North Star Vol. 25, No. 1 (2006) by NCTA Staff

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Ruminations of an Old Cow Svr• ..,,.,\c\, by Irene Szabo Associate Editor

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t was four degrees this morning, even after sunrise made all the bare bushy twigs glitter with their full-length socks of hairy frost. An immature Cooper's hawk who apparently still hasn't learned all his ropes sat in my bird feeder tree, perhaps waiting for a tasty dove-bar to sit down in front of him? The brattier small birds, chickadees and nuthatches, still dived and dithered about the feeder, grabbing seeds on the far side of too many branches for even that nimble hawk to fly through. Yes, I am making a conscious effort to enjoy the features of winter, since they are what we've got, no way around it, instead of resenting some wintry limits on my favorite activities. While it's frustrating to stop doing trail work, which may just be my favorite thing, I do look forward to indulging myself in some things there just isn't time for during the season when the lawn begs for mowing weekly and trails are embarrassing us with riotous growth. There is actually time in winter for wandering through antique stores, visiting museums, and doing projects inside my seasonally neglected home. However, the fact remains that deep snow does prevent me from doing anything USEFUL outside, other than creating firewood, so activity is limited to mere recreation, hardly a worthy occupation for a properly driven obsessive person deeply afflicted with the Protestant ethic. One votefor keeping the So while snowshoeing cowpoured in. Alicia is grand exercise, and Hoffarth, board member keeps me from rusting who grew up on a ranch over all winter, it doesn't PRODUCE anything in North Dakota, likes except damp longjohns, her, so she stays! alas. People who permit themselves "mere" recreation certainly have a leg up on me in the relaxation department. If nothing else, we can plot and dream about trail projects we can do once we can see the ground again. Some winters I have been able to build new trail when there is little or no snowcover, and as Harvey Tjader's articles have demonstrated, the leafless season is the perfect time to choose a trail route, simply because we can see the lay of the land. Most winters, though, all we can do is make lists of next year's trail improvement projects, and then hope for enough

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good weather to finish all of them. If you've ever attended one of Bill Menke's trail building workshops, you should have developed a passion for building walkable pathways. While none of us intentionally builds poor trail in our beloved adopted portions, our paths do deserve an honest winter examination, even if only through reverie, to see if there are places where the slanted footbed strains ankles or causes slipping, or sections where a hiker's eyes are exploding from his skull due to the coronary caused by that steep hill, or little erosions are becoming severe losses. So spend winter dreaming of ways to improve the trail next season. For those of us who have learned a lot from Bill's visits to our local workshops, we mourn the change in his job responsibilities you'll read about on page 30. Trail friends from Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, however, are rejoicing that they will reap the fruits of our first-ever regional trail coordinator, which is Bill's new hat. Lucky them! But it's a huge step for the NCTA to start with this one regional trail advisor, since our dream is to have one in each state someday. This issue of the North Star features our annual "state of the trail" collection of reports from chapters and affiliates. As our editor emeritus Werner Veit said in this same issue last year, if you don't see your chapter's report in here, it is because nobody sent one in when asked! But the many who did respond gave us a fascinating sampling of the good projects undertaken this past year, both on the trail and in public outreach efforts. Feel free to steal the good ones.

North Country Trail AssociationMission Statement The mission of the North Country Trail Association is to develop, maintain, preserve and promote the North Country National Scenic Trail through a national network of volunteers, chapters, parmer organizations and government agencies.

The Association achieves its mission by creating, encouraging and supporting programs of public education, membership services, recreational opportunities and resource and corridor protection in keeping with its Vision for the Trail.

A Glance Inside

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229 East Main Street, Lowell, MI 49331 Phone (866) HikeNCT • 616-897-5987 Fax (616) 897-6605 www.northcountrytrail.org

Staff Tiffany Stram, GJS Coordinator tiffanystram@northcountryrrail.org

Clare Cain, Director of Trail Management clarecain@northcountrytrail.org

Jennifer Tripp,

Development and Communications Coordinator jenrripp@norchcounrrytrail.org

Bonnie Wayman, Office Manager bonniewayman@no rthcountrytrail.org

Bill Menke, Regional Trail Coordinator bill_menke@partner.nps.gov

Glory Meyer, Public Services Coordinator glorymeyer@norchcountrytrail.org

Allison Barr, Accountant allisonbarr @norchcountrytrail.org

Matt Rowbotham, GIS Assistant

In May, a special work party replaced two damaged bridges on the Buckeye/North Country Trail in Burr Oak State Park, Ohio. Many volunteers worked hard along the entire trail in 2005 and have big plans for 2006. Read all the chapter and affiliate reports on page 16 in the annual State of the Trail article.

mattrowbotham @northcountrytrail.org

National Board of Directors Terms Expiring 2006 James Baldwin, At Large Rep., (269)382-3808

· jgbaldwin@earchlink.com

Sarah Julien, Secretary, At Large Rep., (616)676-0172

· juliensarah@yahoo.com

Christopher Klein, VP Finance, Minnesota Rep., (218) 738-3988 · kleinll@midwestinfo.com

Columns

Articles

Editor's Note On the Trail.. Going for the Gold Trailhead

2 13 27 29

Al Larmann, At Large Rep., (315)697-3387 · AFLarmann@msn.com

Terms Expiring 2007 Joyce Appel, Pennsylvania Rep., (724)526-5407

· joyceappel@arm-tek.net

Lyle Bialk Michigan Rep., (810)679-2401

· lylebialk@sbcglobal.net

Carl Boesel, Ohio Rep., (740)385-0074

· gboesel@hocking.net

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

5 6 31 36 38

Memoriam: Barbara McMartin 4 Board Report 8 2005 Triad Highlights 9 Trail Tales 11 Start Scouting 14 State of the Trail 16 Thoughts, with Clarity 24 A Petite Anniversary 26 Volunteer Hours Count 28

Bobby Koepplln, At Large Rep., (701)845-2251

· bkoepplin@kwh.com

John Leinen, President, At Large Rep., (651)433-4456

· foorparhpalgimsn.com

Irene Szabo, VP East, At Large Rep., (585)658-4321

· treeweenie@aol.com

Terms Expiring 2008 Mary Coffin, New York Rep., (315)687-3589

· mcoffinl@twcny.rr.com

Allcla Hoffarth, VP West, North Dakota Rep., {701)490-3889

About the Cover While trying to forget about the cold, blustery winter in the North Country, volunteers are hard at work planning the 2006 trail work season. Last fall, Michigan's Grand Marias Chapter enjoyed a beautiful work day along Lake Superior. Photo by Clare Cain.

· cahoffarthgihormail.com

Terry Serres, At Large Rep., (612)414-4116 · serrest@comcast.net

North Star Staff Irene Szabo, Associate Editor Jennifer Tripp, Associate Editor Aaron Phipps, Art Director The North Star, Winter Issue, Vol. XXIIV, Issue I, is published by the North Country Trail Association, a private, notfor-profit 50l(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 righrs reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the North Country Trail Association.

In Memoriam: Barbara McMartin

Adirondacks Lose Author, Longtime Trail Advocate By Bill Ingersoll Central New York Chapter

Adirondack author and historian Barbara McMartin, 73, fl.passed away in September after a long illness. A prominent figure in the region, with 25 books and an uncounted number of magazine articles to her credit, her loss has been felt throughout northern New York. For over thirty years, Barbara was heavily involved in many environmental and land management issues affecting the Adirondack Park, through long hours of committee work, historical research, and lots of hiking. Barbara published her first guidebook in 1974. She envisioned a series of books that would not only take readers to the trails " ... some people tend to forthemselves, but also open get how few foot trails have their eyes and minds to the natural world around them been built in wildernesses and to the Adirondacks' rich outside the High Peaks," cultural heritage. Barbara McMartin wrote in one of her descriptions of For a short period, she the proposed NCNST route in worked with the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) to the southern Adirondacks. produce its park-wide series of guidebooks. However, when ADK decided to format its series with terse, to-thepoint directions, Barbara promptly backed out of the project. She described the ADK books as "where you put your feet guides," not the "where you take your head guides" that she favored. She found another publisher and, with the help of many contributors, produced her own "Discover the Adirondacks" series, which was completed in 1989. One of her priorities was to convince land managers and environmental groups of the need to create attractive hiking trail networks throughout the Adirondacks, to counter the excessiveuse levels of the High Peaks region. However, she found few allies within the prevailing preservationist climate. ''As an advocate for dispersing hikers throughout the Park, I

For over thirty years, she was heavily involved in many environmental and land management issues affecting the Adirondack Park ...

"Discover the Adirondacks " guidebook series author, Barbara McMartin on Crane Mountain in the southern Adirondacks.

was frustrated from the start in ways I never expected," she once wrote. "I talked about diverting hikers from the High Peaks until I was blue in the face." She turned her attention to specific trail proposals that she hoped would be charismatic enough that people would rally to the cause. Among these were two proposals that she put forth for the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCNST). Both routes would lead hikers deep through the wilds of the southern Adirondacks, and her conceptual maps show a dizzying array of possible alternatives. Her NCNST proposals consist almost entirely of new trail, which to Barbara was the whole point. "In all the brouhaha over the High Peaks and [their] excessivenumber of trails and their overuse, some people tend to forget how few foot trails have been built in wildernesses outside the High Peaks," she wrote in one of her descriptions of the southern NCNST route. The significance of her historical research has been staggering, and her guidebooks have introduced countless people to the secrets and wonders of the Forest Preserve. While Barbara herself may be gone, her influence will be felt in Adirondack affairs for years to come. Bill Ingersoll has assumed the editorial duties of Barbara McMartin's "Discover the Adirondacks" series of guidebooks, which he will continue to revise and reissue.

Top Recruiters

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

State North Dakota Minnesota Wisconsin Michigan Ohio Pennsylvania New York Totals

Percent Done and Certified

Miles Certified

46.1% 28.4% 57.2% 54.2% 30.2% 47.5% 42.4% 42.8%

219.1 106.6 114.3 623.3 317.5 126 264.8 1,771.6

Change Other Since Last Off-Road Issue Miles

0 0 4.4 0 0 0 3.9 8.3

1.8 3.4 5.5 127.2 39.6 44.6 86.8 308.9

Total Off Road Miles

Marked Road Miles*

220.9 110.0 119.8 750.5 357.1 170.6 351.6 2,080.5

0 0 4.9 9.0

22.7

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 Total ...............

Current Members

Change Since Last Quarter

68 238 277 1,445 375 324 331 164 3 222

67 233 268 1,413 338 292 271 139 3,021

-1 -5 -9

-32 -37 -32

-201

Percent Change

-1.5% -2.1% -3.2% -2.2% -9.9% -9.9% -18.1% -15.2% -6.2%

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Recruiting Members

Fastest Growing Chapters

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

Highest percentage growth among our chapters since the last issue:

Al Larmann John Heiam Pat Hudelson John & Pat Leinen Doug Springboro

Peter Wolfe North Dakota Sandhills Allegheny National Forest.. Hiawatha Shore to Shore Harbor Springs

3 2 2 2 2

Bob Tait John Kincaid John and Pat Leinen Al & Mary Kunzler Larmann Richard Naperala Gaylord Yost.. Jerry & Connie Pausits Allen Bill Menke Doug Welker Gene & Jean Elzinga Dave & Jan Cornell Irene Szabo

121 70 52 46 45 27 25 24 24 23 22 22

Partner Support

*Marked Road Miles reflect those road miles that are both blazed and marked wirh NCT Connector signs. ........................ -····-······················ ·····················································

Members Last Issue

Below are the members ofNCTA who have recruited the most new members overall. Thanks to everyone for their help in spreading the word about the North Country Trail! Congratulations!

11% 11% 6% 4% 4%

We work closely with several organizations where the NCT coincides with other trails. Many members generously support both the NCTA and these partners. Here is what we show for overlapping membership: Finger Lakes Trail Conference .. 145 Buckeye Trail Association 97 Superior Hiking Trail Association 69 Kekekabic Trail Club 9 NW Ohio Rails-to-Trails Assoc 11 Parks & Trails Council of Minn 7 Butler Outdoor Club 3 Rachel Carson Trail Conservancy.. 1

Volunteers on the Trail Thanks to the following volunteers who have reported the most hours during the third quarter of 2005: Richard Kroener John Leinen Jerry Trout.. Al Larmann Rolf Swanson Richard Krieger Jerry Keeney Tom Pflueger Joan Young

396 353 249 236 200 145 132 120 120

NCT Unveils Maps on New Durable, Waterproof Paper s ofJanuary 2006, all topographic maps sold by the North Country Trail Association (NCTA) will be printed on "Durapaper." This magical paper is really a coated polyester film - waterproof, durable, and soil resistant. You can read it in the rain and not ruin it; folding and refolding will not make the print crack or disappear, but still the same 11" x 17" folded to pocket-size you have come to know and love. In the summer of 2005, the NCTA Cartography Department received funds from the National Park Services Challenge Cost Share program to purchase a new Xerox color printer. The new printer is great asset for printing maps, but will also be used to print small quantities of professional looking brochures, flyers, and posters for your local chapter. For more information on printing for your chapter, contact Jennifer Tripp at the NCTA office. Now is the time to replace your old worn maps with the new plastic ones! The new Durapaper maps sell for $4.50 and are available by mail from the Trail Shop on page 31 or order online at www.northcountrytrail.org.

HIKING~

-Gail Blakeley

Chapter Awarded Kodak Grant

Now you don't have to worry about taking your NCT hiking map out in the rain, in fact, you can even eat your trail lunch on it!

Got Craisins? Last July, Craisins" arrived by the box load all along the North Country Trail (NCT). Fifteen hundred Craisins" packs were generously donated to each chapter by Ocean Spray, Inc. The old adage, "Waste not, want

Recipes Available: The recipes for the tasty dishes prepared in the Trailside Gourmet program this summer at the Petoskey, Mich., Annual Conference are available from Fred Szarka, our National Park Service Trail Manager, on 5" x 8" index cards or on CD. Contact Fred at Fredrlck_Szarka@nps.gov to request a copy; you did not have to attend the workshop to receive them.

the Little Beaver Historical Society Fall Dinner. Craisins" were available for our weekly Tuesday Morning Trail Work Volunteers. We distributed NCT information and Craisins" at a local Regatta. At two Christmas Parades, we proudly walked behind our chapter's banner, distributing NCT information, candy and ... Craisins", To end the year and beat the expiration date, Craisins" packs added holiday color to the rabies at our annual Wampum Chapter Christmas Dinner and Slide Program. You got Craisins速? We got ours! Special thanks to Fred Szarka, NPS Trail Manager, who made our NCT Craisins" bonanza possible.

