2010 Ashland Conference, Saturday

Florence Hedeen hiking on the NCT (photo by JHY)

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by JHY

The final day of the 2010 annual North Country Trail Association conference was filled with all the kinds of events that build and cement friendships across the seven trail states. Hikes ran all day long. Various tours were offered for those who wanted more sight-seeing type adventures.

Ed Sidote (photo from the FLTC)

A highlight of the evening was the annual awards ceremony where volunteers and various agencies are honored for service to the trail. The final award given every year is the Lifetime Achievement Award, given to someone who has served and promoted the North Country Trail for more than ten years. Ed Sidote, from the Finger Lakes Trail Conference, received this honor. Ed, at 92, has been a promoter of the NCT since it first became concurrent with a portion of the FLT. He has worked tirelessly to advance the joint cause of the trails, and has become such a legend in FLT circles that an annual hike is now named for him.

Full details of all award recipients will be presented in the next North Star, the quarterly magazine of the North Country Trail Association.

folk dancing (photo by JHY)

The evening ended with folk and square dancing, called and accompanied by the Red Barn Resonators.

Jill DeCator and Lynne Nason (photo by JHY)

There is so much that goes on behind the scenes to make a successful conference. This year's, at Ashland, Wisconsin, was the largest ever with about 240 people registering for some or all of the weekend. People like Jill DeCator, NCTA staff, and Lynne Nason, NCTA volunteer, worked constantly to ensure that everyone has a good time, required equipment appears on time, and all of those necessary details.

Think about joining us next summer, August 4-7 at Wright State University, Dayton, OH!

See the Superior News Telegram for more news
North Country Trail Association for more information about the trail, or to join

A Glance at the Student Conservation Association

SCA crew with agency and NCTA staff, and hikers (photo from JHY)

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condensed from Pathways Across America the publication of the Partnership for the National Trails System

What is the SCA?
SCA is the United States' largest youth conservation association. It provides young people with hands-on service opportunities in all sorts of outdoor pursuits. Participants might do such diverse tasks as tracking grizzlies in the Tetons, restoring desert ecosystems, or teaching environmental education. Probably best known by trail supporters is the great assistance the SCA provides in trail construction and re-construction.

Youth can get involved with SCA through programs which last anywhere from three weeks to a full year. Partners with the SCA include government agencies such as the National Park Service and National Forest Service, or with non-profits such as the North Country Trail Association.

How Do SCA Crews Help Trails?
Working in all 50 states and over 500 natural and cultural sites, SCA crews have contributed the following:

• Backcountry and wilderness patrol
• GIS/GPS Mapping
• Habitat restoration and preservation
• Inventory and monitoring
• Trail maintenance and restoration
• Visitor services and interpretation
• Wildlife and fisheries management

How Does SCA Work?
Each opportunity for a crew is initiated by an agency or organization. A description of the project is prepared and the group then collaborates with the SCA to work out the details.

SCA members come from applicants across the country who are looking for ways to serve. Once selected they are trained and supervised by SCA leaders.

Administrative oversight is provided by SCA. This includes background checks, travel and living allowances, and occasionally medical insurance.

SCA members are volunteers, and the projects are funded through cost-sharing agreements with the partners.

How Has SCA Helped the North Country Trail?
One notable project was the rebuilding of trail through Slippery Rock Gorge, Pennsylvania, in the summer of 2006. The crew removed boulders which made the trail dangerous in wet conditions, created rock steps, improved drainage, benched and graded trail, and basically worked like dogs for a week in the mud. Now hikers have now idea of the work it took to create a safe and enjoyable half-mile of trail.

Bill Menke reports that three years ago an SCA crew built a mile of trail in Iron County WI.

See Dave Brewer's comment about an SCA crew that built a mile of quality trail at PA Gamelands 285 over a period of ten days last summer.

See Student Conservation Association

Thanks to Volunteers from the NPS

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See National Park Service

Manlius NY Couple Wins FLTC Clar-Willis Award

Bill and Anne Brosseau (left) with Jon Bowen (photo from ADK Mountain Club)

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based on a news article in the Syracuse Post-Standard

The Clar-Willis award is bestowed annually by the Finger Lakes Trail Conference on a distinguished trail volunteer or couple. At the fall meeting of the Adirondack Mountain Club this past weekend, Bill and Anne Brosseau, of Manlius (near Syracuse, New York) received the honor.

