.

We have found a large trash site near our trail, but it is located on private land and is not eligible for ''Adopt a Forest" funds. A complaint was filed with the township trustees in keeping with its blight ordinance over a year ago, and we have sent a letter to the property owners offering help in

removing the trash.

The major problem we hope to correct is how to get the last section of trail that connects to the Mackinac Bridge off the road and back in the woods onto an old railroad grade into Mackinaw City. We need help building the trail through a sizeable marsh.

Our other large problem is how to get six miles of trail in the middle of our section off the road and into the woods. We did contact one landowner, which was extremely rime consuming; it turned out his offer would probably make it more difficult to connect with other parts of the trail.

Our biggest dream for 2005 is to have our section of the North Country Trail in the best condition possible for the 2005 annual meeting, to show attendees the best of the northernmost part of the lower peninsula of Michigan.

We have the cooperation of the DNR to set up an experimental dispersed camping area south of Mackinaw City. This should cut down on littering and squatters and effective enforcement of dispersed camping will be possible. If this succeeds, it may be possible to set up another dispersed camping area at another site that has been closed for over a year. Hopefully

this can occur before August.

- jerry Keeney

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With the help of A 1' our Adopt-a-Section program, the Hiawatha Shore-to-Shore Chapter tried to get a handle on the current state of our 122 miles of North Country National Scenic Trail responsibility in the eastern Upper Peninsula.

The three goals for the members participating in the program are to hike the trail section at least once a year, mark the section, and report any further maintenance needed. We have divided our trail into sections labeled A - R, which range from five to nine miles in length. Roger Blanchard was recently elected to the position of coordinator for the program, which accounts for much of our routine maintenance.

We are also very fortunate to have all but two miles of trail within the Hiawatha National Forest (HNF), Tahquamenon Falls State Park, or the Lake Superior State Forest. We have developed strong partnerships with each agency and are impressed with

Trail Reports: 2004 their commitment and action level on the NCNST. Therefore, we don't need any new trail building to speak of, but have several reroute ideas in mind. Vice President Kay Kujawa and husband Stan have been working with Paula Johnston and others at the HNF toward rerouting the path and creating a new parking area/trailhead where it crosses busy highway M-123. There are also many swampy or two-track sections that we'd like to reroute. We're increasingly mindful of looking for ways to get more sections certified.

Several major projects this year included installing 52 large reflective NCT signs at road crossings with the help from Cyclical Maintenance money from the NPS and hard sweat equity of devoted members. Treasurer Julia Rawlings teamed up with Boy Scout Troop #105 to improve trail (See article on page 21). Stan Kujawa finished building our chapter tool trailer with the help of a Field Grant and donation of a flatbed trailer from the HNF. Marilyn Chadwick keeps the trailer and tools for the chapter and loves to operate the brush hog. Justin Carrick with the HNF does a large amount of maintenance and building with the help of area prison crews and a group of college interns during the summer, as well as setting up chainsaw certification classes for the chapter. Roger Blanchard and other volunteers worked with Dave Merk at the Tahquamenon Falls State Park to resurface a section of bridge. Finally, we are in the process of redesigning our chapter brochures with assistance from another Field Grant.

In more behind-the-lines work, Roger Morrison does a great job updating our website with photos of our chapter activities at groups.yahoo.com/ group/HSS chapter, Secretary Karen Sandberg is invaluable in keeping minutes and writing reports, while Don Sandberg keeps our HSS page on the NCTA site updated.

We have had some nice media coverage this year in relation to meetings and events, most recently for the visit of Fred Szarka and Ken Howell with the NPS to speak at our last chapter meeting.

One dream we have started pursu-

ing is to partner with local schools in creating more awareness and use of the NCNST. We hope to do this by enlisting high school students who need to complete some community service hours as a graduation requirement.

Another long-term dream is to work with our partners in the HNF and DNR in creating marked loop trails that would be attractive for day users.

- Kirt Stage-Harvey

The Chequamegon Chapter installed official Carsonite posts year in 2004.