North Dakota's Sheyenne River Valley Chapter received a grant from the Kodak American Greenways Awards Program. The $1,000 grant will assist the chapter in developing approximately 13 miles of trail between Valley City and Lake Ashtabula. Development of this trail segment will require extensive work with multiple landowners to determine the route and secure easements. Funds will be used for developing and filing easements, material for fence stiles, and other trail construction supplies. The Sheyenne River Valley Chapter is one of only 47 groups awarded nationwide.

-Alicia Hoffarth not," occurred to me. Wampum Chapter incorporated Craisins速 into many chapter activities. Craisins" were included in the NCT information packets that we distributed at our VFW Annual Card Party and at

This fall, Board President John Leinen, Jr. presented Ginny Ruppe with the Association 's Communicator of the Year award.

How Do You Volunteer?

In November, members in the Minneapolis area exhibited at Midwest Mountaineering 's bi-annual Outdoor Adventure Expo! Sea-to-Sea hiker Andrew Skurka stopped by in between speaking engagements to chat with NCTA Board President John Leinen. Andy will be doing a talk and slideshow tour at over 100 locations during the first half of 2006 entitled "Two Seas, Two Feet: One Man's Journey Across the Continent," sponsored by Golite速 and BalanceBar速 . To see if he is coming to your neighborhood, visit his site at www. andrewskurka .com.

Challenge Cost Share The Sheyenne River Valley Chapter recently purchased a tool trailer with the help of the National Park Service (NPS) Challenge Cost Share program. The trailer is being used to store and transport the tools and supplies the chapter needs for trail construction and maintenance. The trailer also assists in promoting the North Country Trail while sitting at a work site or when used in promotional parades, etc. Although the NPS has been extremely helpful in providing our chapter with tools and the trailer, a few necessary items were still needed. This included a set of ramps to assist in loading and unloading the DR Mower that is used extensively in North Dakota, as much of the trail needs to be mowed. Also purchased was safety equipment for use with the DR Mower and additional power equipment the chapter may use for trail construction and maintenance.

-Alicia Hoffarth

n the course of working with chapters, I have noticed that those chapters that are really successful have volunteers in key positions that other chapters don't. Successful chapters do not function with "top-down" leadership, or with only a tiny group of individuals who do all the work or hold the reins tightly. Rather, successful chapters have a large group of volunteers, each doing important tasks coordinated with one another. Many volunteers would like to get involved but feel intimidated by the "trail dogs." These are volunteers who do not or cannot work out on the trail doing maintenance or construction, but want to assist the chapter in its trail responsibilities. They are out there, but need to be asked to assist. When a new member joins the chapter, be sure contact them to offer each one a role in the support of your chapter and the trail. Foremost among these are volunteers who plan and prepare meals for the work crew or outing. If your chapter has a "Camp Cook" you are indeed fortunate, because your chapter attracts workers and participants. Camp Cook/Chef: The camp cook is a volunteer who is willing and able to plan menus, purchase food, and prepare great tasting hearty meals. Look for long time campers, scout leaders, or folks with a reputation for great food at potlucks. Don't restrict yourself to women or the infirm, but look to those members who aren't committed to other activities and remember that many hands make light work. It is okay to have a couple cooks. Provide your Camp Cooks with proper equipment; consider applying for Challenge Cost Share funds to outfit a Wannigan or Chuck Wagon setup. This could include Dutch ovens, a high output propane cooker, a broiling rack, fire pans, various utensils, and of course dishwashing and drying racks. Another key volunteer is the communications officer, a person who will manage a telephone tree, web mailings, newsletter, and so on. Not every chapter has to have a huge Web site, but communications with members and the local media is critical and should not be the responsibility of the Chapter President. Communications Officer: This volunteer needs to attend all meetings, and maintain communications to members and friends. The Communication officer maintains contact with members and keeps them informed of work projects, outings, and meetings. This might include a telephone "tree" to call out volunteers in an emergency, or for a special project. In addition, they make sure that the local paper and other media outlets (TV & Radio) are aware of chapter activities especially work days and accomplishments. While the Chapter President could do these things, it is far better to allow another volunteer to handle these activities.

-Fred Szarka Look for these volunteer roles in fature issue.

Board Meets, Supports Great Eastern Trail and Exploring NCT Route Extensions

n Saturday, December 3, the North Country Trail planners in New York's Department of Environmental Association Board of Directors gathered in Lowell, Mich., Conservation and worked on route. A planning template was to discuss business off the trail. given to Cain to complete by February 2006. The next step is updating maps with the GIS Department who will be assistThe Board enjoyed full participation having all Directors present including Terry Serres, a new Minnesota Board meming in writing the plan. ber. Minnesota delegations have been working on the Route A letter of support for a Sheyenne River Valley Chapter Adjustment and Willing Seller Bill but there is no response at this time from the co-author on Minnesota Route grant application and the minutes of the August meeting were approved before the Board adjourned for an Executive Adjustment. Session. The Board discussed the formation of the Great Eastern President Leinen reported on the actions during the sesTrail. A coalition asked for support on proposed trail to run sion. The Board confirmed the decision no to reopen the from New York to Florida, paralleling the Appalachian Trail, Executive Director position at this time. Board member Jim but to the west. The Board passed a resolution supporting the Baldwin accepted the position of volunteer manager. The creation of the Great Eastern Trail to meet up with the North decision to change the Bookkeeper title to Accountant also Country Trail in New York but not along the NCT. passed. Support for the concept of extending the North Country The 2005 year-to-date financial report was presented and National Scenic Trail route to accommodate the Sea-to-Sea the 2006 budget were passed with limited discussion. Route was discussed. A resolution of support was passed for the National Park Service to investigate the possibility of The Board approved a new investment policy for the Association. extending the trail east into Vermont and west into Montana. A review of the Director of Trail Management and Tom Gilbert stated the concept would have to go through the Development and Communications Coordinator's job a process to amend legislation and would require formal descriptions was conducted. The positions needed to have analysis and public input similar to the Minnesota Route quantifiable measures of performance. A draft version was Adjustment. passed as a working copy. A completecopy of the minutes can befound on the North Several committees reported on their work in 2005. The Country Trail Association Web site at www.northcountrytrail. Land Trust Committee plans to meet in January and present org. The next NCTABoard of Directorsmeeting will be April the Board with a land trust policy in April. The Legislative 22, 2006, in Lowell, Michigan. committee will evaluate value of the annual Hike the Hill advocacy trip. Chair Larmann reports most politics are handled at the local level; suggesThfr stone, fo3 anl1fate ca6in WM 6u;ft 6e{ore the 1lmerican 1<.tvofufion anl currentÂ§ serves tions and comments are tu the 'Penn5!1fvania State .f.o':Je {or North Country Traif 1&1ociafion 110funteer1 antf hikf"!} welcome and needed to give refateloutl0or3roup1 . .f.ocafelin Moraine Slate 'Parkri3hton the North Country TraiT!! direction on legislative area for this committee. The Field Grant Committee reported 10 more field grants approved compared to last year but still has money available. Chairman Koepplin reported the For information: 1-866-liikeNCT Nominating Committee or email Linda. Matchett needs five board member lmatchettÂŽzoomintemet.net nominations for the spring meeting. Thisfacility is maintained Clare Cain gave an by the aenerous efforts of Adirondack Park planNCTA~ Pennsylvania ning update. She spent two State TrailCouncil weeks in the Adirondack and met with all unit

Stay at the Historic Davis Hollow Cabin!

Triad 2005 s

Wisconsin Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest hosts agency meeting By Eric Flood Allegheny National Forest Wilderness Ranger

Anne went on to emphasize the importance of the NCNST Triad, as well as other organizational partnerships, in ensuring the successful long-term management of the trail. This theme was frequently reinforced throughout the morning by other representatives of both federal agencies and representatives from the NCTA. In between the business topics, the Triad attendees were treated to an excellent Power Point presentation narrated by Theresa Maday detailing the history, resources, and distinctive challenges of managing the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest and the portions of the NCNST within the Forest boundary. A wide range of topics was on the day's agenda, as well as an open discussion session which capped off the day:

t was back to the upper Midwest once again for the sixth annual North Country National Scenic Trail "Triad" Renewed Memorandum of Understanding meeting in early October. This time hosting duties were carThe original Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) ried our by the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest at the that established the NCNST Triad has now been updated, beautiful Telemark Resort in the scenic town of C~1ble, Wisc. reviewed, and approved, with all appropriate changes incorUnfortunately, this year's meeting just missed th~si\ectacular porated into the new document. peak of the color season in Wisconsin's North Woods, but the remaining fall colors were still a remarkable sight, and Coordination of Trail Data Standards the weather was excellent for a fall hiking sojourn. The ride "Triad" for these meetings This topic is a follow up to last year's resolution to investigate the possibility of attaining a "crossis in reference to the trio of partnered walk" for integrating information from organizations, the North Country Trail Association (NCTA), the t> the different agencies' program of work. National Park Service (NPS) and U.S. "Crosswalk" is the name for a computerForest Service (USFS), who cooperprogramming cool used co facilitate .-_ ~~ the exchange of data between two ate in managing the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCNST). ~ dissimilar databases. Since the Triad meetings are usually schedNPS and USFS currently inven•ASSOCIATION• tory their trail data using unrelated uled annually for early October, programs, this would facilitate coorand are convened for the purposes of dination of the program of work. Ken promoting good communications and Howell was tasked at the last meeting coordination between the NCTA, the with looking into this possibility, but NPS, and the nine national forests chat he reported to this year's gathering contain sections of the NCNST within that it is impossible to create a viable their boundaries. crosswalk program. However, there These annual Triad meetings are are interagency trail data standards an occasion for networking, exchangbeing created by an inter-agency panel ing ideas, discussing management issues, to develop core standards and create a and reaching consensus among the "Big common vocabulary that will be used Three" managers of the NCNST. These by all federal agencies in the future. While this outcome is get-togethers are usually two days in length, with the first not as promising as the hope of creating a crosswalk proday consisting of a business meeting and the second of a gram, the interagency data standards will go a long way field trip, an opportunity to showcase locally managed seccowards simplifying the coordination of the Program of tions of the Trail. Work between agencies. Host privileges have been rotated each of the past five years among different National Forests the Trail traverses, National Park Service Report allowing each an opportunity to exhibit their unique chalThe Minnesota ''Arrowhead" reroute, as well as "willing lenges and innovative solutions managing a section of the seller" land acquisition authority for the Park Service, are NCNST. The second day Triad field trips provide the host managers with a unique chance to tap into the expertise and issues chat are still pending Congressional action, but progdiversity of viewpoints for insights into managing ongoing ress is being made. This year 33.4 new miles of the NCNST became certified, bringing the nationwide total of certified or future challenges. It is also a great opportunity for the trail miles to 1,774. Many more miles of the Trail are curTriad host to put on display their home turf. rently usable but still require certification before they may On Tuesday, the business meeting session began with be counted. Cyclic maintenance funds totaling $18,000 were a warm welcome, and opening remarks by Anne Archie, Forest Supervisor Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. made available for seven separate trail projects this past fiscal

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year. As has been the case in the past, it continues to be a challenge to manage the Trail as a non-traditional unit of the National Park Service.

that have been reached in some areas to alleviate wilderness and NCNST trail use conflicts.

Future Triad Meetings Volunteer Chainsaw Training The group reviewed a "white paper" memo submitted by Robert Wetherell, Allegheny National Forest Recreation Program Manager, proposing a comprehensive strategy to schedule chainsaw training opportunities for volunteers Trail-wide. The group also discussed the possibility of offering a chainsaw training course during next year's NCTA conference in Clarion, Penn.

Wilderness & Maintenance Discussion of this topic centered primarily on the issue of blazing in designated federal wilderness areas, with a range of viewpoint expressed by members of the group. Federal wilderness areas and associated trails are managed to a more primitive standard than other trails, and this creates a potential conflict between the wilderness management mandates of the National Forests and the trail construction and maintenance standards common to non-wilderness sections of the trail. A variety of strategies and considerations was examined, including health and safety issues, the challenges presented by conflicting management mandates, and discussion of past compromises

Not only did the group discuss next year's location for the Triad meeting, but hosting duties for several years down the road were planned. The annual Triad meeting will be moving east once again in 2006, when the Finger Lakes National Forest will have the next opportunity to contribute as host. The group also decided to alter past precedent somewhat by scheduling future hosting opportunities by the NCTA, the Sheyenne National Grassland (a U.S. Forest Service unit) and the sole Park Service unit that currently manages lands the trail traverses, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The tentative schedule for future Triad meetings for the next few years beyond 2006 consists of: 2007 Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, 2008 North Country Trail Association, 2009 Ottawa National Forest, and 2010 Sheyenne National Grassland. Day two of the Triad brought the group to what is undoubtedly everyone's favorite part of the annual gathering, taking the field trips to local sections of the NCNST. To start the day, the group enjoyed a 5-mile round-trip hike on the

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I'm Alive! A story of work-weekend survival on the trail

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By Marty Swank Chequamegon Chapter

n Friday, September 9, I arrived at Two Lakes Campground in the Drummond area of the Chequamegon National Forest in Wisconsin. My plan was to work on trail in the Porcupine Wilderness area from Two Lakes Campground to Porcupine Lake on Saturday before Vickie (my partner and owner of my heart) arrived for the weekend. This is my second attempt at cleaning up the same section of trail: this time the bigger downed trees that cross the trail are my goal. Remember that this may be done only with a long handled axe and 30" bow saw because this is a "Wilderness Area" where no chainsaws are allowed. Later that day after realizing that no, I did not have my work gloves, and yes, I had painful blisters, (I can imagine Bill Menke rolling his eyes at this point!) I finally made it to the small lake that is more than halfway to Porcupine Lake. Great! I figured I would finish to Porcupine Lake on Tuesday (starting at Porcupine Lake and heading back toward where I had finished on Saturday) after Vickie left for home, since this was my last week of vacation for this year. Vickie left the campsite sometime Monday afternoon after lunch and it rained most of the rest of the day although I did manage one walk around part of the campgrounds in between the rain showers. (In hindsight, I should have paid more attention to the beautiful trees.) At approximately 6:30 p.m., the sky cleared and I headed for the canoe to fish. A short time later, I had caught and released one Northern, a Rock Bass and a Blue Gill. I headed back to the campsite because it was getting dark. As the evening's darkness cloaked the campground, I sat on the "swimming beach" on the Bass Lake side

listening to the night noises. Sadly, no loons called; they must have already headed south. Shortly after, I headed to the tent to read by kerosene light. I wanted to get an early start on working on the rest of the NCT in the Porcupine Lake Wilderness area the following day. After all, I was more than half way finished! Sometime between 12:30 and 1:00 a.m. early Tuesday morning, I was awakened by the distant sound of a large thunderstorm. As the storm approached, I was amazed at the number and length of the rumblings. Soon the storm hit and sheets of rain fell against the tent. With pride, I noticed how my fall "water proofing" last year

had really worked. As the storm subsided and moved on, I reveled that I had weathered the storm comfortably in my still dry tent. Then I heard a sound, a new one to me. It sounded like a thousand approaching rains, followed by pitchblack, and an awesome shaking of the tent. Then the sound of things hitting the tent combined with the rushing sound of wind overpowered even the sound of rain. There was one sudden thump to the rear of the tent, and I assumed that a larger branch must have hit the tent, but still it stood! Intermittent sounds of trees breaking and an actual sensation of the ground shaking prompted me to say a few prayers. This seemed to last for many minutes and then the wind suddenly subsided and moved off in the distance. As I tried to slow my racing heartbeat, I thanked God that I was still alive! I now more fully appreciate how someone with a weak heart could have a heart attack under similar stressful situations. After the rain subsided and my nerve finally returned, I ventured out Luckily trail volunteer Marty Swank narrowly missed having a tree in his tent. Unfortunately, the roads and trails in the area weren't so lucky. This photo shows the results of the fall storm.