John Bowen, chairman of the Adirondack Mountain Club - Onondaga Chapter, presented the award. The Brosseaus have made a significant contribution over a period of time as trail workers.

The Clar-Willis award was named after Henry Clar and Edward Willis, early Finger Lakes trail volunteers. They exhibited outstanding dedication and long time service in building and maintaining many miles of the Finger Lakes Trail system. The Finger Lakes Trail and North Country Trail are concurrent for approximately 300 miles through central and western New York.

See Finger Lakes Trail Conference

Scouts Clear the Kekekabic

'Lost & Found' backpacking the Kekekabic Trail near Strump Lake a month before the trail was cleared by the Scouts (taken by Mother Goose, used with the permission)

written and submitted by Todd McMahan aka TMan

In early June, 'Lost and Found' hiked the Kekekabic Trail with 'Mother Goose' and called its interior section “the Trail of Hell.” Bob Kohlmeier and his family backpacked the interior section of the Kek in late July. “It was very, very recently cleared” Bob said, “Boy, did the foot trail stand out here. You could see every rock in the path.” So who cleared the Kekekabic? It was the Scouts.

More specifically, it was Boy Scouts who participated in the Order of the Arrow’s Wilderness Voyage Program at the Charles L. Sommers Canoe Base. The Canoe Base, generally considered a Mecca of Scouting in the Midwest, is located only about 5 miles from the western trailhead of the Kekekabic Trail. The Wilderness Voyage Program is a two week program where the Scouts do one week of service and then go on a canoe trip in the Boundary Waters on the second week.

Phil Ashford is the Assistant Director of the OA Wilderness Voyage Program. According to Phil, six crews worked on the Kekekabic Trail this summer. Each crew has 9 people – 2 foremen and 7 participants each week. “Our crews started out by the Kek cabin and worked back west towards Ely,” Phil said. “By the end of the summer, they had cleared almost all the way back to Thomas [Rapids]. Let's call it roughly 9 miles.”

One of the obstacles the Crews working on the Kekekabic Trail had was gathering water. “Normally getting water isn't a problem, but the Kek crews would sometimes be several miles away from lake access” Phil said. “The time spent walking to and from just to fill water bottles diverted a significant portion of man hours away from trail clearing.”

Clearing the Kekekabic Trail presented some new challenges for the Wilderness Voyage program. According to Phil, “Another problem was the fact that corridor clearing is not typically the kind of work we've done in the past, so it took our foremen a little bit of time to devise the most efficient strategy for mowing down the alder. And even then, it seemed as though the Kekekabic Crews suffered more broken tools than the other work sites.”

Besides the Crews that worked on the Kek, the Wilderness Voyage program provided crews that cleared several portages in the Boundary Waters. Over 100 Scouts from all over the country participated in the program this summer at the Charles L. Sommers Canoe Base. Of that, 42 participants and 6 staff members worked on the Kekekabic Trail. Cory Mensen, a Forest Ranger for the Kawishiwi District in Ely, coordinated the service projects. He provided the tools from the Forest Service and the training to use the tools.

The Order of the Arrow is an Honor Camper Society of the Boy Scouts of America. Boys participating in the Wilderness Voyage program must be 16 years old and proficient in their outdoor skills.

Find out more about the OA’s Wilderness Voyage program. Be sure to check out their photo gallery

Border Route Trail Reconnaissance Trip

from Ed Solstad

We're looking for a few good people for a weekend of wilderness day-hiking and canoeing on the BWCAW section of the Border Route Trail.

Now that we have your interest, please read on.

After receiving reports on the less than ideal condition of the wilderness section of the Border Route Trail, we've decided that we really need to send out a reconnaissance trip in order to accurately assess the situation ourselves. While this trip is not for the casual day-hiker who loathes roughing it, neither do we require you to be a graduate of Marine Corp Recruit Depot, Parris Island - although that might not be a bad thing judging from some of the reports that we've seen. Still interested? See below for further details.

