North Star Vol. 19, No. 2 (2000)

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WELCOME, NEW MEMBERS! To begin your membership, please complete this form and send It with your $:1.5 payment to:

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DONATIONS Kevin and Robin Amy and Tony Clar1< David and Karen Betty A Guidish David Lunde William Schiel

R Marie Altenau Wilson and Family Judith Esterline Bierman Bernard Hanchett Jim Malaski Michael Schulz

American Express Jim and Bonnie Wilson Alonzo Hannaford Ronald and Linda Ed Hartmann Richard Mallery Richard Schwartz Irvin Zaenglein Howard W Hintz Bormann Joy Marie Harvey Jeny Marek William R Seybold Ruth Arthur Gail Bosio

Trina and Joe Ball Michael Hommel Clarence and Jean William & Shir1ey Martinus Robert D Shipperley MEMBERSHIPS Frank and Susan Robert A Bouchard Heerema William Mathias Dale Smith Len and JoAnne Baron Johnson Norman Buebendorf Donald Heeter John A Mattern David and Lynda Smith Mar1<Battey Businesses: Victoria L Klinger Jamie & Lisa Bushman Steve Hepker MiloMaurtioff G Warren Smith F ranees Beach AGR International, Inc James F Knight Butler Cnty Chamber of David Hertzberg Robert and Judith Commerce Dave Maxwell Alice Soldan

Bredeweg Eas1em Min Spor1s, Pollie Knight Bob and Julie Carr

William Hoff Don and Patsy May Britney Star1< Butler Outdoor Club Western PA Stores Gary & Marta Konrad Deborah Holdworth Peter Melcarek Judy Stevens Dewayne & Joan Cox Law Offices of John A Mattern Annette Chapman Michael Hommel Midwest Mountaineering Andrew Stewart VerlDasher Sany S.Cohen James and Caroly Kay Christian Peter Hudelson Kristi Mills Patty Stewart Michael & Sheny Davis Midwest Mountaineering Nestingen Mike Claffey Shannon Hughes Pam Monson Tim Stewart William & Kathleen Davis David Patrick Amy and Tony Clar1< Carol Jegen Peggy Mourer Kenneth Stoffer aaymond DeShong

Organizations: David M Peters Gary AClar1< Gerald Johnson Barbara L Nagel Thomas J Stovcsik Butler Outdoor Club Thomas and Diane Jennifer Cleary Kir1<Johnson Econo-Foods North Dakota Tourism Piquet Paul Clemons Steve Nagle Sharon Stroud R Allan and Gail Edgar Michael N Johnson Carolyn Nelson Adrian Tait Recreational Outdoors Joseph Raught Robert S Crowley Don Flyckt Club Clarion Univ. Bob and Grace Rudd

Steve Johnson James and Carolyn Michael G Teff Thomas G Froiland of PA

Beverly J Cuthbert Marjory Johnston Nestingen Amanda A Tikkanen Kenneth Stoffer Aaron & Heidi Daane LanyLGalen Superior Hiking Trail Alan Jones Barbara Ojibway RobertTylka Ann Weir Verl Dasher Grand Rapids Press Association Peter J Kaczor Gary L Olson David VamderBee Hany L Gubbins USDA Forest Service, Richard A Wynalda II Michael & Sheny Davis Michael & Eloise Kaizar Linda Olson Thomas Van Fossen

Warren, PA William and Kathleen Heather Honer Kamp Owasippe Scout Lucy Hulme New Members: Davis Donald Wagman Steve Johnson USDA Forest Service,

Brenda Adsmond Patty Kinnison Reservation James R Walke Washburn, WI Jared Digello Stephen Kobylarz AGR International Inc Allen Douville Barbara Kletzke Michael Page Rob and Liz Walker Martha Leppanen Pathfinders: Jean E Ahart Barbara Dunlap Victoria L Klinger Michael C Paige · Eileen Wandersee Richard Munn Dennis R. Donathen Jean Albertson Eastern Mtn Sports, Mary Knudson Frances Painter Helen M Watkins Daniel Peden Duane Elenbaas Kate Anderson Western PA Stores Ken Koebele Nancy Paintner Stuart and Barbara Orville R Peterson Marc Gilbert Deb Armstrong Kari Elias Jeffrey Kaschak David Patrick Williams Wendi Rogers Pat and Kathleen Miller Jeny Aungst Rickie & Kathy Feeback Joe Koski David M Peters Jack and Sanda Willssey Vicki Rondeau Britney Star1< Douglas B Bailey Brian Flores Mar1<Lampe Scott F Peterson Chad E Wise Bruce Schwenke Joe & Sarah Baldes Daniel Frank Pete Laplaca Thomas & Diane Pique! Earl Witham John & Marylou Tanton Trail Leaders: Dan Bandrowski Joan Friedman Charles Lardie Bob Prater Joanne Wold Universal Forest Products Jeny Allen Wendy Beeching Howard L Garrett Michael Letson Amna Quereshi Douglas Wood Donna Weeson Douglas B Bailey Steve Berthe! Marc Gilbert Ellen W Lighte Gloria J Raasch Wuda Wooch University Gary Werner Robert F Burpee Bruce G Betty Steve and Kim Griffith Truman Loge Henry W Roeben of MN Outdoor Club

Stuart & Barbara Williams Frances & Steve Cheyne Mar1< Bierbaum Mary Jo Grover Jaime L Lounsbury Annie Scheer

Contributions, Special Renewals and New Members since our last issue of the North Star

Trail Supporters NORTH STAR: The Magazine of the North Country Trail, April-May 2000 Page2

4 5 6

25 28 30

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Cover Photo: The Chief Noonday Chapter moved and restored this covered bridge located near Battle Creek. Michigan.

Trail head Keyboard Trails Hiking Shorts Heart and Sole Executive Director Report North Country Trail Shop

Regular Departments

National Millennial Trail Celebration 27 We're going to have a celebration on Labor Day,

at the Mackinac Bridge Walk!

The Superior Hiking Trail Near Two Harbors 22 The Superior Hiking Trail is a model of trail development,

and there are interesting places to go hiking near the site of the joint SHTA/NCTA annual meeting in May.

2000 Annual Conference 20 The Annual Conference will be in May, instead of the fall, and

will be a joint meeting with the Superior Hiking Trail Association in Minnesota -- it should be both informative and picturesque.

Legislative Update 16 Trail advocates head to Washington, to lobby on the Hill.

The Road Less Traveled 12 Section hiker Don Beattie heads to western Minnesota,

and finds some interesting country for the trail to pass through.

New NCT-Scout Coordination Under Way 11 A new program headed by Minnesotan Fred Crawford seeks

to better work with the Boy Scouts of America.

Features Bridging the Future 1 O Chief Noonday Chapter members turn two problems into one opportunity

by moving and rebuilding a scenic covered bridge.

hStar

Published five times annually in January, April, June, August and October by the

North Country Trail Association, a private, non-profit 501 (c)3 organization

as a benefit of membership in the organization. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission of the North Country Trail Association. Distibution of

this issue is 2361 copies.

Secretary Joan Young

861 West US 10, Scottville Ml 49454 (616) 757-2205 • [email protected]

Vice Presldent(Trails East): Lynn Waldron

8133 Norris Rd., Delton Ml 49046 (616) 623-5340 • [email protected]

Vice President of Trails (West): Pat Miller

15737 65th Ave., Milaca MN 56353 (320) 983-5643

Vice President (Financial): David Cornell

514 Cordes Rd., Delton Ml 49046 (616) 623-8659 • [email protected]

President: Werner Veit

49 Monroe Center, Suite 200B, Grand Rapids Ml 49503

(616) 454-5506 • [email protected]

OFFICERS

Contributing Editor: Joan Young

861 US 10, Scottville Ml 49454 (616) 757-2205 • [email protected]

Editor: Wes Boyd

14815 Rome Road, Manitou Beach, Ml 49253

(517) 547-7402 • [email protected]

Executive Director Bob Papp Project Manager Margie Kindel Public Services Coordinator Glory Meyer Office Manager Heidi Daane Bookkeeper Joan Buenavista

NORTH COUNTRY TRAIL SSOCIATION 49 Monroe Center, Suite 2008,

Grand Rapids, Ml 49503 Phone(616)454-5506 FAX (616) 454-7139

Email: [email protected] www.northcountrytrail.org

NORTH STAR: The Magazine of the Notti: Country Trail, April-May2000

NORTH STAR: The Magazine of the North Country Trail, April-May 2000

The most frustrating element of the urban sprawl problem is the wide agreement, among citizens, bureaucrats, politicians and even on the part of some developers that unrestricted growth is harmful, counter-productive to long-range prosperity and a potential blight on the quality of our lives. We all, or nearly all ofus, agree on the consequences. Where there is no agreement is on possible solutions.

The study of the problem has itself become a growth industry with private groups, governmental panels, university research ers, think tanks all wading in to alert us to potential catastrophe. But there have been precious few realistic proposals that might help.

The brave Portland experiment gets a lot of derision from those of us who rely on wishful thinking to ease the rural congestion. Are you familiar with what Portland and now much of the state of Oregon have done?

Some 20 years ago, the Oregon Legislature created the so called URG, or "Urban Growth Boundary," beyond which urban areas of more than 5,000 population were not permitted to expand. A noble idea but not without its problems particularly if the resultant density of the core is not alleviated by further zoning restrictions hardly any other municipality in the U.S. would tolerate.

What spurred Portland and Oregon was the fear of Califomiazation: the relentless growth of suburbs and the result ant multiplication of highways and other infrastructure that threatens to pave over the state. I learned from a book by James Morgan that Tom McCall, then governor of Oregon, liked to tell a story about a Texan, Californian and an Oregonian who were out target shooting.

The Texan comes out with a bottle of tequila and takes a single sip of it. Then he throws the bottle high up and shoots it out of the air.

"Ow, why did you do that?" asks the Californian. "That was a great bottle of tequila."

"Don't worry about it," replies the Texan. "There's lots of that stuff where I come from."

Then it was the Californian's turn. He produced an outstand ing Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley, pulled the cork and took one sip. Then, he, too, threw high and shot the bottle out of the air.

"Aw, man," says the Texan. Why would you do that with a great bottle of wine, like that?"

"Forget it," says the Californian. There's another million gallons of great wine where I come from."

Up came the Oregonian. He pulled out a bottle of Widmer root beer, a favorite in Oregon, and drank the whole bottle with evident pleasure. Then he shot the Californian.

"What did you do that for?" asked the shocked Texan. Replied the Oregonian:

"There are a lot of them where I come from and more on the way. And I get a dime if I return the bottle."

Shooting a developer won't do much to solve our urban sprawl problem but somehow we all need to sacrifice some to preserve some of the green left-the green where we walk and rejoice in our world and the glory of being alive.

I attended a discussion last night with the author of a book, "Economicology" which argues that economic well being and care for the environment are not mutually exclusive.

The discussion took place in Grand Rapids-where I live-the core of a prosperous, industrially-diverse metropolitan area of some half million population. Early in the evening the question was posed: "What do you think is the most serious environmental oroblem of this community? Is it bad air? (the prevailing westerlies carry smog from Chicago and the steel mill towns across Lake Michigan right over Grand Rapids); Or is it water pollution? (Metallic residues still threaten the big lakes; fertilizer runoffs overfeed plant life in the rivers; feed lot wastes leach into groundwater). The consensus with nary a murmurof dissent was urban sprawl and its companions: ineffective zoning laws, ram pant expansion, hell-bent for leather development without con cern for the cost of infrastructure, the resultant need for high ways, sewage disposal, water distribution, school facilities.

In its large sense, such continued sprawl poses deep and accelerating problems for society. In its narrow sense, for those of us still dreaming of completing the North Country Trail, the development of the countryside makes the job of acquiring land or rights-of-way for trail construction infinitely more difficult.

In my home county, the general route of the trail supposedly was fixed more than five years ago. At that time, we were dealing with a half-dozen communities, an equal number of county parks that could contain trail and perhaps 150 property owners.Those property owners now number in the thousands. Even if we get permission, there's little point in routing a trail through subdivision.

The pace of development is dizzying. When the trail plan was created, the township adjacent to where I live was still primarily agricultural, fruit trees mostly. Last night I learned from one of its Planning Commissioners that the last piece of undeveloped land was coming on the market. Its size? 125 acres. Its value? A conservative estimate: $12 million.

Who can blame the family owning it from selling out to a developer? We can't, of course, but if we really calculated the eventual cost of turning that property into 125 houses and what that means in additional facilities, having the township or county buy that land and tum it into a park would actually save us money. The problem is not the lack of political will to accomplish such public purposes. The problem is the lack of machinery for calculating the true contest of growth and applying the cost intelligently. Perhaps one key to a potential solution is to elect more accountants and fewer lawyers to our legislatures.

by President Werner Veit

Trail Head

Page4

Page Single Three Five Is ~ ~ ~ (Full Y~ar} 1/8 $20.00 $50.00 $80.00 1/4 $32.00 $80.00 $128.00 1/2 $50.00 $125.00 $200.00: 1 $80.00 $20.Q.00' $320.00

NEWSLETTER ADVERTISING FEE SCHEDULE

Doug Welker

Alarming trail stories in the media Dear Editor: A couple of stories I'd like to pass on: The first story does not have to do with the NCT, but

perhaps there are lessons to be learned. If you have a chance to check out the magazine Canadian Geographic, Jan/Feb 2000 issue, there's an article on pages 17-18 that tells a sad story about the Transcanada Trail, a trail in the works across southern Canada. The trail was supposed to be for non motorized use, with the exception of some areas where seasonal snowmobile use would be permitted. Problem is, the ATV folks have put enough pressure in the right places that in some provinces, Ontario for sure and I think also in Nova Scotia, much of the trail may also be open to ATV' s and motorbikes. This has many trail founders saddened and has to have a lot of trail builders demoralized.

The second story is one I have less info on than the first, but I believe it could have a real impact on the NCT, initially in Ohio but perhaps elsewhere if the phenomenon spreads. I heard most of it on National Public Radio, either on Morning Edition or All Things Considered, a couple days ago. There is apparently a bill in the works in the Ohio legislature that would require the managers of rail-trails (in this case) to build security fencing along the sides of the trail whenever adjacent property owners requested it. Apparently some landowners are all excited about the possibility of increased crime. The bill, as written, would be retroactive, requiring this for existing rail-trails as well. The trail along the Little Miami River was featured in the story. There was concern among some people interviewed that, if passed, this bill would make it financially infeasible for trail managers to continue to operate the trails they manage, and that future rail-trails, at least in developed areas, might be extremely unlikely. Those trail advocates also made the point of the economic value associated with such trails. The bill's sponsor in the legisla ture was opposed to the entire concept of eminent domain. This will be an interesting test of the power of the property rights movement.