to see small branches littering my entire campsite. Still most of my campsite seemed to be in one piece. Moments later I saw a flashlight shining from the road and figured it was one of the caretakers of the campground checking on my wellbeing. That was the case but on trying to reach the source of the flashlight, I realized that there were many trees down on the road in front of my campsite! We decided that there was nothing more to do that night, other than go back to bed. Shortly after lying down on the air mattress, I noticed that it was losing air. That is when I found the hole in the side of the tent. A branch had punctured the tent and actually went into the air mattress! That flying debris must really have been moving! In the morning, I realized how fully God had given me grace! Trees were down in front of my campsite on both sides and behind. All had missed the tent. The canoe landing's campsite had four trees criss-crossed into the water, but Vickie and I had decided to put the canoe on a different sandy point the day before to avoid some muck. If the canoe was in its original

place it would have been crushed. My 1985 Bondo Blazer also missed any damage. As for the tent, it has three new ventilation holes. Still, I might try to repair them. After all, we have quite a history together and now a memory that I will never forget! My "volunteer work day" for the North Country Trail Association turned into a volunteer workday for Two Lakes Campground and the excellent staff that they have there. I think they may have earned a little respect for NCTA volunteers and I surely learned a new respect and admiration for campground attendants, managers and hosts! It will be a very long time before Two Lakes Campground will be the same. Many campground sites fared much worse than mine did but luckily, there were only a handful of campers this time. The "Lake Front Property" campsite that everyone tries to get when camping no longer has any standing trees. If I had been on that site, there is a very good possibility that I would not be writing this at all! The area of campsites that friends and

Buckeye Trail Construction Needs You!

he Buckeye Trail Association's (BTA) Trail Crew is asking for your help during the 2006 trail building season. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has granted the BTA a right of entry for 23 miles of new off-road trail to be built along the old abandoned Miami-Erie Canal towpath between Defiance and Napoleon to develop into a hiking and bicycling trail. This is a wonderful opportunity for the BTA and the North Country Trail to revitalize this part of the old abandoned Miami-Erie Canal towpath. The Buckeye Trail/North Country Trail will gain 23 miles of off-road trail in the northwestern part of the state where most miles are on road. The Buckeye Trail/North Country Trail is being moved off State Route 424, to an area along the towpath, which was part of the first extended transportation system of Ohio. Built between 1838 and 1848, there were over 1,000 miles of canals throughout Ohio. We have it in our grasp, an opportunity to show, not only ODNR, but also the people and business community of the state of Ohio that the Buckeye Trail Association, with help from the North Country Trail Association, can get it done with volunteers like you! The BTA Trail Crew extends to you an invitation to join them in this very importantand worthwhile project. After completing the first mile last September, the Trail Crew knows how much work this project demands. We need every BTA Trail Crew member and North Country Trail member to lend a hand this coming March 31 to April 5, 2006. Limited camping will be available at Independence Dam State Park, two miles from the entrance off State Route 424 just north of Defiance. A detailed BTA Trail Crew work party flyer with directions for the first week of March 2006 is available upon request. Herb and Susie Hulls will be there with the chuck wagon, so please let them know as soon as possible if you are able to lend a hand to help out the Trail Crew and how many days you will be using the chuck wagon for meals. If you have ever considered helping the Trail Crew build new trail, this is the time to do it. WE NEED YOUR HELP ON THIS ONE. Whatever amount of time you can give will be much appreciated. Thanks in advance and please come and join us on this very important project. It has your name on it. Contact Herb or Susie Hulls for chuck wagon reservations at hhullss@ frognet./net or 740-858-2603 and Rick at rmadamson@earthlink.net or 419853-4332 for a volunteer head count. -Rick Adamson, Buckeye Trail Association

I had stayed in just a few weeks before had trees criss-crossing on many of the sites and a crushed picnic table. Many of these sites had campers occupying them up until Sunday afternoon. One of the campground attendants had a vehicle hit by a tree and lost his newly weatherproofed canopy on his RV. The campground is now closed and will not be open for the rest of the season. The newspaper quotes the

Forest Service as saying that Two Lakes Campground was "devastated." I guess that about sums it up. Someday it will look the same again and thanks to providence, I may have a chance to see it! I did not have the time or the heart to see what this storm has done to two days of trailwork. Ifyou have a good Trail Tale, send it to the NCTA office to share in the next issue of the North Star.

t's a typical December day in Lowell. A light rainy snow is falling on the small hometown of the NCTA Headquarters. I have recently returned from traveling in the Adirondack Park ' for the past few weeks researching our future trail route. Traveling for work can be a wearing component of my job. The consolation is that I am meeting new people all the time: volunteers, agency partners, interested parties, affiliated trail staff and various officials. But, what keeps me going is that I know that at the heart of what I do is a Trail that connects us all. A bloodline if you will. At the very center of my work is a trail that embodies the shared knowledge of labor, passion, and exploration. I know in the world we live it is easy to be disconnected. Connection takes energy, commitment and accountability. At times we all shy from new commitments. When you build and hike and maintain trail, though, you become intimate with those sections of trail. Your relationship and commitment to the land is unique. You are creating something not only for yourself but for the travelers who will use the Trail in the future. You are creating a medium to other destinations;

ON THE

~[1

with Clare Cain Director of liall Management

you are facilitating another's journey. A trail builder provides the hiker I the wanderer I the seeker I the contemplator a place to explore, find peace, spy elusive critters, and develop their own connections with the natural world. I feel like nothing allows people to interact and come together more easily than time spent in the woods moving dirt, chopping roots, and wrestling embedded rocks from their homes. The brute physical act of putting trail on the ground connects each of us intimately and organically with the NCT, whether in Minnesota or Ohio or New York. We leave behind a piece of ourselves in the work we do and have great ownership (and rightfully so) in our trail work. This work connects us intimately with a section of the trail, with a place in ourselves, and with the other local folks who share our burden of responsibility to steward the trail in

the future. In the past few months we've had an enormous trail building push in Minnesota, new state trail councils are coming into operation, Bill Menke has become our first Regional Trail Coordinator, chapters are holding all types of events and the trail is slowly coming to national attention. The North Country Trail is a pulsing artery of life. Working, hiking, and promoting trail connects all of us across seven states, it connects a large piece of the country, and it connects us to each other. I intentionally use the word family when I refer to the NCTA and its volunteers. We are a large, extended family who shares a common commitment and common passion. The North Country Trail is at the center of that. If it were not for the Trail, would we come together? Would we lay aside our differences and share the burden of manual labor? Would we sit hungrily around the campfire sharing stories and hot food with such profound relish if it weren't for a Trail connecting us? I'd like to think so but, honestly, the Trail is our purpose, it is our excuse, it is our Bloodline.

Scouting, the First Step in Trail Building Editor's Note: Trail scouting is the initial and most important step in building trail that is both sustainable and a pleasure to walk. A good trail scout must possess certain skills to scout trail effectively. Knowledge and experience in the use of maps and aerial photos, the ability to use a compassand know where you are on the landscape, and a comprehensive understanding of trail design principles are all required. Modern technology like recreational grade CPS units can enhance more traditional trail scouting skills. By Harvey Tjader Itasca Moraine Chapter

e like scouting trail routes in the winter because it's easier to see the lay of the land when trees and shrubs are without leaves. On the Itasca Moraine, we pay more attention to topography than vegetation. The state and county lands we are crossing are managed for timber production, so mature

forest is likely to change soon to young forest. Young trees will grow up along the trail if it is located in a recently logged area. Either way, the vegetation will surely change. The topography changes much more slowly. Topography, land ownership patterns, and existing roads and trails are the primary limiting factors in routing the trail through this rugged country. We frequently find places that are too steep for trail location. Sometimes these areas cannot be avoided, so we plan switch-backs in the trail. Many of the small lakes in the Itasca Moraine have steep hills bordering them so you cannot get close to them unless you are a mountain goat. When we can get close to one, we try to locate the trail or plan a campsite there. The trees near a lake are less likely to be logged, but more likely to be felled by beavers. Even so, the scenery is attractive and we like providing opportunities for a hiker to get out

Western Michigan Chapter volunteers Max Boyd and Gladys Hoogterp practice their clinometer skills at a trail building workshop.

Eight Steps to Scouting Preliminary 1. Obtain maps and aerial photos. (Draw on personal and local information of the area.) 2. Plot waypoints (places you want to pass) such as potential campsites, water sources, scenic views, a favorite big tree, a potential good bridge site, etc. and mark them on your maps. (If you are a GPS user, load the coordinates into your unit.) 3. Connect the plotted waypoints with a line drawn on a topographical map. (This line should be determined by using a simple mechanical divider to ensure proper grade standards.) 4. Eliminate minor waypoints that would cause too much meandering in the trail line.

In the Field 5. Start from a known location and try to follow the tentative trail line on your map. (You may want to hang occasional temporary flagging to look for on your way back or when you want to temporarily leave the map line and range out to check other options.)

6. Observe the land conditions as you proceed. (Avoid low areas that may become boggy or wet.) 7. Through ranging (scouting) far and wide to either side of the map line, keep adjusting any temporary flag lines until they are in the correct location. 8. At a defined turn-around point, finalize the flag line so that it flows smoothly across the landscape. When traversing a hill, use a clinometer to ensure the proper 10% grade.

Special Note Pay attention to your flagging knots. The knots are your instructions to the construction crew. When hanging flagging from a limb or twig, the hanging flag indicates a proposed centerline for the trail. When tying a piece of flagging around a tree stem, the knot should face the side of the tree where you want the trail to be located. As the designer, you are standing in the "trail." When you reach out and tie a piece of flagging on a stem, the knot should face you and the trail.

of their boots and soak their feet in a lake. Most of the land in the townships we have crossed is in state or county ownership, so avoiding private lands is not often a problem. However, some lands are designated as trust fund lands, required by the state constitution to be managed for revenue to support public education. A lease to cross trust fund lands will cost the North Country Trail Association more dearly, so we try to avoid them. We try to avoid existing roads and trails as much as possible in order to discourage motorized uses on the North Country Trail and keep the trail as quiet as possible. This area (between Lake George and Akeley) is popular with off-roadmotorcyclists and ATV riders. We have not experienced much problem with motorized incursions onto our trail yet, but it has happened on portions of the trail within the Chippewa National Forest, so avoidance is our policy. Often, due to limiting ropography and the fact that we are JohnnyCome-Lately, the best route already has a road or trail established on it. So far, we have been able to find a suitable alternative route in those situations. Our tools of the trade include USGS quadrangle maps to show topography, aerial photos and forest type maps to show vegetative cover, a compass, a clinometer to measure slope, a GPS (global positioning system) satellite receiver, and flagging tape. Before going out, I try to upload a prospective route from a computer-mapping program into the GPS to provide a reference while we are scouting. After we agree on a route, we collect GPS data so that it can be easily plotted in the mapping program. Trail routing decisions are based on the consensus of those who turn out for the day, but are never really finalized. The route can change right up to the time the trail is built, and possibly even after. Our final deciding factor is our commitment to put the trail in the best place for the long run, even if it means more work in the short run.

Double Your Donation to the NCT Dream

We all dream of the completed Trail... Charitable contributions to the North Country Trail Association help build, promote and protect that dream. Many employers provide Matching Gifts which may double or even triple your contribution.

Your gift could go twice as far! Check with your company's human resources or payroll department to see whether it offers a matching gift program. Ask for donation guidelines and fill out the appropriate forms to ensurethat the match is donated.

Thanks to these Matching Gift Companies: 3M Foundation Denso ExxonMobil Foundation General Motors Foundation Harris Bank Foundation J.P. Morgan Chase Pfizer Foundation SBC Communications

Celebrating a year of developing, maintaining, preserving and promoting the North Country National Scenic Trail t's that time of year again when we take the opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments of the past season. For the North Country National Scenic Trail we've had a number of changes in chapter leadership and Association staff, but construction and maintenance of prime hiking trail remains our guiding mission. Many of the volunteer hours reported were spent constructing new trail, working with private landowners, installing signs and trail facilities, and maintaining existing trail. These reports may give you the courage to undertake similar projects and improvements in your own region! Thanks to our chapters and partners for all the dirty work you do! What follows is the North Star's annual inventory of the year's accomplishments and next year's dreams as reported by our chapters and affiliates.

uled nine work hikes April through October with only one cancelled due to rainy weather. Our trail project accomplishments included NPS certification of two more trail segments totaling 3.9 miles, former Lehigh Valley Railroad (LVRR) properties permitted to us by N.Y. Parks. We also supported the construction effort by the Village of Canastota that will result in a 0.8 mile NCNST segment with certification expected in 2006. A site plan is under development to provide another trailhead and limit incursions on NY Parks lands per our Recreation Trails Program (RTP) grant provisions. Two trailhead parking areas, resulting in major safety improvements, were built with support from the Highway Departments of the Towns of Fenner and Lincoln. The Madison County Highway Department also continued their support, the latest Central New York example the removal of a dangerWith sections ranging from 0.4 ous blowdown on a certified trail mile to 2.2 miles in length, twentysection near Canastota. Planning and activinine trail stewards assisted us in . maintaining our 22 miles of {:;;,__ ties keyed to the projected NCNST route in the Romelocal trail and kiosks at two _ 1LJ ~ trailhead parking areas ~ Boonville-Forestport corridor this past year. We schedheaded to the Blue Line of the