In order to get a first hand idea of the condition of the Wilderness section of the Border Route Trail between Clearwater and Loon Lakes We'd like to take a reconnaissance trip the weekend of August 15th and 16th. The plan is to do this as a series of day hikes and to spot a canoe or canoes at Stairway Portage in order to have a reasonable hiking distance per day. (See below for details) The ideal trip size would be 4 people but we could possibly accommodate as many as 8. Participants should be in sufficiently good physical shape to be able to hike up to 9 miles on trails that have an unknown amount of deadfalls and brush. GPS experience would be helpful as we want to create records of what needs to be done where. The plan is to leave Friday night and return on Sunday night. We could also go up for 3 to 4 days if people were interested. Trip cost would be no more than $49/person.

Let me know if you're interested. If you can't make it on the 15th and 16th, would you be interested if it went out later and if so, what weekends would work for you.

Minnesota Rovers

Minnesota Travel Moments

new puncheon (photo by JHY)

While driving to the annual NCTA Conference in North Dakota, I stopped to see a few of the new bits of trail work that have been accomplished since my last trip to the area. Here, Jerry Trout demonstrates how sturdy the new puncheon is south of Gage Lake. They have plans for a much larger boardwalk to cross an area that is very much wetter than this one.

Gage Lake (photo by JHY)

Gage Lake is a small lake, but supports a beaver lodge.

south entrance (photo by JHY)

Just a bit west of there the trail enters Itasca Lake State Park. The trail used to enter the park at the north entrance, but with the hope of off-road trail soon to be connected to the south entrance hikers should now enter there. They will almost immediately find a kiosk with a map of the trail through the park, westward.

kiosk (photo by JHY)

The NCT follows the "Boy Scout Trail" west to DeSoto Lake, where there still may be some issues getting through when the water is high. Then it leaves the park trails and continues westward to Gardner Lake.


Also on the kiosk is a plaque honoring Rod McRae. Rod was an early supporter of the North Country Trail. He scouted and helped build many of the first miles of trail in Minnesota, and wrote a guidebook to the trail through the Chippewa National Forest. In 2007 he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for more than 10 years of service to the trail.

CNY Chapter Does Drainage Maintenance

Jill Borgstede and Mary Dineen begin work on a culvert inlet near Old County Road. Drainage here is compromised by improper runoff from the north section of the former Old County Road. (photo from the CNY newletter)

from the July newsletter of the Central New York Chapter of the NCTA, used with permission

The former Lehigh Valley RR branch line that connected Canastota and Cazenovia was built about 1871— most of the line was dependent on a complex culvert system, one that had three levels of culverts in some locations, to maintain system integrity. The section between the former Old County Road and adjacent to the trailhead on Oxbow Road has many culverts—including a number that the Chapter installed in 2003. West of Nelson Road, there are major drainage issues where the railroad was at the bottom of two drainages. Leaves, earth slides, and other debris clog the surface drainage— hence, the periodic need to perform clearings. Work was done on June 25th— we will be doing some follow-up work shortly.

Volunteers removed leaves and other debris from a ditch that is part of a drainage to the north. Leaves and other debris were moved off the trail. As soon as we get some good drying weather, we will use a member owned, highpowered backpack blower to clear a good share of the leaves away from crucial areas. Culvert openings were cleared with shovels.

We shall return again— the work is never-ending.

See Central New York Chapter of the NCTA

Volunteers and Appreciation from State Agencies

commentary by JHY based on emails from several volunteer leaders

Sometimes it's difficult to understand the reasoning of government agencies. North Country Trail volunteers provide hundreds of hours of manpower to maintain the trail on state-owned lands.

In Ohio, the DNR has re-asserted their rights to 47 miles of Miami-Erie Canal towpath. Volunteers are working hard to restore a treadway which will be off-road NCT. These work parties are allowed to camp for free at an Ohio state park. It seems to me that this is the model that makes the most sense. Everyone benefits from this type of arrangement. The state receives value in work accomplished, the volunteers feel appreciated, and everyone gains safe, usable trails.

In Wisconsin, volunteers may camp for free at Copper Falls State Park group camping during the trail work sessions. However, they must pay the park entrance fee. Only since last year has the Wisconsin DNR allowed volunteers to camp for free at the state forest Two Lakes Campground while maintaining trail nearby. It sounds like Wisconsin has been thinking about sensible solutions.