Pages

As many of you know, I've been working off and on for several years on a trail guide to the whole North Country Trail. I've been stalled the past couple of years due to two or three issues, and haven't been able to finish the guide. It could be that it never will be done. Even if the issues that have been holding me up were to clear up, there are enough changes that have taken place over the last several years that I'd be facing a major rewrite. In addition, there are publishing issues. This is not a small or a cheap work to publish; it's more than the Association or I can come up with.

It seems a shame to have done all this work and not have anyone get any use out of it. And, I have gotten some use; the "Trail Focus" articles that have run here since 1997 have been partly or wholly extracted from the draft of the guide. In addition, I've run off laserprinter copies of the pertinent sections of the guide for those that can put them to. use. But that just didn't seem to justify all the work.

So, with a degree of reluctance, I've posted the incom plete draft guide, covering five states and part of a sixth to the North Country Trail on the NCTA website, at http:// www.northcountrytrail.org/explorelguide/menu.htm.

This website actually represents a work in preparation for publication. I'll come right out and say it: there are errors in this work! The errors come from several sources, the biggest one being that the trail is constantly changing. New sections of the trail are added every year, others are relocated, and a few grow faint or obsolete. Trail mainte nance efforts can change, improve or deteriorate anything in a surprisingly short time. Businesses open, close, move, change owners or change services. Policies change. The information on this web page basically dates from late 1997, and information and corrections received by me since that time have not been applied to the page. What with every thing, there are inaccuracies and downright mistakes.

I think it only safe to warn thatthe North Country Trail Association and National Park Service are not respon sible for this page, and they and I cannot and will not be held liable for any errors therein.

All the bold print aside, though, with 39 chapters and about 350 maps, there's a lot of information there that may be of some use if it's taken with a grain of salt. There are unofficial, suggested routes for many miles of road walk, and at least a little background information about the area the trail passes through. I hope it will be of use to you.

by the Editor

Keyboard Trails

NORTH STAR: The Magazine of the North Country Trail, April-May2000

By popular demand, we will be re-instuting "Corning Events" later this year, the way we used to do it, (although it dido 't get done in this issue due to unrelated problems) in order to get better information to those that aren't chapter members. There will be some changes, though. If you have corning events, get them to the NCTA Head quarters 49 Monroe Center, (Attn: Events), Suite 200B, Grand Rapids, MI 49503, Phone (616) 454-5506 not later than the deadline above.

• • •

Jan. 3 April3

June 5 August 1 Oct. 2

In order to get the North Star out on schedule, and thereby make it more useful to our members, we've tightened up the deadlines considerably -- and we're trying to adhere to them. If an item is late, it just isn't going to go in that issue. In order to help with planning, here are the deadlines for the next year:

Issue Deadline To Members June-July 2000 May 5 August-September 2000 July 5 October-December 2000 Sept 5 January-March 2001 Dec. 6 April-May 2001 March 6

North Star deadlines

Volunteer Vacations Opportunity Volunteer Vacations bring people from across the

country to trails in need of repair or maintenance. On Volunteer Vacations you learn new skills while exploring America's backcountry. For more information about Volunteer Vacations visit: http://www.americanhiking.org/ eventslvvlindex. html.

A lot has happened in the past several months on the North Country Trail in Pennsylvania.

• There is a new chapter in Slippery Rock called "The Rock," which is located at the Slippery Rock University. They have a Parks and Recreation Department and the President is Co- Professor Dr. Steven James, and he has many willing members from the University.

• The second two sets of NCTA maps have been completed with some help from the Forest Service and the Allegheny Outdoor Club. There is a northern and southern set covering the trail from the New York border to the Gravel Lick Bridge. These will be on sale at future Key stone Trails Association activities. There is also a set for the section of the trail from the Stone House to Hell's Hollow -- 24 miles. This provides maps for the entire certified trail on the North Country Trail in western Pennsylvania. Part of the profits on the sale of these maps goes back to the local chapters to continue to do work on the trail.

• The Pennsylvania Game Commission has recently approved the agreement between the North Country Trail Association and the Pennsylvania Game Commission to build trail in Clarion, Butler, Lawrence and Beaver Coun ties on the Pennsylvania State Gameland property. This is a great opportunity for the volunteers to build 30 miles of trail and to work with the Sportsmen's Clubs and the Pennsylvania Game Commission to provide a trail con necting sections of the North Country Trail.

• In June, we will have two weeks of American Hiking Society Volunteer Vacations with 12-15 people at each one working to build this trail. The chapters are encouraged to try to get this built in the year 2000 as part" of the celebra tion of the North Country National Scenic Trail being designated a National Millennium Trail.

• One of the activities is a hike across Butler County on the North Country Trail following both completed and new trail; some of it will be on road. It's a great opportu nity for people to join us and see where this trail will be when it's completed.

-The Butler Chapter will be holding a historical tour in April. There will be a bus trip from McConnell's Mills, where they will visit the mill and the bridge and have a talk, and then proceed to the Davis Hollow Outdoor Center. Again, there will be a volunteer talking about the Center. From there, the bus will go to the Stone House, for another historical talk. These are three buildings that are on the North Country National Scenic Trail. Speaking of

Update from the North Country Trail Association in Pennsylvania these buildings, the Butler Chapter has put together a set of note cards with five of the key places along the trail - the Stone House, the Davis Hollow Outdoor Center, the Hidden River Bridge, McConnell's Mills, and the Covered Bridge. These are available from the chapter for $10 per set for 25 cards, with the profits being used to build the North Country Trail.

-There is a big event planned for National Trails Day at Moraine State Park on June 3. On Saturday we'll have hikes, trail work, and a cooking contest to be judged by Thom Hogan, editor of Backpacker Magazine. We hope to have a lot of participation from clubs in the area to make people aware of National Trails Day. We'll also have bike rides and canoe trips at Moraine. -- Bob Tait


Hiking Shorts Page6

by North Star Editor Wes Boyd The standard overview of the trail, newly revised and updated

Includes a new section on the history of the trail.> Lots of Photos/ $4.95 from the North Country Trail Association

49 Monroe Center, Suite 2008, Grand Rapids, Ml 49503 Phone (616) 454-5506 FAX (616) 454-7139 Email: [email protected]

Now Available: The new, third edition of

Following the North Country National Scenic Trail

Adirondack Style Leanto Awaits North Country Trail Hikers

Over the last several years, the National Park Service's Madison Trails Office has paid for the materials to con struct 5 milled-log leantos along the Finger Lakes segment of the North Country National Scenic Trail. The latest, located in Burt Hill State Forest, was constructed during the 1999 season by a Finger Lakes Trail Conference trail crew. Leantos measure 8' x 12' inside and provide room for several hikers to sleep. These high-quality leantos provide a welcome respite for long distance hikers experiencing prolonged periods of inclement weather. The Madison Trails Office purchased the bulk of the materials for the project using $3,800 of National Park Service Challenge Cost Share funds. Funding from the National Park Service's Volunteers in Parks was used to reimburse the cost of food for the crew.

-- From "Conservation Successes," National Center for Recreation and Conservation, National Park Service

burse the cost of food for the crew. The second bridge completed was a 42-foot bridge across Chittenango Creek in Madison County, NY. While this bridge was shorter, the task was no less difficult because this bridge is high above the water level and rests on historic 1918 railroad abut ments. The Central New York Chapter of the NCTA and the Madison County Environmental Management Council jointly coordinated the bridge's construction. Niagara Mohawk provided heavy equipment to place the massive stringers across the creek. The Madison Trails Office provided $3,700 for project materials through the the National Park Service Challenge Cost Share program.

-- From "Conservation Successes," National Center for Recreation and Conservation, National Park Service National Trails Day 2000!

American Hiking Society reminds you to plan and host an event for National Trails Day (NTD), June 3, 2000! Now in its eighth year, NTD is an annual nation wide day of public events celebrating trails and the individuals who maintain and protect them. Activities could include new trail dedications, outdoor skills demon strations, educational exhibits, trail work projects, hikes, and excursions. The theme for NTD 2000 is "Celebrate Millennium Trails," and AHS urges trail conservationists to reach for the future by inviting today's young people to become leaders.

Visit the online NTD headquarters for more informa tion: http.://www.americanhiking.org/events/ntd_2000/ index.html

Register your event: http://www.americanhiking.org/ events/ntd_2000/register.html

Order a FREE Deluxe Kit or Retailer's Kit full of promotional items: http://www.americanhiking.org/events/ ntd_2000/kits. html

Find an event near you: http://www.americanhiking.org/events/ntd_2000/events.html

During the summer of 1999, two major trail bridges were completed on the NCNST in upstate New York. The first was a 60-foot bridge across Wolf Run, in Allegany State Park. Completed by volunteers from the Finger Lakes Trail Conference (FLTC), the bridge allows for safe passage of the stream during high water periods and eliminates wading at all times of the year. The National Park Service's Madison Trails Office provided just under $3,000 worth of materials for the bridge through the National Park Service Challenge Cost Share program. Additional funding was provided through the National Park Service Volunteer In Parks (VIP) program to reim-

Major Bridges Completed on NCNST in Upstate New York

Hiking Shorts Page 7 NORTH STAR: The Magazine of the North Country Trail, April-May2000

BTA meeting at Nelsonville, OH The 41st annual meeting of the Buckeye Trail Associa

tion will be April 28-30 at Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio. There will be a number of hikes and workshops, and presentations by Annie Getchell, formerly of Anyplace Wild, and Irene Svente, who will speak on the West Coast Trail on British Columbia's Vancouver Island. For more information, contact Mary Hamilton at (330) 602-4071.

Lowell, MI supports NCNST The city council of Lowell, MI, unanimously approved

a proposed route of the North Country Trail winding through the southern Michigan city, located outside of Grand Rapids. "We wanted to get the route in place and see how it looks," said counciler Don Green, who is a member of the city's Parks and Recreation Commission which recommended the route to the city council. Paula Wilbur, who has been serving as the North Country Trail coordinator for the Lowell portion of the trail, said NCTA volunteers would put in the hard pack trail designed specifically for walkers only. If the city wanted anything more than a hard pack trail, that would be up to city officials. The Western Michigan Chapter would be respon sbile for signage and making sure such signage would meet all city requirements. -- Adapted from Lowell Ledger

in fire grates at any time of the day in developed camp grounds (Trails End, Iron Lake, East Bearskin, and Flour Lake) within the restricted area. Additional restrictions may be deemed necessary for public safety due to active fires or high fire danger.

Once restrictions are in place for moderate or higher levels of fire danger, they will remain in place until limitations are re-evaluated at the end of the spring fire season, on or about June 30, 2000. Restrictions in areas outside the blowdown will follow similar processes as in past years. The Forest will continue to coordinate with partner agencies and key contacts to determine additional appropriate preventive actions.

The Forest Service will refund reservation and permit user fees if entry points are officially closed.

These areas and trail closures are shown on the BWCAW and Surrounding Areas Visitor Use Restrictions map which may be viewed along with other details on the Forest web site. http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/superior:

Large volumes of blown down trees from last summer's wind storm have greatly increased the potential for wildfire in some areas of the Superior National Forest. In order to reduce the potential risk for visitors and surrounding communities the Forest will limit the use of campfires in areas of concentrated blowdown. Trail access will also be limited in areas of concentrated blowdown. The level of limitations to visitor use are directly related to the level of fire danger and potential rate of spread.

In the early part of the spring, while fire danger is low, campfires will be allowed in restricted areas only from 7:00 pm to 12:00 midnight when conditions are not likely to cause a wildfire to spread rapidly. By putting out campfires at midnight, visitors are allowing coals to cool before temperatures and winds increase in .the morning. When the fire danger rises to the moderate' level, open fires will not be allowed at any time within the restricted area and some trails that are located in blowdown and away from lakes will be closed to visitor use.

Cookstoves will be allowed at any time of the day in the restricted area. In addition, campfires will be allowed

Wetland Boardwalk Completed on the North Country Trail

A beautiful four-foot wide boardwalk now winds its way for 600 feet through a bottomland hardwood swamp in the Manistee National Forest, located in Michigan's lower penninsula. The North Country Trail has traversed this wet area -- in most years it is covered with up to 18- inches of water during the spring -- making' passage difficult and unpleasant. The boardwalk w~ll allow trail users to traverse the wetland without wading during the wet seasons. Home to grasses, sedges, and other wetland plants, these can now be seen safely from the boardwalk without disrupting the habitat. The boardwalk is accessible by the disabled from the east end where it can be reached by means of a forest two-track road. The boardwalk was completed by the Spirit of The Woods Chapter of the North Country Trail Association. Chapter members accumulated over 500 hours of volunteer labor completing the project. The $6,700 worth of materials for this project was provided by the Madison Trails Office through the National Park Service's Challenge Cost Share program as well as other private funding sources.

-- From "Conservation Successes," National Center for Recreation and Conservation, National Park Service

Visitor Use Restrictions and Closures in the BWCAW and Surrounding Areas


Hiking Shorts PageB

B TA plans trail work sessions The Buckeye Trail Association will hold its annual

"Go To Blazes" day on June 2. Once again, BTA volun teers will hike the trail to blaze the length of the Buckeye Trail, and handle other routine trail maintenance. The "Go To Blazes" day last year proved to be a big success, with a large percentage of the trail reblazed, and volunteers hope to extend the project this year. For more information, contact BTA at (800) 881-3062 or e-mail [email protected] -- or call state Trail Coordinator Jim Sprague at (440) 884-4757.

The BTA will also hold a number of trail work parties this year, focused on maintenance, relocations, and new trail. Tentatively scheduled is maintenance of existing trail at Piqua Oho on May 5- 7, new trail at Clendening Reser voir on May 14-20, work in Hocking and Vinton Counties rerouting trail on June 16-18, new trail in Burr Oak State Park October 13-15 and in East Fork State Park on No vember 3-5. For more information, contact the BTA or Sprague at the above numbers.

Softies crossing Upper Peninsula The UP Softies are a group from the North Country

Trail Hikers of Marquette, MI that have been doing easy day hikes on the North Country Trail across Michigan's Upper Peninsula since 1992. "Let's face it, we're not backpackers," says Softie Jan Webster in the North Country Trail Hiker. "We dine in restaurants and stay in motels, preferably those with pool and hot tub." The Softies have completed about three quarters of the route between St. Ignace and Ironwood over the years, and are all fired up to complete the final miles through the western upper peninsula's great scenery and historic terrain. Softie hikes get under way this year on May 20, at the east end of the Ottawa National Forest near Covington, Ml. Webster can be contacted at (906) 225-1295 for more information.

Ohio Trails Partnership Day will be held on May 13

The second annual Ohio Trails Partnership day will be held on various segments of the Buckeye Trail on May 13. There will be a number of group hikes. In addition to the funds raised by participants last year, Ohio State Parks added supplemental funds that will be used for several boardwalks and a bridge on Buckeye Trail segments this year. More information about the hikes will be available in the ETA Trailblazer or from Herb Hulls at (800) 881-3062 or [email protected].