Adirondack Park resulted in the mutually advantageous liaisons now in place. Timely Challenge Cost Share funding for reconstruction of a segment of the Black River Feeder Canal was a key factor. Our chapter schedule also included several social events/hikes open to the public: a TV Turn-off Week hike especially for families, a joint venture with the Madison County Living Well Partnership; a National Trails Day hike and picnic including a very interesting program on Chittenango Falls State Park presented by Stephanie Chapin, park manager; a Wildflower and Bird Identification Hike at the Stone Quarry Hill Art Park led by Bettina Frisse and Polly Monz; a hike and picnic led and hosted by landowner and trail steward Vic Nelson; a hike in the Nelson Swamp Unique Area led by Greg Owens, DEC Senior Forester. All events were marked by good attendance, including first-timers .. Several chapter members assisted at all of these social events, in particular Pat Hudelson, Membership Chair; Nancy McCain, Social Chair; and John Scott, Director. -Kathy Eisele and Al Larmann

Trail Reports: 2006 Finger Lakes Trail Conference Along the Finger Lakes Trail, we built severalmajor reroutes to move out of areas being logged within state forests or to / reduce overly steep trail. One fairly new lean-to within ':::.. 1V Allegany State ~ Park was sheathed with hemlock inside and out in an attempt to prevent porcupines' wholesale consumption of the original wood. We conducted yet another of our cross-county hike series, which bring in enough registrants that two busses are needed for every hike. These are a wonderful outreach project for the trail, and have introduced many new people to hiking. Two wonderful weekends of hikes and programs were held for FLT members, spring and fall, one within earshot of spectacular waterfalls in Montour Falls, and the other during maple leaf color riots in October, in Allegany State Park. During these annual weekends, we honor special volunteers with awards from the FLTC: among those honored this year were Howard Beye, with the new Howard Beye Lifetime Achievement Award, Mary Domanski with the Wally Wood Award, the FLTC's annual highest honor, and Joe Dabes, with the ClarWillis award for long and quality trail care service. Several more people finished their end-to-end trek across upstate N.Y. on the main east-west FLT (all 562 miles of it), including Joe Dabes for his SIXTH time, so we now have 200 hikers who have walked the whole way. Training meetings for trail stewards were held in three regions of the state this fall, while an immense project was begun to change the maps we sell from our old hand-drawn style to color-printed computer-generated modern products. More on this in the spring! Meanwhile, a record five new permanent trail easements have been granted in 2005 by our private landowners, every one of them arranged by volunteer Ron Navik. - Irene Szabo

Pennsylvania State Trail Council In the absence of reports from other chapters, Ron Rice, state Trail Coordinator, relayed the information that he built six new wooden signposts and installed four of them, relocated over a thousand feet of trail in Moraine State Park, and helped with chainsaw and mowing chores for several chapters' trail areas. Plans for 2006 include training for volunteers to negotiate private landowner permissions and construction of new trail on private properties.

Allegheny National Forest The Allegheny Forest Chapter reports routine maintenance, the inception of work toward a reroute near Kelletville to eliminate a road walk, and a nice hike on National Trails Day. We continue to work on the problem of increasing active membership participation, while we plan to finish the reroute in 2006, along with the ambitious goals of providing new signage at all creek and road crossings and kiosks at major trailheads, along with new bridges at Minister Creek. Eric Flood of the US Forest Service continues to be extremely helpful and supportive. -Keith Klos

Wampum The Wampum Chapter carried out an aggressive program of trail maintenance and improvement, including trail work every Tuesday morning all summer and fall. 2.7 miles were upgraded in preparation for Gold Star Certification, and 200 feet were rerouted to eliminate a steep hill. Chapter volunteers also participated in outreach programs on numerous occasions, where the N CTA was represented by displays at various local festivals and at an Earth

Day celebration; as a result, hundreds of information packets (each including a Craisin package!) were handed out to local people. A succesful trash clean up was conducted along the trail, when publicity brought out 35 volunteers to remove 9 tons of illegally dumped trash. Corporate landowner CEMEX, which will eventually host six miles of trail, donated the services of a backhoe with operator that day. Chapter members who have been especially helpful this past year are John Edwards, Jake Erhardt, Dorothy and Chet Buquo. Senator Gerald LaValleand Representative Frank La Grotta have both demonstrated interest in helping Wampum pay for trailhead signage along state highways. One of our ongoing concerns has been loss of memberships due to the cost of dues in this economically depressed area. Nonetheless, we aim next year to get more sections certified, to relocate a mile from an old road onto a ridgetop, and to increase our signage at road crossings. -Gail Blakeley

Great Trail-Sandy Beaver Canal We performed minimal mowing and trimming __ /'/ maintenance this ~~ ~ year. It's clear that \ ~ we need to get more . 1 d . h ..... ~ s peopl e mvo ve wit / A-路- 路) both trail work and / ,.,/ promotion of the '路,,,,_ ~ NCT locally. One interesting event we hosted in July, a joint effort with the UAW local of nearby Lordstown, involved about thirty teenagers from both the USA and Northern Ireland. Called the Ulster Project, it's an annual program to foster religious tolerance and community involvement, for which we provide an introduction to the notion of this national trail, followed by a hike. Next year we hope to contact private landowners within the trail corridor for permissions, and to work with the ODNR on public grounds for further trail layout. -Brad Bosley

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Trail Reports: 2006 Buckeye Trail Association Garry Dill, NCT Ohio Trail Council Chair, reports that he and Jim Runk, an assistant State Trail Coordinator for BTA, have blazed all connecting roads between all certified segments of NCT within Ohio.AnNCT through hiker now may now follow a suggested route that is marked between the Michigan and Pennsylvania borders. An important project has been initiated at the local level in Northwest Ohio. Greg Wisniewski, a local trail activist who has adopted a length of NCT as a member of BTA, has received ODNR endorsement to build trail along former canal towpath. Ultimately, the trail will be hardened for all-purpose use with gravel by local authorities as funds become available. Of most interest to NCT will be 8-12 miles of trail between the town of Florida and US-24 north of Napoleon where NCT will join the Cannonball Trail northeast of Liberty Center. During 2005, BTA cleared one mile of this new trail, with work parties scheduled for 2006. (For more information, see article on page 12.) Garry Dill has enlisted Pat Hayes, BTA member, to spearhead a major project in the Dayton area. Here, the official NCT originally followed an abandoned railroad but that right-ofway is no longer available. Buckeye Trail has long followed connecting roads between Yellow Springs and Dayton in order to follow the Great Miami River Corridor north from Dayton. Recent developments inspired by bicycle interests and others have prompted activity to establish continuous trail rights-of-way through Springfield, Dayton, Tipp City, Troy and Piqua. Hayes will apply for NCT Certification along these routes and will encourage local authorities to become friendlier to long-distance hikers. His is a very challenging job! Jim Runk as leader of the Buckeye Trail Crew led several important sorties

Left: A fall trash clean-up day on the Buckeye Trail removed an estimated two tons of trash with the help of 15 volunteers.

Below: Trail maintainers along the Buckeye Trail also re-blazed trail segments this year.

during 2005. In addition to the effort already described north of Florida, the Trail Crew visited Scioto and Vinton Counties on 5-day trips. The activity in Scioto County is on Shawnee State Forest, both to repair damage created by the ice storm of 2003 and to improve trail construction. The activity in Vinton County is part of a plan inspired by Garry Dill to connect the State Forests in southeast Ohio with continuous footpath across private land. BTA's success will be measured by its ability to inspire both ATV and dirt bike riders to stop savaging trails. BTA's greatest human interest story is about Herb Hulls, President of BTA, who promotes foot trail at every opportunity. Hulls himself reports, "Teacher Brett Potash wanted his students to learn about trails and to help maintain them. On the 24th of September, BTA presented its power point training program at the school.. The program

about trail building and maintenance was assembled and presented by Herb Hulls, Adrian Yanko and Jim Sprague. After a morning in the classroom, we went into the field to give the students hands-on experience." Rich Pfeiffer, maintenance coordinator of the Straitsville section of the Buckeye Trail, backpacks his section for several days every spring in order to make a list of trail needs for all the caretakers who tend sections within his larger responsibility. Then he camps periodically for several days in the middle of the section and helps with tree removal, power weed-whacking, and special projects. He reports that a bridge was repaired in Burr Oak State Park, abused campsites were cleaned up of trash, and two major trash cleanups were performed by groups where old dumps made for unlovely hiking scenery, one in June by Buckeye volunteers and another in November by an AmeriCorps group. "In addition, my maintainers reblazed the segments of trail that were assigned to them, so all but the last ten miles of on-road trail have a new coat of paint. Burr Oak State Park, and all of the BT/NCT in the Wayne National Forest has a BT/NCT Carsonite sign at every trail access and trail crossing." Rich also proves again and again the value of simply being there along the trail; in fact, one time he caught an oil drilling contractor traveling the NCT on an ATV, and turned him in to the Wayne National Forest.

-Jim Sprague

Trail Reports: 2006 Left: Grand Traverse Hiker members Arlen Matson and Dick Naperala install a Carsonite post at an intersection with the Sand Lakes Trail System. Below: A winter scouting trip by volunteers was a first step in planning for the 2005 trail building season for the Grand Traverse Hikers.

Lower Michigan Trail Council We organized the Teddy Keizer Michigan event with 31 people participating and generating media coverage for the NCT. Teddy has been conducting a series of fairly extreme hiking events over the last several years; his current goal is to hike a one-day 50 kilometer hike in each of the fifty states. Sponsored by Duofold and assisted by their van, it's called the Duofold Hike 50 Challenge. Yes, that's a hike of more than 31 miles in one day! A record seven Michigan hikers finished with Teddy here, where he said he had never before felt so warmly welcomed. We are developing a "passport" for hikers to record their walks along the NCT in the Lower Peninsula, with eventual prizes for those who complete the whole length, a project that has been enthusiastically requested by all of our chapters.

-Joan Young

Chief Noonday One of the

Cornell. We found that as we developed more and more trail through the tri-county area, our work crews were being overwhelmed with routine maintenance. We recruited more adopters in order to break down the areas of responsibility into more manageable bites. Our trail crews are still there to help out with the heavy jobs like mowing, cleaning up storm damage and, in some cases, cutting through jungle-like growths of pokeweed and pucker brush that spring up with amazing resilience in some areas. We continue to take a very active role with the Calhoun County Trailway Alliance Planning Committee as we work toward establishing a multiuse trail system along the Kalamazoo River, a greenway along the river that will be free of development. In the winter and spring, we reestablished the trail through the Middleville State Game Area which had been destroyed by a major lumber harvest and a new informational kiosk was established at the western trailhead of that section. During the summer, we established close working ties with the Village of Middleville which has become custodian for a large section of the Paul Henry Trail that we share with the local Rails to Trails group. Larry Hawkins met with the Village

Manager and later made a presentation to the Village Council who unanimously lent their support to the NCT. We established an informational kiosk in beautiful Stagecoach Park in downtown Middleville. Again this year, we manned our unique NCTA booth at the Hastings Summerfest, meeting both local people and people from all over southern Michigan and spreading the good news of the NCT. We have sponsored several hikes which were well attended. We invited the Audubon Society of Kalamazoo to hike with us through the Fort Custer area, establishing what we hope will be an ongoing relationship with that organization. We showed off our newly redeveloped trail in the Middleville State Game Area with a mutual hike with the West Michigan Chapter of the NCTA.

-Larry Hawkins, M.D.

Grand Traverse Hiking Club The Grand Traverse Hiking Club has completed the third phase of a reroute to get the NCT off the Shore-to-Shore Trail, which is intended for horse

Trail Reports: 2006 travel, making for a hard walk through churned-up sand for us human walkers. This l l-rnile reroute has the added advantage of connecting the Muncie Lakes Trail system with the Sand Lakes Trail system. After that, it rejoins the SST just west of Kalkaska. This reroute required 483 hours of work by volunteers this past summer. In 2004 we completed phases one and two of our project to eliminate the use of the SST. That 7-mile reroute took us from the Manistee River north to M-186 and also eliminated the double crossing of US 131 that was fenced this year by MDOT due to the proximity of the new freeway. Our goal for next year is to complete the final phase of relocating the NCT off the SST from Sheck's Place south to Cedar Creek Road, which is a distance of 3 miles. Each month except summer we hold monthly meetings at a room on NMC's campus, open to the public, and advertised in the local print and radio media. We have had programs ranging from Backpacking the Appalachian Trail, to Taking Better Photos on your Hiking Trip, to a wildflower and tree identification hike in May. We typically get 40 - 60 people to attend these meetings. Of that number 10 - 15 are non-members. In the past year we have offered twenty-one outings. These ranged from day hikes on our local section of the NCT, to a five day backpack on the NCT, to snowshoe and cross country ski outings on local trails. =[ohn Heiam

Tittabawassee Our trail care began with our annual early spring trip to 2:, the Department ~路

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~~~r~::l (DNR) to ~ gain permission for the projects our chapter wanted to tackle. President Jerry Allen, Cora and Vern Killinger, trail coordinator and spouse, discussed all aspects of our trail work from trail clearing and mowing to building of puncheon. The DNR seems

glad that our chapter can do part of the trail upkeep. Our chapter plus the DNR working together can accomplish more than either of us by ourselves. Having DNR approval and Challenge Cost Share funding from the National Park Service, the Chapter purchased lumber to build several simple puncheons on the portion of trail that runs through the Jordan Valley. The terrain is very mucky in places where springs flow from the surrounding hills to join the Jordan River. We replaced the old cedar half-logs that were stuck in the mud, blocking the flow of the springs. We met on a misty cold spring day in May. There were only five workers, but we had help to carry lumber and tools the mile and a quarter to the work site since a Scout troop timed their hike to help with the carry. The work went well and we made a big improvement in the hikability of the trail, especially since it was a muddy day. The next day we did another section in the valley, but the carry wasn't as far. The scouts again helped us and the eight workers we had that day made quick work of it. June was our annual work meeting/campout at a grand spot for four days on top of a hill on private land. Some members mowed berry bushes and ferns from the hiking trail. Other members put on paint clothes and painted blazes. The last day we all worked on more puncheon, and benched a section of the trail into the side of a steep hill where the trail had been treacherous when wet. Members also made numerous trips to their adopted sections to clear trail and paint blazes as needed throughout the year. Some members got together in September for their fall walk-thru. Gary Johnson took on a project to put road names on the back of the Carsonite markers at road crossings, enabling hikers to orient themselves with their maps. Vern Killinger completed a project remodeling our tool trailer. He built a roof for it and an extension on the front of the box to better contain our new DR brusher. Before, it was an

open trailer with a tarp for a roof. We gave it a new paint job, NCT map framed on the side, and lettering that said "NCT TRAIL CREW" on the tailgate.