In Michigan, the situation is much worse. In the Upper Peninsula a volunteer group occupied three state forest campground sites for six nights. During that time the group built a bridge and did other trail maintenance work, often putting in more than eight hours a day. The group was charged $270 in camping fees.

In the lower Peninsula, there have been ongoing similar problems, charging volunteers to camp in order to do work which saves the state money. One particular incident pertains to the closing last year of the Pinney Bridge Campsite. The site was closed indefinitely when the DNR's money ran out (it has since been re-opened). The closure of that site effectively closed an entire section of the NCT to long-distance hikers since that site is the only place camping is allowed in the Jordan River Pathway. It also shut out the volunteers who had been camping there to maintain the Jordan River Trails.

At least one Michigan lawmaker has been notified of this situation.

How do you feel about the attitude of state agencies toward volunteers? Feel free to leave comments.

In Depth Training Offered in Pennsylvania

from the NCTA

NCTA volunteers are invited to Wilderness First Aid and Chainsaw Certification trainings at no charge, thanks to the National Park Service and Moraine State Park. Those who complete the Chainsaw Certification course will be provided with a complete set of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for chainsaw work.

Wilderness First Aid 2-Day Training
August 15th-16th
"Old Moraine Restaurant" at Davis Hollow
Moraine State Park

Chainsaw Certification 2-Day Training
August 29th-30th
Davis Hollow Cabin--and project locations TBD [Davis Hollow Cabin and tenting area available to participants for overnight stay]
Moraine State Park

Contact Andrew Bashaw
NCTA Regional Trail Coordinator OH/PA
PO Box 5, Shawnee, OH 43782
740-394-2008

Opportunities to Help Clean Up Ice Damage to SHT

from the Superior Hiking Trail Associaton

Our biggest task for maintenance on the North Shore for May and July will be to clear the SHT from the devestating ice storm that hit the trail in March. Volunteers can sign up to help on the following dates. From the meeting point, we will be creating crews of 2-3 people to go out with certified SHT chainsawyers to buck up trees and clear the trail.

You must pre-register in advance by the Thursday before each work date so we know how many people to expect. Email the SHTA Office at volunteer@shta.org or call at 218-834-2700 to sign up.

Participants should dress for work: wear sturdy boots and long sleeve pants and shirts. Bring hard hats, safety glasses, gloves and ear protection if you have them -- if not they will be provided. Bring a lunch and beverages. The day’s work should be done by 3:00-4:00.

Saturday, May 2nd and Sunday, May 3rd, 8:30 a.m.: Meet at the main building of the Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center in Finland, Minnesota

Saturday, May 2nd and Sunday, May 3rd, 9:00 a.m.: A second group of trail clearers will meet at the Britton Peak trailhead parking lot and will concentrate on clearing the sections from Temperance River State Park to Lutsen.

Saturday, June 6 and/or Sunday June 7, National Trails Day: SHTA will be hosting free camping Friday the 5th, Saturday the 6th and Sunday the 7th at Tettegouche State Park and providing a free picnic supper on Saturday for all volunteers.

Duluth Maintenance Work Projects: Larry Sampson will be continuing as the Duluth Trail Maintenance Supervisor in 2009. Larry has several projects planned such as putting in small re-routes, adding steps to steep trail sections, and adding water bars to parts of the trail for erosion control. Larry has a small group of dedicated volunteers who help him out with projects, but he would like to increase his numbers of volunteers. If you would like to be on Larry’s volunteer email list, please email him at LBSampson@msn.com

Contact Gayle Coyer, Executive Director, SHTA.
See Coyer Views Ice Damage on SHT from the Air

Eight NCTA Volunteer Adventures - 2009

a workshop on how to build trail using natural rock

from the North Country Trail Association

Interested in having a meaningful time in the outdoors this summer? Love trails, but never thought much about how they got there, or who takes care of them? Volunteer Adventures may be just right for you!

The North Country Trail Association is planning eight different opportunities this summer to improve the trail, in different states.