It has been a good year here on the North Country Trail.

As usual, we accomplished much of what was planned, less than we hoped, but more than we expected: • Routine maintenance on at least 60 miles of trail; • Blazing or reblazing about 12 miles; • Several miles of redevelopment in areas logged last year; • Rerouting of trail impacted by expansion of a power company ash dump, relocation of a county road, and to avoid a wet muddy area along a powerline; • Redevelopment of two miles of trail near Silver Lake Basin that has not been routinely used or maintained in recent years.

The most exciting news about the trail is the degree of success that the New Trail Development Committee has had in locating potential routes from Silver Lake Basin to County Road 510, getting tentative cooperation from landowners, and finding access points to permit flagging and trail building.

Hopefully, the loose ends can be tied up in the near future and development can get underway next year.

Three groups of young people participated in trail work this year. A group of Brownie Girl Scouts and their leaders were introduced to trail hiking and maintenance, a Boy Scout Troop helped build one section of reroute, and a group of high school Landmark

Volunteers cleared windfalls on several trail sections.

Senator Carl Levin, a long-time supporter of the North Country Trail, was in the Upper Peninsula in May and hiked a portion of the trail with eight local members and his area representative. It was a good opportunity to show him the trail, the post-flood condition of the Dead River, and to address trail and other concerns along the way. Other activities during the year for members and guests included a Holiday party, cross-country ski outings, a spring wild-flower hike, two "softie" hikes, and several informal breakfast get-togethers.

An increase in mountain bike and ATV use on the NCT is an ongoing concern. We have had some small success in cooperation with the DNR and local agencies in discouraging such use.

Hopefully, more signs will be installed to inform users of the restrictions.

- Denise Herron

Chequamegon This last season our chapter reblazed a trail section with some first-time and repeater trailblazers. Our group also installed Carsonite posts with the appropriate decals attached on each side of a road that the trail crossed.

This will assist in informing the public

Trail Reports: 2004 of expected North Country National Scenic Trail usage. Trail mowing was done but minimally since some of our regulars were out with health problems.

It was noted that an easement had lapsed on a small privately owned section between two larger portions of public land. Contact information was forwarded to the National Park Service.

Members manned an information booth at a Silent Sports Expo organized by another local group, the Bay Area Active Sports Alliance. Beautiful fall colors and good weather were showing off during our annual October Walk/ Jog event on a trail section.

Our activities for next year will be a repeat of the above plus we will have trail benches to install and intend to change the chapter's web site.

- Tana Turonie

Brule~St. Croix All adopted sections of our trail were cleared of trees and mowed at least once and sometimes more often this year, and we built more new trail in western Bayfield County.

Special trail projects accomplished

Minnesota Conservation Corp board members constructed boardwalk on a new trail section near Duluth, Minn.

this year were: Sample Road trailhead and parking lot, US Hwy 53 trailhead and park0 ing lot, kiosks at the two aforementioned sites and one at St. Croix Picnic Area, and a new bridge over Jersett Creek.

We purchased new equipment including brush saw, chain saw and walk-behind (wheeled) string trimmer.

We were disappointed in the string trimmer, which did not work well for us so we have traded it out.

Our major outreach activity was conducted on National Trails Day. It rained almost all day, but we did offer a naturalist-led hike and even had a few of the public show up. The Chapter also sponsored a trail maintenance workshop led by Bill Menke to which we invited other chapters.

We had some new members show up and some from both Minnesota and Michigan.

Some of our members who deserve thanks: Peter Edmunds who headed up the construction of three new log construction kiosks, Artley Oswald who keeps building more benches for contemplative hikers, Rolf Swanson and Bob Norlin who each do miles and miles of trail maintenance single-handedly, and of course, our famous trail

building crew led by Bill Menke, who camp out for days at a time and have built many miles of trail.