Harbor Springs Maintenance proceded like normal, except that we had an unusual amount of trees fallen this year -r over the trail ~ ~,,--r- 2:,

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because of high V winds. We were able to do a lot more mowing with our new high-wheeled mower, and have started re-blazing the trail in the northern sections of our assigned area. Our main special project has been to work with the DNR to clean out illegal camp sites and to establish local partnerships. For instance, we have been working with citizens in the Cross Village area to establish a dispersed camping area near Wycamp Lake. There are plans for a website that will include ten local environmental groups that will show when our hikes are scheduled throughout the year. This should help attract a wider audience to our trail. We are honoring Dr. John Tanton at our December meeting. His umbrella organization for a host of environmental groups, U.S. Inc., has supported the cost of our mailings and has provided secretarial help. Dr. Tanton has worked at all our major work parties in addition to being the driving force behind much larger organizations than our Chapter. Our future dreams include seeking grants for better signage at our trailheads, "sign-in areas" to get a better picture of trail usage, and distribution boxes for maps and brochures. We are writing a grant for signs at a kiosk in Mackinaw City that will contain information on the NCT in both the lower and upper peninsulas.

-Jerry Keeney Hiawatha Shore-to-Shore Roger Blanchard is coordifating our chapter's Adopt-a-Section program, for which 15 members have adopted

Trail Reports: 2006

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chapter events to local media. Treasurer Julia Rawlings manages our financial and membership records, and Tool Coordinator Marilyn Chadwick stores, maintains, and inventories chapter tools including the DR mower. Kirt Stage-Harvey oversaw the production of a new chapter brochure. In 2006, we want to offer organized hikes on the second Saturday of each month, with a goal of hiking the entire trail our chapter covers. This might take more than a year to accomplish since we are keeping the hikes to about six miles in length. Our hope is that by inviting the public to hike with us, people would discover the NCT and be motivated to join us in maintaining the trail. -Roger Morrison

Superior State University to lend a hand with trail maintenance. Also Roger organized a group maintenance trip this past spring during which over 200 fallen trees were removed on a 5-mile section west of the Two-Hearted River. As part of our outreach mission, the chapter participated in Project GO (Get Outside) at Tahquamenon Falls State Park. A display was set up near the trail at the Lower Falls concessions area. Members handed out NCT trail brochures and Craisins and talked to people about the trail. Then in August we held our annual Hiawatha Trail Day at Tahquamenon Falls State Park. Activities included shuttles for people desiring to hike the four miles of the NCT between the Lower and Upper Falls, arts and crafts for children, and interpretive hikes. Chapter Vice-President Kay Kujawa and her husband Stan put in countless hours towards chapter projects and activities, while Secretary Karen Sandberg has done a superb job issuing press releases announcing

Grand Marais The Grand Marais Chapter performed normal pruning maintenance, plus rerouted a short section of trail east of town after Lake Superior claimed the origi">Ii. nal shoreline 0 pathway. Our ~ ~~. most ambitious V -~ ,( dream, still waiting for completion next year, is to build a parking area with trailhead kiosk at ·

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Perry Landing: field grant, county, and township approvals have all been secured, while the chapter continues to wait for DNR approval. We also want to build a trail route to the National Lakeshore to replace the current beach walk, and, like many chapters, want to increase active membership! As one step in that direction, our meeting minutes and announcements are now on the town web page. Long before you read this, we hope to have cleared trail again after a brutally windy November. -Steve Miller

Peter Wolfe The Peter Wolfe Chapter has ambitious plans for our long section in the western UP of Michigan. In addition to striving ~ -r for Gold Star status for much ~·0 of the trail we maintain, we hope to apply for NPS certification of several sections of existing trail on Baraga Plains and along a reroute in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. This past year we performed routine maintenance on seventeen miles of trail, and hope next year to complete the approaches to a boardwalk section, to reroute trail along County Road 519 in Gogebic County, and maybe even to restart a trail shelter project with the Forest Service. We might approach Michigan Tech again about extending trail east on their land, too. -Doug Welker

Heritage

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Members from the Grand Marais Chapter joined NCTA Director of Trail Management Clare Cain on a work weekend in September to clear some badly damaged trail along Lake Superior in Michigan's upper peninsula.

In an ongoing effort to add miles to our existing trail segments, we had a lot of good help this year. A joint project at Copper Falls State Park with the Chequamegon Chapter, along with equipment and workers from both the state park and Iron County Forestry Dept. helped us build new trail toward an old gold mine, among other projects. Also, we had an intern from Northland College's Sigurd

Trail Reports: 2006 Olsen Environmental Institute attend every work project! The Heritage Chapter performed normal maintenance on our existing trail, plus built some of our planned trail connection toward Wren Falls. Fruitful conversations with private landowners have begun along the potential route, and we hope to continue building new trail next year, with a new bridge in the works.

-Kevin Steffens

Chequamegon Our chapter's routine maintenance included using a brush mower, lopping and some hand cutting of downed trees in various segments of the NCT that cross the Chequamegon National Forest. We also held a joint workday with the Heritage Chapter this year: what a great bunch of people! During this workday we primarily focused on re-benching existing trail and making it wider in Copper Falls State Park. Our chapter concentrated this last season on two bridges, each of which required that the old bridges be dismantled before new ones could be built. The Chequamegon Chapter had two of our trail sections adopted this year, one long one through the Rainbow Lake Wilderness Area by both members at large and members of the Brule/St. Croix Chapter, for which we are very thankful. Unfortunately, any progress made on the section in the Porcupine Lake Wilderness was eliminated by an early morning straight wind/downburst storm on September 13. This area is still closed and will not be worked on until sometime in April, primarily by a crew from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and USFS personnel. Storm damage is the primary problem facing our chapter after the last season. To add to the September storm damage, gale force winds hit the area November 9 and while these winds were not as strong, they covered a much larger area and lasted for over

â&#x20AC;˘ What a find! Members of the Heritage Chapter discovered old mining equipment in the woods along the trail.

10 hours. Our chapter's focus next season will be to get as many sections of trail reopened and re-blazed as possible. This also highlights our need for more working volunteers in our chapter, if we are to keep up with Mother Nature. In an attempt to gain more working volunteers, we held our Annual Planning Meeting at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center in Ashland and opened the meeting up to the general public. We also advertised "introductory memberships" that would be available at the meeting. We were very fortunate to have Bill Menke and our National Forest contact person, Karen Larsen, attend this meeting. Earlier this fall, we held our Annual Jog/Walk Event that is open to the public as well as NCTA members. Our chapter heroes? Bob Norlin springs to mind. Bob along with his many co-workers, including Paul Johnson, has made this adopted trail section a showcase for Chequamegon Chapter's NCT. Despite the long distance travel involved, Mary Lucas managed to make most work events and has great knowledge of the USFS that was invaluable to the chapter. Tana Turonie also has made most of the workdays and has spent countless hours keeping this chapter together. Ed Ronkowski and Bob Erickson both contributed to

our chapter's workdays this year in a big way. Our Chapter dreams of a new and bigger 15 hp DR Brush Mower for the upcoming season. Our current one is a smaller 7 HP version and is in need of much repair. A larger brush mower would allow us to tackle larger saplings and would be more reliable. We are also hoping for more "working volunteer" members and that more sections of our portion of the NCT will be adopted in the coming season.

-Marty Swank

Itasca Moraine We are not doing an adequate job of maintenance on the 21 miles of trail we now have, even though we mowed a few miles, and re-established the trail following a logging clear cut which erased the trail. However, a visit from the Wisconsin Rovers sparked a good turnout of volunteers for the time they were here, including some new volunteers. The Chapter built 6.0 miles of new certified trail while the Rovers Crew built another .25 miles westward. We benefited from the efforts

Trail Reports: 2006

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The Chequamegon Chapter is looking at a possible reroute in 2006. East of Porcupine Lake in the Porcupine Wilderness Area the North Country Trail is actually underwater somewhere in this pond made by a local beaver.

of the Minnesota Conservation Corps, enabled by a Federal Highway Recreational Trail grant for $10,000, who worked throughout October and November to help complete the new six miles. The public was invited to meet and join the Rovers in building trail and receive training in building Gold Star trail, while publicity about the MCC project brought us good attendance and new people. The Chapter sponsored National Trails Day Hikes in the Grand Rapids, Bemidji, Bad Medicine and Walker areas. Attendance was sparse even though there was good publicity in the local papers. We enjoyed special contributions from several people. Mark Carlstrom, DNR Forestry, received the Friend of the Trail Award from the NCTA. He saw to it that we received a very favorable lease arrangement with the State of Minnesota and the Paul Bunyan State Forest, reversing what we had feared would be prohibitive lease costs.

Darrel Rodekuhr is a new chapter member and volunteer who will spend over 200 hours in the forest building trail before 2005 is complete! Dustin DeBoer was also a new volunteer who worked hard in the forest. Dustin, a graduate student at the University of Minnesota, introduced our Chapter to the Lake Country Byway volunteer organization which is promoting tourism in our area and has become a useful partner. Next year we hope to make sure maintenance is sufficient to main solid certification requirements, and gain more grant money.

-Jerry Trout

Sheyenne River Valley While we continued routine maintenance along existing trail, most of which consists of

mowing, a Boy Scout Eagle project to create new trail connected two previous segments along Lake Ashtabula. The new trail had to skirt Baldhill Creek, and involved building fence stiles, clearing trees, additional mowing, and the installation of a gate. Best of all, part of the route along Baldhill Creek was negotiated with two private landowners who granted us easements. On the other hand, we called two general landowner meetings this summer to discuss the route between Valley City and Lake Ashtabula; however, only one landowner attended. Our hike schedule through the summer did its job of outreach, since one or two new people attended each of our monthly hikes. Our goals for next year are to construct at least five miles of new trail between Valley City and Baldhill Dam, and to earn Gold Star Certification for our trail along Baldhill Creek.

-Alicia Hoffarth

Introspective Thoughts, with Clarity on the NCT

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Editors Note: Mark VanHornweder is an active North Country Trail Associationmember with over a thousand volunteer hours including time with NCTA WisconsinRovers Trail Crew and the Superior Hiking Trail Crew.

By Mark VanHornweder Brule-St. Croix Chapter

eople have different catalysts for introspective thoughts. For one person it might be the heavenly rays of light shining through beautiful stained-glass windows as they sit in reverence on a church pew some Sunday morning. Another may gain inspiration in the pitter-patter of falling rain or in the magical sounds of songbirds and nature music while feeling the warmth of a fireplace in January. And someone else might find staring at the cascading root beer colored form of a thundering waterfall to be their favorite escape. Whatever the catalyst, the result is the same ... unorganized introspective thoughts transformed into clarity. My catalyst is hiking. Besides getting exercise and experiencing the wonders of the natural word, maybe more important for me as I hike is the clarity that hiking provides for my sporadic thoughts. Once in rhythm, my mind goes into a trance, searching for solutions to problems at work, emotional answers in personal relationships, or things I can do next in my naive attempt to change the world. This internal process is how I gain understanding of the lessons my soul was meant to learn in this lifetime, and helps me keep focused on continual self improvement and self-molding as I strive towards a "Solomon's wisdom" in my reflections. Back in August, I was first introduced to the "Sea-to-Sea

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Route" concept via a North Star article and discussions with other volunteers around the campfire after a full day of work on the trail. This route incorporates the Pacific Northwest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, North Country Trail (NCT), and Appalachian Trail into a single trail corridor continuous from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. Having previously hiked on all four of these trails, the concept made sense to me. A tangent vision connected to the "Sea-to-Sea Route," as it relates to the NCT, is for the NCT to satisfy all logistical needs of long-distance hikers. Pertinent components of a viable long distance trail include the proper spacing of campsites, trail segments that connect one road to another, access to stores for re-supply, etc. While I understand the need for the trail to include components desired by long-distance hikers, something in this concept didn't seem right to me. My initial concerns were summarized very well in the most recent North Star, " ... experienced members did not always agree with his advice for marketing ourselves to long-distance hikers. Some in the audience felt our typical walking 'customers' are more likely to be shorter distance participants, and therefore deserve greater attention and marketing efforts than do the relatively small numbers of Mark VanHornweder true long distance hikers who scouting trail.

'1 came to my final moment of clarity. . . the realization was that our focus shouldn't be on a single user group, such as long-distance hikers or day hikers, but on the TRAIL. " stay on trail for months on end." Yet in addition to this comparison of trail usage between different user groups, there was something else missing with this long-distance hiker focus, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Two months later in mid-October, I was hiking an eastern section of the NCT. Autumn arrived late this year and most of the leaves on the mature hardwoods towering above me were still on the trees. Besides enjoying the colorful leaves as I hiked through the forest, my mind wandered to the mystical world of introspective thoughts. While assessing my trail experience during the past few days, out of the depths of my memory returned this nagging undefined perceived flaw in the long-distance hiker focus. But this time was different, and in this land of highlands covered by maples, beech, yellow poplars, and other hardwoods, I had a realization that fulfilled my goal of clarity. And that initial thought was that although long-distance hikers can bring publicity to the NCT (Andy Skurka's recent 7,700 mile hike is a good case in point), there is one key thing a long-distance hiker doesn't do: A long-distance hiker doesn't perform trail maintenance. That comment isn't in any way meant to be a criticism of long-distance hikers. Instead, that brief thought became a catalyst that would lead me to other realizations, such as the concepts of construction, maintenance, and permanency.

the significant time involved in getting this construction project off the ground in a smooth fashion. As is true with anything in life, the key to success is ongoing communication, whether with managing agencies, the scouting team, or the construction crew. A situation where everyone is not on the same wavelength could lead to trail or campsite placements that do not match expectations. The result could also be detrimental if trail placement comes into conflict with agency management plans for the land the trail traverses. Construction is also the first opportunity to demonstrate consistency between a new segment of trail and the existing NCT segments. Trail construction and design standards have been developed to not only address trail sustainability, but also to brand a consistent appearance for all trail segments within the system. Any significant deviations from these standards will be easily picked up by users who hike segments in multiple locations. The overall trail planning process starts with the macro viewpoint of the general trail corridor during initial route analysis and ends with the micro viewpoint of specific placement during trail construction. A project that doesn't heavily consider both macro and micro viewpoints during both trail design and construction could result in a final product that is lower quality than other trail segments within the system. And the trail as a whole is only as strong as its weakest segment.

Construction

Maintenance

Just as a strong foundation provides stability for a structure, a well designed and implemented construction plan (encompassing the project from initial corridor definition to final construction) will provide a strong foundation for the trail into the future. I am currently in the midst of managing the Duluth to Two Harbors project on the Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) in Minnesota and am very aware of

Someone frequently comments to me that "a trail should get better with time instead of worse," an observation that addresses the transition between construction and maintenance. If a trail segment isn't revisited regularly for corridor clearing and pruning, blazing, campsite maintenance, distance and destination signage, interpretive signs and maps, vista clearing, etc., then it won't feel like part of a broader trail

system. We can't lose sight of the fact that the NCT is a National Scenic Trail, and thus shares equal importance with other National Park sites. The SHT is rated nationally because of the completeness of its trail system. The devil is in the details and components such as maintenance and signage serve to satisfy the details that define a system. The SHT has adequate components, but what about those segments which don't? Again, the trail as a whole is only as strong as its weakest segment.

