Great Eastern Trail Moving Closer to Connection with NCT/FLT

Great Eastern Trail in red

based on an article in the Finger Lakes Trail News, Spring 2009, by Pat Monahan

The Great Eastern Trail (GET) is building trail and connecting existing trails to provide an alternate north-south hiking route along the Appalachian ridge. This trail is located to the west of the mountain range.

Connection to the Finger Lakes and North Country Trails will be in Steuben County New York. Pat Monahan reported on the 2008 trail building progress.

In Pennsylvania the GET follows the Mid-State Trail to the New York border. At that point there are about 6 miles of road walk in Steuben County's Town of Tuscarora. At that point the trail enters the Pinnacle State Park. Orange blazes mark the route of the GET. Next, the trail passes through McCarthy State Forest and reaches it's current ending in the Village of Addison at a small cemetery.

Working from the Finger Lakes Trail south, in November 2008, 35 volunteers began cutting trail through Bradford State Forest. (On FLTC map 13, between access points 4 and 5). In the spring, work will continue through the Watson Homestead Conference Center grounds to West Hill State Forest. Final approval for that section is pending.

An Alley Cat Trail Crew is scheduled for August 5-9, 2009, to continue to work on the connection for the Great Eastern Trail.

If you would like to be involved in any aspect of this project, contact Pat Monahan
See Great Eastern Trail

Connection to GET Progressing via Crystal Hills Branch

from fingerlakestrail.org

info from the Finger Lakes Trail Conference

The North Country Trail will soon be connected to the Great Eastern Trail (GET). The GET roughly parallels the Appalachian Trail, but on the west side of the mountains. In Pennsylvania the GET follows the Mid-State Trail to the New York border. At that point there are about 6 miles of road walk in Steuben County's Town of Tuscarora. At that point the trail enters Pinnacle State Park. Next, the trail passes through McCarthy State Forest and reaches the Village of Addison at a small cemetery. It will ultimately join the Finger Lakes/ North Country Trails. Orange blazes mark the route of the GET.

from fingerlakestrail.org

A new section of the Crystal Hills Trail is now open which continues the route from Addison. The new trail is on map CH2 and starts from where the blazing previously stopped at the corner of Maple St. and Ames St in Addison. Hike north from there through cemetery, tree farm, and woods. You come out of the woods on Mose Rd., just west of Beeman Hollow Rd. The new section is 4.0 miles long. There are also two new short spur trails, one to a waterfall and the other down to parking on NY 417. Not only is this a pretty section of trail to hike, but it eliminates the roadwalk along busy NY 417.

This segment is on FLTC map CH 2

See Finger Lakes Trail
See Great Eastern Trail Moving Closer to Connection with NCT/FLT

Border Route Trail Clearing Trips

trail work on the BRT (photo from the BRTA)

if you like this article, click the Blip chiclet!
a news release of the Border Route Trail Association

The "Big Blow" on July 4, 1999 wreaked havoc on the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness by toppling trees along entire ridgelines and consequently had a big impact on hiking trails in the area. The Border Route Trail has been cleared of the deadfalls related to that storm, but as a consequence of the lack of a tree canopy, brush such as Alder, Poplar, Thimble, and Raspberry thrives around and in the trail bed. And of course, trees continue to fall on the trail.

Every year in the Spring and Fall, we welcome members and non-members alike, to join us to help maintain this gem of a trail. Non-mechanized trips using two-person cross-cut saws and nippers take place on the trail where it is inside the BWCAW. Mechanized trips utilizing chain saws and brush cutters take place on the other areas of the trail. Beginners and experienced people are welcome. If you don’t like the idea of running equipment, there is always a need for people to throw the cut brush and deadfalls off of the trail.

2010 Trips:
South Lake, May 6-9 or extend it to May 13 or May 16. The South Lake trip is planned to accommodate participants that wish to volunteer for more than a weekend. Thursday (6th) evening the group will drive up to the Rockwood Lodge and stay in a bunkhouse Thursday night. Friday they will hike in on the South Lake Trail clearing the wilderness section of the South Lake Trail on the way in. Camp will be set up on South Lake. Clearing will continue on the BRT with deadfall and brushing.

Partridge Lake, May 13-16. Thursday (13th) evening the group will drive up to the Rockwood Lodge and stay in a bunkhouse Thursday night. Friday they will canoe in to a campsite on Partridge Lake. Clearing on the BRT with deadfall and brushing.