Our dream for 2005 is to complete all trail from our eastern end at the Chequamegon National Forest to Solon Springs and if possible, begin building a boardwalk across the Brule Bog. - Chuck Zosel

Superior HikingTrail

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Over 100 SHTA volun-

47 sections of trail, 81 campsites, and 22 trailheads, and participated in 6 scheduled work projects.

Our Trail Maintenance Supervisor and Minnesota Conservation Corp crews rerouted several trail sections along rivers where the banks had eroded, replaced 12 small bridges, repaired several boardwalks where beavers have flooded the trail, and dug 38 new latrines.

Over 150 volunteers, our Volunteer Coordinator, and MCC crews built eight miles of gorgeous new trail through the city of Duluth. The goal for 2005 is to build an additional 13 miles of trail. SHTA also hosted 12 hikes.

- Gayle Coyer

Superior Hiking Trail Association volunteers constructed new trail near Ely's Peak in Duluth, Minn.

Trail Reports: 2004

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Kekekabic Trail Club

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This year we cleared 120 G miles of trails inside the Boundary Waters plus a few outside. We rerouted small sections where the trail had eroded or downed trees had been there so long that there were trails around them.

We had an open picnic in the park with prize drawings and awards.

We also have a meeting each month to which any and all are invited; we have speakers and shows at these meetings but they are not well attended.

We appreciate the members of the Forest Service, who have arranged seminars and talks for us, helped with the saw training, grant, tools, and support, our paid "facilitator", Lisa Beckman, who arranges meetings, food, trail trips, membership, and takes the major burden off our shoulders, so we can do our work, and Terry Bernhardt, our President, who leads us with determination and intelligence.

We want to get more active members, build a bridge in one marshy spot, GPS more trail, rewrite our map book, put in some new trailhead kiosks, and at least one new bivouac, print up brochures about us to encourage volunteers to help us clear trails (we are practically unknown), build a closer association with our partners, get new tools for easier clearing, and get some more money.

One dream I have is to get a spread in the local papers, which will excite people to join us to help save and protect our Wilderness while making it hiker and canoeist friendly.

- Constance Van Valkenburg

Affiliate .

At two Chapter meetings we elected officers: President, Jerry Johnson, Secretary, Ginny Ruppe, Treasurer, Paul Wright.

The quarterly "Call of the North" Minnesota's NCTA newsletter, was published, and we displayed our exhibit at the Parks and Trails Council's Minnesota Trail Summit, the Spring Midwest Mountaineering Outdoors Adventure Expo, Superior Hiking Trail Association's annual meeting, the Get Fit with U.S. National Trails Day Event and the Fall Midwest Mountaineering Outdoors Adventure Expo.

In addition we spearheaded an effort to inform and influence the Minnesota Congressional delegation to support the Northeast Minnesota Route Assessment, while working with NCTA staff and the National Park Service to provide local assistance and support for that hoped-for reroute.

The chapter played a role within the Minnesota Wilderness Trails Alliance to maintain the longer distance footpaths in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, components of the Northeast Minnesota Route Assessment, and sponsored two trips to build trail in the gap between Chippewa NF and Itasca State Park.

- john Leinen, Jr.

Itasca Moraine The entire trail from he west edge of the .A-,.

Chippewa ~ National Forest / to the west edge a of Itasca State Park \ was walked. Routine maintenance such as clearing windfalls and mowing in needed areas was accomplished. A massive clear cut that has been troublesome to navigate was mowed and signage improved. There was also a major blow down cleaned up between Minnesota 64 and Parkway Drive in the Chippewa National Forest (CNF).

Chapter members Al Mitton and Ken Zimmer did trail maintenance in

the eastern half of the CNF, while Boy Scout troop #235, John Bredemeier, Chuck Church, Harvey Johnson, Becky Bergerson, Jerry Beckham, Dick Kroener, and Harlan Liliquist kept the west end tidy.

We constructed an additional five miles of trail, which Fred Szarka walked and declared the entire new segment met certification standards.

We need to complete the paperwork, which will be done before the end of the year. A new mile was flagged within Itasca State Park and will be blazed next year.

