Wednesday May Be The Day For Willing Seller Success - Please Call Your Representative!

from the American Hiking Society

American Hiking Society constantly monitors Congress to influence legislation that impacts hikers, and provides Action Alerts as a service to our members, who support our mission to protect trails and the hiking experience. Tomorrow, Congress will consider two bills that will significantly benefit trails and the hiking experience.

Most important to the North Country Trail is H.R. 146 the "Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009." Tomorrow afternoon the House will consider this bill. It has been considered in several forms over the past year, and contains more beneficial language for conservation, recreation and historic preservation than any other legislation in many years. It contains provisions that will recognize the National Landscape Conservation System, benefit the National Trails System, add millions of acres to the wilderness preservation system, diversify the economies of small communities and enhance opportunities to get outside.

At 10 AM EST, the House will hear H.R. 1404, the Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement (FLAME) Act. For years the Forest Service has "robbed from Peter to pay Paul," failing to budget adequate sums to fight increasingly severe fire seasons, and then transferring money from vital agency programs (like recreation management and trail construction) to fund the increasing cost of fire suppression. The FLAME Act will address this problem by creating a separate fund for suppressing large-scale wildfires, enabling the Forest Service to use appropriated funds to maintain trails and the hiking experience on our National Forests. The Forest Service is the largest landowner along the length of the NCT.

Please CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE and ask him or her to support these bills.

Suggestions for making a successful call:
1. Identify yourself as a hiker and outdoor enthusiast.
2. Ask them to support H.R. 1404, the FLAME Act, to give wild-land firefighters the resources they need, and protect funding for other vital Forest Service Programs that benefit ordinary Americans, like hiking trails.
3. Ask them to support H.R. 146, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act, to protect recreational opportunities, diversify the economies of small communities and help Americans get outside and healthy.
4. Thank them for their time and leadership.

Go to Congress.org to find your Representative.
Go to C-SPAN to watch these votes, live.
See Omnibus Public Lands Bill Fails in House by 2 Votes

Will Stimulus Money Benefit the North Country Trail?

a news release of Outdoor Industry Association, with additional comments

The Forest Service, National Park Service (NPS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are working overtime to meet tight deadlines in identifying projects eligible for funding in the economic stimulus bill. The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, signed by President Obama last week, directs $3 billion to the Department of Interior and $1 billion to the Forest Service to fund road and trail projects, building and campground maintenance, abandoned mine restoration and to fire mitigation projects.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has asked the NPS and BLM to identify their highest priority projects in time to submit a list to the White House by March 3 and plans to hire a "stimulus czar" to oversee the dollars. The Interior Department will also launch a website listing each project, its cost, a chronicle of its progress and the number of jobs created.

The Forest Service is operating under similarly tight deadlines. Each regional forest submitted its priority projects to the headquarters office last week and will submit its proposed list to the White House the first week of March.

Agencies have been told they should submit a mix of projects including trail and campground restoration and that the highest priority will be placed on projects that will create the most private sector jobs.

The National Park Service is the federal agency that oversees the North Country Trail. And the Forest Service is the largest single landowner along the length of the trail. Yet, it is unclear just how much, if any, of this money will benefit the NCT. Agencies have been scrambling to provide projects which can be funded.

The agencies will put private sector contracts out for a bid in the next few months and plan to open regional offices around the country to facilitate the bidding process. Congress has said all the stimulus money must be obligated by September 2010.

Due to the burdens of other federal laws, such as environmental policy, archeological assessments, laws which restrict land purchase, and more, it could be very difficult to create projects and obligate funds by the deadline. Many of the National Forests have been in the process of closing campgrounds, removing infrastructure and cutting back on staff due to budget shortfalls. Let's hope that some of this money can reverse this trend.

Forest Service Will Consider Temporary Wilderness Marking on Kek

trail work in March 2008 on the Kek (photo by Martin Kubik)

a news release of Boundary Waters Advisory Committee

The Boundary Waters Advisory Committee (BWA Committee) and US Forest Service officials met recently to discuss trail management in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in the Superior National Forest.

Last year’s rescue of two Duluth hikers lost on the Kekekabic Trail in the BWCAW, along with the 1999 windstorm, two major fires, and a number of other Search and Rescue operations in the wilderness over the last several years, has moved the Forest Service to reconsider whether trail markers should be placed on indistinct trails in the wilderness. Five hiking organizations, the BWA Committee, the Kekekabic Trail Club (KTC), the Border Route Trail Association (BRTA), the North Country Trail Association (NCTA) and the 3M Club Outdoor Club support marking of a troublesome 13 mile long section of the Kekekabic Trail and segments of the Border Route Trail where the path has been obliterated by the past fire.

