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P. Box 243 Empor i qrt
Pa.
t 5834
lir w
voLUl,tE
vI,
NUMBER 2
sPRrI{G
,
1.987
voI-uME
vr,
SPRING
ORGANTZATIONAL
NUMBER 2
D
NORTII COUN'I'RY 'I'RA t t. ASSOC rA',l'r0N P.O. Box 311
ffiaEE-Bowen Bosworth
CO.EDITORS BARBARA ANN SMITH G. HIPPS P. O. Box 2t+3
JOHN
OFFICERS
Robert E. Dreis, President L632 Smi t,h S t . Spooner, WI 54301
Vice Pres.
Pat A11en, Sccrctary 23L4 Lake Drive, SE Grand Rapids, MI 493L6 Kenneth R. Gackler, Treasurer 413 l^lest Johnson St. Caledonia, MI 493t6
Virginia
Thornas J. lleimcrs
USSSA C'l'A
Barbara A. Smith John G. Hipps Glenn Oster
NCTA NCTA AYH
Wunsch
ffiile S. Gregor Cecil Dobbins Tami Lou Spyker Herschel A. Rubin
BTA BTA OHC
BTA
Michigan
Virginia Wunsch Pat AIlen Ken Gackler
Jim ['Iarmels
Art Holland R,tr th Sack
NCTA NCTA N CTA NCTA NCTA NCTA
[,]iscons in
RobErt Dreis Steve Sorenson
NCTA NCTA
MinnesoLa
eErffidlow
NCTA
North Dakota
Headquarters Manager Route #4, Mundy Ave. l/hi te Cloud , MI 49349
PdaIns-
RuLh Sack, Chairperson Membership
REGIONAL CHAPTERS
Ar! Holland, Chairperson 1990 End-To-End TraiI Hike
Western Michigan Southern Michigan Minneso ta
Lance Feild President Emeritus
I{PC l'ICTA
Ohio
rt-rl..t-
Thomas J. Reimers, 3C l^/i ldf lower Dr . Ithaca, NY 14850
New York
Paulette Johnson Brita and Don Dorn
Emporium, PA 15834
1,987
I R [:C'I'ORS
otrcAN 1ZA',l',r0N
Whiuc Cloud, Mich i gan 49349
,
:k:l:k
ohio(nra)
-1-
VT)I,UMIi
VT.
December Ed
i tors
NUMRI.:R
L6,
2
SI,JAN-SONC
1985 i:i ;'.
NCTA News Ie t. ter P.O. Box 243 Emporium, PA 15834
It
i,r,.
..
T0:
Sf
ii
T
l'lc
,
1987
FROM:
AI] meplberS ,r, ,r:r Bob Dreis, President
SUBJECT:
Swan-Song
I guess this will be my last to you-a1I as President I dont t know if Jim of the North Country Trail Asnot or contacted you about Lhis sociation. My term runs out in to but you may be inEerested L987, May, and I do not choose know that we are in the Process to run again. Michigan of forming a Southern Chapter of Ehe NCTA, wit.h the At our May meeting in White goal of having the fiftY to Cloud, Michigan, we will vote o sixty sout,hernmosL miles of persons willing to take up the the Nort,h CountrY TraiI in challenge and carry on with the for Michigan completed in time getting task of the t.rail as a t.he bick-to-back walk in 1-990. path facto" on the land. So "de We have held one very successLhe May meet.ing is very imporful meeti.g, anrl have several tant. to alI of us. proposals filed with various maniging agencics for differing The North Country Trail Associof the trail, though- ation is very dear to my heart se2,menti -have not yeL received final we ac t. ion on any Ye t . There i s a and I intend to remai-n an active ember. However, I think I hav strong possibilitY that. we will done all I can for the organiza be able- to apPly for certifition in an administrative capacation on 20 miles or so in city and the leadership should L987. Anyone interested should now pass to younger minds with contact me at. the following new ideas and dedicat.ion. You addres s . mbers are a great bunch of people and I know you all will Very Truly Yours, supporl those who are elecEeci as officers. Our goal is worthWes Boyd while some day in the future t4845 Rome Rd. people will tread a pathway t.ha Iutanitou Beach, MI 49253 your pioneering ef fort.s helped es tablish. I would like to leave with Lhis EDI-FLASII message: the edjtorial in the last newsletter by Tom Thwait.es The new tenth edition of Penn- says it. alI and I subscribe to sylvania Hiking Guide edired bY it toLally. As he said, time i Dlvid Raphael and Published bY on our side. See you all on th KTA, that describc:s more than trails! 2 r'2OO miles of t,r:rils, is now Sincerely, available. ConEacE Maurice I orrester, R-252 Edgewood Ave ' , 1)rrlroistown, PA L770L, 7L7-322' Rober t. E. Dreis President, NCTA 02')3, l^trarmels has message
voi,uME
vT,
NUMRIiR 2
February 17,
7987
,0I',r,,, SPRING L987 :!The editors wish to t't.hank"
I wish to t.hank all the N.C.T.A. members for t.heir protn[)L replies to the September renewal letter. By the end of December our membership had exceeded last years. Every week renewals and new memberships plus generous donaEions are still arriving. By t.he spring meeting I no doubt will be pleased to announce a tot.al membership of over 200. Isn't thaL exciting? ! There are still a few who perhaps just forgot to renew.
Ruth for her continued effort and t.ime in all that she does for the North Country Trail and most especially the Associa-
t'ionrs membership...
Smithipps Hoorah and a Big hug from all!!!
DPERIENCED HIKEre NEEDED /tMERtcAN
rc
fi[iSE[I..,,f{BsI&' Since 1979 we havs been sending teams ol voluntgers to remole areas'Alaska' Ver' monl, Hawaii, Montana, Arizona. work wrth
Please check t,he dat,es on your
lhe Nalional Park and Forest Servtces buildino nsw cabins, bndqes and trails or marn' taining ol<t ones. All ldod provrdEd. For rnlor' mation on winter and summor opporlunities, s€nd a Long, Self-Addressed, Stamp€d En-
cards .