An additional .23 miles of new connector trail was constructed, leading to an NCT campground on Lake Waboose. At the campground, two tent pads were leveled and seeded with grass; a campfire ring was constructed.

We gained approval from Hubbard County to install a Boundary Waterstype latrine, thereby completing a new campground on a beautiful peninsula on Waboose Lake, totally surrounded by the Paul Bunyan State Forest.

We have some difficulty in attracting volunteer workers. The Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro Chapter (Star of the North) has new leadership and discussions have commenced to get more participation from that area. Two National Trail Day hikes were completed. At the start of the hike, personnel from the Chippewa National Forest presented Al Mitton, Itasca Moraine Chapter member, with an award to recognize his long-term support and commitment to the NCT in the east half of "the Chip." Florence Hedeen held her public Hike for Hope, an annual event recalling the 9-11 tragedies, while the public was invited to walks of three different lengths during Fred Szarka's certification hike.

Carter and Florence Hedeen deserve special mention. Carter organized numerous workdays for chapter members and students from the University of Minnesota and Bemidji State University. Carter was present at nearly all of the scheduled workdays plus worked a few days on his own.

He also led a work crew from the Minnesota Conservation Corps, two weeks of work paid for by a Challenge

Trail Reports: 2004 Sheyenne River Valley

Member's of North Dakota's Sandhills Chapter took a unique approach to cleaning up trash and garbage in remote areas; they used pack mules!

Cost Share we received from the NPS, while Florence, Chapter Historian, has put together an outstanding scrapbook of all of the chapter activities since it was formed.

Our plan for 2005 is to build five to ten more miles of certified trail toward Itasca State Park. We expect to receive a $10,000 grant from the Federal Highway Transportation Administration possibly by year-end 2004, but near certainty before the 2005 trail building season commences while our biggest dream is to obtain a Challenge Cost Share of $10,000 for 2006-trail building.

We also hope to create the trail across Itasca SP, and convince Tamarac Wildlife Refuge to permit trail across their north sanctuary.

- jerry Trout and Ray Vlasak

North Dakota Sandhills The North Dakota Sandhills Chapter held its annual meeting on October 28th electing the same officers and directors for 2005. Our guest for the meeting was Sheyenne District Forest Ranger Bryan Stotts. Our Chapter has 21 miles of trail through the Sheyenne National Grasslands, administered by the U.S. Forest

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Service. We reviewed the USFS plans for the area and planned changes in location of portions of the NCT. In a few years this portion of the NCT will have amenities such as camping areas and shelters, making it a comfortable and scenic trail.

As a result of input from the Forest Service, area residents, and the Chapter members, we unanimously agreed the word "Sandhills" in our name was nonendearing. We agreed that it makes the area sound more like a wasteland than the beautiful area it is. Thus we are changing the name of our chapter to Sheyenne National Grasslands Chapter.

Our Chapter is comprised of a small, dedicated group who use the trail weekly. Members Gary Dugan, Ken Pollach, Gene Johnson, Dale Chilson, Gary Hoglund, Marv Martell and LeRoy Johnson embarked on a trail clean-up project. As there was lots of garbage and junk in areas along the trail in a non-motorized area, mules were used to pack out the debris.

The trail also goes through areas where livestock graze, so there are a number of cross-fences and gates that needed attention and these members also embarked on a project to repair the gates. In the spring we will hold another meeting to discuss our 2005 activities.