Guide to Ohio's Buckeye Trail is currently in preparation

Follow the Blue Blazes is the current title of a new guidebook currently in publication about the Buckeye Trail by Bob Pond. Three chapters of a planned 14 are completed, he reports to theBTA Trailblazer, and several more nearly so.

New listserver focuses on North Country Trail

Over the winter, North Country trail enthusiasts have had a new listserver to exchange opinions on the trail. It's unofficial, and totally separate from the National Park Service or the North Country Trail Association. At one point, it was quite busy, but it slowed over the winter. News on the mailing list comes as part of your e-mail. If you're interested in subscribing to the mailing list, please email [email protected] with nothing but the word "subscribe" in the message. Many thanks to Ryan Brooks for hosting the list on his server. If you have questions, please email [email protected].

Progress being made on Link Trail With top-notch support from the Stone Quarry Hill Art

Park folks and several gracious landowners, the Link Trail is now complete from a point on Stone Quarry Road just south of the Art Park all the way to Chenango Street at a point immediately adjacent to the Cazenovia Village south boundary. The trail route goes north via Chenango and Mill Streets to the village center, crossing Albany Street (Route 20) and thence eastward to the easement leading to the Cazenovia Preservation Foundation owned Gorge Trail.

The undeveloped NY Parks land (former Lehigh Valley Railroad) ends south of NYS Route 5 as a result of sales of former L VRR land to several individuals many

· years ago. A land connection is available to us that is attractive except for a section that "demands a combina tion of 8th wonder of the world construction and walking skills akin to those of a mountain goat". Several alterna tives are receiving attention as to costs and feasibility, with a grant application under active consideration.

The application for trail certification within the Tioughnioga Wildlife Management Area, the Nelson Swamp Unique Area, and the entire route from the south access to the Art Park and northward to Carry's Hill Road will be filed shortly. Plans are under way to hold a trail dedication and ribbon cutting on National Trails Day at Stone Quarry Hill Art Park and in Cazenovia.

Page9

Hiking Shorts NORTH STAR: The Magazine of the North Country Trail, April-May2000

Pictures for this article and the cover provided by "The Reminder" a local weekly shopping guide which featured the bridge on their January 2000 issue. Part of this article is condensed from Mary McDonough 's article in the paper.

WES KNOLLENBERG of the Augusta Creek Watershed Association, Charles Kramm in of the NCT A, and Allan Brooks of Trout Unlimited at the reconstructed Augusta Creek Bridge in the Kellogg Experimental Forest near Battle Creek, Ml.

tions, public agencies, interest groups and individuals. In October 1998, about 25 individuals of all the organi

zations and other interested parties joined together to tear the bridge down and move it to storage at the experimental station. In September, 1999, construction started at the new location with concrete abutments and galvanized steel ! beams. In October, November and December 1999 and January 2000, the bridge was reconstructed using some 6x6" floor timbers, the bents, on wooden framework. A new roof was constructed using cedar shakes. New northern white cedar was used for siding. Doors and shutters will be added later. Also planned are educational exhibits inside the bridge, and maybe even a NCT educational poster.

If it wasn't for the dedicated leadership and hard work of many of the Chief Noonday Chapter members, this project for the enjoyment of future generations would not have been brought to fulfillment.


' <, I I ' . 'i..

by Charles Krammin Chief Noonday Chapter

Generations to come will be able to enjoy the charm of a covered bridge on the North Country Trail at the Kellogg Forest northwest of Battle Creek, MI, thanks to a group of dedicated volunteers who have worked countless hours to move and restore a bridge originally located on state land north of the experimental forest.

The Augusta Creek Watershed Association, Trout Un limited and the Chief Noonday Chapterof the North Country Trail Association joined together to spearhead the bridge restoration project. . ·

What is there about a covered bridge that excites the imagination? According to Wes Knollenb~rg·!)rtheAugusta Creek Watershed Association, "Part of the allure may be that while a person is standing inside the covered bridge, he or she is also submerged in nature ... when you' re inside the bridge, the sound of the creek echos. It's sort of a nice sound. There's something charming about standing over the water and look ing upstream. It gives a unique perspective of the.creek,"

The bridge was originally built on the William John Upjohn property in 1973. The land was sold-to the.Michigan Department of Natural Resources State Game Area Di vision in 1990. The bridge fell into disrepair and vandalism, and was scheduled for demolition for safety reasons. The Augusta Creek Watershed Association was contacted-.in,·1995, and after much dialogue it was decided that the, best course of action would be to move the bridge two and a half miles south to the Kellogg Experimental Forest, owned. by .Michigan State University, but also used by the public for- fishing, hunting, hiking, walking, cross country skiing, and.horseback riding. The bridge would thus be protected against vandalism and would protect the ecology of the trout. quality stream beneath it.

From 1996 to 1998 several options were pursued by the AWCA to move the bridge, but options to finance it fell through. About this time, Dave Cornell; President of the Chief Noonday Chapter of the NCTA developed the North Country Trail through the State Forest; it would cross Au gusta Creek at the new location. The Chief Noonday Chapter was contacted and they got the project maying· again. Lynn Waldron, Trails Coordinator provided the leadership by planning and making contacts. Barb VanDyken, a.director of the Chief Noonday Chapter, secured financing from corpora-

Bridging the Future

Page 10

On June 3, 2000, National Trails Day will be cel ebrated on every National Scenic Trail throughout the United States. In conjunction with this event, the North Country Trail Association is inviting Boy Scouts all along the North Country Trail to commit to working on the trail that weekend. The goal is to get 2000 Scouts on the trail during that first weekend in June 2000.

To commemorate a troop's participation.the NCTA will award a beautiful 3" x 14" dark blue ribbon with the BSA and NCT emblems with the words, "National Trails Day 2000", in silver print.

There are also other forms of recognition for Boy Scouts that can be part of your program:

•A North Country Trail Patch with the state outline. This 2" x 3" patch features the appropriate state outline in red on a green and brown background. Around the edge are the words "North Country National Scenic Trail". They are ordered from a local scout store through the BSA National Distribution Center in North Carolina

<The National Park Service and the Boy Scouts of America are also working at the national level for service

2000 Scouts on the NCT in 2000 on any National Scenic Trail in the United States. Any scout who works on a National Trail will receive a special patch. Contact the National Park Service.

• At the Troop level, working on a trail can be used to meet requirements for the Paul Bunyan Award, Merit Badges, Rank Advancement, Eagle Scout Project, or Hornaday Project.

Working on the trail can fit into any Troop program and provide for an opportunity to display leadership skills and community involvement. Be a part of helping to complete what will become the largest hiking trail in the United States, over 4000 mile long.

The North Country Trail begins in northeast New York and winds through the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and ends in central North Dakota.

Scouts should contact their Council Activities Com mittee Representative for more details or Fred Crawford, North Country Trails Boy Scout Project Coordinator, [email protected]. See you on the trail, June 3-4, 2000.

ested so many chapters, individuals and scout leaders have been in the short time since the mailings went out. Word is spreading fast and that is good because time is short."

In addition to a troop receiving a special ribbon for participating in the 2000 project, Crawford is also working on other forms of recognition. In the works is a Certificate of Appreciation for those who work on the trail other than with an Eagle Project or the 2000 project. He is also working on a plaque to be given to Boy Scouts using the NCT for his Eagle Scout project. The supplying of these proposed plaques will be through business support either financially or through donated materials.

Crawford is also working on a video that will show what the trail is, what needs to be done, how working on the trail can fit into a scouting program, some of the awards and recognition available and a section on tools and safety. He hopes to have it ready sometime this summer.

Over the last 3 years, 30-year scout and scouter Crawford has led a Boy Scout Troop to work on the Medicine Lake Section-Minnesota, and as has served as Indianhead Council Coordinator for North Country Trail Projects, and has pro moted scouts to work on the trail. His work has led to two Eagle Scout projects and several other working weekend trips.

Minnesota Boy Scouter and North Country Trail Activist Fred Crawford has been working hard at a program to interest more Boy Scouts in hiking and working on the North Country Trail. It is a "natural fit", Boy Scouts and the great outdoors.

In January, 37 Boy Scout Councils from Upper NewYork to North Dakota received an information package from Crawford which contained a letter of introduction, a job description for a local Boy Scout Trail Coordinator for NCT Projects and a "National Trails Day 2000" flyer. -.

At the same time, each NCT State Coordinator and each Chapter President received a letter of introduction and copy of the material sent to each Boy Scout Council in their area. They also received a listing of the councils receiving the material.

"Since that time," Crawford says, "I have received many emails and letters showing a great deal of enthusiasm for this project, offering suggestions and generally taking the ball on their own and making contacts to help make the-2000 project a reality. A Scout Executive in Syracuse wanted to know how close the trail came to his council's summer camp site{Within 30 miles, as well as coming very close to Syracuse itself). Some NCTA members have emailed of their past scout projects and their willingness to promote our program for this year. I am pleasantly surprised at how supportive and inter-

New NCTA/Boy Scout Coordination under way

Page 11 NORTH STAR: The Magazine of the North Country Trail, April-May2000

DON BEATTIE at his base camp in Maplewood State Park. The trail on the far side of Grass Lake whispers, "I want to be certified."

What a surprise to reach Fergus Falls, a most beautiful town filled with well maintained parks in every direction. A 50 foot tall, 2 112 foot diameter tamarack tree spanned the front lawn of a large home just before the walkway passed George B. Wright Park, named after the 1870 founder. The walkway, then joined the Ottertail River walk in a tunnel of trees. Except for an opening of trees at a historical marker, revealing the city hall building, a replica of Philadelphia's Independence Hall, you wouldn't realize you were passing through the heart of the downtown business area. Crossing over the dam, the reason for the town's founding with a grist mill and sawmill, the trail reaches Vet's park. A short jog to another walkway and you soon pass the Riverside Waterfow l Sanctuary, then past the beautiful high school and junior high buildings before reaching the YMCA. There, the route turns east, following a bike path for two miles to Diversion Drive, the northeast town boundary.

The NCT corridor possibility along another abandoned railroad line north from Fergus Falls to Erhard seems to have also vanished. Jerry Thompson, the oldest timer at the Ottertail County Engineer's Office, brought out a 1912 Country Plat


by Donald G. Beattie The fall '99 hiking options narrowed down to two: either

completing the last 20 miles on the Superior Hiking Trail from Minnesota's Judge C.R. Magney State Park to the Border Route Trail, or hiking in western Minnesota. With storm damage in the northern part of the state making the first seem a bit shaky, the west won out.

Arriving at Maplewood State Park on Snndey afternoon on the twelfth of September after an earlier light sprinkle, little did I know that I'd see no more daytime rain for the rest of the trip, through Monday, October 4. Minnesota's month long rain must have emptied all of the clouds of moisture, for which I was most grateful.

Hiking started the next day on the .bridge between Whapeton, N.D. and Breckenridge, MN, w~Q,_step.s taken to the North Dakota end to add a piece of state number five to my North Country Trail log. Beneath the bridge flowed the Bois de Sioux River, joined by the Ottertail River flowing under an adjacent bridge, with their confluence:forming the Red River of the North, the longest north.flowing river in North America, winding its way to Lake Winnepeg and on to Hudson Bay. Flatboats used for river commerce here com menced in 1859.

Hopes of finding the abandoned railroad- line shown in the 1982 NPS/NCT corridor maps faded .. .Instead, I only found fields of soybeans and com. Inquiring. wit.I) farmers as I walked the backroads I learned the lands we}ie long ago sold to the adjacent farmers. The railroad tracks.stillremain from the west edge of Foxhome with one train per week, and east through French to Fergus Falls, with four trains per week. The expansive crop fields were a real contrast to my spring 1999 NCT trek in southern Ohio, from Sinking Springs to Burr Oak and Chesterhill, where some small hollow .hottoms of land had only one to five acres of farmable land..

Less Traveled The Road Exploring western Minnesota

Page 12

TAMARAC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE is the NCT's gate to the heavily forested Minnesota interior.

tional Forest. We had an instant bond, as I thought that was the prettiest section of the Chippewa.

Leaving Maplewood State Park, it's back to roads again. With thanks to the last glacier, the route passes many beauti ful lakes, including one in Vergas complete with loon statue. Turning north near Frazee, the route arrives at Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge. Being around there for three days became a real benefit, allowing me to stop in frequently at the Visitor Center and Headquarters. Recalling the 1982 corridor map showed dotted red lines through Tamarac ("Existing Trail -- eligible for certification"), I inquired as to its status. I received some blank stares. Several looked too young to have been staff there in the '80s but some thought there had been a problem about cutting trail . I was also informed of the refuge rules. The part south of County Road 26 is the year round "public use area" with boat launches, picnic areas, Blackbird auto tour route and Pine Lake Cross Country Loop. I was advised the cross-country trail was not good to walk through as it had numerous wet areas. They were just then getting ready to cut the weeds there to prepare the trail for the cross country ski season.

North of County Road 26 is the Sanctuary Area. The dirt roads in this area are used by refuge vehicles year round but never by public vehicles. They are only open for public walking from September through February as a courtesy to hunters. The NCT corridor uses three of these trails (Egg Lake, 5.7 miles; Teacracker, 0.8 miles, and Chippewa, 2.7

Page 13

WITH LOONS THIS LARGE at Vergas, no wonder it's the Minnesota state bird!


Book. The well used and browning pages showed the Great Northern Railroad line to Detroit Lakes, but he thought that the railroad had only leased the land from the landowners, so it reverted back to them when the line was abandoned. While searching for the old line at Erhard, I did find a paved street lined with houses on both sides. It was called Railroad Street.

Leaving Fergus Falls along County Road 1, then County Road 3, my route passed the Ottertail River Canoe Launch Area and two lakes and boat launces before reaching the Maplewood Church parking area and gate at the south end of Maplewood State Park. A wooded footpath and cross country trail starts here and soon junctions to a wider trail northward past Bass Lake until arriving at Grass Lake and one of the park's three campgrounds. The Grass Lake trail junctions to the Cataract Lake Trail and on to a trail head near the park office.

Bill and Bob manage the park year round. They were joined by a seasonal, Melodie Webb, who was surprised to hear that the NCT intended route was to pass through Maplewood State Park. Her interest in park work stemmed from her Youth Conservation Corps experience helping to construct the Shingobee NCT section in the Chippewa Na-

NOW WADE A MINUTE -- this is the trail? DeSoto Lake in Lake Itasca State Park is on the right, the NCT is in the middle, and the lake overflow is on the left.