Since the Associate Membership
rule was passed last fallr w€ are receiving t.he support of many hikers from New York, Pennsylvania and 0hio. Many thanks to all of you. I am looking forward to a Feb. 28 meeting wit.h Wes Boyd's new group of Southern Michigan NCTA members . At las L we can look forward to linking up with Ohiofs NCT Lrail as it crosses over at llillsderle, Mj.chigarn. From t ime to t, ime i t wou Id be greaL if each staLe would share Lheir trail activities. Please send your information to Lhe
velope lo:
AHS Volunteer vacatlon3 PO Box 86 No. Scituale. MA 02060
JIM CARLSON'S ShIOWSHOES Ojibwa style (point.ed at both ends) 53 x L04 including bindingsr nstural or walnut stained, $59.00. Michigan residents add
sales tax. Include LO7" f or shipping and handling. Money must, accompany order. LIe replace old rawhide lacing with new nylon lacing and finish news le t, ter . with spar varnish. Estimates upon request. Must send length Once again - sincere thanks for and width of center secLion t,o the renewals, the new memberbe redoner oL overall length, if ships and the generous donaLions whole shoe must be redone. Best Regards, MaiI all orders and inquiries to N.C.T.A. Membership J.C. IS INSTALLATION 4'L
Ruth Sack
(aa )
-3.-
P.0. Box 292
Hesperia, MI
49421
VO],UME
VI,
NUMBI.]R ED
2
RUT}I AND TIIN WOLFE
I - NOTE
e have once ag"ain heard from ut.h MacFarlane which is always reat news because of her kind f good news. Some portions of her lett.er are reproduced belorv No one can say it bet.ter than Ruth herself. Dear Co-Eds:
L/ 30/ 87
SPRING, 1987
t.o hear f rom them also. The Michigan Natura,f, Besources m4ga zine has expressed an interest in an article on Peter LToIfe and the NCT. They jusL bought another article of miner so I can trus t t.hat they mean bus iness on the second one.
putting out the Newsletter and holding us together. I awitit more news of t.he 1990 endKeep
fhank you f or the Ia t.es E edi t ion to-end hike. In fact Lhat is of the Newslet.ter. I always my submission for the name of It comb t.hrough i t caref uIly. the hike ! The ETE on the NCT is such an effect.ive tool in in 9-0. holding the I{CTA t.ogeLher. Some of us cannot get away to travel Sincerely, the Iong dis tances t,o the meetings, but you make us f eel rve Ruth B. MacFarlane 'are a part of it alI. My big project is that I am writing a book about Pet.e. Last. January he brought, me all his journals, photos, maps, and Then we mementoes of the trail. made many hours of voice tapes of his memories of his seven summers of hiking. I have t.ranscribed j ournals and Lapes , edited, and have just sent off the account of his first year's hike (L974) to my agent, and have yet to hear what he thinks of it. I am very errLhusiastic about Lhe book and plan Eo go on with it, even i,f. I have t.o search a long time for a pub1i-
sher
.
A couple of weeks ago I went to Munising,. Michigan where they were holding snowshoe races on
a portion of Lhe NCT. It was some spectacle--people running on snowshoes on courses 4.5 and 9 rniles long! They had some more Ieisurely walks for novices also . I am trying t.o interes t the Michigan AAA magazine in an article on hiking the trail as a break from driving. I have yet
Ttre above candid snapsho! shows NCTA President Bob Dries clearing traiI on last summer's long l'r i ke in Lhe U. P.. and he swore he 'rvould not lie abouL a thing like this. EDI-NOTE - The Editors are wondering it this story is about as ta11 as that t,ree.
VOLUMIl
VI,
riUPi:)Ei{
2
!T.'LASII
BUCKEYE
sPRil{G,
!
ED
1-987
I - I,'I,ASTI
TRAIL
'l'tre P<-rtomac Appalachian TraiI announces their sponsorship of Lhe second annualttDogwood HaIf Ilundred" one day hike on Satur-
28th ANNUAL MEETING
EDI-FLASH
Fri. evening thru Sun. afternoon APRIL 24-26, 1 987
The Colorado Mount.ain Club, in conjuncLion with the Friends of The Colorado Trail are seeking volunteers Lo help finish the Colorado Trail this summer. ConLacL Friends of The Colorado
ASSOCIATIONl<r.v'
A1';rir
11
' 1eB7'
TraiI, Crew Coordinator, Pine Song Trail, Golden, 80401
548 CO
.
PILI fll' : Put var ious s ize safety pins on the tangs of the zippers of your pack. These make the zippers easier to grab in the cold or when wearing gloves. The safety pins are then readily availvjs\r'.x\: able for other uses: clothes .$ :':.r pins, awls, connectors, etc. T use safety pins to hang things from my tent, to hold a kerchief on the frame (near my head) , to mend clothes, to clean my stove and (on occasion) to replace those blasted litt1e rings on my frame. No one should hike without at Route 2, Perrysville, Ohio Ieast a dozen safety pins. (Vernon Leming) EDI-NOTE: and you need never to get caught hosted by: with ';-cur diaper do.lun either j
CAMP WELSEY CLEVEI-^AND HIKING
EDI.FLASH
The Finger Lakes TraiI Conference 25lh Anniversary Celebra-
tion is set for Flay 22-25, 7987 at Ithaca ColleBâ&#x201A;Ź, Ithaca, N.Y.
VOLUME
VI,
TO YOUR I'ITKTNG HEALTH IIEALTH AIID SAFETY ON TIIE TRAIL*
NUMBER 2
sPRrNG, L987
fhe Editors "Prepare for the possibility, kn@l as much as possible, treat
when necessary',
Perhaps second to getting out on the trair is to get back aLways, safe and sound.
as often as possib
To more insure the latter it is heS.pful to have some awareness of the cojnmon hazards encounterabLe, to be prepared to take eare of them and to knour hou, to do so.