Permanency Preserving the trail corridor into perpetuity is critical for a number of reasons. One of these reasons hit home during my October hike. The segment I hiked doesn't meet universal trail layout and design standards. In countless places, the trail goes straight up a very steep hill and then right back down it again with no switchbacks to minimize the grades. Most of the route follows old roads or railroad grades. The blazes along the trail corridor, although frequent, are messy and fuzzy, instead of the crisply painted rectangles that I am used to seeing. The tread itself is never really built and instead hiker traffic defines the trail corridor. With the exception of the state park sections, the majority of the trail segment has notable ATV use. These weaknesses compromise the character of the trail, and didn't fit with my expectations of a National Scenic Trail. But really, what else could be done? Much of the segment that I hiked passes through private property. I have no idea if this trail corridor is secured with permanent easements, but assuming that it isn't, neither trail improvement projects nor use restrictions can currently be implemented. Quite frankly, why spend the time and resources constructing a switchback to eliminate a poorly routed stretch right up the hill, or perform closures on ATV paths that vector into the hiking trail corridor, when the trail is on unsecured private property? The owner could arbitrarily decide to prevent passage the next year if they wished. Permanency, though, is what brings the process full circle from construction to maintenance and back

to construction again. The concept of permanency defines the trail itself as the focal point within that land parcel. Permanency implies sustainability in the design and layout of new segments of trail, and encourages the improvement of those segments of the trail where design considerations have been overlooked. This concept also demands proactive management to ensure that trail quality isn't compromised by unacceptable use, such as motorized use within the trail corridor. Finally, permanency strives to maintain all trail segments at the level of high quality expected for a National Scenic Trail, and works to raise any lower quality segments to that consistent level of high quality. Once again, the trail as a whole is only as strong as its weakest segment. Pondering these three key concepts, I came to my final moment of clarity. This realization was that our focus shouldn't be on a single user group, such as long-distance hikers or day hikers, but on the TRAIL. It's a "system vision" way of looking at things. We place campsites at properly spaced locations not just because long-distance or day hikers will use them, but because the vision of the trail demands it. We put up signs and paint blazes not just so people don't get lost, but because the vision of the trail demands it. We maintain trail not just so users can follow it, but because the vision of the trail demands it. All of these components are important, and when one is missing, not only are the users worse off, the vision of the trail as a whole is incomplete. In the end, these three components focus on the beauty of the trail. An artistic vision should be the driving force for our trail system so that we create a system of beauty to be showcased to people of today and that history can forever document. The bar needs to be raised so that the trail is seen not just as a recreational unit, but as a scenic National Park Service unit. Just as we'd expect the beauty in Yellowstone to be at its optimal, we must also set our expectations in regards to the beauty of the trail. Like Mozart or Picasso, we can produce a work of art that can stand the test of time. In our case, that work of art is the Trail.

A Petite Anniversary B

y sheer chance, an e-mail exchange among Joe Dabes, Ray Kuzia, and me about something else raised the realization that the very next day, November Sth, 2005, was the 20th anniversary of the first NCT certification by the National Park Service (NPS) along the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT)! Among other things remarkable about that section, the same two guys are STILL tending that same piece of trail through state forest in N.Y. today. In 1978, an outdoor club at a local community college adopted a piece of the fairly new FLT, begun in 1962 in a process whereby local hiking clubs or individuals adopted pieces of the intended cross-state trail. Joe, a math teacher, and Ray, a student first then later a postal worker, were among the early active members, so when the college club fizzled into the atmosphere, they took over quite a few miles as individual trail "sponsors" for the FLT. Their trail section grew in length when they kept adding interesting loop trails (the Dabes Diversion, the Kuzia Cut-off, and the Virgil Mountain Loop are some of the alternative hiking offerings in their neighborhood). This is the kind of thing that happens around really passionate trail builders! Joe and Ray, now both retired, are responsible for trail in Cortland County, most of it in state forest with a bit on the property of the ski resort Greek Peak, where the trail pops out of woods to contemplate the awesome downhill below the top end of the skiers' mechanical tow. From there, at elevation 2,098 feet above sea level, followed to the east by Virgil Mountain at 2,132 feet, the route drops on a dizzying swoop down a rocky trail to a mere 1,200 feet at the nearest valley creek. In the intervening years, Joe has run, trotted, and walked the entire 560 Two Finger Lakes Trail pioneers Joe Dabes, left, miles of the main FLT a and Ray Kuzia, right. record SIX times, and now that he has volunteered to be the Finger Lakes Trail Conference Map Guy, he has also GPS' d all of the main trail, plus much of our branch trail system, all of this preparatory to introduction of our entirely new mapping system, which he has learned how to work with using ArcView software. Meanwhile, Ray and Joe continue to maintain, quite nicely, thank you, their many miles of main trail plus loops and branches. One portion they have bequeathed to others was to Alex and Michelle Gonzalez, who were honored for their exquisitely fine trail care two years ago. Best of all, when a private portion of trail between two state forests came up for sale, Joe bought it for his "retirement getaway woods" and then immediately put a trail easement on the property to guarantee our route there forever. In 1985, when the FLTC agreement with the NPS was still new, it was a big deal to receive our first certification. In the spring 1986 issue of the FLT News, a letter from Tom Gilbert was reproduced, announcing certification of those five miles. Yes, Tom was at the helm even then, and not only were Joe and Ray already near the end of their FIRST decade of tending trail, but Howard Beye was FLT Trail Chair back then, too! A few fine things seem to have stayed the same, even 20 years later.

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-Irene Szabo, who had onlyjust joined the FLTC in 1985

New Year, New Certifications W ~GOING FOR ow! We had two issues in a row without any reductions in trail miles. While we have only a small number of additional segments to report, all of the action has been positive. These four segments, totaling 8.3 miles, bring our total of certified miles on the North Country Trail (NCT) to 1771.6.

New York The Central New York Chapter added two segments totaling 3.9 miles. Both are sections of the former Lehigh Valley Railroad between Cazenovia and Canastota. The easternmost segment is from SR-5 to Nelson Rd., a distance 2.7 miles. From Carey Hill Road to Emhoff Road, an additional 1.2 miles, the trail follows the route of the railroad along a wooded hillside that makes amazing use of the former rail grade. Here the trains once wound along the side of significant glacial hills, yet the builders managed to achieve a nearly level grade using cuts and fills, many with intricately

FRED SZARKA NPS Trail Manager

designed drainage structures and culverts. Over the years those structures became clogged with soil and debris, and the chapter faced a challenge finding ways to restore the drainage and eliminate the soggy spots along the route. They have done a great job, and most hikers will enjoy the walk without ever noticing all the work that was done to achieve this. Once drainage is restored, it is easy to overlook the various structures needed to move the water away.

Wisconsin With the gap between the historic Portage trail near Solon Springs and the original NCT in the Chequamegon

National Forest finished, the Brule-St. Croix chapter has turned its attention westward. They submitted a short segment on private land in Solon Springs adding 0.2 mile to the total of certified trail. The landowner has a small spring on the property, although not near the route of the trail, that gives the town of Solon Springs its name. The chapter then headed west ofUS-53 across the "bird sanctuary" lands belonging to the Douglas County Forestry Department. The first segment in the "bird sanctuary" is jointly managed by the county forestry department and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and totals 4.2 miles. On its eastern end, the segment passes through woods for about 1.5 miles before it opens out onto the open savanna-like vegetation that characterizes the rest of the "bird sanctuary" lands. The trail crosses Leo Creek on the side of a former railroad embankment where the chapter built a retaining wall to support the needed bench. Not far from the creek is a campsite. Much of the remaining territory is open or with widely scattered trees. The DNR has a management strategy to maintain the open habitat through the use of prescribed burning.

Gold Star

The North Country National Scenic Trail in New York uses sections of the long defunct Lehigh Valley Railroad route now owned by N.Y. Parks. Emhoff Road near Cazenovia followed the railroad grade for about 0.3 miles. The town of Fenner had to upgrade Emhoff Road, widen it, improve sight distances, and fix drainage problems. Funding from N.Y. State for reconstruction/upgrades for town roads requires compliance with state standards with no leeway. The negative impact on the trail was severe: surface damage, loss of foliage screening, and elevation changes. Recognizing the constraints placed on the Highway Department, the Central New York Chapter worked closely with Superintendent Frank Hyatt to develop a mutually beneficial solution. A combination of support with National Park Service funding and labor donated by the N.Y. Department of Transportation has positioned the NCT for long-term stability. Results include new trailhead parking area, boulders to control access, and grading to accommodate the renovated roadway. Equally imp~rtant, we have established a mutually advantageous relationship. -Al Larmann

We can now track Gold Star certified miles with this report. We will head for the field in the spring to start logging in the segments that will be recognized as Gold Star. I have already heard from folks in both the Central N.Y. and Finger Lakes Trail Conference portions of the trail that they have sections that should qualify. Of course, the Brule-St. Croix Rovers, led by Bill Menke, have requested that their segments be upgraded. Then there are sections of the trail in Minnesota and North Dakota that folks are planning to submit. Your chapter may have Gold Star eligible segments to consider, as well. We have determined that this recognition will be for a period of five years and be renewable. That is because Gold Star, or "certified to standards," includes maintenance requirements, so the trail will need to be checked occasionally to assure that it is still worthy of the recognition.

How Many Volunteer Hours Have You Turned in this Year? The National Park Service explains why NOT reporting your volunteer hours hurts the trail Fred Szarka National Park Service North Country NST Trail Manager

he National Park Service (NPS) has been concerned for several years that North Country Trail Association (NCTA) volunteers are not reporting all their volunteer hours. We want to remind all volunteers that the hours they contribute have an impact on the level of public and private funding made available for the trail. Reporting your hours to NCTA headquarters is very important because the NPS needs to track both the total number of volunteers and volunteer hours each year to report to Congress. The NPS appreciates the contributions of all of our volunteers and, in response, we fund the volunteer recognition program. We strongly support recognizing all volunteers, chapters, and affiliates whose efforts support, develop, and maintain the North Country Trail. One of the reasons that the North Country Trail and other national trails receive relatively generous funding from the NPS Challenge Cost Share (CCS) program is that value of volunteer hours far exceeds the value of the

materials funded by the program. Each year, Congress sets aside 1/3 of the CCS fund for national trails. National Scenic and Historic Trails receive their funds in part because of the effectiveness of local matching of the federal funds with volunteer hours. Even if your chapter is not currently planning to apply for CCS funds or hasn't applied in several years, reporting hours pays big benefits. The NPS staff for the trail is 3.5 (two full time staff and three half-time staff). All the rest of the work is done by our partners. That work is recognized by the NPS and Congress when the funds for the operation of the trail are appropriated. It doesn't matter if you build or maintain sections of trail, paint or repaint blazes, maintain chapter records, prepare the newsletter, lead or plan chapter activities, write articles for the local paper, provide interpretation, or stuff envelopes for mailings. All of those activities and many more are needed to keep the trail hikeable and in the public eye, and serve other members of the NCTA. In addition, the travel time between your home and the trailhead, or an office or meeting location, should be counted; you couldn't do your volunteer work without this travel. You should also count meeting time for planning, publicity, or support activities.

Don't let all your hours of hard work on the trail go to waste. Remember to report your hours to the North Country Trail Association office.

So the next time you are tempted to skip recording and reporting your volunteer hours because "it doesn't mean anything," or 'Tm not in this for the recognition," or "it's too much trouble," please make the effort! ] ot the hours on your calendar and report them to NCTA quarterly. It really does make a difference.

Attention Volunteers: The North Country Trail needs your help!

Submit your hours online at www.northcountrytrail.org Or call us at 866-HIKE-NCT to request forms.

A New Year Finds Us Ready for New Successes A

s you receive this North Star you'll be deeply immersed in the "Glory of the North Country" or as others less informed refer to it, winter. Only those from a few other places in this country have an opportunity to relish and enjoy true winter like all of the citizens of our seven states hosting the North Country Trail (NCT). And of course North Country Trail Association (NCTA) members like you, with your great love of the outdoors, the unspoiled natural world, solitude and quiet recreation, know how to enjoy winter to its fullest. So right about now you must be really enjoying yourselves. The lead time to produce this North Star requires me to write it at the end of the Thanksgiving weekend which is a natural time for me to contemplate winter. You see I've been maintaining a tradition of celebrating the "Beginning of Winter" over Thanksgiving weekend for nearly 35 years. This tradition began in 1971 with a group of buddies camping out for the weekend in a national forest campground on the edge of the Boundary Waters Wilderness. It continued as a weekend party with a group of friends at the campground, camping in wall tents with airtight stoves, barbecuing a turkey on a kettle grill and serving a full turkey dinner in the usually snow-covered woods. After a while many dropped out. We decided we didn't need all the comforts and wanted to explore farther out than our daytrips from the campground allowed so we started to do the 8 mile backpack on the Sioux Hustler Trail to Devil's Cascade. One of those trips to Devil's Cascade was by far the most memorable in all the 35 years. It was only my friend Bruce with me that

JOHN LEINEN President

year. The recent heavy snowfall compelled us to use snowshoes on the way in and the snow hung in the alder and red willow causing them to overhang the trail, so we both looked like Frosty by the time we arrived at the cascade. Exhausted by our travel in, we slept in a bit the next morning and lazed around the campfire after breakfast once we finally got going. Not wanting to waste the whole day led us to one of the most memorable moments of my life. We thought we'd head over to the back bay on Pauness Lake, just around the corner from the end of the canoe portage that crossed the trail at Devil's Cascade. It was a typical low light November day as we rounded the point and stepped into the mouth of the bay. A few steps more and we froze at the sight of a pack of wolves crossing the bay in front of us. We were flabbergasted by what we were witnessing but never felt afraid. As we watched and they noted our presence the first three wolves came out of the woods onto the ice. One stopped a short ways out, one stopped in the middle and one stopped nearly all the way across; as they stopped all three turned and faced us. After they had taken their positions the rest of the pack crossed the bay behind them; I counted twelve in all. After the pack had crossed the three sentinels gradually followed after them one at