White Earth State Forest area, my hopes were fulfilled, finding the familiar blue blaze on the Anchor-Hill Road. I followed an old narrow gauge railroad line above the lake passing the Tim-Don-Dell Hill ridgetop viewpoint before reaching the Anchor-Matson Road Trailhead. A little ways across the road, the trail enters Itasca State Park.

There are 13 certified NCT miles along the southern and eastern edges of the park. Upon arrival at Itasca State Park, I inquired as to the NCT trail conditions. Head Naturalist Connie Cox passed my inquiry on to Ken Thole, who handles security and trail maintenance. By the next evening, he had a park trail map with wet areas marked, taped to the table at my new residence, 65 Bear Paw Campground. Forewarned, a resupply trip to Park Rapids included a stop at Ace Hardware to get some 2.5 mil Hefty Trash Compactor bags. My double bag "K-Mart Special" waders used for small streams in Ohio needed some upgrading.

The two mile trail section from the Visitor Center to the east boundary contained two rather permanent looking ponds, the first easily skirted, the second a bit harder through saplings. This whole East Gate area is part of a $6 million year 2000 project to include a new $4 million Visitor Center with

NORTH STAR: The Magazine of the North Country Trail, April-May 2000 Page 14

miles). Back at camp the second night, having hiked through the Tamarac area, I tried to come up with a way that NCT hikers might walk the trails prior to September 1 each year.

The next day I offered a suggestion to a staff member that early season NCT hikers obtain a special permit from the refuge. This would allow the refuge to personally share their concerns with hikers, still keep full control in their hands, and could be terminated if problems arose. Such a permit had been issued to photographers, and the idea sounded all right to the staff, so I was referred to Jay Johnson, who was on lunch break just outside. He liked the "special permit" idea and said he had issued one the previous year to an Indian for a three day "Vision Quest" (with warnings: no fires and terrible spring bugs). Perhaps with some further arrange ments the existing trail segments can now be certified to at least establish a presence there. The refuge has no trail funds.

When I had first arrived at Tamarac I wasn't sure if they would let me leave, since a NCT hiker is a rare bird in those parts. But without problems, I enjoyed the walk along Black bird Lake, where a distant pair of circling eagles were spotted. The refuge is proud of its success of going from three active eagles nests with three young in 1977 to 23 nests and 33 young in 1999. These and other nesting birds' sensitivity to intrusion by people is why the refuge is concerned about people/wildlife interaction. Their uppermost consideration is for wildlife protection, not as a hiking domain, but with proper consideration, hopefully both can be possible.

After ten days with base camp at Grass Lake Camp Ground at Maplewood State Park, it was time to move up to Itasca State Park for the next 12 days. One retirement perk is being able to arrive in the parks on weekdays with choice of the few lakefront sites -- four of 60 at Maplewood, six of 248 at Itasca. The ever changing moods of Lake Itasca never ceased to capture my heart, from evening moonlight reflec tions to blazing sunsets, to one fog-hushed morning when a pair of swans swam by as if floating in a cloud .. lawakened another morning at 6:00 AM to a distant howl from a pack of wolves, shortly answered by one lone call. Then all was silent again. I knew I was truly in the North Country.

Leaving the Tamarac Area, the route continued north to County Road 113, then east. Getting a one-way ride with an Indian elder, I inquired if the younger kids went on vision quests any more. He looked at me and sadlyreplied, "The old ways are gone." As I resumed hiking, I thought about that. Having taught high school for 30 years in Detroit.and seeing many kids drifting aimlessly with little sense of.direction or purpose in life, I thought Vision Quests might be a good idea for many kids today -- actually, for all of us.

Grateful to Rod MacRae for his Itasca/Bad. Medicine NCT trail log and topo maps sent to me in 1998 when the Superior Hiking Trail lure wouldn't let go of. me, I finally made use of them on this trip. Hoping that in-the year's delay more trail might have been completed in the Bad Medicine/

DON BEATTIE is working on section hiking the entire NCNST, and we've been happy to have run several of his trail reports over the years. The retired Michigan teacher has

MISGUIDED BEAVER TRAIL WORK on the NCT near Kirk more than 2000 total miles of North Country Trail in his Lake in Itasca State Park logbook.

Page 15 Itasca had been my original, uncertain but hoped-for

destination, but with such good weather the hiking continued on eastward through Paul Bunyan State Forest, following the Halverson Lake Trail and West Gulch Trail passing the beautiful chain of Little Gulch Lakes, shimmering silver in the breeze and edged with hillsides of orange maples, yellow aspen and scattered pines. Continuing along, Spur I and Steamboat Forest Roads past Parkway Forest Road, the route junctioned eastward along an old forest trail to a final clearcut near the boundary with the Chippewa National Forest, about a mile from its end of the NCT there. Plans for the Paul Bunyan SF NCT are beginning, but for now I backtracked to Parkway Forest Road, and followed it, County Road 23 and County Road 12 to connect with the last NCT road crossing from my 1997 Chippewa National Forest trek.

Elated at having completed hiking way beyond my origi nal hopes, I celebrated with three days of exploring Itasca State Park, covering all or part of 15 trails there. Hmmm, all park trails were dry except the NCT! The park is truly a gem worthy of mini-National Park status, containing 6500 acres of 200-300 year old virgin red and white pine (80 percent of the rest of Minnesota's virgin timber is in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area), 157 lakes, and many trails, the park is also rich in history including 8000 year old items from Indian hunters, CCC structures and buildings and tales of early settlers.

The beautiful fall in Minnesota was coming to an end. The wind was beginning to free the leaves from the trees. The October 1 night temperature dipping to 18 degrees was another signal. Sunday, the third of October was my last day there. It was sunny and sixty degrees, with a peaceful walk along the Brower Trail above Lake Itasca. It was a fitting trail' to end with, providing quiet time to reflect on the wonderful park staff, the trail experiences, and time to thank Jacob Brower, whose tireless efforts spared the beautiful Itasca region from the lumberman's axe and helped to create Minnesota's first state park in 1891. It had been a good trip - 21 hiking days, 184 NCT miles, 302 total miles, 93 miles of ridges -- but above all, many wonderful memories to cherish.

My last night's camp enroute home was at Norway Lake in the Ottawa National Forest near Sidnaw, ML My lifetime favorite campground, this had been my only camp coming from home to Minnesota and had been my base camp for the nearby NCT several years earlier. One loon still lingered and like every other night of the trip, I dozed off to sleep with that mournful cry drifting across the water. I was sadly aware that this would be my last night in the North Country ... and already I was dreaming of my return visit.

NORTH STAR: The Magazine of the North Country Trail, Apri/-May2000 all new road configurations. The other 11 miles of trail contain six more wet areas. Heading south from the 1905 Douglas Lodge, the NCT follows the Ozawindib Trail to the Eagle Scout Trail. (Chippewa Chief Oza Windib led Henry Schoolcraft to the headwaters source of the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca in 1832.) Eagles fortunately can fly but hikers needed to do some wading around three six to twelve inch deep wet spots at Gilfillan Lake. The light, easy on, easy off new Hefty waders worked well here, but were double bagged and rope tied like leggings at the ankles and above the knees for the 150 foot long, six to eighteen inch deep wade at DeSoto Lake. Two more six to twelve inch short wades west of Kirk Lake ended the wet areas, except for the fact that in day hiking, I had to redo all six again on the return. An even deeper beaver flooded area, three to four feet deep, men tioned in Rod's log had thankfully since been bridged! For some reason, I didn't meet a single hiker on this part of the trail, but perhaps that was a plus for on the return between Kirk and DeSoto Lakes, I came upon two bald eagles sitting near the top of a solitary white pine, only 50 yards away on a ridge above a small lake. That made my day, .and all the wades, worthwhile. By the way, after 12 wades that day I still had dry boots!

Where We Stand Now: In the coming weeks, the Senate and House

subcommittees responsible for determining funding for the National Park Service will be working up their final recommendations for the year 200 I. Our requests went directly to the Chairs of these two subcommittees. In addition, Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) are members of these subcommittees, and they agreed to support our request directly. (Senator Dorgan also is a member, and he chose to sign on to Senator Levin's request.) Congressman David Obey (D-WI) also is very interested in our work, and is very influential on the House Appropriations Committee.

At this point, what remains is to convince the Chairs of these two subcommittees to support our request for increased base appropriations for the trail. Public input at this point can help sway their decisions, so again, I encourage you to contact them.

Briefly, increasing our funding to $546,000 would provide these far-reaching benefits: • Establish a pro-active route planning program, to

stimulate public involvement and ensure the long term success of the trail;

• Expand our geographic information system and cartography program, to provide needed maps and services to trail users, volunteer planners and partner agencies.

• Boost the ability of the National Park Service to assist volunteers by providing supplies, training and direction to build new trail and facilities and reduce ongoing maintenance backlogs; and

A word of thanks to these Senators and Representatives (Tom tlteir constituents would go a long way toward encourag ing tit em to help us again iii the future. If any of these legislators represent you, please let them know how mucb you appreciate their support and how much. lite trail means to you!

Senate Carl Levin (D-MI) Spencer Abraham (R-MI) Kent Conrad (D~ND) Mike DeWine (R-OH) Byron Dorgan (D-ND) Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY) Charles Schumer (D-NY) Paul Wellstone (D-MN)

House of Representatives Vern Ehlers (R-MI) James Oberstar (D-MN) James Barcia (D-MI) Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) David Bonior (D-MI) Philip English (R-PA) Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) Amo Houghton (R-NY) Dale Kildee (D-MI) Ron Klink (D-PA) Rob Portman (R-OH) Nick Smith (R-MI) Bart Stupak (D-MI) Bruce Vento (D-MN)

increase funding from our current level of $226,000 to a proposed level of $546,000.

During the months leading up to our trip to Washington, we worked hard using the phone, fax and e mail to try to get as many signatures as we could on the requests. Following the trip, we ended up with the following 14 House members and 8 Senators signing on to the request:


Background: In March, I traveled to Washington DC with two

volunteers, Derek Blount, our Legislative Chair, and Bob Tait, our State Trail Coordinator for Pennsylvania. On the next page, you'll find Bob's report of the trip, which I'm sure you'll enjoy reading. He provides some good detail on how the whole thing came together, and what it was like to participate in the American Hiking Society's Trail Advocacy Week.

As Bob mentions, we were pressing Senators and Representatives on two main issues, granting the National Park Service the authority to purchase land from willing sellers to protect the trail, and increasing base funding for the trail. I'd like to focus in this article on our progress on appropriations, since this could have such a huge and immediate impact on the future of the North Country Trail. Willing Seller authority also is extremely so I'll probably bring you up to date on that next issue.

In the last issue of the North Star, I wrote about our efforts to increase federal appropriations for the North Country National Scenic Trail. As you may recall, the North Country Trail is administered by the National Park Service (NPS), yet the federal government currently allocates only $226,000 for the general operations of the Trail. We have only one full-time NPS employee dedicated to the Trail. Considering the benefits to the public and the scope of our project (a 4,600 mile hiking trail crossing seven states, more than 100 counties, and some 160 public land units), federal funding is inadequate, at best, to meeting the challenges of completing and maintaining the trail. Further, the President's budget for 2001 requests only a $1,000 increase in these appropriations! It would appear that we have a long way to go to get our message across on Capitol Hill.

Well, over the past couple of months, we've taken some major steps forward. Today, we have our greatest opportunity ever to significantly increase base funding for the North Country National Scenic Trail. However, this is by no means a sure thing, and we definitely need help from our members if we are to have a real hope of succeeding.

To bring you up to date, earlier this year I asked Senator Levin (Ml) and Representatives Ehlers (MI) and Oberstar (MN) to send letters to their colleagues in the Senate and the House encouraging them to endorse a request to significantly increase federal funding of the North Country Trail. Specifically, we were asking to

Year 2001 Appropriations

by Bob Papp, Executive Director

Page 16

not know much about the North Country Trail. I talked a little bit about what we were doing and what help we needed, and he was very supportive and very interested in our projects. I later met with his legislative assistant. I will be following up with letters to these folks thanking them and again letting them know what we need to complete the trail - the Willing Seller Bill and some funds for projects. I also would like to get them to hike the trail on National Trails Day

The weather was perfect; the trees were just coming out in blossom. It was fun to see the inside of the Capitol offices and walk around the Capitol Building. There were lots of people doing the same thing, lobbying their offi cials, for their piece of the pie. I hope we got our message out. It was a great opportunity. I went with NCTA Executivve Director Bob Papp and NCTA Legislative Chair Derek Blount. Derek had been there for six years and Bob Papp for a couple. They did a great job in helping me find my way around and we worked together as teams in most visits.

Next year, we need a few more people. It was fun for me to meet with people from North Dakota, Minnesota, New York, and Ohio and talk with them about the trail, but it really would have been better, much better, if it would have been you, somebody from their state, telling them how important the trail is. So, again in March of 2001, we will do our Hike on the Hill. I hope you will load up your backpack, grab you' re hiking stick, and help us convince your representatives how important this trail is to your state.

The Honorable Ralph Regula Chair, House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior 2309 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 (E-mail unavailable unless you live in his district)

The Honorable Slade Gorton Chair, Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior 730 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 senator [email protected]

the trail is to you and how much of an impact this additional funding would have. Note that anyone can contact these two Chairs - you do not need to live in their state or district If you can send these note out, all our other volunteers and the hikers of today and tomorrow, thank you for your help!

Page 17

by Bob Tait On March 11-16, I went to Washington, D.C., as part

of the American Hiking Society's "Hike the Hill". There were members of most of the 20 national scenic and historic trails in our country. I met people who were building the Santa Fe Trail, the Lewis and Clark Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail. Many volunteers came; there were about 30-40 people. The American Hiking Society sponsored this, and they do it every year. They had well organized programs on lobby ing, fund raising, and working with volunteers, but the best part of it was talking to people from around the country about what they were doing, asking them ques tions, and just listening to how and what they were doing as far as building their trail. We were there to meet with our representatives and senators to talk about the Willing Seller Bill and appropriating more money for hiking trails. I met with the legislative assistants of all the Pennsylvania representatives with trail in their districts. These are the people who really do the work for the official to provide them with information on bills, appropriations, and things like that. I talked about what we were doing in Pennsylva nia - some of the past projects and some of the future things we would be doing. I talked about the great work that the volunteers were doing in Pennsylvania. I talked about the Davis Hollow Outdoor Center. By sheer luck, in the lunchroom, I ran into Representative John Peterson of the Fifth District. The Fifth District is where the trail goes through the Allegheny National Forest in the northern section of the state. We chatted at lunchtime. He really did

• Provide increased funding and technical support to Chapters and other partners to dramatically improve public services and the ability of our volunteers to complete and protect the trail. If you contact Congressman Regula, refer to "the

request authored by Congressmen Ehlers and Oberstar and supported by Congressman Hinchey and 14 additional Representatives, which seeks an increase in base appropriations for the North Country National Scenic Trail to $546,000."