Duncan Lake, May 13-16, and May 20-23. Thursday (13th) evening the group will drive up to the Rockwood Lodge and stay in a bunkhouse Thursday night. Friday they will canoe in to a campsite on Duncan Lake. Clearing on the BRT with deadfall and brushing.

trail work crew on the BRT (photo from the BRTA)

Gunflint, April 29- May 2, mechanized trip. We'll be clearing winter dead falls from the Gunflint Section of the BRT. You'll enjoy the unsurpassed scenics, great food, hot showers, and camaraderie that can't be beat. Scenic highlights will include Magnetic Rock, the Gunflint High Cliffs, the South Rim, and Bridal Falls on the BRT plus the magnificent stands of old growth cedar on the Brice-Breon Trail. This trip is open to both beginners and experienced hands.

Gunflint/ Otter Lake, April 29- May 9, mechanized trip. This trip will be a part of the Gunflint Cliffs trip for the first weekend and join the Pigeon River Cliffs trip for the second weekend. This trip will include reconnaissance of some possible new sections of trail.

Otter Lake, May 6-9. This trip leaves from the Roseville REI Thursday after work, driving up the North Shore to the lovely Otter Lake campsite on the east end of the BRT. Our work will focus on a dead-fall sweep of the entire 13.2 miles of the eastern end of the trail, with brushing as needed.

See Border Route Trail Association for complete details.

Mark Lewis Hikes Near Loda Lake

a red pine stand at Loda Lake (photo from the White Lake Beacon, used with permission)

based on a news article in the White Lake Beacon, "The road More taken," by Mark Lewis, July 13, 2009, used with permission

Mark Lewis is a writer for the White Lake Beacon, and his entertaining story of a hike on the North Country Trail in the southern Manistee Forest is sure to amuse. His hike occurred soon after the infamous South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford claimed to be hiking while instead he was having an affair with a lady in Argentina! Lewis quoted a cable news station, "Nobody hikes alone, I mean, who does that?"

Yet there was Lewis, hiking a section of the NCT, alone. The answer is that lots of us hike alone! But unlike so many portions of the NCT, he found that this one near Loda Lake was well used, and hiking alone wasn't a very solitary experience.

His enthusiasm for outdoor recreation shows in the promise, "Opportunities to get outside, into some pretty fantastic and wild places, are as abundant as they are economical. I practically could have thrown a dart at a map of Northern West Michigan and hit a winner." Yet he chose to explore the fairly new NCT/ Birch Grove Trail loop near Loda Lake and the North Country Trail Association Schoolhouse. The schoolhouse was the first headquarters of the Association, and is now managed as something of a hostel / meeting place by the Western Michigan Chapter.

This section of the NCT is open to bicycles, and Lewis was passed by several groups, and also met hikers. He calls this section "the road more taken." He describes it thus:

The North Country Trail/Birch Trail loop is a nearly 10-mile circular stretch that travels through several different kinds of typographies. While slight hills dominate the western portion of the loop, things seem to get a little flatter the further east one goes. On the eastern side, the trail meets up with a junction at the Loda Lake Sanctuary Walk, a two-mile loop which takes hikers through the only wildflower refuge in a national forest. At the southern-most edge of the trail, two miles south of Loda Lake, Camp Swampy and Diamond Lake County Park provide hikers with a convenient place to camp and swim.

Lewis had hoped to camp near the trail in the National Forest (dispersed camping is allowed), but the large number of trail users made him think twice about this since he had planned to set up camp and then leave for a while to explore further. Instead he chose to stay at Camp Swampy, a Forest Service campsite (daily fee required).

The next morning he spent more time at Loda Lake, the only wildflower refuge within a National Forest. "I love to sit in there in the early morning, as the sun climbs the sky, and listen to (and watch) the long skinny trees croak and crack, their limbs pressing against each other while their trunks ache back-and-forth," Lewis shared.

For a great weekend experience, this section of the NCT and connecting trails near Newaygo would be a good destination, just be aware that it is one of those rare sections of the NCT that have been discovered!

See Newaygo Birch Grove Loop Trail Dedicated
See North Country Trail Triad- Workshops, Hike and a Bar-B-Q
See Western Michigan Chapter of the North Country Trail Association

Sheepskin Hollow, Ohio - A Treasure of the NCT

view from "Jack's Lookout" (photo by JHY)

by JHY with material from a news article at Ohio.com, "Pristine, wild beauty - Sheepskin Hollow is difficult to access, but worthwhile," by Bob Downing

Sheepskin Hollow is one of the wildest spots left in Ohio, according to Bob Downing. It is a 453-acre nature preserve in Columbiana County at the eastern edge of Ohio. It nestles in the North Fork of Little Beaver Creek.