At the meeting, the BWA Committee offered, subject to the Forest Service approval, to send out a survey team to locate and reconnect missing links of tread on the Kekekabic Trail. The USFS is presently reviewing several options for wilderness appropriate marking once the trail tread is located. Marking would be temporary and most likely removed once a tread is re-established, through use and by surrounding vegetation, which may take several years.

Both parties agreed that a low number of hikers caused the trails to become obscure. The Kekekabic and other wilderness trails are less then 10 inches wide, overgrown with grass and crowded by brush, raspberries and balsam fir branches. In contrast, portages are worn down to bare gravel and are typically 3 to 6 feet wide.

BWA Committee and the USFS discussed ways to increase volunteer recruitment and train crew leaders. Safety of participants is of paramount importance, since the trail maintenance is done in the wilderness and crew leaders need to have people, safety and outdoor skills.

The BWA Committee, along with the Kekekabic Trail Club, are organizing several BWCA trail maintenance trips on the Eagle Mountain , Brule Lake Trail, Snowbank and Kekekabic trails in 2009. Trip dates will be posted on the BWA Committee site http://www.meetup.com/Friends-of-BWCA-Trails/ and www.kek.org.

The USFS expressed appreciation for “photo essays,” report from survey hikes and trail clearing trips, posted on www.bwac.smugmug.com. “Photo-essays help us see what the trail conditions are like in the wilderness and the work volunteers are doing,” said Jon Benson, USFS wilderness trail manager. “Your work does not go unnoticed,“ concluded Steve Schug, Assistant District Ranger, Gunflint Ranger District.

See Kubik to Speak About the Condition of the Kek
See Lost on Kekekabic Trail – Update

USFS Wants More Kids in the Woods

photo from USFS

a news release of The USDA Forest Service

The loss of connection between children and nature is an issue that incites passion and shared commitment among Forest Service employees. Establishing and renewing a child’s affinity to nature is a shared responsibility that transcends all agency functional areas. In 2007, we initiated a funding opportunity “More Kids in the Woods” for cost share projects to emphasize our continuing commitment to children. The positive results from this effort underscore our leading role in reconnecting children to nature. By continuing to work with our partners, we can expand our potential for even greater success.

The US Forest Service is pleased to issue a call for proposals for Fiscal Year 2009 with $500,000 to be awarded. The program requires partnering with a Forest Service unit to submit an application. The primary objective of the More Kids in the Woods cost-share funding is to effectively engage children in meaningful and sustained outdoor experiences, thereby increasing awareness and understanding of the natural world and the benefits of forest and grassland ecosystems. This funding opportunity leverages our efforts, builds upon our existing partnerships, and will help build relationships with new partners. The requested Forest Service More Kids in the Woods funds must be matched by non-Forest Service contributions, cash or in-kind, in a ratio of at least 1:1. The maximum amount available for a single project is $50,000 while the minimum is $5,000. Reports on activities and project results will be required for funded projects.

Proposals should be prepared in close collaboration with partners and be submitted by Forest Service units. Please follow instructions in the attachment for preparing your proposals. An electronic form for submitting proposals is also provided. A receipt of confirmation will be returned. Integrated Region/Station/Area teams will review and rank the proposals submitted in each geographic area. An official memorandum with the R/S/A’s top rankings will be sent to the Washington Office. The Washington Office will use the top rankings to make the final selections.

We already have many well recognized programs and activities that align with the goal of connecting children to nature. Whether you submit a proposal for a cost share project or not, I encourage you to work toward ensuring that every child in America, along with their parents, has an opportunity to intimately explore the natural world. Thank you for your efforts in this meaningful endeavor.

For more information, contact Kristen Nelson, Interpretive Services Program Manager, at 202-205-1406, or Drew Burnett, Assistant Director, Conservation Education Program, at 202-205-1781.

Muskegon Hiker Does the Manistee NCT - A Long Walk In the Woods

by Bruce Sparks of Muskegon
The best way I can think to describe my week is this slight modification of the title of Bill Bryson's book on his ill-fated journey on the Appalachian Trail. His book is titled, "A Walk in the Woods". Over and over during the week I found myself talking to myself and saying that I was just enjoying a long walk in the woods. And really that is just what it was.

I noticed that my wife looked a little uncertain as I shouldered the pack and headed off down the trail away from Mesick, Michigan. Her discomfort might have grown a little as not 20 minutes after she left me we both heard the same thunder and were in the same storm. Only Susan was dry in the car and I was getting my first good dousing of the early week. It rained off and on the rest of the day, night and morning of the next day. Interspersed among the rain drops were 4 fairly substantial hail storms. I actually preferred the hail since I didn't get wet from the little icy pellets as they bounced off me.....and with 5 layers of clothes on I didn't feel them either.