If you contact Senator Gorton, refer to "the request authored by Senator Levin and supported by Senators Kohl and Dorgan as well as six additional Senators, which seeks an increase in base appropriations for the North Country National Scenic Trail to $546,000."

I know, it's wordy, but it gets the job done. Otherwise, it's always good to talk about how important


Hiking down to Washington

(724) 776-0678, [email protected]

(715) 362-0616, [email protected] (701) 223-8659, [email protected] (248) 548-1737, [email protected]

(616) 623-8659, [email protected] (724) 287-3382, [email protected] (607) 535-8814 (607) 272-8679, [email protected] (320) 983-5643 (414) 354-8987, [email protected]

(616) 623-5340, [email protected] (651) 433-4456, [email protected] (612) 835-2186 (330) 928-8931

(888) 454-NCTA, [email protected] (231) 757-2205, [email protected]

David Cornell, 514 Cordes Rd, Delton Ml 49046 Bob Tait, 277 S Duffy Rd, Butler PA 16001 Tim Cullenen, 113 East Second Sl #3, Watkins Glen NY 14891 Tom Reimers, 3C Wildflower Dr, Ithaca NY 14850 Pat Miller, 15737 Sixty-fifth Ave., Milaca MN 56353 Gaylord Yost, 2925 W Bradley Rd, River Hills WI 53217-2052

Werner Veit, 49 Monroe Center Ste 200B, Grand Rapids Ml 49503 Joan Young, 861 West US 10, Scottville Ml 49454 Appointment pending Lynn Waldron, 8133 Norris Road, Delton Ml 49046 John Leinen, 14205 Sl Croix Trail North, Stillwater MN 55082-9587 Daryl Williamson, 5901 Timberglade Drive, Bloomington MN 55438 Dana Zintek, 2369 Suncrest Dr Cuyahoga Falls OH 44221

Terms Expiring in 2000 At-Large: At-Large: At-Large: OH-Ml Trail Council Chair: West End Trail Council Chair: West Division: At-Large (temporary seat): Terms Expiring in 2001 At-Large: At-Large: At-Large: East Division: Great Lakes Trail Council Chair: West Division: Terms Expiring in 2002 At-Large: Mary Lucas, 753 Davenport St., Rhinelander WI 54501 At-Large: Amy Clark, 1646 Capitol Way Apt. 101, Bismarck ND 58501 At-Large: Derek Blount, 906 N Alexander, Royal Oak, Ml 48067 Allegheny-Adirondack Tr.Council Chair: Current Chair is ineligible to serve on the Board until mid-year 2000 East Division: Helen Coyne, 212 Willow Circle, Cranberry Twnshp. PA 16066-4572

North Countrv Trail Association Board of Directors ol

Brule-St. Croix Chapter Peter Nordgren, President

11260 E. Timber Ridge Rd. lake Nebagamon, WI 54849

(71S)394-8340, [email protected]

MN State Coordinator & Headwaters Chtipter

Rod MacRae 1210 W 22nd St., Minneapolis, MN 55405

(612) 377-0130 WI State Coordinator: Gaylord Yost 2925 W Bradley Rd, River Hills, WI 53217-1719


Chequamegon Chapter Tana Turonie, President

Box 475, Mellen, WI 54546 (715) 274-2521 [email protected]

Heritage Chapter teve Frye, President

P.O. Box 172, Jefferson, WI 53549 (414) 593-2694, Ryerok@idcnet:1om

"°-f.p)) O.pc '1-<"'.p .,~

<>-f)) "o'l-

Superior Hikmg Trail Association Nancy Odden

Exec. Director & Council Rep. 731 7th Avenue, Two Harbors MN 55616

(218) 834-2700

To be assigned: /lovers Outing Club Kekebabk Trail Club

ND State Coordinator Jon Lindgren 2001 N 7th St, Forgo ND 58102-5075 (701) 231-8809, [email protected].

Sheyenne /liver Valley Chapter Lisa Engel, President P.O. Box 100 Cooperstown, ND 58425 (707)797-3530

Ading Upper Ml State Trail Coordinator and President, Peter Wolle Chapter

Doug Welker Rt#l, Box 59A, Pelkie, Ml 49958-9715, (906) 338-2680, [email protected]

Trail Council Chair: John Leinen 14205 St.Croix Trail North, Stillwater, MN 55082-9587, (651) 433-4456, [email protected]

Trail Council Chair: Pat Miller 15737 Sixty-fifth Ave., Milaca, MN 56353, (320) 983-5643 West End Trail Council

Great Lakes Trail Council

North Country National Scenic Trail Contact Inf orm.ation


Bill Menke, Manager North Country Notional Scenic T roil

700 Royovoc Drive, Suite l 00 Madison, Wisconsin 53711

608-441-5610, [email protected]

American Youth Hostel Pittsburgh Council

Bob Roth, Council Rep. BO Roseleaf Road

Pittsburgh, PA I 5220 (412) 279-6219

PA State Coordinator Bob Tait

212 E. Metzger Ave., Butler, PA 16001 (724) 287-33B2

Bob_ T [email protected]

Butler Countr Chapter Joe Smith, Treasurer

233 E Christy Ave Butler PA 16001-6303

(724) 287-8374

l'itts.,,,_,h at.,ter Bob Needham, President

746 Jefferson Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15229

[email protected] (412)369-0777

Wampum Chapter _...._ __ ,._ Richard Lutz, President

Rt I Box 1341, Wompum,PA 16157 (724) 652-BIBS, [email protected]

lock °"1/lter Bob Tait, Acting President

212 E. Metzger Ave. Butler, PA 16001 (724) 2B7-33B2

[email protected]

a.r;.n C"'1/lter Don Landfried, President

H.C.I. Box 176 B, Leeper PA 16233 (Bl4} 744-9325

Centrt1I New York Chapter Al Larmann, President

7169 Forbes Rd. Canastota, NY 13032

[email protected] (315) 697-3387

Finger Lakes Trail Conference Harmon Strong, Council Rep. 76 Shellwood Dr., Rochester, NY 1461B

(716) 5B6-3B46

Trail Council Chai/, NY State Coordinator: Howard Beye

202 Colebourne Rd, Rochester, NY 14609, (716) 2BB-7191, [email protected]

Allegheny-Adirondack Trail Council

Page 19

About the North Country National Scenic Trail Directory: Chapters of the North Country Trail Association (listed in blue) are like local trail clubs. They build and maintain the trail, host hikes and other events, and work to promote the trail and the Association in their areas. For information about local activities and volunteering, contact Chapter representatives. Partner organizations (we call them "Affiliates") are independent nonprofit organizations that are working to build and maintain certain sections of the trail. They also are good contacts. We encourage you to support their work by joining their organizations as well as the NCTA. Each state also has a State Trail Coordinator, whose job it is to coordinate the work of Chapters and other partners in the state. Finally, all of these representatives are grouped into "Trail Councils," to further coordinate their work improve communication and cooperation across the trail.

OH State Coordinator Jim Sprague

4406 Maplecrest, Porma OH 44134, (216) BB4-4757

Northwestern Ohio Rails-to- Trails Association

Gene Markley, Council Rep. PO Box 234, Delta, OH 43515

(BOO} 951-47BB, I [email protected]

Buckeye Trail Association Dana Zintek, Council Rep.

2369 Suncrest Dr., Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221 (330) 92B-B931

Great Trail - Sndr Beaver Canal C"°"'H

Brad Bosley, President 50900 Pancake-Clarkson Rd.

Negley, OH 44441, (330) 227-2432

Western Michigan Chapter Tom Learmont, President

I 0554 Colby Rd, Gowen, Ml 49326 (616)984-5917

Len Baron, Council Rep. I 0822 26th Ave

Grand Rapids Ml 49544 (616) 677-3598

Baw /leese °"""" ichard Saur, President PO Box 673

Hillsdale, Ml 49242 (SI 7) 437-2574

Tittabawasse. Chapter~ Jerry Allen, President · 1561 Bomanville Rd., Gladwin, Michigan 48624

(517) 345-2677

Grand Traverse Hiking Club (Chapter) 11 Richard Naperala, President -

l 086 Quaker Valley Drive Traverse City, Ml 49684 I

(231) 223-7903,[email protected]

Spirit of the Woods Chapter t--;;~~---4' Joan Young, President

861 West USIO Scottville, Ml 49454


Chief Noontlar C!NtptH Dave Cornell, President

514 Cordes Rd., Delton, Ml 49046 (616) 623-8659, [email protected]

Harbor Springs Chapter Jerry Keeney, President

2385 Manitou Trail, Harbor Springs, Ml 49740 (231) 526-9597 [email protected]

Trail Council Chair, Lower Ml State Coordinator, Chief Noonday Chapter Council Rep: Lynn Waldron

8133 Norris Rd, Delton, Michigan 49046 (616) 623-5340, [email protected]

OH-MI Trail Council


Duluth Numerous restaurants at Canal Pork

Duluth to Two Harbors Emily's, Scenic Inn Cafe

Castle Danger ( 10 Miles North of Two Harbors) Rustic Inn

Local: Millers, Judy's, Vanilla Bean, Blockwoods Superior Shores Lodge

Fast Food: Pizzo Hut, Subway, McDonolds, Burger King, Hordees, Dairy Queen

Dining Two Harbors

(218)834-4603 Pull-thru campsites. Tent/RV. Pets.

Penmorollter Campground

Split Rock Light house State Pork

Gooseberry Falls State Pork

Camping (21 8)834-3855 1 2 miles from Conference Center

on SHT Friday's events held here. Tent/RV. Pets.

(218)226-3065 19 miles form Conference Cen ter. Cort-in campsites.

Castle Danger

On Lake Superior 4 Miles from Two Harbors

On Lake Superior 4 Miles from Two Harbors

On Lake Superior Site of Saturday's activities

In Two Harbors

In Two Harbors

In Two Harbors

In Two Harbors

(218)834-3796 Grand Superior Lodge

Cliff in Shore Resort (218)834-467 5

Americinn Suites (800)634-3444

Viking Motel (218)834-2645

Voyager Motel (218)834-3644

Carlson Country Inn (800)456-4000

Superior Shores Re- (218)834-3644 sort & Conference Center

Silver Cliff Motel (218)834-4695

Two Harbors vicinity:

Lodging Duluth: (27 Miles from Conference Center) Many lodging choices ore available at the "Harbor" and "Canal Pork" areas. For information coll (800)4-DULUTH.


Lodging: Arrangement for rooms or campsites are to be made by conference attendees. To ensure you have lodging for the conference, you should make your reservations early. A list of recommended options are provided on the right. Most of Saturday's events will take place in the Two Harbors area. Friday's events will center around Gooseberry Falls State Park, approximately 12 miles from the Two Harbors area. Shuttle service will be available on a limited basis.

Registration: Registration for this year's conference will be conducted by SHT A. Registration fees will cover activities and meals only.

The shores of Lake Superior, and the scenic beauty of the Superior Hiking Trail are backdrops for this year's Annual Conference centered near Two Harbors, Minnesota. NCT A members are invited to join the membership of the Superior Hiking Trail Association (SHTA) for a weekend which promises to be both informative and picturesque.

JOINT CONFERENCE FOR MEMBERS OF THE NORTH COUNTRY TRAIL ASSOC/A TION AND THE SUPERIOR HIKING TRAIL ASSOCIATION

2000 Annual Conference May 4-7, 2000

Two Harbors, Minnesota

Page 20

Signature

Exp. date Credit Card#

D Visa 0 Mosler(ord

D Check Enclosed - or-

Phone(withArea(ode)

City/Stoto/lip

Street Address $45.00 per person Friday & Soturtloy - lunfhes ontl dinners

$23.00 per person Soturdoy only - lunfh ontl dinner

Conference T-Shirt@ $9.00 each Size(s): _ s - M - L - n Cont. T-Shirt XXL@ $11.00 each

Grand Total

Number Total Registration Options:

/Vt:getarian Meed Option: (Wl!J prefer vegetooon meals for the weekend. Please reserve __ vegetarian meal pacl<age(s) for me (us).

Mail completed form to: Superior Hiking Trail Association P.O. Box 4 Two Harbors, MN 55616-0004 218-834-2700

Make checks payable to: Superior Hiking Trail Association Name(sJof Porticipon~sJ

Reaisfrafion: Two registration options ore ovoiloble. One, for $45, includes Friday lunch ond dinner ond Saturday lunch ond dinner. The other, for $23, in cludes"d'nly Saturday lunch ond dinner. lunches ore box lunches !hot con be token to the participant's hike or event. Vegetorion meals will be ovoiloble, but must be re quested when registering. All other meols ond lodging ore to be arranged by the porticipont. A listing of accommodations ond restaurants is on the bock of this form.

Early Bird hike on the Sonju Walking Trail in Two Harbors SHT A Boord Meeting Guided Hike - Highway I to Silver Boy

Box lunch Silent Auction Begins SHTA Annual Meeting Dinner "Floro and Fauna af the North Share" Speaker: Mork "Sparky" Sensoos, naturalist ond outdoor writer. live Auction

Dinner "Sentiments from the Heart" slide presentation about the SHT by SHTA President Rudi Horgesheimer NCTA Annual Meeting and Award Ceremony

(Most adivities at Superior Shores liesorfi Hike Shuttles begin Hikes - four choices: Birding Hike, Wild flower Hike, Photography Hike, Non-Guided Hike (ostle Oonger to Gooseberry fo//s S.P. Trail Maintenance Demonstration with Bill Menke, Notional Pork Service, ond Ken Oelkers, SHTA

Registration (continuing throughout the doy) NCTA Trail Council Meeting Interpreted Hike - Gooseberry Fulls State Pork loop NCTA Chapter President's Meeting Geology Hike - Gooseberry Foils urea Box lunch NCT A Boord Meeting Interpreted Hike - Split Rock lighthouse State Pork Non-guided Hike - Split Rock River loop

Early Registration (Most Activities will be at Gooseberry Falls State Par/ti

Continental Breakfast

NCT A Executive Committee

Page 21

lunch 1:30 p.m. 4:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. Sunday, May 7 8:00 o.m. 9:00 o.m. 10:00 o.m.

Saturday, May 6 9:30 o.m. 10:00 o.m. - 2:00 p.m. 10:00 o.m.

8:00 o.m. 8:30 o.m. 9:30 o.m. 10:30 o.m. 11:00 o.m. lunch 1:00 p.m. 1:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. 6:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m.

Conference Schedule Thursday, May 4 2:00 p.m. 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. Friday, May 5 7:30 o.m.