"And of course NCTA members like you with your great love of the outdoors, the unspoiled natural world, solitude and quiet recreation, know how to enjoy winter to its fullest. "

a time with the one who guarded the middle leaving last. Wide-eyed we looked at each other after they'd all crossed; we noted that the whole experience had taken about a half hour to unfold. Not many words were spoken as the day's light faded and we headed back to camp. After the tradition got to about 15 years my backpacking friends either had moved out of state or got "too old" to winter backpack so I've continued on with a Thanksgiving morning hike in the woods around here. This year was typical with temperatures in the teens, raw winds licking at me in 25 to 35 MPH gusts and beautiful clear golden sunshine. It was a wonderful morning to frolic in the woods along the bluffs and shoreline of the St. Croix River and celebrate the beginning of this winter. It was about time I got out to some trail too! Sometimes the "job" of being an officer of the NCTA can become all-consuming, but that's because our organization is alive with so many new projects and directions. First of all, you'll be pleased to learn we have finally accomplished one of our long held goals of setting up a regional trail manager's office. Bill Menke, who retired "young" from the National Park Service office that tends our trail, has been our NCTA educational Trail Foreman in charge of training and special trail-building projects for several years now. However, since the beginning of last October, he is Our Guy in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, serving as the NCTA regional representative to coordinate chapters, agency partners, and the public in our ongoing efforts to fill in gaps and maintain the rail. We have long dreamed of having regional offices, each headed by paid staf£ so we are just beside ourselves with excitement to start with this first one. We've known for years how hard it is for isolated chapters to know where to begin when confronted with a long gap between existing trail seg-

· · j~~~~~·~~M;~~h.2006···Th~··N~·~t·h··St~~··29

ments, so having someone as knowledgeable as Bill in this area will be a great help and should speed up the process immensely. This is just the beginning, since our eventual goal places a regional office in every state. Someday ... Another change in our staff structure has been to eliminate, as least for now, the Executive Director position, so Rob Corbett is no longer with us. Clare, Jennifer, Tiffany, Matt, Glory, Bonnie and Allison are carrying out their tasks as before, with no interruption in service or functions. The NCTA By-laws direct the Board President to take over as Acting Executive Director and I have done so. We also have Board members working closely with our Lowell staff to a much higher degree than ever before. The Board's committees are working variously at creating written policies where there had been none before, defining job descriptions more clearly, and evaluating staff goals and performance. These Board projects should streamline Lowell staff func-

tions for future higher efficiency. We've also spent a little money on better-suited software for accounting, on doctor's house calls for the computer network, and on staff training. Your Board realizes we can't reorganize our office without investing dollars, time and effort and we are

committed to doing so. We feel all this effort will repay us many times over, strengthening the North Country Trail Association and most importantly, enabling us to build and maintain more miles of quality North Country Trail. We hope you will like the results of our work.

•ASSOCIATION• If you have photos, written memories or any other memorabiliarelated to the 25th anniversary of the North Country Trail Association , please contact Jennifer Tripp at the NCTA Headquarters, 866-HIKE-NCT.

Your Help is Vital to Preserving the Historyof the Association .

NCTA Assigns First Regional Trailµ Coordinator

he North Country Trail Association (NCTA) is pleased to announce its first Regional Trail Coordinator! Bill Menke, previously the NCTA's Trail Foreman, will be tackling trail management issues in

Many volunteers know Bill Menke from his presentations about the history of the North Country Trail and its trail building experience.

the Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin. He brings his knowledge of trail planning and building; his familiarity with the trail, and his long history with National Park Service to this new position. As a part-time employee Bill will be responsible for planning, conducting, and completing daily and longterm work relating to the design, construction and preservation of the North Country National Scenic Trail in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. To meet this goal, Bill will work extensively with volunteers and agency partners, and will serve as liaison between these groups and the NCTA. The NCTA hopes to have more regional staff in the future and we look forward to supporting our chapters and partners in a more immediate capacity. Keep your eyes peeled for Bill traveling and visiting your chapter in the Great Lakes Region!

In addition to his vast trail building knowledge, Bill Menke has hiked over 2,200 miles of the North Country Trail. Bill is pictured here hiking in Ellicottville, N.Y., with the slopes of the Holimount Ski Resort in the background .

APPAREL A. Blue Polo Shirt (c112) Cotton/Poly pique polo with collar. Embroidered with seven state logo. Color: blue

S, M, L, XL, XXL

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B. Fleece Vest (c108) Embroidered trail logo. Color: grey

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C. Polo Shirt (c106) Cotton/Poly pique polo with collar. Embroidered association logo. Color: tan

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S, M, L, XL. $21.95, XXL ... $24.95 E. Trail Crew T-Shirt (c102) A trail crew shirt for volunteers! 50/50 blend. Two color design on front with map and a "fired up" volunteer. Color: tan. L, XL.. $10.95, XXL.. F. Rediscover Nature

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The 100% cotton "leaf" shirt available in: Dusty Blue (C-110) Pale Plum (C-110A)

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Fleece Jacket (c115) Navy, full-zip fleece, lined jacket with matching collar, cord drawstring at hem, elasticized cuffs, inside pocket, zip outside pockets. Embroidered with the 7-state trail logo.

S, M, L, XL: $55.00, XXL: $60.00

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G. "Blue Blazes" 50/50 Poly-Cotton blend on ash gray shirt. Short sleeve (C-109)

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NCTA T-Shirt (Not Pictured) (c101) Pre-shrunk cotton "Beefy-T." Three-color NCTA logo on front and two-color map on back. Color: natural.

S, M, L, XL.. .. $11.95, XXL... $12.95

Limited Edition 25th Anniversary Bobcat (P-2005) Celebrate the 25th anniversary of the North Country National Scenic Trail with our first limited edition "furry friend," the Bobcat. About 12" in length. Comes with adoption papers. .

$12.00

Nortll C.11ntry

Troll ~ssoclâ&#x20AC;˘tlon

Limited Edition 25th Anniversary Mug (P-2007) This hefty cobalt blue ceramic coffee mug features the seven-state map 25th Anniversary logo. Perfect for your morning coffee! $6.00

e-mail: hq@northcountrytrail.org

ORDER TOLLFREE! 1-866-HIKE NCT

www.northcountrytrail.org

North Country Cache by Joan Young

Hikeable Segments of the North Country National Scenic Trail

Follow the Blue Blazes by Robert J Pond

The first book by a hiker of the North Country Trail. This book includes adventures on 2300 miles (half) of the trail, section-hiked, including some in each state. 402 pages (L134)

This guide lists all the hikeable segments of the trail and presents accurate mileages along and between segments. Each trail segment on the map is numbered and corresponds to a description of that segment. 112 pages (L133) $5.95

A guide to hiking Ohio's Buckeye Trail. Beginning with startling rock formations and graceful waterfalls, this 1200 mile loop provides a captivating look at each section of the trail. 300 pages. (L130) $19.95

Porcupine Mountains by Jim DuFresne

The authors provide first-hand information for trails in every corner of the state - from the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore to Newport State Park. (L129)

North Country Cache:

$24.95 Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore by Olive Anderson

PICTURED ROCKS NATIONAL LAKESllORE

A GUIDE

An illustrated guide to the centerpiece of the North Country National Scenic Trail. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a unique coast on the Lake Superior Shore. Revised in 2002, includes maps and excellent descriptions of recreational opportunities available at Pictured Rocks. 56 pages (L110)

$7.50 Hiking Minnesota by john Pukite This edition has descriptions, maps, and basic elevation profiles for 87 hikes in Minnesota. 273 pages (L132)

Hiking

Minnesota-e

Describes the Porkies for hikers, campers, skiers, and backpackers. Includes history, cabins, camping areas, day hikes, and waterfalls. 160 pages (L108) $11.95

Take a Hike by Rich and Sue Freeman Explore N.Y.'s Finger Lakes and Genesee Valley with ease and convenience. 51 walks are completely described. 264 pages (L119)

$16.95

$14.95

Edible Wild Plants by James Kavanagh

50 Hikes in Michigan by Jim DuFresne

This pocket-size guide is perfect for identifying the various plants you see while out walking. (L127)

Describes the best trails in the Lower Peninsula. Includes access, parking, hiking times, contour maps, and explicit trail directions. 252 pages (L109) $17.95

$5.95

Atlas of Michigan by Dennis R. Hansen This third edition has descriptions and maps for over 600 hiking, biking, skiing, and nature trails in Michigan. 789 pages (L102A)

$34.95

First Aid and Family Emergency Handbook This compact book tells you what to do in emergency and then how to protect a victim. 252 pages (L125) $6.00

Lightweight Backpacking & Camping Edited by Ryan Jordan A book full of ideas and tips for hiking with all you need to survive without breaking your back. 434 pages (L135)

$24.95

Backpacking Wisconsin by jack P. Hailman & Elizabeth D. Hailman

$19.95 Great Wisconsin Walks by Wm. Chad McGrath Describes some of the state's most beautiful and interesting paths. Includes walks in the woods and in the cities. 160 pages (L116) $16.95

Hiking with Kids by Robin Tawney Introduce your children to the wonders of hiking. This answers any questions and gives valuable tips. 70 pages (L123) $6.95

Babes in the Woods by Bobbi Hoadley The women's guide to eating well, sleeping well, and having fun in the backcountry. 125 pages (L131) $12.95

The Appalachian Trail Food Planner by Lou Adsmond Proven food tips for a short backpack to a six-month thru-hike. Includes recipes for easy trailside cooking. 128 pages (L126)

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$16.95

e-mail: hq@northcountrytrail.org

ORDER TOLL FREE! 1-866-HIKE

NCT

www.northcountrytrail.org

Lipsmackin ' Backpackin'

by Tim and Christine Connors Dine on spagherri, chicken salad, and cheesecake in the backcountry instead of gorp, cereal bars, and jerky. 232 pages (L118)

$15.95

The Well-Fed Backpacker

f"W""R"-"1

byJune Fleming Make ahead meals as well as on the trail. It is packed with cons of recipes and food tips for the outdoors. 181 pages (L128)

HATS

C. Navy Cap

A. Sun Protection (C210)

Solid navy with cream trim and NCTA silhouette logo with adjustable buckle

Wide bill, Supplex" can nylon, soft and breathable. Adjustable clip back

$18.50

B. The Aussie Hat

(C209)

Natural color, cotton canvas with full brim and rope cord with adjustable slider

$24.50

$12.95

(c212)

$14.95

D. Khaki Cap

(C211)

Scone washed cotton khaki hat with North Country National Scenic Trail emblem with adjustable buckle

$14.95

CERTIFIED SECTIONS OF THE NCT By Byron and Margaret Hutchins Detailed information and maps highlighting the off-road segments of the Trail. In easy co use looseleaf form.

PENNSYLVANIA NCT in Pennsylvania, 37 pages (M201) .. $6.00

OHIO Wayne N.F., 14 pages (M301) $3.00 Burr Oak S.P. to Milford on the Buckeye Trail, 38 pages (M3032) $14.00 Milford co Lake Loramie S.P., 42 pages

$7.00

(M304A)

Miami & Erie Canal from Lake Loramie S.P. to Napoleon, 30 pages (M305A) $5.00

STATE PATCHES 2.00 ea.

VOLUNTEERPATCHES2.ooea.

New York Pennsylvania Ohio Michigan Wisconsin Minnesota North Dakota

Volunteer 2005 Volunteer 2006 Trail Crew Hike Leader Trail Mapper Organizer

(P126) (P127) (P128) (P129) (P130) (P131)

(P142) (P143) (P136) (P137) (P138) (P139)

(P132)

MICHIGAN NCT in Lower Michigan, 81 pages (M401)

$13.00 NCT in Upper Michigan, 88 pages (M402)

$14.00 WISCONSIN Iron County Forests; Chequamegon N.F., Brule River S.F., 27 pages (M501B) $5.00

MINNESOTA Chippewa National Forest, Itasca S.P., 24 pages

$4.00

(M601)

$4.00

NORTH DAKOTA NCT in North Dakota, 15 pages (M701).

MEDALLIONS, PINS, & PATCHES Add the North Country National Scenic Trail insignia to your hiking stick, jacket, or backpack. A. Painted color (P105) $4.00 C. Patch of Trail Emblem (P125) B. Brass (P104) .......................â&#x20AC;˘.......... D. Trail Emblem cloisonne pin (P102)

$5.50

$3.50 $3.00

ORDER TOLL FREE! 1-866-HIKE NCT

e-mail: hq@northcountrytrail.org

www.northcountrytrail.org

NCT TRAIL MAPS 1:100,000 SCALE

WISCONSIN Together these maps cover the Chequamegon National Forest

$4.50 per map One inch to 1.578 miles. This full-color pocket size map unfolds to a full 11" x 17", double sided and are now being printed on "DuraPaper," waterproof, tear-resistant, soil resistant and extremely durable because it is an extra heavyweight, specially coated with 4 mil polyester.

Ironwood to Long Mile Lookout Long Mile Lookout to Solon Springs

(Wl-01) (Wl-02)

MINNESOTA Chippewa N.F. to Paul Bunyan S.F.**. (MN-09) State Highway 64 to Many Point Lake .. (MN-10)

NEW YORK Rome to Finger Lakes Trail

1:63,360 SCALE $4.50 per map One inch to a mile. This full-color pocket size map unfolds to a full 11" x 17", double sided and are now being printed on "DuraPaper," waterproof, rear-resistant, soil resistant and extremely durable because it is an extra heavyweight, specially coated with 4 mil polyester.

OHIO NORTH DAKOTA

(NY-04)

Showing four sections of trail

(ND-SE)

Ohio Stateline to Minerva Wayne National Forest-Marierra Unit

(OH-101) (OH-105)

PENNSYLVANIA ** Unavailable, out for revisions.

Allegheny National Forest (PA-01) Allegheny National Forest to Stare Game Land 95 (PA-02) State Game Land 95 to Pennsylvania/Ohio Stateline (PA-03)

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MICHIGAN Marshall to Bowne Township Bowne Township to M-37 M-37 to Freesoil Trailhead Freesoil Trailhead to Cedar Creek Rd** Cedar Creek Rd to Charlevoix County .. Charlevoix County to Mackinac Bridge. Mackinac Bridge to Whitefish Bay Scenic Byway Curley Lewis Road to Grand Marais Grand Marais to Au Train Lake Au Train Lake to Little Garlic Falls Alberta to Cascade Falls Cascade Falls to Ironwood

lll

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(Ml-04) (Ml-05)

( M 1-06)

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(Ml-07) (Ml-08) (Ml-09) (Ml-10) (Ml-11)

(Ml-13) (Ml-14)

Map shown: 1:100,000 scale, Ml-10 Grand Marias to Au Train Lake

ORDER TOLL FREE! 1-866-HIKE NCT

e-mail: hq@northcountrytrail.org

NCNST Nalgene Bottle

(P144) ....

www.northcountrytrail.org

Sate Items

$9.98

North Country National Scenic Trail Vinyl Sticker (P-2006)

VOLUNTEER PATCHES

Decorate your favorite wacer boccie wich chis Norch Country National Scenic Trail sticker!