- Curtis Vanek

~~~~·

Our routine maintenance included sections through town while the Corps of Engineers regularly mowed 25 miles along Lake Ashtabula. The Corps built an additional ten miles and three small bridges along Lake Ashtabula. The chapter assisted in benching a short section.

We contacted a landowner along Lake Ashtabula to route the trail behind a row of cabins instead of through the narrow and steep area in front of them. The landowner was willing to work with us and signed an easement to cross the property.

In spring we put together a monthly hike schedule for the summer, including a variety of trails along Lake Ashtabula, and through Valley City, Fort Ransom State Park, Sheyenne State Forest, and Sheyenne National Grasslands.

Our best turnout was for National Trails Day partially due to increased publicity and three different hikes to choose from. Our lowest turnout was for our EARLY morning hike in the Grasslands: sleep was more important to most than hearing the Prairie Chickens!

We also led a number of hikes for the local Boy Scout troop as they worked to earn their hiking badge.

Our local heroes continue to be the Corps of Engineers. They have worked tirelessly to improve the trail and are always willing to assist in promoting the trail, leading hikes and helping in any way they can.

We will continue to work on our dream of developing the route on private land between Valley City and Baldhill Dam, a slow process, but we are re-organizing and making this a priority for the coming year. We are working with the other North Dakota Chapters to launch our state council and work together on a statewide basis to develop and promote the trail.

We will continue hosting hikes and promoting the Chapter and the trail through the news media.

- Scott Tichy

& Alicia Hoffarth

Proceeds ben~fit. the ~ortn·counfry Tra[l ~ssociatio~ in its· efforts to bulld, maintain, and promote the ~oJ'\h. Country National. Scenic Trait· .

•. ' •. "'.

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50 Hikes in Michigan

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Backpacking Wisconsin by jack P. Hai/man & Elizabeth D. Hai/man The authors provide first-hand information for trails in every cor~==;;.;::o;;,;i ner of the state - from the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore to Newport State Park. (L129) $19.95

Follow the Blue Blazes

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Proven food tips for .----------v-1....,...,,,.., A guide to hiking Ohio's Buckeye Trail. Beginning with a short backpack to a six-month thru-hike. startling rock formations and graceful waterfalls, this 1200 Includes recipes for easy mile loop provides a captivating look at each sectrailside cooking. 128 tion of the trail. 300 pages. (L130) $19.95 pages (L126) $15.95

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

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Buck Wilder's Hiking & Camping Guide

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Hikeable Segments of the North Country National Scenic Trail

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+ ---•-·-·---··- ·-11-·-·-

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Ifyou have questions about

the North Country Trail, there are many different places to go for information.

This directory provides you with key contacts.

When in Doubt, Try NCTA Headquarters: If you're not sure whom to contact, or prefer to talk with an 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 get you in touch with someone who can. Staff members are listed on page 3 (table of contents page).

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North Country Trail Association

229 E Main St, Lowell, Ml 49331 Toll-free: (866) HikeNCT Fax: (616) 897-6605 www.northcountrytrail.org HQ@northcountrytrail.org Visit our website; 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 Parmer 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.

Partner

Organizations: We also work with several independent partner organizations that manage a portion of the NCT. These Partners engage in activities similar to our Chapters, though often on a larger scale. 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 Partner directly.