_2_0_0_0_C_o_n_fi_e_r_en_c_e~co_n_t_i_n_u_ed~·-·-·~~~~~~~~~-=---=--~~i:-- ~\~Birds «,tf. ~& ~·

~ ·-


grade limitations that would make it a feasible project for

snowmobiles. The trail, generally a couple of miles

inland from the Superior shore, but occasionally coming out to it, includes long, isolated river walks, many waterfalls along the short, steep streams descending quickly from the highlands, distant views of the big lake, historic lighthouses, rugged gorges, and stands of dense timber, passing through or near seven very good state parks along the way. "The trail is very well engineered," wrote Ed Talone of the SHT on his 1994 end-to-end hike. "The route is never in doubt." Gordon Smith added, "The quality of maintenance was consistently tops." Over 40 bridges span the many streams encountered along the SHT, which is mostly cleared to an 18-inch treadway. Some spots are steep, requiring a little scrambling in order to follow the trail.

Though much of the trail's basic funding has come from a series of grants from the Legislative Commission on Min nesota Resources (LMCR), and paid trail crews have ac counted for much of the construction, much of the construc tion and maintenance remains a volunteer project, coordi nated by the Superior Hiking Trail Association (SHTA), with a very small paid staff that operates from a basement office in Two Harbors, MN. SHTA is continuing to push ahead with the development of the trail, which now is reaching toward Duluth from the Two Harbors area; a couple of road walk gaps remain along the trail to the north of Two Harbors, but work is proceeding to fill those in.

CR12


COLORFUL SCENERY is a hallmark of the Superior Trail along Lake Superior's North Shore in Minnesota. Although the trail only rarely follows the shoreline of the big lake, it frequently has spur trails out to it.

The 2000 NCTA Annual meeting will be in conjunction with the Superior Hiking Trail Association annual meeting in Two Harbors, MN. While the Superior Hiking Trail isn't yet part of the North Country Trail, it most likely will be, so this is a good opportunity for an overview of the trail in the Two Harbors area.

The Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) is indeed well-named, for in every respect, it's a superior trail. In the relatively few years of its development, it's become a model of how things should be done in hiking trail development, and how a trail should be managed. It's a wonderful example of what can be done in trail development when it's possible to put together spectacular scenery, lots of public land, an enthusiastic corps of volunteers, and adequate state funding. With the first trail cleared in 1987, ten years later off-road trail extended over 200 of the projected 240 miles through the rugged, beautiful hills overlooking Lake Superior on Minnesota's scenic "North Shore." Since the SHT is so far the only major state-funded trail in Minnesota that's closed to snowmobiles, it has been possible to build a trail that's scenic, challenging and reward ing to hikers, without having to meet the width, clearance and

Trail Focus:

Page22

The Superior Hiking Trai near Two Harbors, M ~1

"' -~-~ '-._...r-- u

OTHERINFORMATION: Informationabouttheseven state parks along the SHT route is available from the parks, at addresses listed in the text below. This information is also available from Department of Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, 500 Lafayette Rd., St. Paul, MN 55155-4040 (800) 766-6000 (toll free within Minnesota only). Portions of the trail are in Superior National Forest, Gunflint Ranger District; they can be contacted at (218) 663- 7280.

GUIDES AND MAPS: Another standout item about the SHT is the quality of its maps and

· guide, "Guide to the Superior Hiking Trail". It's available from the Superior Hiking Trail Asso ciation, PO Box 4, 731 7th Ave., Two Harbors, MN (218) 834-2700. The cost is $14.95, and they accept phone orders. The SHTA also has a set of four pocket-sized folding maps of the

trail, at the same scale of the maps in theGuide to the Superior Hiking Trail, printed on waterproof paper, and available at 50 cents each; these too come highly recommended. Due to the quality of the maps and this guide, rather than to try to duplicate the quality of the SHT guide, this article just gives the strong recommendation to purchase a copy of the SHT guide, and will give some brief descriptions of some of the towns and state parks to be seen along the route, and maps for the area between Two Harbors and Silver Bay. Better and more updated maps for this area and the rest of the trail will be available at the conference.

ACCESSffRANSPORTATION: One of the items that has allowed the SHT to develop a high degree of public awareness is its location; US61 parallels the trail, usually along the shoreline a couple of miles away, for virtually its whole distance, with many developed trailheads and trail head parking areas. This has allowed highway signs announc ing trailheads to be placed along the length of the trail, and has caused a degree of use that has allowed the development of a service nearly unique along the trail: a regular shuttle service, independent from the SHTA. Operated by Dan Sanders, the Superior Shuttle is a van that makes the round trip from Castle Danger, north of Two Harbors to Grand Marais and back on a strict schedule every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday from late May through late October. The fee is $7 .00 from one trailhead to the next, with a maximum charge of $20.00. Dan has trail guides and maps available on board, and can handle food drops. For more informa tion, contact Dan at(218) 834-5511. Also, given the many resort lodges in the area, a lodge-to lodge hiking program has been developed, al though it's not quite possible to lodge-to-lodge the whole trail, at least yet, but between the lodge-to-lodge program and the Superior Shuttle,

even a rustic site in a state park or private campground during this period. State Park reservations can be made by calling 1-800-246 CAMP. Getting a room in a motel can be a similar problem, but can usually be managed on summer weekdays given an early enough arrival time and willingness to spend the high dollar. BEARS are common toward the northern end of the trail, less so toward the southern end, but the SHTA suggests bear precautions at all campsites.

ers should not depend on

being able to find

Page23

an interesting dayhiking-only vacation could be worked out.


CAMPING: There are many developed backpack campsites along the trail, noted on the SHT guide and maps. In addition, there are camp grounds in the seven state parks the trail passes through, plus pri vate campgrounds. However, these are often full, even on weekdays, in the summer; hik-

GEORGE H. CROSBY MANITOU STATE PARK, with 5,259 acres, is a place for people who want to get away from the crowds. The Manitou River cascades through a rugged river valley, through yet another spectacular gorge with many waterfalls. It's mainly a backpacker's park; there are no tent/RV sites, but 21 backpack campsites and 24 miles of hiking trails, including the SHT. Campsite reservations are usually needed. George H. Crosby Manitou State Park is administered as a satellite of Tettegouche State Park; for more information, contact Tettegouche State Park 474 High way 61 East, Silver Bay, MN 44614, (218) 226-6365.

TETTEGOUCHE STATEPARKhasover9000

acres, including six inland lakes and a mile of Lake Superior front

age. It's noted for the Baptism River Gorge, with High Falls, the highest water

fall located totally in Minnesota, and the spectacular views at Shovel Point. Campsite

reservations are usually needed; call (800) 246-CAMP. The park has 28 tent/RV sites, and six walk-in campsites, along with several walk-in cabins. There are 23 miles of hiking trails, and 1.5 miles of trail open to mountain bikes. For more information, contact Tettegouche State Park 4 74 Highway 61 East, Silver Bay, MN 44614, (218) 226-6365.

\ Dakota. Construction started· n 1946 as an adjunct to a taco- ni te iron processing plant. Silver Bay has had its ups and downs with the iron prices, with the plant closing and reopening several times. Restaurant, mo tel, supermarket, laundromat, conve nience store, medical clinic.


SILVER BAY, MN 55614 (Pop 1894) is a preplanned postwar town, much like Riverdale on the NCNST in North

SPLIT ROCK LIGHTHOUSE STATE PARK. Per haps best known for its historic lighthouse in an extremely picturesque setting, one of the most photographed light houses in the country, the 1,987 acre park also has other recreational opportunities. The park has no Tent/RV sites, but four backpack campsites, and 20 cart-in campsites, where campers can use carts to reach campsites off of the main road. There is a camping shelter located near the SHT, and another one located along the lakeshore. The park also has flush toilets and showers. Campsite reservations are usually needed; call (800) 246-CAMP. For more information, contact Depart ment of Natural Resources, 2010A Highway 61 East, Two Harbors, MN 55616, (218) 226-6377.

GOOSEBERRY FALLS STATE PARK is the first of the seven state parks the SHT passes through or near on its trip up the Minne sota North Shore. The upper and lower falls of the Gooseberry River are a big attraction, but there are other waterfalls in the park and much else to do, besides. The 1662 acre park has 70 tent/RV sites, several Adirondack shelters (two located near the SHT) and one sea kayak camp site, along with showers and flush toilets. Camp site reservations are usually needed; call (800) 246-CAMP. For more information, contact Gooseberry Falls State Park, 1300 Highway 61 East, Two Harbors, MN 55616; (218) 834- 3855.

TWO HARBORS, MN 55616 (Pop. 3651) is the biggest town along the SHT's route, and is the home of the Superior Hiking Trail Association office, at 731 W. Main St. -- the suggested route goes right by their office, which is located in the basement of an older home converted to office space. Two Harbors has most of the services a hiker could want, including restaurants from fast food to fancy, motels, large, full service supermarket, convenience stores, a laundromat, outfitters, department store, hardware, bank, pharmacy, doctor, dentist and hospital. For more information on Two Harbors, contact the R.J. Houle Visitor Center, (800) 554-2116 (May-October), or SHTA.

Some towns and state parks along the Superior Hiking Trail

Page24

Doug Welker

that he take at least a year off. At this point Doug decided to con centrate his efforts locally. These efforts are not inconsiderable! Welker 's list of accomplishments and associations goes on and on. We will mention his recent orga nization of the new Peter Wolfe Chapter, of which he is President and web master (check out their site, it's worth a look!). Doug was also influenced by Vince Smith,anotherwell-knownNCT pioneer. Vince came to visit him,

Peter Wolfe Chapter By the time I finished chatting with DOUG WELKER

I was highly anticipating the time when I'll be able to hike the miles in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan which Doug has worked on. He promised me (and you too!) 130 miles with no sight of a permanently occupied building and only one mile of road-walk. Doug first heard of the NCT from the "Smithipps" in Pennsylvania in the early 1980's, but says he never followed through with this knowledge until he moved to MI and learned that the trail passed within 10 miles of his new home. He soon met Gene Elzinga (of the North Country Trail Hikers) and in short order was on the NCTA board of directors where he served until term limits dictated

work building new trail in the Mott's Ravine area. Within three weeks of that phone call Bob was camping in the November snow and cutting new trail! Bob laughed and assured me that his work is "no big deal." He likes being outdoors and feels a sense of accomplishment to be able to build trails that others will use, realizing that people built trails in years past that were there for him to hike. One of Bob's more unusual talents is that of a carnivore tracker for the Wisconsin DNR. They offer training twice a year and the students then aid in gathering information on the wolf recov ery program. Of course wolves aren't the only ones who leave tracks, so there are chances to see trails of coyote, badger, ferret, weasel and more. Gould says the hardest part is to guess what days in northern Wisconsin will have good tracking conditions, since he lives in the southern part of the state. In addition to his work for the NCT, he's worked on the Ice Age Trail, and participated in Sierra Club Volunteer Vacations at Hawk Mountain, PA and on Isle Royal, MI. Bob likes being available to go out and do the hard work of trail building, and thanks in part to his efforts there are ten more miles of new North Country woods trail in Wisconsin to hike.

rarely the one to first pick up the phone), but in short order Bob was signed up for what he describes as a "Menke special"- three full days of

Bob Gould

BOB GOULD is a member of the Heritage Chapter of the NCTA, but his trail work has taken him all over Wiscon sin, particularly to the Brule St-Croix region. He's retired from a position with Stokely's and cel ebrates having time to work on trails. About three years ago Bob saw an ar ticle about the NCT in the Madison, WI paper and called the National Park Ser vice office to learn more. The phone was answered by Bill Menke (who is

Wisconsin

Jfyou are one of those hikers who yearns for miles of single-track woods trail with a wilderness feel you can say a hearty "thank-you" to the volunteers featured in this issue. Just take a quick look ahead at the photos now. They picture the creation oftreadway, removal of a big rock from the trail, and adding those all-important blue blazes. Trail from beginning to end to feed your souls and fray your soles ... The woods are warming, it's time to head for the trail- the North Country Trail, that isl

Page 25

ART QLE.a_

Edited by Joan Young

Please feel free to nominate a volunteer for this feature. Contact me to find out how. Joan Young, 861 W. US 10, Scottville. MI 49454 or [email protected]

NORTH STAR: The Magazine of the North Country Trail: AP_ril-May2000

enthusiasm for an infant pathway. This year the NCT celebrates its 20th Anniversary. 1600 miles of certified trail and 2000 members are the result of all the volunteer efforts both lauded and unsung. Have you passed on your enthusi asm for the trail to anyone lately? Have you encouraged a faithful volunteer? Do you know someone whose passion for the trail should be celebrated here? Contact me at 231-757- 2205 or [email protected] to learn how to submit a volunteer for this feature. See you on the trail!

It is that enthusiasm and contagion that bring us to the conclusion of this column. Many familiar names, not of the featured volunteers, have appeared in these paragraphs without much supporting comment. You may be familiar with them or not, if you are relatively new to the North Country Trail community. (You can read about some of them on the NCT web site.) The point is, that these volunteers were encouraged in their dedication to the Trail by the vision and perseverance of other great volunteers who passed on their

Willing Seller leg islation. He says he is happiest when he is walking through the woods; "my soul needs to be out." Sadly he notes that most people today are not attuned to wilderness, but believes that trails are a means of get ting people into nature. "The bet ter people know it, the more likely they are to preserve it," he predicts. He is pictured painting a blue blaze which will guide hikers along the pathway. Since I recently hiked some trail well-main tained by the Grand Traverse Hiking Club, I'm personally grateful for this aspect of Rick's contribution to the trail effort! The enthusiasm Rick has for the trail is contagious and spreads to those people around him.

Grand Traverse Hiking Club RICK HALBERT teaches science at the Traverse City

East Junior High. His degree in Botany and love for the outdoors led him to check out the hiking club. ·Rick says he drifted away at first but then realized that "if I became involved, I'd enjoy it more." At a computer class he met Dick Naperala, also a hiker. Several months later when club elections were approaching Dick suggested, "Why don't you become President, and I'll be the VP?" Rick agreed to this plan if it was the other way around, and he now serves as Vice President, and also as club Librarian. As VP, the program chairman, Rick has organized lots of great programs for the Chapter. They host both a monthly program and a monthly hike or activity. Halbert also uses his knowledge of nature to lead hikes. He enjoys teaching participants about the wild flowers seen along the trail. He's also led night hikes where his interest in astronomy gives him the ability to point out constellations. One of Rick's specialties is ultra-light-weight backpacking, and he's led several seminars on this topic. He too knows that we must promote the North Country Trail if we ever hope to finish it. He strongly believes that we need to continue to work on the map project, and to support the

NORTH STAR: The Magazine of the North Country Trail, April-Mery 2000

These are indeed deluxe shelters, with screened fronts and bunks and hooks to hang your pack. Doug explained his passion for trails with a chuckle. "As a kid I would build roads in the dirt with my toy grader. I seem to have a need to make things and follow them!" He admits to also being a map fanatic: he sees things that go places and has to go there. He admitted to a love for bushwhacking as well. "I'll often travel one direction on a trail, and return by an off-trail route." Welker believes that some of the most significant work he does is to be willing to organize projects, do the paperwork and make contacts. Although he loves the physical work involved in scouting and laying out trail he knows that the organizational expertise is needed, in order for the actual trail building to be accomplished. Thanks, Doug!

