| Chapter Meeting Monday 9/18 It’s all-hands-on-deck time at the chapter, and our regular meeting this coming Monday will help us all get the ship headed on the correct bearing. We meet at 6:45 PM at the Chippewa Falls Public Library, in downtown Chippewa Falls. We’ll navigate through all the currents of the fall season, and hope to stave off stormy weather with good planning. Parade of Colors, Saturday 10/7 Parade Marshall Elizabeth Preston-Simon reports that we can still use more volunteers to drive hikers to the starting points, as well as more volunteers to assemble sandwiches. Either one is a great way to help out with this event, and help introduce hikers to the trail. If you would like to help, please contact Elizabeth. Parade of Colors Featured in Pioneer-Press Travel Section In case you missed it, the Parade of Colors was written up in last Sunday’s Pioneer-Press. You can click on this link to read it: http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/living/travel/15463414.htm (Great job, Emily Moore!) Trailbuilding Week Begins Thursday, October 12 IAPTF volunteers from all over will descend upon Brunet Island State Park as early as Wednesday, Oct. 11, to work on the new segment of trail to extend south from the existing Hwy CC trailhead parking lot, along the river, and ending at Hwy Z. This continues the project begun under rather unpleasant conditions last May. This is a great opportunity for everyone who cares about the Ice Age Trail! • Leave your own little bit of legacy for future hikers. (You may visit it yourself without charge at any time.) • Learn trail-building methods under the guidance of a another volunteer just like yourself, which you can use in the future to benefit the Ice Age or other trails. • Have fun and enjoy working with others in a spectacular setting! • Create a great addition to our local IAT mileage that you will enjoy hiking again and again. Watch for sign-up information, coming soon! Note for now that you can work on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday morning, or any combination that fits your schedule. We are in need of workers who can help in other ways than just trail work. If you like to help around the camp, or register workers, for example, let us know if you are interested. There is a perpetual need for cookies to be made in advance. And, oddly enough, we’re still looking for some great entertainment for Friday evening around the campfire. Chapter Crew Rehabilitates Trail Section At Firth Lake A successful workday on 9/9 resulted in rehabilitation and re-establishment of tread just west of the Firth Lake boardwalk. The area had been trashed by vehicles in the past, and seasonally soggy soil and ponding had made the resulting options rather undesirable. On Saturday, Chris Peterson, Marie Oldenburg, Jim Brenner, Dave Caliebe, Vicki Christianson, Tony Schuster, Dave Rasmussen, and Richard Smith evaluated the options, selected a route, and established what we hope will be a durable tread capable of being used even in very wet conditions. Lots of creativity was applied, and the practice that several had received by working at MSC projects over the last couple of years really paid off. Finally, the tools purchased for us by the National Park Service made the whole project possible. Thanks to everyone who participated! |