This NewsLetter speciaL is to provide information that wirl herp you to get off the hiking trair; hearthy,wealthy and wise. outlines the sixteen most common types of heaLth hazards the outdoor enthusiast may encounter. rolLcming is a list of items to guide you in preparing your or.r,n personal First Aid Kit: Insect Repellant Snake Bite Kit Antihistamine for itching, i.e. Dimetapp Extentabs and trenadryl TyIenoI or eguivaLent First Aid Ointment, i.e- Neosporin; ointment rather than cream; multi-purpose for surrburn, poison iry, blisters, burns and minor skin problems such as scratches, abrasions, etc. Kling Bandages 1,,, 2rr, 3,,, 4,r, 6n Ace Bandages 2r, , 3,,, 4" , 6" Pressure Bandage I,luLti Purpose Pocket Knife, i.e. swiss - to incrude'cripper component for fish hooks and scissors for cutting clothing and bandages Compass - B1azes or not, its not at all uncommon to 1ose a traiL because of pocr bLazing and be l_ost very guickly The- accomp_anying gr_aph
Read again the List of common hazards anc think about them. Many of them,i.e. sunburn can be totally prevented, others can
be minimizedt i.e. insect bites; most atr-can be handred with common Bense (its in your head and not your First Aid Kit).
Dol:t forget to have notice on your person pertaining to any medicar condition you have and medication you are taking. rcrot, how to improvise splints, canes and crutches from tree branches an,jl ace bandages.
PERCENT OF OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS AFFECTED
953 lnsect EitesX 778 Sunburn 778 Unpurt f ied Water 70X Elisters 70R Wasp Strngs o 52R Troumstic Experiences
E
528 Deep Loceretions 458 Poison lvg 43:8 Embedded Fishooks
43R Spratn Ankles
Specrfrc insects not ldentified
328 Burrrs
O 0ther tgpes of bees not mentioned, an
W ffi W
additionol point of advtse ls offered to people known to be ollergic to bee venom ond f or the need f or o special emergencu kit f or this
l6ELost I
lox
4fr Broken Bones
E
Food Poisoning
.5
ffi
BE sun stroke
ffi
5E Snoke Bites
Near drowntngs, folls, encounters 'like. snokes, bod stornts ond the
with bears,
Whether porsonous 0r non-polsonous not specrfied.
A
(co to page -7-
10)
voI-uME vT
,
NUMRTR
2
TOMT
BOARD . .4 . .lj),
AN;
TIIF,'
HORSE
5PRING, 1987
MEMBER PROFTLE 'ri<r,
'1I:
EDI-DUCTION: Following is an interesting item about, and by, one of our newest Board Merdbers. Tomi is from ohio, dr avid horsewoman; her introduction and her trail .documentary is
nicel-y appropriate for this issue of the NewsLetter i-n view of other items appearing in this same issue regardj-ng murtipre use of NCT, including horseback riding. other new Board Member are asked to provide the Editors with their profile for future issues. A11 readers are asked to respond to the issues of multiple non-motorized trail use of alL kinds: I have been invited to provide the rest of the NCTA members with an informative article and thereby share my views and ideas with you. I can provide a few hard statistics of who I think r am. My name is Tomi Lou spyker, r have been appointed for. a three year term to your goard to aid in the creation of a reality - The North Country frail. f am a Horsewomani ther fore my first bent is tovrards Horse TraiL Riding especially on a long trail such as the NCT. I enjoy walking along trails but far be it for me to claim any authority in hiking (: do not have that much will or stamina). To me each of us likes various trail experiences. - f think you wilL come to knoqr me best if I share one of my Horse Trips al.ong a section of the NCT (in Ohio) - it will also give those of you unfamiliar with this area of the trail an idea of what awaits you there. Some background is necessary to this trip IoE; I rode one horse, dD Appaloosa Celding named ',,fefet'. I had been conditioning him and myself during the summer to ride J-onger distances carrying increasing amounts of weight over tougher terr-ain (you knovl those things - they are LaughingJ-y ca1led "hi11s"!) than either he or I normally see around home. MONDAY: The day is beautiful; t feel that my vacation is going to get off to a nice start in spite of the previous bad
weather.
Paint Creek Horsements Campground is the Location of an old farmhouse; aL1 that remains is the well and the magnificent oId Sugar lr{aples that surrounded the house. r let Jefe grazerope hobbled-\,r,hi1e I set up the tent. The park Rangers have Left a fire ring as they said they would; plenty of deadfall and old house timbers are near camp - I will have a nice fire tonight. During afternoon I rode part of the Rattlesnake trail but am unable to locate the shore of the reservoir. ir,Iost of the park is flatly roLLing oLd farmland sLovrLy returning to shrub. A type of juniper (nea Cedar it Likes the Limestone of SW Ohio seems to be an occupant of the abandoned fields. fn other areas the soil is of a poor gravelly nature giving rise to -8-
VOLUME
VI,
NUMBER 2
HORSES
SPR ING
7987
small prairie Patches. vfhether these areas are self sustaining or will eventually return to forest is beyond my tcncrwledge The night proved clear with a sharp creselt moon. Found my_ serf admiring the silhouette of th6 tree Limb and llaves a_ gainst the moonlight night. Nature arways seems, in moments lik_e this, to render a frore than adequate def of words such as 'rsererre,,. The photograph t liave triedinition to take will n9t capture this moment but perlraps it wirr herp to remind me of its fleeting existence. (continued in r761umn VT, Number 3) TIIE EQUESTRIAN
VTEWPOTNT*
by Jennifer Leipold President Chester County Eguine Council, fnc. NorE: The follovling article is in response to the corumn, "Horses on Hiking Trails" by the editor which appeared in the Winter 1985 NewsletterThank you for the opportunity to reply to your articre. r agree there are probS-ems with multi-use traiLs. However, before the "Horses Keep Out" signs are posted, I think the issues need to be clarified. Motorj-zed users, because of speed (safety) , sound (aesthetics), and damage (erosion) factorS, really need separate trails. They shouLd be considered in the p_lanning process. If off-road space is not made avaj-Iab1e, thentheseusersaregoingtobeonwhatevertrai].sexist signs or not. Evidently there are many misconceptions about horses and riders and some hikers have complaints about both. yes, r do agree that Eome of the compraints are valid. r wilL address the various issues separately. SAFETY. Horses do not move so fast that they run hikers off the trail. H_orses go t_o great lengths to av6id stepping on others - to the point that they will hurt themselveS-riist. Additionally, horses sense traffic ahead or behind sooner than the rider, and so often alert the rider long before the other party comes into sight. This factor has prevented collisions with motorbikes, Horses are arways ridden with some kind of bridLe and so are under control, not running around roose as
most dogs seem
to be.