Page26

camped in his yard for a week, and they worked at laying out trail east from the Ottawa National Forest. Welker has great vision for the NCT. "People don't know what the NCT is," he stated. "They come to a trailhead posted only with a little four-inch sign and they say, 'What's down that trail?"' Doug wants to fix that by adding large signs with distances, destinations, significant features, overview maps and mile ages to show people that the N CT is a long-distance trail. "We need continuity," he pointed out. So he's currently in the process of creating huge routed signs with this information to be placed at major trailheads. He's also in the midst of a project to build ten trail shelters. Two of these, which are on private land, requiring less advance time than building on public land, are already completed and available for use.

Where do I get * c,oUNrR more Information? f...~. Y .h

Just call our office at 888-l15Jt- ,p~~at £u. ~% NCl'A and ask for a copy of - the Schoolhouse Brochure! • A s s o c 1 A T r o N •

Solth 0.Ui:M •~a.' 'MtlCDf'lfbl • Mti •• idl'n <llhla• Nnnllvi"l'#l'1b.•Nnr'turll

Who runs it? The Schoolhouse is maintained and managed by volun

teers from our own Western Michigan Chapter.

Is it close to the North Country Trail? You bet! Just one and a half miles from U1e NCNS11

Where ls it? 5 miles NW of White Cloud, Michigan, nestled in the

southern region of the 1 luron-Manistce National Forest

Jt.ent the NCTJ\'s aoom Schoo11J0 o~e ll.se1

What's it for? NCTA's Schoolhouse makes an ideal hostel for your hikes through lower Michigan. It includes a shower, cots, and a kitchenette. It's also a great site for meetings or retreats!

Easy paced, naturalist led, gourmet food provided NATURAL OUTINGS

1-800-668-8911 [email protected] www.naturaloutings.com

We are well-known In Canada for high quality, low-priced trips. In US dollars they are 30% lower - maximum $600 per week.

• West Coast Gulf Islands & Olympic Park

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• Quebec - Gaspe & Saguenay- whales & trails

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Page27

Last summer, the White House Millennium Council named the North Country National Scenic Trail one of only sixteen National Millennium Trails. The only other National Scenic Trail to receive this award was the Appalachian Trail. To celebrate this honor, we will be hosting a special event in Mackinaw City, Michigan on Labor Day of this year.

All of our members may not realize this, but the North Country Trail crosses from lower Michigan to upper Michi gan on the 5 mile-long Mackinac Bridge. This presents a bit of a challenge to hikers, since the Mackinac Bridge is a four lane highway, with no sidewalks. During 364 days of the year, hikers must take a shuttle to cross the bridge. However, on a singe day each year, the bridge is closed to regular vehicle traffic, and two lanes are opened for people to hike the Bridge.

This event draws a lot of attention. Typically, more than 50,000 people set out each Labor Day morning to join in the adventure. At it's center, only a metal grating separates hikers from the choppy waters 200 feet below!

This year, we'll be working in cooperation with the Mackinac Bridge Authority and Emmet County to plan our National Millennium Trail Celebration in conjunction with annual Bridge Walk. We plan to have some V.I.P. speakers at a park on the south end of the Bridge after the walk. We'll also have a large booth set up, some give-aways and other special activities are being planned. In addition, our Board of Directors will be holding it's fall meeting in conjunction with this event.

As you might guess, with this many people in town, lodging is difficult to find. We have arranged for the use of two guest houses owned by Emmet County for the nights of Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 2-3, but space is limited. If we get crowded, you may need to bring a sleeping bag and could find yourself assigned to a cot, couch or even the floor. For people who would like to take advantage of the guest houses, we are requesting a $20 per person per night contribution, which would cover lodging, linen and towels. We also are working on a group camping arrangement for tent campers. To reserve a space, call our office at 888-454-NCTA. We hope to see you there!

National Millennium Trail Celebration Planned for Labor Day


As much as I've enjoyed de signing most of the pages on the national side, I just haven't had the time to follow through with main tenance or further development of important parts of the site. At the same time, I also haven't had the time to properly assist and guide the volunteers who've offered to help with various components of the site.

We all know how important a web site can be, for spreading the word about our trail, recruiting new volunteers, helping people plan hikes, and providing resources to help our current volunteers. So, for the past couple of years, I've been disturbed that I haven't been able to dedicate the time to the site that it deserves. However, the real eye-opener didn't come until a cou ple of weeks ago, when I learned that the Pacific Crest Trail Asso ciation recruits up to 50 new mem bers a month from their web site, and generates nearly half of their trail shop revenues through "e commerce." For comparison, we get a few new members a month and generate no trail shop sales from our site (the Trail Shop sec tion is "under construction"). Of course, making money for our work isn't necessarily the most im portant thing a web site can do, but I realized that if we are missing so many opportunities here, the web site must also be missing opportu nities in other area that are less easy to measure.

So, to make a long hike short, we've decided to hire a contractual

Web Site On the .inside back cover of

this issue of the North Star, you'll find an ad requesting applications for a web site manager. I'm sure those of you who are regular visi tors to www.northcountrytrail.org know that some areas of the site have been progressing nicely, espe cially those of our Chapters. On the other hand, other pages have languished and been "under con struction" for nearly two years.

Chapter's previous promotional successes helped cinch their grant application. They've risen to l 00 members in less than two years! Chapter leaders are eager to con tinue this success, further building the Chapter's volunteer base and community support.

The Grand Traverse Hiking Club was awarded $500 to upgrade four miles of trail in their region. The segment in question passes through a sandy, fragile area in which special "floating ladders" must be constructed to preserve the tread. Local assistance from Cher ryland Electric and a Home Depot store also are helping to make this project possible. Trail coordinator Arlen Matson notes, "Our excite ment begins as we use boats to transport the materials to the site."

To be considered for the next round of grants, applications must be received at the NCT A office by April 30. Our two other grant cy cles this year have deadlines of July 15 and October 15. The maxi mum award is $750.

By Executive Director, Bob Papp

Field Grants For the past two years, the na

tional NCTA has been awarding "Field Grants" to Chapters to assist in trail projects and special events. Our goal has been to provide a source of funding for smaller proj ects that is easy for volunteers to tap into, and that is available year round as needs arise.

We are continuing the program in 2000, largely through the gener osity of the American Express company and the donations and dues of our members. In addition, we have expanded the funding cri teria, so that our volunteer State Trail Coordinators and regional Trail Councils also are eligible. Because demand for these grants has continued to rise, we also formed a committee this year to review applications four times dur ing the year. I am pleased to report that the Field Grant Committee has awarded grants to each of the three applicants who submitted requests for the first grant cycle this year.

Wisconsin State Trail Coordi nator Gaylord Yost received a $250 "operational support" grant. He will use these funds to help produce the Wisconsin state news letter and to help fund his other ef forts to benefit the trail and our Wisconsin Chapters.

Southern Michigan's Baw Beese Chapter was awarded $750 for promotional efforts, supporting their work with local media, and partially funding flyers, special events, and related supplies. This

Director's Report Updates and Commentary to NCTA Members


I also would like you to know that we have a new office manager, Heidi Daane. She usually works Tuesday through Friday. Although she only started a few weeks ago, she's fitting in very well and is be coming an important part of our staff. She's already survived grill ings and prank calls from the most determined of our volunteers!

Staffing Update

Chapter Presidents' Book Volunteer Ginny Wanty has

been working over the past several

We expect to have these books available for review at the Annual Conference. Although we've been driving the effort from the office, our concept is that the books will be a resource for Chapter Presi dents by Chapter Presidents, so we expect the books to evolve and grow as our Chapter Presidents be gin to digest and contribute to them. We'll be shipping the hand books out to those who aren't able to attend the Conference. Thanks, Ginny, for all your hard work!

months with our Project Manager Margie Kindel to produce a first draft of a Handbook for Chapter Presidents. Presidents Joan Young (Spirit of the Woods) and Tom Learmont (Western Michigan) and State Trail Coordinator Bob Tait (Pennsylvania) have provided ex cellent input and commentary to help get this project off the ground.

Page 29

National Millennium Trail

are waiting to here about an appli cation we submitted to the Grand Rapids (MI) Foundation. Also, our advocacy work in Washington, de scribed elsewhere in this issue, will secure additional funds for this po sition, if we are successful.

•ASSOCIATION•

Toward the end of March, I attended a "technical assistance fo rum" for leaders of the sixteen Na tional Millennium Trails. Al though it was good to meet the oth ers and share ideas, I would say that the most exciting part of the trip was meeting with Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater. We spent about an hour over lunch talking about the future of trails over the next 25 years. The Secretary is a strong supporter of trails in gen eral, and is very interested American Express presents a check for $320,000 to representatives of the 16 in seeing trails National Millennium Trails, with Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater. take a higher profile and have a higher priority within the Department of Trans portation. We later worked on de veloping a set of ten specific rec ommendations for him to consider. Hopefully, I'll share them with you in a future issue.

Since last issue, we've been working to secure funding to hire a full-time cartographer/Geographic Information Systems person. At this point, we've been awarded a grant for $2,500 from the Ameri can Hiking Society to assist, and

I'm not sure when you will re ceive this issue of the North Star. Hopefully it will be just before the Conference. If so, be sure to check out the two page ad for the Confer ence in this issue. We're really looking forward to this one, and the opportunity to further strengthen our relationship with the Superior Hiking Trail Association. If you happen to read this after the Conference has taken place, well, trust me when I say it was great and if you weren't there, we missed you! (That's 20/20 foresight .... )

Cartography Program

Annual Conference

employee to provide overall man agement and development of the site and to assist our many volun teer web masters. Of course, Chapters will still manage their own pages, but now they will have someone a little more responsive than me to help them if they need it. We also will continue to look for volunteers to manage certain sections of the overall national site, but the new webmaster will pro vide direction and guidance, and will otherwise hold the whole thing together.

I also have decided to only ad vertise for the webmaster in this issue of the North Star. I want someone who not only has web site design skills, but also is familiar with who we are and what we do, and who has a personal interest in seeing the trail and the Association continue to grow. So, if this sounds like you, please take a look at the ad and let us know!

NORTH STAR: The Magazine of the North Country Trail, April-May

Back Design

Front Design

Pre-shrunk cotton f "Beefy-T". Three- color NCTA logo on front and two-color trail map on back. Slogan on back reads "Going the Distance on the North Country National Scenic Trail" and includes the seven state map of the trail. (color: natural) L, XL: $11.95 (color: natural) XXL: $12~95

*., . CoUNr.Rr . ~

~ ·'t:""

Sage NCNST. T-shirt (C-103) North Country Nationp.l Scenic Trail - Just Beyond Your Backdoat. It's made of heavy- · weight, 100% cotton, color sage, and features a front design in brick. red, forest green, and

_ _..._ ivory. The trail line on th~ map is actually a list of all seven state ' names. (color: sage) Was - S, M, L, XL: $46:95- XXL: $44;95- Now S, M, L, XL: $8.25 XXL: $8.95 Trail Crew T-shirt (C102) A TRAIL CREW shirt for volunteers! Tan 50/50 blend. Two color design on front with map and a "fired up" volunteer. (color: tan) M, L, XL: $8.95 XXL: $9.95

_I ...--~~~~~~~ i NCTA ,i

T-Shirt (c101) )

T-Shirts

C. Moss Green Cap (C206) $14.95 Embroidered association logo'. Low profile distressed washed cotton twill. Constructed with soft lining. Adjustable buckle on fabric strap. D. Light Khaki/Navy Cap (C207) $14.95 Trail emblem design. Low profile washed cotton, unconstructed. Light Khaki crown with washed navy bill. Adjustable buckle on fabric strap. E. Royal Mesh-Back Cap (c201) •••••••• $10.95 Mesh back, cotton twill front, royal blue, plastic snap strap.

(Clockwise from bottom) A. Natural Colored "Bucket Hat" (C208) •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• $16.95 The North Country National Scenic Trail compass point design on a bucket hat in a tone on tone khaki color. Washed cotton, one size fits most. B. "Denim" Blue Cap (C203) $15.95 "Pro-wash" cotton twill with extended bill, deep blue crown and bill (looks like denim), adjustable buckle on a leather strap.

HATS

Wis<.onsin Chequamegon N.F. and Brule River S.F., 19pp (M501) ......••.•..... $3.50

Minnesota Chippewa National Forest, Itasca S.P., 24pp (M601) ............•........ $4.00

North Dakota NCT in North Dakota 1spp (M701) ......••. $3.00

---~ =5---7:: .

i(

Certified Sections of the North Country Trail by Byron and Margaret Hutchins Detailed informa tion and maps highlighting the longest and best off-road segments of the Trail. These are accurate route descriptions by experienced guidebook writers who have walked the sections with a measuring wheel. In easy to use looseleaf form. Pennsylvania

NCT in Pennsylvania, 37pp (M201) $5.25 Ohio

Wayne National Forest, 14pp (M301) .....• $3.00 Burr Oak - Sinking Spring, stpp (M302) .. $7.00 Sinking Spring to Milford, 38pp (M303) •.. $5.50 Little Miami Scenic Park, 19pp (M304) .... $3.00 Miami & Erie Canal, 14pp (M305) .......•... $3.00

Michigan NCT in Lower Michigan, 66pp (M401) $12.00 NCT in Upper Michigan, 88pp (M402) $12.50

NCT Map Sets NEW TRAIL MAPS Printed in full color on durable paper these new maps come in a clear plastic bag to assure complete water protection. They have been carefully field checked for accuracy. Each map unfolds to a full 11" x 17". (T401) Michigan Huron-Manistee National Forest: North Segment $8.00 (T-402) Michigan Battle Creek to Chief Noonday Road $6.50 (T-201) Pennsylvania McConnells Mill and Moraine State Parks $5.00

c,.\. Slf (T-202) Allegheny National Forest ~.,.- North Section $6.50 ~~ (T-203) Southern Allegheny National Forest

-4IL and Cook Forest State Park $8.00

NCTA Tra1 uilding and Maintenance Manual by Thomas Reimers (L101)

This great manual for volunteers provides helpful guidelines and suggestions for planning, construction and continued maintenance of the North Country Trail. It covers rural and roaded natural, semi-primitive and primitive trail. 22pp $2.00

7/s" Pin of Trail Emblem (P106) Our popular cloisonne pins are back in stock! The new pin is slightly larger and features the updated North Country Trail Emblem triangle design. Too new for photo. $3.00 North Country National Scenic Trail Mug (P103) NEW plastic trail mug taper · in cup holder $5.00

Published by the Finger Lakes Trail Conference, these a ks cover various parts of~ North Co try Trail where it overla!!f .,the Finger es Trail (FLT · este and central ew York.