The first one is coming right up, April 15-19, in Ohio. In partnership with the Buckeye Trail Association volunteers will build new trail in the Scioto Trail State Forest in the Appalachian foothills of south central Ohio. The original Scioto Trail was an Indian trail that followed the Scioto River from northern Ohio to the Kentucky hunting grounds. The trail was later used by settlers who came upriver from Portsmouth to the first capital of Ohio, Chillicothe. During this project we’ll have the opportunity to take a break and visit some nearby historic and prehistoric sites of international significance.

Next, May 16-20, in the Douglas County Forest of northwestern Wisconsin volunteers will build new trail near the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. The crew will be staying in a trail crew work camp situated beneath tall red pines. This 20 acre stand of pines is surrounded by over 4,000 acres of what is locally known as Pine Barrens. Essentially, this is a mix of grass and shrub prairie, which is managed for prairie loving species--primarily the Sharp Tail Grouse.

June 6-10, volunteers will work at McConnells Mill State Park, Pennsylvania. This project focuses on improving the trail with rock work along Slippery Rock Creek. The park encompasses 2,546 acres of the spectacular Slippery Rock Creek Gorge. Created by the draining of glacial lakes thousands of years ago, the gorge has steeps sides and the valley floor is littered with huge boulders and is a national natural landmark. A gristmill built in the 1800s is open for tours.

Trail rehabilitation in an area with steep glacial hills, waterfalls and scenic overlook will occur June 22-26 in Morgan Hill State Forest, New York. Morgan Hill State Forest is located in rural Central New York State south of Syracuse. It is a mixed hardwood and conifer forest with glacial ridges, waterfalls and valleys with steep slopes. It is one of the prettiest and most scenic parts of the Onondaga section of the Finger Lakes Trail and North Country Trail in NY

The Peter Wolfe Chapter of Michigan's western Upper Peninsula will host a crew June 25-29. The work site is in a varied area of pine plains, wetlands, small lakes, bedrock gorges, and rocky hills. Lake Superior is about ten miles away. Vegetation is diverse, with numerous pine, spruce, balsam fir, sugar maple and other hardwoods, wetland shrubs, blueberry, etc. Construction of a multi-span, 140-ft. bridge over a wetland and beaver pond, as well as construction of new NCT near the bridge site is the focus of this project.

Lonetree Wildlife Management Area is the largest wildlife management area in the State of North Dakota, is the headwaters of the Sheyenne River, and hosts 32 miles of the North Country Trail. Work will include mowing the trail, improving the trail signage and marking, and better defining the trail tread in places. The dates for this project are July 5-10.

Over 400,000 acres of the Chippewa National Forest are actually lakes and wetlands. Timberwolves, eagles, towering pines and vigorous aspen are just part of the picture. In fact, the Chippewa National Forest is home to the highest breeding population of Bald Eagles in the lower 48 Unites States! Visit the Chip August 24-28 and help with mowing the trail, improving the trail's signage and blazing, and better defining the trail tread in places.

September 17-21, a project near Marquette Michigan at the Little Garlic River is the final adventure of the year. Work would include constructing up to 5 miles of new trail by clearing debris, including some slash from logging operations, creating switchbacks and doing some benching up steep grades, developing the corridor and blazing.

See the North Country Trail Association Volunteer Adventures for more details.

Reaching Out to Young Members

hikers on the NCT (photo by J Young)

based on a news article in the Albany Times-Union, "Hikers take steps to find young blood," by Alan Wechsler, Feb 18, 2009

Last fall, Bruce Matthews, Executive Director of the North Country Trail Association met with hiking volunteers in upstate New York. He commented on the average age of the participants. “It is striking, the paucity of young people attending these events,” said Matthews, while chatting with the group at a Delmar restaurant.

He noted that the average age appeared to be mid-60's. This is a demographic of many outdoor clubs. The Schenectady Wintersports Club is attempting to reach out to younger participants by starting a chapter for 18-30 year olds. A Taconic Hiking Club member, Colin Campbell– age 72, said, ““If you’re in your early 40s, you’re a young member in our club.”.

One problem is that younger people often have less time, juggling work and family responsibilities. Even the Adirondack Mountain Club is working hard to bring in younger members by planning more family-friendly activities. “We’re aging out,” said Deborah Zack, director of membership and development at the ADK.