Trail Council Officers:

Our Chapters and Partners work together to achieve common goals through statewide Trail Councils. Each state has its own Trail Council, though Wisconsin and Upper Michigan share the "Great Lakes Trail Council." Trail Councils have one or more officers, typically including a Chair and a State Trail Coordinator.

NORTH DAKOTA Trail Council Chair: Alicia Hoffarth

• cahoffarth@hotmail.com

State Trail Coordinator: Lisa Ringstad · lisaringstad@invisimax.com

1. Lonetree Chapter: Elden Ehrman • ejje@ndak.net 2. Sheyenne River Valley Chapter: Lisa Ringstad

· lisaringstad@invisimax.com

3. North Dakota Sandhills Chapter: Curtis Vanek • go4rrails@sbcglobal.net

MINNESOTA Trail Council Chair and State Trail Coordinator: John Leinen · patleinen@msn.com

4. Star of the North Chapter: Gerald Johnson

· johns018@maroon.tc.umn.edu

5. Itasca Moraine Chapter: Jerry Trout • jbtrout@tds.net 6. Kekekabic Trail Club (Partner): Terry Bernhardt

· info@kek.org

· (800)818-4453

7. RoversOuting Club (Partner): John Elliott · (612)829-5142 8. Superior Hiking Trail Association (Partner): Gayle Coyer · suphike@mr.net

· (218)834-2700

GREAT LAKES Trail Council Chair: Mikel Classen · classen@jamadots.com State Trail Coordinator:Doug Welker · dwelker@up.net 9. Brule-St.CroixChapter: Chuck Zosel · ezosel@pressenter.com 10. ChequamegonChapter: Tana Turonie · tjt@baysat.net 11. Heritage Chapter: Jim Burow · glorim@centurytel.net 12. Peter Wolfe Chapter: Doug Welker · dwelker@up.net 13. North Country Trail Hikers Chapter: Denise Herron • dherron906@aol.com

14. GrandMarais Chapter: Mikel Classen • classen@jamadots.com 15. Hiawatha Shore-to-ShoreChapter: Kirt Stage-Harvey

• stahar950@lighthouse.net

LEGEND Chapters """' Partners =Not Yet Adopted

.

LOWER MICHIGAN Trail Council Chair: Lyle Bialk • lylebialk@sbcglobal.ner

State Trail Coordinator:

PENNSYLVANIA

Joan Young • jhy@r-one.ner

16. Harbor Springs Chapter:

Trail Council Chair: Berr Nemcik · bnemcik@cornellcompanies.com

Jerry Keeney · keeneylO@charrer.ner

25

State Trail Co-Coordinators: Ron Rice · ricel@nauticom.ner 28. WampumChapter: Paul Henry · joyceappel@arm-tek.ner 29. Butler Chapter: David Myers · davmyers@state.pa.us 30. Greater Pittsburgh Chapter:

Richard Krieger · rndkrieger@jackpine.com 20. Western Michigan Chapter: Werner Veit • wvl2@aol.com

31. Rock Chapter: Roberr McCafferry • diggermccafferty@cs.com 32. Clarion County Chapter: Ed Scurry · edsdc85@yahoo.com 33. Allegheny National Forest Chapter:

17. Tittabawassee Chapter: Jerry Allen · conniepausirs@yahoo.com

18. Grand TraverseHiking Club Chapter: John Heiam

· johnheiam@charrer.net

19. Spirit of the Woods Chapter:

Michael Kaizar · gprncta@yahoo.com

21. Chief NoondayChapter: Tom Garnett

• garnettt@rrinity-health.org

Berr Nemcik • bnemcik@csonline.net

22. Chief Baw Beese Chapter: Steve Vear · steve@vear.com

NEW YORK OHIO

Trail Council Chair and State Trail Coordinator:

Trail Council Chair:

Howard Beye • fltc@frontierner.net

34. Finger Lakes Trail Conference (Partner):

Garry Dill · vetfarm@starband.net

State Trail Coordinator: James Sprague

· jimsprague@msn.com

23. NW Ohio Rails-to-TrailsAssociation (Partner) Gene Markley · norragene@bright.net

· (800) 951-4788

24. Buckeye Trail Association (Partner) Garry Dill • vetfarm@starband.ner

· (937) 834-2891

25. Adams County Chapter: Myrna Hixson · myrna@brighr.ner 26. Ohio Valley Chapter: Jean Konkle • marvinkonkle@yahoo.com 27. Great Trail-SandyBeaver Canal Chapter: Brad Bosley • bbosley@cceng.org

Gene Bavis · information@fingerlakestrail.org · 585-658-9320 Additional Maintaining Organizations Coordinated by FLTC: Adirondack Mm Club (ADK)-Finger Lakes Chapter, ADKGenesee Valley Chapter, ADK-Onondaga Chapter, ADK-Niagara Frontier Chapter, Adventure Recreation Club at Ithaca College, Cayuga Trails Club, Fillmore Boy Scout Troop 748, Foothills Trail Club, Genesee Valley Hiking Club, Hammondsporr Boy Scour Troop 18, and Town & Country Bushwhackers

35. Central New York Chapter: Kathy Eisele • eiselek@dreamscape.com

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