Any North Country Trail hiker who has crossed that river on the old, narrow, rusty truss bridge and then turned steeply uphill into the woods just a few yards east of the river has entered Sheepskin Hollow.

Sheepskin Hollow has no amenities: no parking lot, no rest rooms, you may be lucky to find a blue blaze. In fact, when I hiked there in 2003, we found old blue blazes farther up the road that led us astray.

Another way to enter the Sheepskin Hollow Nature Preserve is to park by a railroad overpass off Pancake-Clarkson Road and head south on foot along the old elevated rail bed for a half mile in Middleton Township. After a short walk you will find a small sign indicating that you have entered the preserve.

Downing says, "Then you suddenly come to an opening on the left that drops off into a pretty rock-walled gorge lined with hemlocks. No sign. Just go for it."

The preserve contains a small stream in a ravine with sandstone and shale walls. The maple and oak, beech and hemlock, are more often found in forests farther north. "I poked around a bit, saw one of two waterfalls in the three-quarter-mile-long hollow and was impressed by the wild ferns and eye-popping spring wildflowers," continues Downing.

The state has no plans to improve Sheepskin Hollow. Manager Charlotte McCurdy said, "It is one of the most unique state nature preserves in Ohio...It's as natural as you can get in Ohio."

The land previously belonged to the Vodrey family who began to acquire it in the 1920's. The stat began to purchase the preserve in 1986. Jackman Vodrey explained that the name came from a sheep farm which operated at the head of the stream. In the past the area has both been logged and mined for coal.

Now it is an area where such unusual plants (to Ohio) as speckled wood-lily, pipsissewa, pink lady's slipper orchid, Bicknell's panicgrass, and Canada fly-honeysuckle are found. The preserve is a haven for birds, labeled as "Important" by the Ohio Audubon Society.

And the North Country Trail traverses Sheepskin Hollow! The Great Trail Sandy Beaver Canal Chapter of the North Country Trail Association has been working hard to forge agreements to connect the trail through the preserve on to Little Beaver State Park to the west. At the present time, the trail actually dead-ends just beyond the overlook shown in the picture. A potential right-of-way has been identified, but thru-hikers need to be sure they do not stray onto private property.

The Division of Natural Areas and Preserves is sponsoring a guided hike with McCurdy on Sept. 26. The hike to the western tract will be at 10 a.m. Advance reservations are required. A maximum of 30 people can attend. Call 330-527-5118 for reservations.

Great Trail Sandy Beaver Canal Chapter of the NCTA

UPEC "Celebrate the UP" Will Include the NCT

Gogebic Lake- one of the great Upper Peninsula vistas (photo by Marie Altenau)

communication from the North Country Trail Hikers Chapter of the NCTA

This Saturday, March 28, the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition will present Celebrate the U.P.! beginning at 10:00 am at locations in Marquette, Michigan. Marge Forslin, Lorana Jinkerson, and Doug Welker will present at 1:30 pm in the Sky Room of the Landmark Inn as follows:

1:30-2:30 "North Country Trail in the Central U.P." and "Exploring the Wild and Spectacular Trap Hills of Ontonagon County." Marge and Lorana will present an overview of the North Country National Scenic Trail, followed by highlights of the trail as it traverses the central U.P. from western Alger Co. to eastern Baraga Co. Doug will use photos and maps to show how high rock cliffs, wild and scenic rivers, waterfalls, a rich copper mining history, and spectacular views from the North Country Trail make the Trap Hills special and why some are proposing a National Recreation Area there.

Other quality programs will also be presented throughout the day. For full information, visit the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition web site

See Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition

Grand Marais Seeks to Be Identified as a Trail Town

Grand Sable Dunes (photo by jhy)

based on a story at M-Live.com

Grand Marais, Michigan has always been a small town at the end of the road: a gravel road, on the eastern edge of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. If you want to hike through, east to west, on the North Country/ Lakeshore Trail, you must stop at the ranger station there to get your entry permit. You also have this great view of the Grand Sable Dunes.

There is camping at the city park, and a couple of places in town to get some food. Not much else.

However, now Alger County H-58 has been paved, making the drive between the ends of Pictured Rocks much less time-consuming. In the past, most of the "action" has been at Munising, but now that it is easier to reach Grand Marais, things may change.