MANURE. This debris breaks down in about 24-49 hours. Most horses evacuate when being saddled or in the first guarter miLe of riding - not so great a distance as to precLude separate traiLheads. Horses carry no diseases that are communicabLe to man. Besides, it is great for the birdsj
-9-
voLUME
VI,
NUMBER
2
HO]?SES
sPRrNG, t9B7
lRosroN. .-Ride19 do not like rutted, muddy, overgrorrrn trails,.i, alry more than hikers, aird neither do horses. rhis p="u'i"* that is soLvable. some trails " better need to be rerouted to drained so1I. where demand is high, some traiLs need to be widened to permit the traffic to ipiead out and to get eguipin- some rrairs wilr need more"speciaL' I:II IIT,:1"I nerp in the form of weed chips or filrsrir1 periodicaity. dirt the area'Left r ride, maintenance is a never endiirg headache and rn ugy3rlr to "the other guy. ,, perhaps in ftre future we wiLL be paylng user fees, as ire fishermen, campers, and hun-
ters. rn chester_ county there are many rocar giorpi that are already funding their cmrn maintenance. Also, fr"rry'individuaLs assist in the parks and Land preserves. I am not convinced that inadeguate maintenance is justification for excluding
horses.
Prease Iet me point.gut some benefits of havins horses on we never rirrer. weE picli-uF--1i[i6i-I"il' uy others becauEdTf we don,t, we up iritr, Lame horses and veterinarian biIls. Trails with"ni hories are used almost daily all year, whj-ch in itserf is a deterrent to undesir.ables. effect, riders provide a sort of ,,country watch,,. We are r;1
trails.
basically interested in the same goars ai other outdoor oriented folks i that is, pro-tecting what there is f or the g"oof the environment, and the more we purr together, the more effective our efforts will be The bottom line: there is just not enough space on earth for -eopirlations of each group to have separate facirities. eguines and people are increasirg; open space available both for recreation is not keeping pace. rf hikers and riders cannot get together and solve probrems, then we arl Lose. *Taken from the ICIA Newsletter, Spring, 1995, with the per_ mission of the Editor, Maurice J. Foriester, LTr.
/page -\ /) \rrom There comes a time when the bottom line of care from others or yourseJ.f for many of these hearth hazards, i.e. sunstroke, snake bites, bee allergids, getting rost and the traumatic experiences is to avoid panie, sit d6wn, relax, think things over! It can save your life *created and composed from a personal, in-depth interview betvleen Editor Barbara A. smith, a natural nati:rarist, and coEditor ,John C. Hipps, M.D. -10-
VOLUME
VI
NUMBER 2
N,IORE
HORSES ON
ON HORSES
sPRrNG, 7987
HIKING TRAILS*
Multiple use of trails is a probrem that wiLr not go away. once a trail exists it is coveted. No matter hor^r It *a= designed and engineered, and no matter even who went out and did the work of layout, design and construction; when the trail becomes a rearity, others wirr want to use it. rhe probrem furth_er compticated when (as is usuarly the case) trr. trairis is on pubLic Land. Then we must deal with the phil-osophicar gues_ tion of who hae the right of access to pubrii landsl or vre can make the guestion even mcre difficurt by turning it around and asking who should be denied access
over !h" years the major conflicting use probrems for hj-kers have rnvorved motorized vehicles. r remember some years ago hiking in moderate snc,r^, cover on the Appalachian rrlir in ierks county and encountering a veritable swiim of snorarmobires. (rhey arways seem to tiavel in packs.) There is no need, r suspect, to say that it was not the snowmobiLes who leaped off the traitr to avoid being run dcr,rn. on another occasion - in the summgr this time r was hiking on a remote mountain trail in northcentraL pennsylvania. aiong the trail behind me a dull roar sharpened to the-keening whineof straining gasoline engines. r moved aside as a fiLe of trail bikes swept past. Just in front of me they rode through a.moderateLy wide creek anc tore up a steep bank on the far side, spraying mud, water, and pebbles behind them. rt is becoming crear from these examples, hope, that the probl.em is not re3rly on9.of murtipre use,rbut oi mu1tip1euse.Hikersordinari1.yhLveno6irticuitffi',g "o*patible a winter traiL with skiers or snovushoers. Motoriz6d vehicles] on the oEher hand, t'aise tvro major difficurties: and tra_r! dam-age. _ (The noise caused by the vehicres issafety a third problem, but largely an aesthetic 6ne and r will defer discussion of it to some other occasion.) The safety problem is self-evident. peCestrians and motorized vehicles cannot safely use the same right-of-way at the same time. It is in recognition of this axiom that lities provide sidewalks for pedestrians. Trair damage faLLs in a diiferent category. ft is less of a problem from snormobires because there is normally a cushion of sno!.u between those vehicLes and At oEher times of the year, hor{ever, the lhu treadway. done to a footpath by marauding vehicies can bring tearsdamage of .fyry_to the eyes of a conscienEious trail maintaiier. ftre sim3lJ-e fact is that foot trails in this stite are almost never engineered to standards that can absorb the punishment infLicted by a Erail bike.
