In this edition:
First Sunday Hike – Sunday, Sept. 7
Trail Improvement Day – Saturday, Sept. 13
Chapter Meeting – Monday, Sept. 15
Parade of Colors Fall Hike/Fall Into The Future – Saturday, Oct. 4-5
September: Time to Go Trail Walking!
If you haven’t been out on the trail for a while, your time has arrived! Nothing could be finer than a Sunday afternoon hike on the trail in September, and we aim to please! Join the group on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 7 at 1 PM at the Chippewa Moraine Ice Age Reserve. We’ll pick a section to visit for an enjoyable walk along the trail.
Bring along some water and a snack if you wish, some repellant, and a friend!
Frogs and mushrooms and berries, oh my!
A Chance to Improve The Trail: Saturday, Sept. 13
Our last trail improvement day in August was very successful, with new and old volunteers working together to erect new signs, rehabilitate old ones, and remove trees from sections of trail. There’s always more to do, however, and we’ve planned for Saturday, Sept. 13 as your next opportunity to enjoy a day improving the trail.
Meet at 9:30 AM at the Chippewa Moraine Visitor Center, and we’ll take off from there. Bring a lunch and water, wear boots and long pants and bring work gloves. We’ll provide all the tools you need.
For this event, it is extremely helpful for you to RSVP your intent, so we can plan the work accordingly. That said, if your plans change and you can make it after all, don’t hesitate to come.
If you are planning to join the fun, please reply.
Chapter Meets Monday, Sept. 15 at the Library in Chippewa Falls
Our regular chapter meeting occurs at 6 PM Monday, Sept. 15 at the Chippewa Falls Public Library. We’ll discuss the upcoming fall events (mainly the Parade of Colors), our progress in trail maintenance this season, and take another crack at our Chapter Bylaws.
If you don’t know where the library is, check our chapter web site or click here.
It’s a great chance to see old friends and help guide our work.
Parade of Colors Fall Hike
This is the granddad of all events, or annual fall colors hike. You may have volunteered in the past, or just gone to hike. We’d like to encourage your help this year especially, because in addition to our usual group of regional visitors, we will host a group of around 40 IAPTF members and leaders from around the state.
We’ll have a great need for:
- Drivers (to shuttle hikers)
- Bakers (to make brownies and cookies ahead of time)
- Grill Artists (to grill hot dogs and brats)
- Servers (to organize and serve refreshments and a picnic lunch)
- Greeters (to welcome, direct, and orient our guests)
- Advance helpers (to gather food, put up posters, etc.)
In this case, it will be important for you to let us know you are going to help.
Please reply to this message to let us know what you’d like to do! (Hint: Drivers are primo!)
Fall Into The Future
Your organization has spent its 50th anniversary year looking back over its history, celebrating its past accomplishments, and now is looking forward into the next half-century. The location couldn’t be more convenient to our chapter members, as it is being held at Beaver Creek Reserve on Saturday afternoon-Sunday morning, Oct. 4-5 (after the Parade of Colors).
This will be a great opportunity for trail leaders and members to join together for some serious conversation about how to keep the spirit of the trail idea alive and thriving as we move into a new half-century, one in which changing cultural values and competing interests have changed the landscape in which we work.
The featured discussion leaders were well-received by those who heard them at last year’s National Trails Conference in Duluth, and we are bringing them here to continue the conversation.
The event is set up so you can commute and pay for just the meals you will eat at Beaver Creek. You may wish to stay overnight, and there are options for that. The chapter has been granted funds to help reduce the cost of the event, so anyone who wishes to attend can do so.
The goal is for each chapter to be well represented. If you are interested in going and representing Chippewa Moraine, please let us know (in addition to registering directly).
Download the full description and registration
Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation Main Office Takes A Hike!
Our organization is inching closer to its long-term home! At the end of July the office moved from downtown Madison to temporary quarters in Cross Plains, WI. From there, they can watch the progress on construction of the new office we will be renting and eventually moving into. Because the new office and “permanent” office are both in Cross Plains, the Post Office has arranged for us to use our permanent address right away!
Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation
2110 Main Street
Cross Plains, WI 53528
608-798-4453 (p)
800-227-0046 (p)
You won’t find any of our staff at that physical address yet, but you wouldn’t want to visit them in their temporary office anyway (they are kind of stacked up).
The Name Game
Are you old enough to remember?
Well, the IAPTF is considering a name change from our traditional tongue twister to something catchier. Or not.
Right now, YOU have a chance to submit your suggestion for a new name. The deadline for suggestions is Sept. 15, so don’t delay!
Please read about it and all the criteria you should consider (you need to scroll down to the bottom of the page).
Now let’s see, “Ice Age, Ice Age, bo-bice age, …” Naah, “Mice Age” doesn’t work so well
Thanks for all you do for the Ice Age Trail,
Richard Smith
Chippewa Moraine Chapter Chair
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The Ice Age Trail
A Walk Through Time