Ice Age Trail Dispatch
Mid-May 2011
In This Edition:
Trail Building Opportunity, Saturday May 14
Chapter Meeting May 16
Cameron Students Clean Up the Trail
New Map Boxes Ready to Install
Local Trail Building Workday, Saturday, May 14
If you've ever wanted some practice at scraping the ground and shaping a trail, this Saturday is going to be your opportunity to shine. We'll be joined by 10 UW-EC students anxious to learn the art of trail building as we re-sculpt a trail out of a rather roughed up logged area.
We're especially in need of good coaches, people with experience working with McLeods and pick-mattocks, to guide the students and others who have never done this type of work.
We will be working a long day to accommodate the needs of the students, so either plan to spend a long day with us (till about 4:30) or plan to work just part of the day (let us know how long you hope to stay).
Meet at the Chippewa Moraine Visitor Center at 9 AM. Bring along water and lunch, work gloves and boots, a rain jacket, and be prepared for ticks.
If you can come for all or part of the day, please email the chapter.
Tuscobia Trail Building, May 11-15
If building new Ice Age Trail sounds interesting, or if you want to learn some of the skills involved, or even if you just want to spend an enjoyable day working in the woods with a group of great fun-loving volunteers from around the state, consider the trail building weekend near Birchwood in Barron County on Wednesday - Sunday, May 11-15.
There are opportunities for crew support as well as trail building; you’re welcome to come for as much time as you wish, from 1/2 day to the whole project. All meals are provided for free as well as your place to camp.
You can get lots more information and register online. Click on May 11 - Tuscobia State Trail.
Please note: Pre-register by Friday, May 6.
Chapter Meeting - Monday, May 16
We’ll meet at the Chippewa Falls Library at 6 PM on Monday, May 16 to review where we are with our spring work projects, what we need to accomplish, and plan for our National-Trails-Day-On-The-Road event.
It’s a great chance to connect with other members and participate in the planning of our chapter activities.
Cameron Eighth Graders Tackle The Trail
22 students from Cameron Schools and their teachers came to the IAT in Chippewa County and had a spectacular day helping clean up a large section of the trail. We had the help of 6 chapter mentors who helped guide the students on the cleanup project. In addition to great weather, the students were enthusiastic and had a great time, taking time to check out many of the things that can be found along the trail.
Before lunch the entire crew headed for the humongous glacial erratic just east of Deer Fly Trail for a terrific group portrait. Check it out and other pictures as well at the chapter web site.
Need a Map? We've Got a Box For That!
Several years ago our volunteer carpenter, Ron Brewster, created a supply of map boxes for use along the trail, to help weary travelers find their way. Those boxes have served us well, and many are still in use. Time had taken its toll on many, however, and Ron stepped in to rebuild our inventory this winter with a new supply. He's even updated the design with a few tweaks, and assembled each one as a ready-to-install kit, screws and all.
We'll be installing some of them along the trail in coming months. Ron earns our thanks, and those of the trail users who figure out where they are with the help of Ron's map boxes.
Coming Saturday, June 4: Our National-Trails-Day-On-The-Road event
Save Saturday, June 4 for our second National-Trails-Day-on-the-road. Two years ago we had a great day in Taylor County on the Hemlock Esker, followed by great pizza. We’ve got some great ideas for this year’s excursion, so help us decide at the chapter meeting, and then plan to spend the day visiting a trail segment that we aren’t responsible for! Watch for details coming later.
Read This Newsletter In Your Browser
Where To Find Information
Here's where to look for IAT and IATA information:
IATA Information: http://iceagetrail.org/home
Chippewa Moraine Chapter Information: www.iatchippewa.org AND http://chippewamoraine.iceagetrail.org/home AND www.twitter.com/iatachippewa (subscribe!)
Calendar of Chapter and Alliance Events: http://chippewamoraine.iceagetrail.org/chapter-events
Chippewa Mammoth Trackers (informal hike announcements): http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MammothTracker
Hiking the trail: www.iceagetrail.org (check the options under the "Hike the IAT" tab). For Chippewa County: http://chippewamoraine.iceagetrail.org/hike-the-chapter
National Park Service Information about the Ice Age Trail: www.nps.gov/iatr/index.htm
See you on the trail,
Richard Smith
Chippewa Moraine Chapter Chair
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The Ice Age Trail
A Walk Through Time