-7t-
SPRTNG , Lg87 MORE ON HORSES VI, NUMBER 2 Nour come the horses. Lately there seems to be a grov,ring interest in horseback ridipg in Pennsylvania. With this trend i: have corne the ominous runilclings of anottrer user conflict aborning. Recently my maiL brought me a letter and a flier from an outfitter in northcentral Pennsylvania who offers aII manner of horseback trips in that part of the state. These include (Would you believe?) "skijoring", which is defin,=d as skiing behind a horse. It. sounds not unlike waterskiing in the sncn^r, with locomotion provided by a horse instead of a boat. It is noteworthy that this promotional Literature speaks of "western-styleC trips,, and assures the reader that it is no Ionger necessary to travel to the Far West to experience this type of outing. The American West has a long and largely continuing history of horse traveL. Horses are part of the heritage there, and traiLs have traditionally been designed to accommodate eguestrians. The crucial guestion, then, is whether this Western tradition can be successfully transplanted to Pennsylvania where until recentLy horseback riding was largely limited to a wealthy faction, often referred to disparagingly as "the horsey setr'. The fact is that Pennsylvaniars hiking trails, with few exceptions,. have not been designed with any expectation that they wculd be used by an animal weighing as much as the average horse, and armed with metatr shoes. It is, I believe, the damage done to the treadway that most hikers find disturbing. There are some, of course, who raise objections on aesthetic grounds, relating usualLy to manure. These are a minority, hovrever, in my j udgment. NonetheLess, if eguestrian trail use is increasing, as seems to be the case, it is time the hiking community takes note of that fact and begins to establish a dialogue between hikers and eguestrians. Over the next few issues of this NewsLetter I would like to devote some space to consideration of this matter from aL]. perspectives.. To begin, I have invited the president of-ffi'eGe-s-6elfEoEnty Equine council to write an articLe for the next issue. She has indicated that she will do so. I wouLd also like to hear from oEhers, whatever your opi ion may be. Our Letters Fron Readers column is not used nearL as much as r wou1ETffi':-xffiia'ffi an opinion on this issue Let us hear from you.
voLUME
Another step that might contribute to a hLker/eguestrian dialogue would be to scheduLe at the KLA Annual lr{eeting in September a paneJ- discussion with participation by representative of both trail using communities. Iet's begin ncm to take ste to avoid the kind of trail confrontation that has toc often occurred between hikers and motorized travelers, Ilorses may be guieter than trail bikes, but they are heavy and come egui ped wirh sreel shoes. rhere * problems, so
tE:,?".Bl*"tg).
-72-
voLUME
Vr,
NUMI-iliR 2
NlI.LUAGE
U
NOt{',t'il C()r,N',l'tiy NA't'toNAt_ STATE
New York
sPRrNG, 1987
PDA'I'E
sct:NIC TRArL
"coNIr{ECToRs"
CER'I'II,'IED PEND_INg-EE-RTTFICATION 6.5 One segment of Ehe o1d Erie Canat State Park. Approximately 300 miles of Finger Lakes Trail Segments of Wat.kins
TOTAL
518
Glenn Stat.e Park
Segments of Allegany StaLe Park
Pennsyrvania
LL9.9
Ohio
277.25
Two
segments of Baker
Trai- I
A number of off-road
1BO
69g
segments of Buckeye
Trai I
Michigan
422.65
6.7 miles Barry stare
g77
Game/Yankee Springs llecreation Area
Segmen t,s of N{anis tee National Forest
,
ApproximateIy9.0 miles in Wildness State park A segment of Mackinac
State Park L2,6 miles Hiawatha National Forest 17.0 mile segment Tahquamenon Falls State Park
I,/isconsin Minnesota
67.8 43.0
155
Segments
of the in Trail
Minneso ta-Wiscons
Boundary
Approximately 4,0 miles Jay Cooke StaLe park -L3-
373
voLUME
VI,
I{UMBER
STATE
2
sPRrNG, 1987
MORE 0N.MILEAGE
CERTIFIED
''CoNNECToRS'' psNDmrrcarrox
Minnesot.a (cont.)
TOTAL
Approximately 10.0 miles Savanna State
Fores L/Savanna PorLage StaLe Park
Porti-ons of ILasca State Park Trails
Portions of Tamarac Na l-ional l4liIdIif e Re'f uge
About 4.0 miles of
trails in Maplewood State Park
Nort,h Dakota
2.5
Approximately
25
miles of a 3-phase trail development in
435
Sheyenne National
Gras s Lands
:kComPiled
by the Editors from statistics and written information supplied by the National Park Service and lhe North Dakota Parks and Recreation. Any omissions, discrepancies t ot additions please address them the the Editors' aLtention. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NORTH COUNTRY TRAIL
In March, 1?80, Federal legislation (public Law 96-L99, 16 U.S.C. L2aa(a) ( 8 ) )au.thorized t,he es tablishment of Ehe North Country NaEional Scenic TraiI (NCT) as a component of the National TLails System. lt7hen completed, the authorized trail wilI extend approximately 3,200 miles from the vicinity of Crown Point, New Yoik, to Lake sakakawea state Park on the Missouri River in North Dakota, the route of the Lewis and Clark Nat,ional Historic Trail. The NCT will cross port.ions of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, [di-sconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota. It witl become the longes t continuous f ooLpath in t.he United St?tes incorporat,ing into its selec 1000 miles ,of exisEing trails. of these existing t,rails and Lrail segments, 939.60 miles have been certified as of6'cial segmenEs of the NCT.Meandering through seven norLhern states, it Lakes users t.hrough and to a fascinating diversity of landscapes and scenic, historic, cult,ural, and recreat,ional feat,ures. The- diversity of. the landscapes and features along the NCT is perhaps its most appe?ling quality. rt beckons t[e potential user to come and sample a cross section of midwesLern and (Go to page 76
-74-
VOLUME
VI,
NUMBER 2
NEZ .PERCE
sPRrNG, L987
ABREAST OF 'IT{J] HERD
From tl:e Fo:t ''Aerthold Indian ReservaEion her^rspaper "Ahead Of The Herd", December 5, 19E6. Congress, President Designate 1,I7O-Ir{iIe Nez Perce Trail
il
National Historic. Trail MISSCULA, MP--Congress has passe,l anrl the President has signed legislation (s. L542, Public Law 99-445) desighating the 1,170miLe Nez Perce EraiL, in Oregon, Idaho, Wyorning and Montana, a National Historic Trail. It wil-I nor.r become a part of the National Trails System. Northern RegionaL Forester James C. Overbay said the USDA Forest Service wiIl have primary responsibility fo.r management, deveJ. ment and protection of the historic traiL that begins in northeastern Oregoa, cro,sses ldaho, cuts through Wyoming and ends in the Bear Paw Moun'bains in lvlontana, 40 miles south of the Canadia border.