This section of the North Country Trail had just been completed this summer and although officially certified and marked it was not yet on any of the trail maps I had purchased. The trail went right along the edge of the Hodenpyl Dam Pond....actually a large lake. It could have passed for one of the lakes in northern Canada that I have loved canoeing in so much.

Next I encountered the most demanding section of my hike as you go up and down following the ridges on the west side of the Manistee River Valley. Taking this long walk in November was an advantage because with 50% of the leaves already fallen you could see through the foliage and enjoy the views from the highest spots in the area. Yet there were still enough leaves and color to make it a spectacular view. It had been a long time since I had tried a long distance hike like this and I was unsure of my limitations But by the time it got pitch dark at 7:20pm (the sun had officially set around 6:40) I had covered over 18 miles comfortably that first day. That was a confidence builder.

The biggest disadvantage to hiking in November is that darkness comes early forcing you off the trail and into your tent. Then you can feel trapped waiting for the first signs of dawn that didn't come until just after 8:00am on this particular week. My pattern was to take a break on the trail and eat dinner and then not stop walking until at least 6:45 pm when I would put up my tent in twilight. The next morning I would be out of the tent by 7am and after packing up quickly (because it was cold) I would follow the trail for the first 30 minutes or so by the light of my small flashlight. I slept really well most nights.

At the end of the Day #2 I was way ahead of where I thought I would be. As I pitched my tent in a grove of big spruce trees it snowed big fluffy flakes for about 30 minutes. It was a Christmas type scene and I think I even sang a couple of Christmas carols out loud as I was settling in. Kind of magical.

One particular section on the next day had just one variety of tree that had golden yellow leaves. Most of the leaves had recently fallen and the whole area was blanketed in golden leaves that had not yet curled or dulled as they dried out. The whole area was an unbroken carpet of bright yellow and gold. Wow.

I was looking forward to a brighter warmer day for Day #4 and it was slowly warming up. At lunch I stopped to eat right on the banks of the Pere Marquette River. Not long after I began to prepare my lunch three older fishermen came floating down the river and chose to stop at this same spot for lunch. They had a big cooler full of food. They didn't offer me anything at all, but I wasn't coveting their stash because I was preparing another hot MRE for my meal.

I decided to stop at 3pm at a National Forest Campground because I wanted to build a fire that night and felt more comfortable doing so in one of the steel fire pits. I had fantasized about someone leaving a whole stack of nicely stacked unused wood at one of the campsites thus meaning I would not even have to gather wood. But that was just a fantasy and not reality. But it wasn't hard to gather my own and soon I had a blazing fire going. The sky was completely clear and I was camping in the field under a magnificent blanket of stars, that were not all dimmed by moonlight or any street lights or lights from town. It has been a long time since I sat for hours by a fire under a sky like that.

Day #5. This is an 8 mile section of trail in which you walk past six small lakes. As I walked down the trail towards the lakes the sun was coming high into the sky and warming everything up. For a while I walked with outstretched arms just trying to soak it all in. I sat down for 30 minutes or so just before noon at the first lake that I came to. I'm sure this lake wasn't even an acre big but it was beautiful with the fall colors bordering it. The light breeze was blowing across the surface and the sunlight was sparkling as if the lake was full of diamonds just below the surface. I can be mesmerized watching the patterns in the water.

On Day #7 I passed a solo hiker who was able to tell me that I was about a two hour hike from the end at Croton Dam and so I was able to call my wife who met me soon after I finished at 3:30. The maps says I walked 139 miles during the week.

The best memory was watching a bald eagle swoop over one of the small lakes. I began to think how I could not have enjoyed this glorious moment if not for some of the less pleasant moments that preceded it......the cold of the night before, the monotony of some of the miles, the chill of the rain. None of those times were so bad and I even enjoyed them in an odd way but they weren't highlight moments. They were the kind of moments that most of life is made up of. Some rough times, but mostly okay times... even good times, but not earth-shaking thrilling stop the presses times. But it seems to me that if I will be faithful and consistent in these more mundane times then the reward is the occasional incredible moment that is simply priceless. I think it applies to our marriages and a lot of other things. I want to keep on going, trying to be steady as I journey.

I have already had far more incredibly great mind blowing moments and memories then I deserve. But I believe there are more ahead if I don't stop.

Paul Haan Hikes in the Southern Manistee

from Paul Haan

Saturday was a beautiful day for a fall hike. This fall has been gentle in west Michigan, with no heavy rains to wash the leaves off of the trees and few days with high winds, so I took advantage of the mild, sunny day and went for a hike in the Manistee National Forest along the North Country Trail... more