FL in Cortland County (M121) ......•..... $5.95 F End-to-End Guide or Backpackers (M122) .•.•....•••.•••...... $2.50 l:T:-Eons-ervafieti-Tfai{

to Hornell (M123) $7.95 FLT in Steuben Co. (Hornell-S.Bradford) (M124) ••... ;_,.,.,,,, .= .. :"'..sH:g

(P105) Silver, painted in color Hiking Stick Medallion $4.00

Volunteer Patch (P121) $1.50 ea. State Patches New York (P111), Pennsylvania (P112), Ohio (P113), Michigan (P114), Wisconsin (P115),

Minnesota (P116), North Dakota (Pm) $1.50 ea. 3" Round Patches North Country Trail Association (P122) $3.00 ea.

(P104) rass Hiking Stick Medallion $4.00

°"'\\. S1t0

-~ Hiking Stick Medallions Add the NCNST insignia to your hiking stick. Brass and silver colored metal. The silver medallion is painted in '

Michigan Map Sets by Arden Johnson Ari excellent reference for the entire North Country Trail in Michigan. Includes all off-road segments and suggests on-road routes where the trail is incomplete. Also provides good general information about access points, terrain, markers, camping and water, etc. $4.00 per set

(M411) SE Lenawee Co. to W. Calhoun Co. (M412) NE Kalamazoo Co. to SE Newaygo Co. (M413) SE Newaygo Co. to NW Wexford Co. (M414) NW Wexford Co. to SE Charlevoix Co. (M415) Charlevoix Co. to Mackinaw City (M416) St. Ignace to SE Marquette Co. (M417) Marquette area to Ironwood

Minnes~ta: ~uide_.to the North C untry Tra~u· :'( Jll)pewa National Forest . . by Rodentk MacRae ( 611) .

Descripti 1n of the re ute and trail log, east o west. w6nderfully written b a Chippe National Forest ex rt. 12 a es $1.25

Troy

St. Marys Stockport

Lovela d

Bowerston

Buckeye Trail (Ohio) Section Maps These convenient and detailed maps cover the North Country Trail where it overlaps with the Buckeye Trail. they are published by the Buckeye Trail Association. Each map $3.50 Belle Valley (M311) Morgan, Noble and

Guernsey Counties (M312) Harrison, c~9ll and

GuernsE,!y--Counpes Caesar Creek (M ~reennd Warren Counties Defian e (M314) Defiance, Paulding, Putnam,

Henry and Woqd Counties (M315) Putnam, Alle~nd

Auglaize Coun ·es (M316) Clermont, War. en and

Hamilton Cou ties Massilon (M317) Stark and Tustarawas Counties New S raitsville (M318) Athenyt-tO'cking, Morgan,

Pe~~(ounties H. cl<ing, Ross and Vii ton Counties

Scioto Trail (M320) oss and Pike Counties Sinking Spring (M321) Adams, Pike and

Highland Counties (M322) Auglaize and Shelby Counties (M323) Morgan, Perry and

Athens Counties (M324) Greene, Miami and

Montgomery Counties West Union (M325) Adams and Brown Counties Williamsburg (M326) Brown and Clermont Counties

By Jim DuFresne From one of Michigan's leading outdoor writers comes this compre hensive guide to the best trails in Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Each hike write-up contains all the basic information you need: access, parking, trail dis tance and difficulty, hiking time, contour map, and explicit trail directions. Formerly titled 50 Hikes in Lower Michigan. 252pp, (L109) $15.00

50 Hikes in Michigan

By Jim DuFresne. This detailed guidebook provides backpackers, hikers, campers, and skiers with all the information they need to plan a trip to the tranquil Porkies in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Includes history, wildlife in the park, fishing

opportunities, cabins and shelters, camping areas, family day hikes with complete information on trails, access points, waterfalls and backcountry treks. 160pp, (L108) $11.95

Porcupine Mountains

PICTURED ROCKS An Illustrated Guide NATIONAL LAKEs110RE by Olive Anderson.

A GUIDE The centerpiece of the North Country National Scenic Trail. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a rugged, beautiful, and unique coast on the Lake Superior Shore. This

revised guidebook includes maps, and excellent descriptions of the many recreational opportunities available at Pictured Rocks. 56pp, (L110) $6.95

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

;. -?;Is~<::>"-

By John G. Hipps, M.D. Stories recount the full spectrum of humankind's experi ences. Sometimes informative anded ucational, frequent ly humorous, often whimsical, the stories

~~~ will entertain and charm you with their simple philosophy, wisdom and wit. Includes advice on home remedies, herbal and alternative medicine that promotes the common sense caring of one's self. 363pp, (L115) $19.95

The Country Doctor, Alive and Well

Comprehensive guide for be.ginning "'"' .. '··· .· vu1·KER'S wanderers and those explonng new ifAl 1l count!Y. Choosing prope~ clothing! H· AlfDBQQ( selecting footware and ramgear, usmg

d di ti hik - An au-rerrotn. au-seoson Gulde a map an compass, pre c ng e ···----- difficulty, when to tum around, managing food and water, weather lore, walking techniques, traveling with kids, first aid, and more. Many short features, fun tips and anecdotes. 216pp, (L107) $14.95

Dayhiker's Handbook By J. Long & M. Hodgson

A truly fresh look at hiking. Read about: philosophy of hiking, stress management, creativity and hiking, and trail romance. Also, explore today's issues through hiking: strengthening family ties, improving communication, a healthy lifestyle for kids, an inexpensive pastime and providing seniors with a natural prescription for health. A new twist for anyone who currently enjoys hiking and for those who are thinking about starting out. 245pp, (L106) $14.95

Hiking! By Philip Ferranti and Cecilia Leyva

By Dennis R. Hansen Michigan trail enthusiasts, don't get caught without this atlas! 2nd Edition includes maps and descriptions for over 600 hiking, biking, skiing, and nature trails in Michigan. Search by location or types of use. 581pp, (L102) $29.95

Trail Atlas of Michigan

By Art & Margie Miller Subtitled A Traveler's Guide to Our National Scenic and Historic Trails, this book is the first to provide engaging descrip tions and advice on all 19 trails in our National Trail System. Includes North Country,

Morman Pioneer, Pony Express, Appalachian, Iditarod, Lewis and Clark, Pacific Crest, Trail of Tears, Florida Trail, Continental Divide and many others. 308pp, (L105) $19.95

Trails Across America

Lessons from the Appalachian Trail. Blending sage advice with personal experiences and anecdotes, this unusually thoughtful, highly readable account of long-distance trekking on the AT. Mueser draws upon extensive interviews to examine unorthodox yet relevant topics. He covers all the questions providing the basis for planning your own long-distance hike. 180pp, (L111) $16.95

Long Distance Hiking By Roland Mueser

By Tim Smith and Mark Herrick One whole lot of fun! Buck Wilder and his pal Rascal the Raccoon share their considerable wisdom and wit. Wonderful color illustrations are filled with humor and countless tips and trivia. Though at first glance this looks like a book for kids, adults also find this guide irresistible and informative. 64pp, (L103) $12.95

Buck Wilder's Hiking & Camping Guide

Please mail, fax or phone your order to: 49 Monroe Center NW, Suite 3B

Grand Rapids, MI 49503 Toll free telephone: 888-454-NCTA

(888-454-6282) If ordering by credit card

you may fax your order to: 616-454-7139

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D Member of a specific Chapter:

By Don Jacobson Fresh Food on the Trail. Tired of eating dried and preserved goods in the back country? Here's an alternative from an outdoor chef who takes his spice rack and fresh food with him. Covers plan ning, packing, preparing and - most important - eating savory meals on the trail. Geared toward the three-day trip, this book includes over 150 trail-tested recipes, prepared in one pan, pot or oven. 157pp, (L114) $12.95

The One Pan Gourmet

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S/H Charge $2.50 $3.50 $5.00 $6.50 $8.50

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Signature Reminder: We cannot process your order without a signature and the expiration date. Shipping and Handling Charges

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By Adrienne Hall You'll find the knowledge and skills you

need to become a self-sufficient backpacker. Yes, you can light a camp stove ... set up a tent by your self. .. take your kids with you - and keep them entertained ...

survive (and even learn to love) a week in the woods without hot showers! Hall's fresh perspective and up-to-date presentation of techniques and equipment provide all the tools you need to become a confident, comfor table, capable backpacker! 160pp, (L113) $14.95

Trail Shop Order Form

Woman's Guide to Backpacking

By Wes Boyd Brand new Third Edition of Following the North Country National Scenic Trail. A Classic! Includes general descriptions of the Trail and efforts to build it in each of our seven states. This

new addition also includes appendices on through hikinq the NCT and the history of the Trail and the Association. 96pp, (Ll 12) $4.95

Following the NCT

One member for every mile of trail projected State Current Change Members

members since last issue Trail miles to goal North Dakota 44 + 14 47% 475 431 Minnesota 146 + 13 10% 375 .. 229 Wisconsin 186 + 9 5% 220 34 Michigan 1086 + 42 4% 1150 64 Ohio 195 + 4 2% 1050 855 Pennsylvania 268 + 13 5% 300 32 New York 158 + 6 4% 625 467 Other 97 + 0 0% n/a n/a TOTAL 2180 + 101 5% 4195 2015

2,000 miles certified by the year 2000 State Miles Change %

certified since last issue Done North Dakota 176.5 0 37.5 Minnesota 90.0 0 24.0 Wisconsin 87.0 0 43.5 Michigan 580.7 0 50.5 Ohio 303.7 0 28.9 Pennsylvania 128.3 0 42.8 New York 234.6 0 37.5 TOTAL 1600.8 0 38.3

One

2,000 by

2000

for

One· Update on our goals for members and new trail

Our Top Recruiters to Date: 9 David Adams 5 Claudia Day 11 Mary Kunzler-Larmann 5 Anne Saltman

12 Jerry Allen 6 Kathleen Eisele 18 Allannann 49 Richard Saur 11 Carol Atwell 20 Gene Elzinga 6 John Leinen 18 Dave Sheldon

9 Len Baron 5 Thomas Funke 9 Rod MacRae 97 Bob Tait 5 Bob Benham 7 Tom Garnett 5 Susan Makrianis 18 Barb VanDyken 9 Derek Blount 9 Richard Grau 16 Bill Menke 8 Werner Veit 6 Jack Buege 7 Grace Hutchinson 23 Richard Naperala 15 Doug Welker 9 James Burow 7 Neil Juhl 11 Geraldine Nault 21 Gaylord Yost 11 Amy Clark 70 John Kincaid 11 Bob Papp 28 Joan Young 17 Dave Cornell 16 Kathy Sabel

Because public support is so critical to the success of the Trail, we award people who help recruit new members to the NCTA. Those

listed in bold already have received awards. We've also listed every one who has recruited at least five new members, to track their progress. To get credit for recruiting a new member, just write "recruited by" or "sponsored by" with your name somewhere on the new member's form. (All types of new paid memberships

count for credit, not just the $15 introductory ones!)

You can Win an Award for Recruiting New Members!

NORTH STAR: The Magazine of the North Country Trail, April-May, 2000 Page 34

NCT Patrons are individuals or households that generously contribute $250 or more each year in membership dues!

Thanks also to our NCT Patrons: Walter M. Srogi and Robert J. Schwartz

Backpacking Canoeing

Rock Climbing Winter trips

for Families

or Large Grouos

Weekend & Extended Weekend & Extended

PO Box 1478 Portage, Ml .49081 (616) 327-5379

Customized corporate teambuilding and team management programs.

team management programs.

TRecs Inc. (Teambuilding and Recreational Services)

(I camou1/llm1!, ana tcecreauoeat Services)

225 East Wisconsin Ave., Oconomowoc, WI 53066

(414) 567-6847

10730 West Janesville Rd Hales Corners, WI 53130

(414) 425-6888

Prairieville Family Inn 10484 S. Norris Rd., Prairie, Michigan

(616) 623-6150 (A favorite of the Chief Noonday Trail Crew!)

Stores in: Pittsburgh, PA (412) 364-8078 Pittsburgh, PA (412) 835-0315

Monroeville, PA (412) 380-4012 Erie, PA (814) 866-7600

Butler County Chamber of Commerce 281 S. Main Street, Butler, PA 16003 724-283-2222 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ • .A..d-ve:n.tu.re 311 W. Kilgoi:.e • Portage, Ml 49002 • 616-381-7700

Downhill & XC Skiing• Snowboards• Backpacking• Camping Kayak1 •Canoes• lnline Skates• Technical Outerwear

Boy Scouts • Advenlure & Travel Wear lor Men & Womem

ffiOUNTAINEERING

~'

ffilDWEST AGR International

Law Offices of Barry S. Cohen

N9661 Willow Rd., Elkhart, WI 53020

(920) 565-4225

Our Business Members contribute annual dues of $150 to the NCTA. In addition to supporting a worthy cause, our Business Members enjoy benefits including a reduced rate on ads in the North Star, and regular placement of a business logo and contact information both here and within our web site.

Thank You NCTA Business Members!

The position will pay $15/hr for an expected I 0-20 hours of work per month, starting June 1. The employee will submit a monthly report of time spent on the project, and may not exceed 20 hours per month. To apply, send a letter describing your qualifications to the NCTA's national office. Please also include the URLs of one or more web sites you have developed. Thanks for your interest and support!

• Familiarity with the goals and work of the NCT A and a strong interest in the success of the North Country Trail.

• Demonstrated ability to coordinate and assist volunteers.

We are seeking an applicant with the following skills and characteristics: • Strong web page development skills including an

extensive knowledge of and experience with HTML

• Maintaining and improving existing pages, and • Providing technical assistance and coordination to

volunteer webmasters working on Chapter pages and other sections.

• Providing overall leadership and vision for the web site of the North Country Trail Association,

• Developing new pages and resources for the site,

The North Country Trail Association currently is seeking a contractual employee to manage its web site. Responsibilities will include:

T N'rJ~I): NC'fA lfEJl)IAS'l'El\ '' 1\I ~ code and familiarity with at least one web scripting

language, such as VB Script, JAVA Script, CGI, PERL, etc. Also, the ability to successfully integrate databases and "canned" scripts.

Page 35 NORTH STAR: The Magazine of the North Country Trail, April-May 2000

Bulk Rate U.S. Postage

PAID Grand Rapids, Ml

Permit 340 North Country Trail Association 49 Monroe Center, Suite 2008

Grand Rapids, Ml 49546

hStar

A-an Hiking Society

NORTH STAR: The Magazine of the North Country Trail, April-May2000 Page 36

Documents

North Star Vol. 19, No. 2 (2000)