"This route, used by Nez Perce Chief Joseph and his bai:d rtrhen' they \^rere pursued by the U.S. Army in L877, has importan'E historicaL significance throughout the We.st", Overbay explained. "Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce Indians are still symbols of wes tern indepenlence an,l 'the spirit of freedom. In addition to commemoraEing the journey of the Nez Perce an,l their chiefs, designabion of the trail will provide protection and lastin,J tribute ". As a result of the study of the Nez Perce Trail, authorized under PubLic Law 90-543 in L976, 464 miles of the Erail have l:eea identif ied as high potential- route seg"ments, to be developed for culture and historical identification anrl recreaEion. Of this, 30 percent (L40 miles) is oa priva'Ee lanrls, 3 percent (13 miles) is on state Lands, antl 65 percent (30,5 miles) is on Federal
'Iands
.
In Oregon, the trail is in Wallorva county. In ldaho, the trail is in e1ark, Clearwater, Fremont, Idaho, Leurhi and Lewis Counties. The trail is in Park County in Wyoming. The trail is in 14 count"ies in luontana: Beaverhead, Blaine, Fergus, Gal-Iatin, GoLden Val1ey, Judith Basin, Missoul-a, Park, Phillips , Ravalli, stiJ.Lwater, Sweetgrass , WheatJ.an,l and
Yellotos'Eoie.
Po::tions of the trail are in the Nezp,.lrce (Idaho), Cleai:-water (fdaho) , BitberooE (Ivlontana) , Beaverihead (Montana) , antl CallaEi (Montana) National Forests of the Northern Region; Targhee
( Idaho) , Sho,bhon,a (Wyoming) an,l r,fallorva-I{hitman National Forests.
-15-
(Oregoir)
voLUME
VT,
NLMBI1R 2
ABREAST OF THE HERD,
MORII NEZ
sPRrNG, 1987
continued:
legislat,ion, passed by congress and signed by rhe President Th" last month, call-s f or thc devclopmcn t. of a-comprehensive pran within two years (by 1988) for the management, lnd protection of the historic trail. overbay said the Forest servile will be working wlth ot,her Federal and st.ate agencies, private organLzaEions, rndian Tribes and individuals along the lrail route. The Nez Perce Historic Trail will link up with the Lewis & Clark Historic Trail and the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. Rerat.ed his t.oric places along. Lhe t.rail include: Big Hole National Battlef ield (t'tontana), Bear Paw BaEtle Comm6morative site (t"tontana) , North Absaraka'ldilderness in the shoshone National Forest. (WyominS), Yellowst.one National Park (I,'Tyoming), and the Nez Perce Nationat Historical park (faano). Overbay said the Northern Region hiill soon begin organi zing an advi-sory council to provide advice and consulEant support in preparing tf,u comprehensive management plan for the Nez perce (Nee-Me-Poo) TraiI. EDI-COM - Good l-uck to this , the lates t of the National His toric TraiIs ! (From page L4) HIGFILIGHTS OF THE NORTH COUNTRY TRAIL
cont.
northeasLern America and caplivates t.he mind of one on the trail with a kaleidoscope of scenes of a deveroping America and the wild, undeveroped resources from which it-grew. The hiker will expgrience the grandeur of the Adirondack Mountains, t.he tranquility of the rural farm countryside., the splendor'of placid lakes qnd sparkling sLreams among forested hills, the boundlessness of the nort,hern prairies, the merging of water and sky at the horizon of the Great Lakes, and tEe nostalgia of histbric canals and abandoned Iogging and mining communities. (From page L2) them and lry to find solutions.
:kraken from the KTA NewsletLer, [,lint.er, 1985, with the permission of the Editor, Maurice J. Forrester, Jr.
-76-
voLUr.rE
vr,
NUMBER 2
SPECIAL FEATURE
sPRrNG, L987
EDI-NOTE: At our Autumn meeting in October, 1985 at Warren, PA, Art ll,rl l and Aavo us a l^rri ef ncws i tem l-hn L lrad appcared in Ehe Newsl,:tter of the InLernaEionaI Backpackers Associat.ion in L978. It concerned the North Country Trail Hike of that year under the Ieadership of Carolyn Hoffman. We contacted Carolyn who responCed wi.th the letter reproduced below in its entirety. It is a mosL interesting bit of early history of NCT that, is new and news history about which we have been unaware. Dear l'ldi tors
:
I apoLogize for not. immediately answering your letter. I don't live at the address at which you wroLe me any longer, and the letter was not immediately forwarded. I am somewhat surprised you are not familiar wit,h the North Country Trail hike of L978. IL was undertaken with the sponsorship of the then InternaLional Backpackers Assoc., headed by Lance Feild. I spent abouL L4 mont,hs planning lhe hike, using U.S.G.S. maps provided by Lance. He got them from a man who had planned t,o hike the trail but had either not begun or quit shortly after beginning. Our group was the first, I believe, to hike the entire route of Lhe NorLh Count.ry Trail. It, took abouL 72 monLhs. Eive of us left Crown Point,, N.Y. March 5, L978 (in 1980 President Carter was to officially designate the NCT as an addition to the U.S. frails system on March 5, 1980). I,{e were, in addition to myself, Lou Ann PeIIows of La Mesa, Ca., Richard Rice of Lubbock, Tx., Fred Rubenfeld of Brooklyn, N.Y. and Tim Line of Knoxville, Tenir
lef t Crown Point,, it was on snowshoes for 6 weeks through the Adirondacks. We had good weat.her for Lhat t,ime of year, withouL encount,ering blizzards or much additional snow. Our coldest night was -288. We followed the route of the NCT as best as possible since in many areas there was (and is) no existing t,raiI. We followed existing trails when possible but also wat,er courses, canals, railroad tracks, old logging roads, sometlmes paved roads .anything that felI within the 5-mile wide corrider proposed for Ehe trail. After 6 weeks all three men dropped out, ciling money problems, injuries, etc. Lou Ann and I continued. In Ohio the NCT is supposed t,o follow Ehe Buckeye Trail, most of hich is along back country and paved roads. Herer wâ&#x201A;Ź bought bicycles because we found.backpacking along roads t,o be intolerable While we were on bikes, Lou Ann _was injured and went home to recuperaLe. I went on alone for almost 2 months, resuming backpacking near Grand Rapids, MI. !trhen h/e
-77
-.