There are plenty of young people hiking, paddling, rock climbing, skiing, etc. It just seems to be difficult to get them to join existing groups. Some clubs are trying new ways of making contact with people, for example through social sites like Facebook. Young people generally don’t want to have structured meetings, or perhaps even designated leadership roles.

Groups need young members to take up the reins of advocacy for trails as well as building and maintenance of the actual pathways. Yet the differences in outlook can create friction between the groups. The future of trail creation and advocacy depends on bringing the generations together.

“We love these [older] folks — they’ve got expendable income and they’ve got time,” said Matthews.“ But the reality is we have 10 to 15 years left with them. If we had a 20-year-old, we’d have a lifetime.”

NCT Volunteer to be Inducted in Ski Hall of Fame

Cary Adgate at the Kircher Cup at Boyne Mountain (photo by Boyne Mountain)

from a news release of Michigan Ski News
and the Boyne Mountain web site

Cary Adgate is an NCT volunteer who maintains a section of trail in Northern Michigan near Mancelona. Ed.

The U.S. Ski Team's Liz McIntyre, Nelson Carmichael, and Cary Adgate, along with a man who set the precedent in American ski mountaineering, Bill Briggs, will be inducted to the U.S. National Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in April according to Tom West, president. Both Olympic medalists, McIntyre and Carmichael will be recognized alongside Adgate, an Olympian who was named 2005 Masters Racer of the Year, and Briggs, who has a collection of famous first descents to his name.

Cary Adgate is a Midwesterner who made his first race turns on Boyne Mountain in Michigan. In 1971 he won the U.S. Junior National Championship at age 17. He joined the U.S. Ski Team in 1973 and won the Can-Am Overall Championship, the Can-Am GS championship and the Roch Cup downhill/overall championship. He earned the U.S. Alpine Championship title in slalom or combined six times, and was a member of the U.S. Olympic team in 1976 and '80. Adgate turned to professional skiing in 1981, competing in Bob Beattie's World Pro Skiing Tour. He became the only skier to win back-to-back races in his pro debut, going on to win 25 professional victories and the 1984 U.S. Pro Championships. In 2005 he won three U.S. Masters Championship events and was named Ski Racing Magazine's 2005 Master Racer of the Year. He currently is Boyne USA Resorts' Snowsports Ambassador and mentors several racing programs.

Cary Adgate now promotes public awareness of the great recreational and competitive programs that Boyne Mountain and Boyne Highlands offer. Additionally, he serves in an advisory capacity to several departments of the Boyne operation and is involved as a guest coach with Boyne's various race training and competition programs.

I Am a National Park Service Voluteer

Deven D Atkinson

from the blog Blogtide Rising,by Deven D Atkinson, Nov 28, 2008, used with permission

This week, quite by surprise, I found out that I have been recognized by the National Park Service as a 100 hour volunteer. They sent me a certificate of appreciation (suitable for framing), an National Park Service Volunteer lapel pin (very high quality craftsmanship), and a North Country National Scenic Trail 100 Hours of Volunteer Service engraved name badge (with my name spelled correctly!!!).

You would have though that I would know that I was a National Park Service Volunteer, and that I would not have been surprised. After all, how would a person donate 100 hours of service and not know it?

The answer is quite simple. I am also a 100 hour volunteer with the Buckeye Trail Association. They gave me a nice embroidered blue flannel shirt early this spring as thanks for my service. All of my BTA volunteer work has been with the Trail Crew in southern Ohio and with the Buckeye Trail segment that my Dad and I maintain. All of this trail is actually three trails that share the same footpath: The Buckeye Trail, the American Discovery Trail, and the North Country National Scenic Trail. Every hour I volunteer is an hour volunteered for each. I knew that the North Country trail was sponsored by the National Park service, but I did not realize that it was actually recognized as part of the National Park Service. Now I know, and I have a very nice lapel pin to prove it. And if I can ever figure out when and where the Adams County chapter of the North Country Trail Association meets, I can wear my name badge and have instant credibility.

Now that I am the BTA Scioto Trail section supervisor, my National Park Service volunteer hours are going to climb very fast!