Grand Marais Outfitters is a fairly new business on the county road which caters to many types of activities. "We’re trying to make this a destination for outdoors activities and we’ve got a chance to be a trailhead for the North Country Trail," said Dennis Weaver, adding that he will host ski tours of the Grand Sable Dunes in the winter and paddling seminars during the warmer months. He and his wife, Kim, opened in July.

"There’s no other sports shop around for two hours, so we have a little of everything. We’ve got backpacking foods, kayaks and fishing gear," he said. They also carry items for motorcycle enthusiasts. A one-stop shop.

The recently revived Superior Shoreline Chapter of the NCTA replaces the defunct Grand Sable chapter. Based in Alger County in the eastern Upper Peninsula (U.P.) of Michigan, the Superior Shoreline Chapter is responsible for a 120-mile section of the NCT from the mouth of the Two-Hearted River on the East to Rock River Road on the West, passing through Grand Marais, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and Munising.

This segment is on NCTA map MI-09 and MI-10

See Superior Shoreline Chapter of the NCTA

Trail Work in Eastern Ohio

lock remains on the Sandy Beaver Canal in Beaver Creek State Park (photo by JHY)

based on community news in the East Liverpool Review, with additional information

The Great Trail - Sandy Beaver Canal chapter of the North Country Trail Association has scheduled a work day for at 9 a.m. Saturday at Beaver Creek State Park. The meeting place is the primitive campground on Leslie Road at the park's main section.

The chapter is to begin working on adding a new section of the North Country Trail west of the state park. This is very good news, as there is currently a road walk from the Park all the way to Lisbon.

Volunteers are welcome, as well as youths wishing to perform community service. Tools will be provided, but dress appropriately and bring your own food and drinks.

For more information, contact Brad Bosley
or Andrew Bashaw

Tamarac Wildlife Refuge Celebrates Autumn and NCT

Tamarac Wildlife Refuge (photo by jhy)

based on a news article at Detroit Lakes Online

“Become a Nature Detective” is the theme for this year's annual autumn festival at the Tamarac Wildlife Refuge in western Minnesota. The North Country Trail skirts the eastern edge of the Refuge. This year the festival will be on October 1.

Friends of Tamarac, is a not-for-profit organization that puts on the Fall Festival and other activities at the refuge. The detective theme will be carried throughout the day and will include everything from a CSI Nature Investigation Challenge to Sherlock Shuttles. There will be a nature detective trail, a demonstration of processing wild rice, GPS events, a guided hike, and a silent auction.

A grilled pork sandwich lunch is available for purchase at the festival.

North Country Trail representatives will lead a two-mile hike at 10:30 a.m. Friends of Tamarac are happy to see the NCT there, because it helps to maintain trails that everyone can use.

Friends of Tamarac has dedicated $5,000 each year to bring school kids to the refuge — over 2,000 students a year — for activities that range from science to math, language arts to social studies — all in the great outdoors. “Tamarac Refuge is a wonderful outdoor classroom where students get involved in real life science,” the group says.



Contact Matt Davis

Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar Endorses Funding for LWCF

from the National Recreation and Parks Association

The Land and Water Conservation Fund has been the source of funds for many projects that benefit the North Country Trail. JHY

In a departure from what NRPA has heard for a number of years from the Department of the Interior about the potential for increased funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, newly confirmed Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has indicated a willingness to look at ways to creatively fund LWCF. Salazar said at a press conference on January 28, that he would like to see more funding to the LWCF program, possibly from the proceeds of oil and gas leasing royalties in a program similar to one he started in Colorado when he was head of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources.

Ken Salazar has long been a champion of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. When he was a Senator from Colorado, he joined forces with Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) in a bi-partisan effort to ensure that new lease revenues from expanded drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico were dedicated to the LWCF state assistance program in the Energy Security Act of 2006, the first time such dedicated funding was ever applied to LWCF since its inception in 1965.

Secretary Salazar said at the press conference, “I would like to see, with programs like the Land and Water Conservation Fund, if we might be able to do a similar thing with oil royalty reform, to engage in a similar type of effort across the country. We are just putting out ideas now but we will look at what we can do.” He also said, “Maybe as we deal with the royalty reform issue we might be able to create a revenue stream for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and we can do for all states the kinds of things we did in Colorado with the Great Outdoors Colorado program.”

This is welcome news, indeed, from the new Secretary of the Interior, and NRPA will be looking for ways to engage him further in a dialogue of how the “royalty-relief” funds could be used for LWCF purposes.