voLUME
VI,
NUMBER
2
SPRING. 1987
sNowSHoE
Lou Ann re j oincd mc in Ll-rc Upper l'cr-rinsula of I'lichigan, where rre hiked along t.he 'shore of Lake Superior. We f inished t.he hike together on 0ct,. 13, 1978 in Four Bears Park, Norlh Dakot,a. Along t,he way we heard and saw wolves, coyotes, elk, fox and many other animals and birds. l{e meE a lot. of people along the way who have since become active in the NCT, including Pat Allen of the Michigan group. After reLurning I prepared a stat.e-by-state evaluation of the route, which rvas sent Lo Lance Feild. I kept a daily journal of t.he tr:i p anrl took ncarl y 1 ,000 s I i dcs . I hope this gives you some informalion about our trip. If you need anything else please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely, Carolyn Hoffman
SNOI'SHOES ON THE NORTH COUNTRY TRAII-
Ginny Wunsch jumped out, of bed early to stoke a fire to warm twelve hearLy souls at t.he HeadquarLers building in ttThite Cloud. I t was a day EhaL snowshoes and the Nort.h Country Trail would
meet !
!
l/e took off on Ehe North Country Trail trail head near there, crossing over t.he Whit.e River on our new bridge!! ! It was a fun day, a snow-perfect day. The temperature was well below zero as we passed through the woods and viewed beaut.iful frozen rivers, creeks and ponds layered with snow on every tree branch, stump, and fence post,. Deer criss-crossed in front of us as if playing games, curious to see these big-foot creaLures out in this kind of weather. Aft.er hamburgers and coffee at Sally's Restaurant in White Cloud, Ginny Wunsch, ArE and Mary tlolland, RuL,h Sack, Darlene Sydner, George and Vernice Schad, Rut.h Art.hur, Marvin Moon, But.ch and Glena Balk and Edie Osbourne decided on anoLher snowshoe t,rip February 22,
.lim CarIson, many thanks for your experLise on snowshoes! And many thanks Eo alI for Lhe super outing and one more way to enjoy the NorLh CounLry TraiM Come and 6e a part of itltl
Art Holland. --1
iJ
-
VOLUME
VI, NW
TTIE END
"THE LrvJ,NG, E+{D"
IS ALIVE
SPRING, ].987
re leased Lo*-,!he,ir Agency
.1
on the
There is a North Dakota! It is a I ive wi t,h boo t, s kicking thanks Eo people like Pam Dryer and
Ma ter ia Is on the Nor th Coun try Trail and the North Country Dakota Backpackers from Trail Association were Ieft wiE tsi smarck. Pam for her continued use and we have a youth group intereste 0n January 13 Pam and I attended in helping at the "Grass Roots" a reorgan Lzat iona I mee t ing o f of the Trail! these outdoor enLhusiasts whose interests lie in not only back- A1I in aII it was refreshing to packing but rock climbing, snow me e t and ta lk wi t,h s o many nea t shogirg, X-country *kiing, ga- and nice people and s t,ar t the noeing, running, camping, -bicy- snowball rolIing.. . ... .. ... .... cling and on and on. As Pam puL it, "North Dakota is As everyone in turn in t,roduced the beginning as well as t,he end [hemselves and their int,erests, of the North Country Trail" and I counted some 50 or so in at- may I add "The Living End" ! t endance . Imag ine tha t ! Nor th Pam, are you listening?! Dakota!! Back EasL, it is hard to find so many enthusiastic Smithipps Hoorah for North people and in one room! ! ! Dakota, times three. The vectors crossed at just the Barbara A. Smi th rigtrt moment for Pam and I. We were able Eo in troduce the Nor th Coun try Tra i I and the Nor th Country TraiI Assoeiation t,o the Dakota Backpackers and approach them on t,he i r he Ip and inpu t concern ing the many mi les ye t to be laid in Nor th Dako Ea. Membership, the 1990 Hike, Board Members and St,at.e Coordinators, and a po s s ib Ie Nor t,h Dako t,a Chapter of the North Country TraiI Association were present,ed
and discussed.
Pam works f or the Nor t,h Dako ta Parks and Recrea t, ion and wi 1l be working rui t,h the U. S , Fores t Service to help them develop a 25 mi Ie sec t ion of the North Coun try Tra i I in the Sheyenne National Grasslands in North Dako ta . She wi I I a I so be proPeter the lioIfe demonstrati.,g moting the Nort,h Country Trail through programs with the Dakota trail cooking at the 0ntonagon Backpackers including the excel- County Fair, MI, July, 1986 Photo by Ruth MaeFarland. Ient slideshow/taIk recently
-19-
vol,uME
vT,
NTJMRnR 2
AC IiN DA
NORTH COUNTRY
SPRING, 1,987
TRAIL ASSOCIATION
AGENDA
Friday, May 15 Djrrner Board MeeLing PIace: iianda's Res taurant,, White Cloud, Michigan Time: 6:00['.M. L. Opening remarks by Dreis 2. Minutes of last board meeting 3. Budget for L987 4. S La Lc Coo rcl ina t,ors Nomina t ing Commi t. t.ee recommenda t ions 5. 6. North Dakota and Minnesota 7. Headquarters Building 8. The Big Ilike in L990 9. The summ( r hike in the Upper Peninsula 10. NCT exh j l.,it aL t.he ATC meet.ing LL. Fall meeting in Minnesota L2. AnyLhing clse from board members Saturday, May L6 ,\nnual members meeting at HeadquarLers Building, White Cloud, Michigan
9:00
A.M.
