Tornado Hits NCT/FLT Near Rock City NY

map from FLTC

a news release of Finger Lakes Trail Conference

The recent tornado damage from Access 2 (Little Rock City Picnic Area) to Access 3 (Old Seneca CCC Camp) is 0.7 mile long and 0.2 wide and has flattened most trees, closing the trail. A timber salvage operation and trail restoration may take up to two years, so in the meantime, bypass by using Little Rock City and Hungry Hollow Roads (brown squares). Mountain bike trails (purple dashes) may also be used to bypass the damage area shown below.

While Queens, New York, and southeastern Ohio received more publicity about damage from these September storms, the trail was also affected.

This segment is on FLTC map M3/CT3

See Chief Noonday Chapter of the NCTA

Trail Damage in Paul Bunyan from ATVs

does anyone have a picture of this?

based on a news article in the Park Rapids Enterprise

ATV damage to trail built through the Paul Bunyan State Forest in Minnesota has prompted outrage from both the local North Country Trail Association chapter, and the local Timberland Dirt Devils ATV Club. "There have been a lot of positive moves by many groups (of ATV riders), but we have to respect each other’s designated areas," said Bruce M. Johnson, president of the Itasca Moraine Chapter.

Timberland president agreed. He was angry and said that his club actually confronts irresponsible riders if they catch them in the act.

In this case there may be a chance to do just that. On August 14, hiker Byron Knapp discovered the damage. Trees had been knocked down, ruts left on the hiking trail, and new trails cut through the underbrush. But one of the ATVs that caused the mayhem was also damaged, and parts were found in the woods. The Hubbard County Sheriff's Department is looking for the vandals.

The damage site is northwest of Emmaville.

This segment is on NCTA map MN-10

See Itasca Moraine Chapter of the NCTA

Wabash-Cannonball Connection Seriously Damaged

The photo shows the state of the damage on Nov. 11, 2009. View to South, from the trail centerline showing bulldozer and backhoe damage of NORTA property. Water flowing onto the trail ditch on S. side of trail approx 1800 W. of Co. Road 16

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from the Cannonball Courier, the NORTA newsletter, July 2010, by Jay Budde

In November 2009, the NORTA Board of Directors learned of a serious incident of damage to the trail in Williams County between Williams County Roads 16 and 15. The damage appeared to have occurred as part of an adjacent landowner’s attempt to drain his land. Heavy equipment, believed to include a bulldozer and backhoe entered NORTA property, crossing and destroying a fence that was clearly marking the southern boundary of NORTA property. Earthmoving equipment cut through a natural embankment blocking drainage from the adjacent landowner’s property and opened a 4 foot wide by 5 foot deep trench draining directly onto the trail.

During the spring and summer of 2010, surface drainage flows, as a result of this damage and heavy spring rains, have eroded the trail surface in this area. The Board is attempting to work with the parties believed to have caused this damage to restore the trail to its condition before the damage.

Although this is slightly west of where the North Country Trail leaves the Wabash-Cannonball trail and heads north, the resources needed to deal with problems of this magnitude divert attention from other improvements.

NORTA, Northwest Ohio Rails to Trails Association

Castle Rock Restoration Project

ATV damage on the NCT near Castle Rock in Michigan's UP (photo from the HSS chapter)

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from Charlene Dewitt, Hiawatha Shore-to-Shore President

The National Forest Service is working with Hiawatha Shore to Shore Chapter (HSS)/North Country Trail Association to restore the North Country Trail. The NCT has suffered extensive ORV damage in the area behind Castle Rock. Bill Menke, Regional Trail Coordinator for Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula, plotted the project in May 2008. The plan includes restoring the trail to the original tread, reroutes to improve trail design, building structures over damaged wetlands. Trailhead parking and a kiosk are included in the project. Signs will be installed from I-75 to the trailhead.

Charlene DeWitt is writing a Cost Challenge Share for National Park Service funding. HSS is asking for a tool trailer and tools for the construction. The NFS is supplying design, materials and supervison. NCT volunteers as well as VISTA and Boy and Girl Scouts will do the construction and restoration.

NCT and HSS work sessions are planned throughout the summer of 2010. This includes three work week sessions and brief two or three day sessions from May 22nd to July 25th . The work weeks are May 24th to May 28th , July 26th to July 30th , and September 20th and 25th .

See Hiawatha Shore-to-Shore Chapter of the NCTA

A Decade of Death, A Day of Disaster

wind damaged tree (photo by Andrew Slade)

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from the blog There and Back- Blogging the North Shore

"A decade of death for the birch, followed by a day of disaster for the spruce. All leading to open skies on an autumn day...where a deep forest had recently been."

So concludes Andrew Slade after observing the damage after the latest wind storm to rip through the North Shore area of Minnesota on the Superior Hiking Trail/ NCT. September 28 saw the destruction of many large spruce which crashed to the ground, and the birch, many of which had died as a result of terrible ice storms in recent years, simply snapped off.

Lookout Mountain sustained a great deal of damage. Trail crews headed out immediately after the storm, and began the clean-up work. Andrew writes, "Thank goodness for trail crews, for strong people with chainsaws. The 2.8 mile loop had nary a stick across the treadway."

You can see several more photos at Andrew's Blog.

See Lookout Mountain, Star Trek Style See This is Stunning. I am Stunned.

Coyer Views Ice Damage on SHT from Air

Beaver Bay Ice (photo by Gayle Coyer)

from Gayle Coyer, Executive Director Superior Hiking Trail Association

I was able to fly over a part of the SHT last week (quite a fun ride!) to view the ice storm damage from the air. From the south, it's generally not too bad until you get to about Fault Line Ridge. Beaver Bay, Silver Bay, Bean and Bear Lake, Wolf Ridge seem hard hit. Eric Lindberg tried to get to Bean Lake last week and said in about 2.5 miles there were about 1,000 (!) trees covering the path (mostly young aspen).

So it's going to take quite a while to get everything cleared up. There's still at least 1-2 feet of snow in the woods (I've been measuring with a yardstick!) so a lot of the blowdown is still covered by the 16" blizzard that followed the ice storm.

Twin Lakes Spur Ice (photo by Gayle Coyer)

I didn't take any photos from the air, but here are some taken at ground level of the damage. I'll be posting some trail clearing opportunities shortly for those of you who might be interested.

Superior Hiking Trail Association