............................ Now Only $1.00 ea. Volunteer 2000 (P133) Volunteer 2001 (P134) Volunteer 2002 (P135)

50¢ each or 12 for $5.00

NCTA PEN

SO% Off

(P106)

Now Only $2.88

MEMBERSHIP

Volunceer 2003 (P140) Volunteer 2004 (P141) Volunteer 2005 (P142)

& TRAIL SHOP ORDER FORM

The top form maybe used for new and renewing members. The lower portion of the form is for Trail Shop Merchandise. Home Phone with Area Code

Name (Please Print)

Address

1-1

E-mail

City

Please choose your Chapter affiliation:

Membership: Please mark one of the boxes below if joining or rejoining the North Country Trail Association

D Member

D $45 Organization D $150 Business D $250 NCT Patron

D $30 Regular D $50 Trail Leader D $100 Pathfinder

I ZIP

State

of a specific Chapter :

Member of my closest Chapter (If one exists)

D At-Large Member (Not affiliated

with any Chapter)

TRAIL SHOP PURCHASES Item Description

Item Number

Size

•

Merchandise total:

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/>.

Check or money order enclosed

(Made payable to "NCTA")

D Please

charge my credit card

NCTA Members deduct 10%: Subtotal after discount: Ml Residents add 6% sales tax: + Shipping and handling: +

~ •ASSOCIATION•

(See shipping info below)

Membership dues (if included):

GRAND TOTAL: Charge Card Number

Expiration Date

Name on Card

Signature (We cannot process your order without a signature and the expiration date.}

Please mail, fax or phone your order to: 229 East Main Street Lowell, Michigan 49331 Toll free telephone: 866-HikeNCT (445-3628) If ordering by credit card, you may fax your order to: 616-897-6605

Shipping and Handling Charges Amount of Order $00.00 to $10.00 $10.01 to $25.00 $25.01 to $50.00 $50.01 to $100 Over$100

Charge $2.50 $5.00 $6.00 $8.00 $10.00

If you have questions about the North Country Trail, there are many different places to go for information. This directoryprovides 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). 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 web site; it's a sure bet that you'll find most of what you need. Here you can join or contribute to the NCTA, browse the events calendar, explore NCTA Chapter pages, purchase maps and trail-related products, follow links to Partner organizations, read up-to-date news items, report volunteer hours, and, of course, learn more about the trail itself!

NORTH DAKOTA Trail Council Chair: Alicia Hoffarth · cahoffarthtehorrnail.com

State Trail Coordinator:Vacant 1. Lonetree Chapter Elden Ehrman · (701)465-3387

2. Sheyenne River Valley Chapter Alicia Hoffarth · (701)490-3889 · cahoffarth@hormail.com

3. North Dakota Sandhills Chapter Curtis Vanek · (701)282-0339

· go4rrails@sbcglobal.net

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.

MINNESOTA Trail Council Chair: John Leinen · foorparhpal@msn.com

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

NCTA Chapters:

For information about local activities or volunteering, contact the Chapter representative for your area of interest. We have more than two dozen local volunteer trail clubs scattered along the trail that are Chapters of the NCTA. NCTA members can affiliate themselves with any Chapter they'd like. Whether or not the member volunteers, a portion of their dues will help support Chapter activities. Chapters build and maintain trail, host hikes and other events, and work to promote the trail and the Association in their areas.

Affiliate Organizations:

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

Trail Council Officers: Our

Chapters and Affiliates 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.

Chris Klein · kleinll@midwesrinfo.com

Parks and Trails Council of Minnesota (Affiliate) Dorian Grilley · dgrilley@parksandrrails.org

· (651)726-2457

4. Star of the North Chapter Gerald Johnson · (612)789-7965 · johns018@umn.edu

5. Itasca Moraine Chapter Jerry Trout · (218)675-5448

· jbrrout@tds.net

6. Kekekabic Trail Club (Affiliate) Terry Bernhardt • info@kek.org • {800)818-4453

7. RoversOuting Club (Partner) John Elliott · (612)829-5142

8. Superior Hiking Trail Association (Affiliate) Gayle Coyer · suphike@mr.net

· (218)834-2700

GREAT LAKES Trail Council Chair: Vacant State Trail Coordinator: Doug Welker · dwelker@up.net 9. Brule-St.Croix Chapter David Zosel · zosel@centurytel.net

10. ChequamegonChapter Marty Swank · (715)682-2254

· ctl09815@cenruryrel.net

11. Heritage Chapter Kevin Steffens · (262)878-0220

· steffens@wi.net

12. Peter Wolfe Chapter Doug Welker · (906)338-2680

• dwelker@up.net

13. North Country Trail Hikers Chapter Denise Herron · (906)225-1030 · dherron906@aol.com

14. Grand Marais Chapter: Vacant 15. Hiawatha Shore-to-ShoreChapter Roger Morrison · (906)647-2100 · rmorrison@saulc.com

LEGEND -chapters Partners

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Lyle Bialk • lylebialk@sbcglobal.net

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Joan Young • jhy@r-one.ner

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Jerry Keeney • (231)526-9597 • keeneylO@ charter.net

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16. Harbor Springs Chapter

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State Trail Coordinator:

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Trall Council Chair: Vacant

State Trall Coordinator: Ron Rice • ricel@nauticom.ner Butler Outdoor Club (Afflllate): Joyce Appel • 724-526-5407 • joyceappel@arm-rek.net

Rachel Carson Tralls Conservancy (Affiliate):

17. Tittabawassee Chapter Gary Johnson • (989)842-3478 • gwj2@charrer.ner

18. Grand Traverse Hiking Club Chapter John Heiam • (231)938-9655 · johnheiam@charrer.ner

19. Spirit of the Woods Chapter Richard Krieger • (231)398-9193 · rndkrieger@jackpine.com

20. Western Michigan Chapter Charles Vannette • (616)456-9725 • cvann30643@aol.com

Parry Brunner • 412-366-3339 • info@rachelcarsontrails.org

28. Wampum Chapter Paul Henry • (724)347-3282 • joyceappel@arm-rek.ner

29. Butler Chapter Jerry Hoffman • (714)625-2056 • jhof270271@hormail.com

30. Greater Pittsburgh Chapter Michael Kaizar • (412)421-0842 • gprncra@yahoo.com

31. Rock Chapter

21. Chief Noonday Chapter Larry Hawkins • (269)945-5398 • hawkeyemd@cablespeed.com

22. Chief Baw Beese Chapter Steve Vear • (517)439-5485 • sreve@vear.com

Greg Koller • (724)794-3498 • gbjk48@zoominterner.ner

32. Clarion County Chapter Ed Scurry • (814)437-1168 • edsdc85@yahoo.com

33. Allegheny National Forest Chapter

OHIO

Keith Klos • (814)484-7420 · klos@wesrpa.ner

Trail Councll Chair: Garry Dill · verfarm@srarband.net State Trall Coordinator: James Sprague • jimsprague@msn.com 23. NW Ohio Ralls-to·Trails Association (Affiliate) Vacant

24. Buckeye Trail Association (Afflllate) Garry Dill • verfarm@srarband.ner • (937) 834-2891

25. Adams County Chapter Myrna Hixson • (937)544-4808 • myrna@brighr.ner

26. Ohio Valley Chapter Ryan Smith • (740)374-5666 • rsmirh365@hormail.com

27. Great Trail-Sandy Beaver Canal Chapter Brad Bosley • (330)227-2432 • bbosley@cceng.org

NEW YORK Trall Council Chair and State Trail Coordinator: Howard Beye • flrc@fronrierner.ner

34. Finger Lakes Trall Conference (Afflllate): Gene Bavis • informarion@fingerlakesrrail.org • 585-658-9320 Additional Maintaining Organizations Coordinated by FLTC:

Adirondack Men Club (ADK)-Finger Lakes Chapter, ADK-Genesee Valley Chapter, ADK-Onondaga Chapter, ADK-Niagara Frontier Chapter, Adventure RecreationClub at Ithaca College, Cayuga Trails Club, Fillmore Boy Scout Troop 748, Foorhills Trail Club, Genesee Valley Hiking Club, Hammondsport Boy Scour Troop 18, and Town & Country Bushwhackers

35. Central New York Chapter: Karhy Eisele • (315)492-2273 • eiselekgidreamscape.com

··j·~~~~~·~~·M~~~h'ioo6'*'Th~··N·~·~t·h·St~~·37

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

Lowell Area Community Fund National Park Service $2.500 to $9.999

Booth Newspapers â&#x20AC;˘ Keeler Foundation $1000 to $2.499

The Conservation Fund â&#x20AC;˘ Universal Forest Products $250 to $999 North Country Trail Relay Sedona Trading Company

T & C Markets IM, Inc. Valley City Area Chamber of Commerce

$150 to $249 Adirondack Mountain Club Michigan Mountain Bike Association AntiGravity Gear, LLC Moraine Sailing Club FS 80 Butler Outdoor Club North Country Brewing Campmor Inc The Outfitter Lee's Sports and Sportswear Three Creeks Cabinetry Villaume Industries Inc.

Trail Supporters

Individuals $500 or more Richard Ashbacker James Baldwin Bob & Judith Bredeweg Dave & Jan Cornell Donald Cornue Kathryn Denhouter Roy Dray Bobbie Hineline Sarah Julien Christopher & Margo Light William Lynch & Barbara Manger Rod & Margaret MacRae Linda O' Donnel Atley Oswald Dan Rogalla Harmon Strong Werner & Marianne Veit

$250 to $499 Jerry & Connie Pausits Allen Len & JoAnne Baron LeRoy Bliven John Diephouse Loyal & Bonnie Eldridge Daniel Gold Peggy Jones & Andy Zeek Lou & Sandy Kasischke James & Elizabeth Mackey Guyer & Kimberly McCracken Anthony & Kim Notario Raymond & Elaine Papp Derrick Passe Aaron & Sharon Phipps Joseph Raught Michael Rochowiak Mary & Carl Schroeder Rolf Swanson Irene Szabo David Tattan

$100 to $249 David & Jean Adams Walt Alexander Pat Allen & Mark Miller Daniel & Constance Arnold Charles Axthelm Brian & Elizabeth Bachynski Dan Baumhardt & E. Joyce Krause Brian Becker Richard Beil & Dana Burkley Howard Beye Bruce Bishop Bert Bleke Carl Boesel Richard & Sue Boettner Ren & Carol Brander Kristen & Glen Bruxvoort Robert Burpee Robert Burris

Brian Burt James Byrne Joe & Sharon Callahan John Campa Janet Carpenter Frances & Steve Cheyne William Chiartas Rose Clack William Clark Bill & Mary Coffin Donald Collins Tim & Christine Conners Robert Cooley Robert & Romayne Corbett Gene Cornelius Mark Dallara Daniel Dardio Mary & Bill Davis Robert Davis John & JoAnne Davis Dale DeGirolamo Laura DeGolier Claire Dedow Garrett Dill William Dixon Jack & Karen Dixon Joe & Stephanie Dixon Kathleen Eisele William Eisenman Duane Elenbaas Myron Erickson Paul Erisman Randal Eshuis James Filiault Joan Filla Herb Finke Jeff Fleming William Fletcher Richard Flinn Joanna Frank Eric Frick & Pam Salaway Sue Funk & Wood Kidner David Galbreath Tom Garnett Tom & Janis Gilbert Marc Gilbert George Girod James Glockner David Golembeski Donald Gore Connie Grisell Paul & Julie Nietling Haan Scott Haebich William Hamilton Marshall Hamilton Michael Hanlon Chuck Hayden Paul & Jerry Henry Denise Herron Gail Hill & Jim Overzet

J. Daniel Hitchens Chris & Alicia Hoffarth James Hoogesteger Keith & Katherine Horngren Murray Howe Paul Hughes Theodore Hullar Ken Jeffery Richard Jester Martha Jones John Judd Thomas Kaiser Hans Kappus Jerry Keeney Shawn Kelly L. Bill Kick David Kinnamon Barbara Kletzke Pollie Knight Stephen Kobylarz Bobby & Deborah Koepplin Kay & Stanley Kujawa Jeff & Janet Lalonde Paul Lane Al & Mary Kunzler-Larmann Raoul & Jan LePage Robert Leedle John & Pat Leinen Michael Lorente John & Marianne Ludwick Mary Lunt Gary & Barbara Lyall Angus MacDonald Tom Mack Raymond & Kristen Majkrzak John Malcolm Stephen McKenney Laurie McMurray Hugh Melling & Denise Simon Roger & Glory Meyer Larry Meyer John Middleton & Jocelyn Kalajian Pat & Kathleen Miller Diane Morand John & Ruth Morton Denice Nelson John Norlund Timothy O'Rourke Martin O'Toole Eugene Ollila Thomas & Maren Ortmeier Bob & Laura Otwell Roberta Padur Bob & Annette Papp Richard & Kaye Pfeiffer Thomas Pflueger Edith Phillips Thomas & Diane Piquet Chris Puehler Craig & Sue Quimby

William & Avis Rambo Charles Reep Paul & Evelyn Reid Douglas & Kathleen Rhine Walter & Jodell Rockenstein Robert & Grace Rudd Christine Rundblad & John Brander Michael & Erica SanDretto Edward Scanlan Mike Schaeffer & Debby Page Rolland Scheels Merl & Pat Schlaack William & Linda Schmidt Peter & Emily Schmitz John Schroeder Richard Schwaab Stephen Selden Perry Severance David & Elvera Shappirio Jeffrey & Frances Shepard Randy Shoemaker Donald Snowdon & Lynn Moon Carol Stetter Nancy Stewart John & Nancy Strom Nancy Sussex David Swanson Betty Tableman Bing Tai & Catherine Allen John Tanton William Thomas Bruce Thompson David Tonnies Jerry & Beth Trout Roger Tuuk John Underhill Betty Van der Smissen Gail VanHaren Verlan VanRheenen Jim & Kathleen VanVliet John & Diane Vanderveen Steve Vear Michael & Diane Veen Raymond Vlasak Nils Vos Jacque Wallace Jon & Judy Walter Gary Werner Peter Wester Neil Whitbeck Donald Wickstra Kevin, Robin, Kate & Morgan Wilson Dewey & Kay Wobma Gary Wright Beverly Zelt

Happy trails to you. Our eight newspapers across Michigan cover the great outdoors, including the best nature walks, day hikes and overnight backpacking trips. Read us, then find a slice of heaven of your own on foot. Booth Newspapers: The Ann Arbor News, The Bay City Times, The Flint Journal, The Grand Rapids Press, The Jackson Citizen Patriot, The Kalamazoo Gazette, The Muskegon Chronicle and The Saginaw News. LV19892

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PAID North Country Trail Association 229 East Main Street Lowell, Michigan 49331

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. Please Place Postage Here

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