10:00 A.M. 10:15 A.l'1.
1. 2. 3. 4, 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Coffee and rolls Call t.o order & opening remarks by Bob Dreis Business meeting
Minutes of last, member's meeLing Treasurer.'s report
State Co'ordinat.ors reporLs Headquarters Building ' The Big Hike in L99O Wes Lern Michigan Chapt.er activities Local hikes on SaLurday & Sunday. Leader, Ginny l{unsch. Ot.her it.ems, dependant. on ouLcome of executive board mee t ing . Election of officers and board members. The passing of Ehe t,orch. Program - to be announced.
The noon lunch will be served on Ehe headquarLers grounds, court.esy of Lhe Wes tern Michigan Chapt.er. A donation of $3.00 would be appreciafed.
Staying overnight in the headquarLers or camping out on the hcarlquartcrs grottncls is wcl cotnccl.
13. Exciting Newsletter update and future plans.
-20-
voltrME
vT,
NUMRIIR 2
.APPLICATION
;I
SPRTNG, t987
APPI,TCATTON FOR MEMBERSH
Arrrrual Dues (membership year runs f r,,n't OcLobcr 1 Lo Sc-.1>L.cnrlr<.r 31)
f
s':li'i
e,''"'
i''
NCTA.
l'.O. Ilox 311 te Cloud, MI
Irtrhi
49349
.Date
I wish to join the North Country Trail Association. Enclosed is $ for a memEEffiip.
Adult,.... ....$ 10.00 Family... ....$ 15.00 Stuclent. g 5.00 OrganizaLion.. ....$ 25.00 Supporting ...$ 50.00 Donor ...$ 250.00 Life ....$ 300.00 P'rtron ..95000.00 C,r:irnâ&#x201A;Źrcial. .......$ 500.00
Name
Address
Phone
:';:.;k:k:k:k:k:'r:';:,r:k.,'..:k:.r:k:k:k:l:k:kz.r:k.&:k:t:krk:.r.&:k:k:k;k:'r:.izk:t:k:.c:kzt:kzk
Er
c
,-
los ed
iuding
is$
pos tage )
for
NCTA PATCHES
.
($3.25 each, in-
Scnd to: ADDRESS
Pl r ase complete:
r ijm interes ted in f urthering the work .of the NCTA by: Congtr.ucting a.nd maintaining trails Building 3nd maint.aining shelters and campsites Rggional Newsletter reporter Clq.=ical, secretarial, - typing work Member:sh i p Dcve lopmen t Liaison with area LraiI organizaEions O
ther
:
The following person(s) want
to
become members
Name
Addres
s
Phone
-21-.
of
NCTA:
VOLUME VT
NUMBER 2
ADVERTI
S
sPRrNG,
ING
1,987
It Concerns: 'lhis is to inform you that the NorEh Country TraiI Association will init.iate t.he following described advertising policy with t.he Spring , L987 issue: Dear You, To
Whom
PAGE SIZE
ONE ISSUE
L/8 L/4 L/2
$1s.00 $2s.00 $40.00 $70.00
L
Copy deadlines for L987 are March December L, t987 .
THREE ISSUES (1987)
$ 40.00 $ 65.00 $100.00 $17s.00
L, t987, August L, L987 and The
P.0. Box 243 Emporium, Pa. a
14-486-4
A Caring Concern For The Environment; HumanKind, Earth Universe
15834
38 3
t/e of WONDERWORLD invite you to share our caring concern for the Rhyme and Reason of our ITONDERWORLD as expressed through rhe genEIe and soft touch of Lhe Seasonal Rhythm in t,he NaEural l.lorld. Through our yindow, you wiII view beaut,if ul photography and hear lovely prose written in exquisile calligraphy for the feeling person in you. You will breath, tast.e, and touch .Appalachian Mountain Country Earth through its days and nights, around the calendar and over its year. Share nllh WONDERI{ORLD rhis caring concern for all Ehat is good, rich, and meaningful in this life with a matted 8" x 10" Calllgraphied MagnifiProse/ |lagnifiPrint of your own. Signed originals; all procectively wrapped; yours ready to frame.
.
AN HEIRLOOM OF QUALITY
.
invit,e you as friends who have been acquainted with af fairs over the past tuo years to be the f irst to receive this discount, pre-catalog announcement of Ehe availability of our present art-works. We respectfully ask you Eo select one or more of our 11000 originals from Ehe follouing list of subjecLs and themes: Subjects: Animal, Bird, Butterfly, Cloud, Rainbow, Silhouette, Slream, Sunrise/SunseL, WlIdf Iorer Autumn, Educational, Humorous, Philosophical, Romantic, Spring, Strmmer, Winter IlagnifiPrints atre those wiLh calligraphied titles and names at a cost of $20.00. IlagnifiProse a:e Ehose wit,h trr,o to four lines of calligraphied poetic prose at a cosL of $25.00. .4J We
IJONDERIIORLD
-22-
Editors
'V,IOXVC It,l,)l()l,l ()J, IU0,t M:,lN lAlOUd 'l IVtl,L 'IVCIUOfSIH CNV CINACS TVNOIJVN' OgZIUOJOIItr-NONI' gSO-fJTt,lN' N0SVES-TTV 'gruN 9fi2'e I ',r;,
NORTH COUNTRY
P.0. B0x311
TRAIL ASSOCIATION Nm-protrl Org.
wHrTE CLoUD, MTCHIGAN &9349
U.S
POSTAG€
PAIO Patflti,
No.4?
dlocloan. ME,lt.
e77'I
FIS?
{:lHI'; & }'.lEL-FFJ l{rqt-[-ER 3E NEEHHAUET.I TIR I T,{rqtrA NY 1q'g5ril
SNOWSHOEJ
BIKEJ
HIKE,I
SKI
I
PADDLEJ
RUN
J