Ice Age Trail Update
Mid-April 2014
Trail Cleanup This Weekend!
We’ve had a good response from volunteers for our trail clean sweep coming up this Saturday, April 19. There’s always room for more hands (and feet) to make the job go faster and cover more ground (and have more fun). We hope to get the trail in tip-top shape for the spring hiking season, and especially for the Chippewa 50 Ultramarathon the following Saturday. If you can’t wait to get out on the trail after a long winter spent elsewhere, this is the chance.
We’ll meet at 9 AM at the Interpretive Center at the Chippewa Moraine. Bring along appropriate clothing and footwear for mud and snow. There may even be ticks, who knows! Also bring water, your lunch, and a couple of pairs of work gloves in case one gets wet.
Important: If you can come, please email Tony Schuster to register so we can strategically plan our attack, and also so we can contact you if the day has to be changed due to weather conditions.
Calendar Postcard Updates
The 2014 Trail Calendar postcard that was mailed to all members had one error, and two more changes have been made, so take note on your copy:
• The Chapter Meeting in May will occur on May 19 (not 29 - note error on front and back of card)
• The Corridor Open Houses planned for June 7 and 12 will be rescheduled for later in the summer.
First Aid / CPR Training Offered for Active Chapter Volunteers
We had good response for the April 24th First Aid / CPR review class, but there are still other classes you can sign up for. As described in our April newsletter, we are sharing the costs of training for our active volunteer-members. Your cost for either the full training or the review session is just $25. We’d love to have our hike leaders and trail maintainers armed with the knowledge and confidence to respond in an emergency along the trail, and we’ve tried to make it as flexible and convenient as possible. And it takes less of your time if you take the review class right on schedule every 2 years. This year, we are teaming up with the Chippewa Valley YMCA in Chippewa Falls, which routinely offers courses locally.
To enroll with our IAT program, choose your date and then please call or email Nancy Schuster: 715-723-6114; nbbsch@charter.net. Name, address, phone, e-mail, and birth date are necessary for registration. Then we need to have your check for $25 made out to “Chippewa Moraine Chapter IAT” and sent to:
Nancy Schuster
5997 167th Street
Chippewa Falls, WI 54729
Current scheduled classes are as follows:
Lay Responder – Full Class: Two evening sessions are required. (book included).
Class Dates Registration Deadline
May 8 & 15, 6:00-10:00 pmMay 5th
June 12 & 19 6:00-10:00 pmJune 9th
Lay Responder – Review: This is for those whose CPR certification is soon to expire or has expired within the last two months. If you are unable to demonstrate skills, you will be asked to take the full class. Book not included.
Class Dates Registration Deadline
April 24, 6:00-10:00 pm April 21st.
May 22, 6:00-10:00 pm May 19th
June 26, 6:00-10:00 pm June 17th
A minimum registration is necessary for a class to be held.
Please determine which date will work for you, and send your registration information as soon as possible to Nancy Schuster. If you wish to review the booklets we were given at the last class and you can’t locate them, you can download the two PDF's online:
Adult Ready Reference Participants Manual
New Trail Guidebook Is Now Available
The new edition of the complete guide to the Ice Age Trail is now available at the Obey Center at the Chippewa Moraine for on-site purchase. The cost of the new Ice Age Trail Guidebook 2014 is $30, or $24 for members. It includes segment by segment descriptions, a map excerpt from the more extensive Atlas, and ratings on each segment on a variety of criteria to help hikers find appropriate segments to hike.
We also have copies of the Geology of the Ice Age Trail book by Mickelson et al. It takes you along the trail and describes the glacial features you’ll see, and includes longer articles explain the more prominent features in more depth. The cost is $35, or $28 for members.
The Ice Age Trail Alas 2014 ($22.50/$18-member), with new full page color maps, will arrive in May.
In the case of the Guidebook and the Atlas, an Online Extra page on the Ice Age Trail Alliance website will include downloadable updates in the future.
These books can also be ordered online, with shipping charges added.