Ice Age Trail Alliance
Chippewa Moraine Chapter
Ice Age Trail Dispatch
May 2017
First Sunday Monthly Hike on Sunday, May 7
Our first monthly Sunday hike heads out on Sunday, May 7, at 1 PM. Meet at the Ice Age Trail Parking area on Hwy CC. We'll head south along the Chippewa River Trail to Hwy Z and back. This Sunday should be great weather, and the wildflowers are really gorgeous, so don’t miss this.
The Hwy CC trailhead parking area is 2 miles north of Cornell (Hwy 64/178) on the west side of the river. On Google Maps, enter 23778 Co Hwy CC, Cornell WI. Additional information is online.
Afterwards, there’s ice cream in Cornell!
May Chapter Meeting Potpourri, Monday, May 15
Our bimonthly chapter meeting is planned for Monday, May 15, at the Chippewa Falls Public Library. As always, a variety of topics will be discussed and plans fleshed out. There are awards to bestow, events to plan, and even a short video to screen. Join us and help make the trail great!
May Trail Improvement Day, Saturday, May 20
We return to the matter of bridge repair and upgrading in the Deer Fly Trail area this month, picking up on where we left off last fall rehabilitating a long boardwalk. There will also be some tread work in the area to better manage runoff and help keep the trail dry.
Please meet at 9 AM at the Obey Interpretive Center at the Chippewa Moraine. We will head from there to Deer Fly Trail. (If you prefer meeting at Deer Fly Trail, please let the leader know).
Bring water and snack, wear long sleeves, work gloves, and knee-high boots if you have them. Bugs? Likely. We’ll just work till noon and have some refreshments.
Help us map out our workday by registering. Please email the leader, Jerry Sazama.
Coming up in June: National Trails Day Hike on Saturday, June 3, at 9 AM (no Sunday hike)
Our monthly hike in June will be on Saturday morning instead of Sunday afternoon, and will celebrate National Trails Day. We plan to hike from Hwy E west to Deer Fly Trail. More Details coming later, but plan to join the fun on Saturday, June 3 at 9 AM.
Blue Hills Storm Clearance MSC Event
The storm damage we incurred in July of 2016 was matched in spades in the Blue Hills. The intrepid folks there were able to open the trail up, but just barely. To follow up, the MSC has planned a cleanup effort on Thursday-Saturday, June 1-3. Due to a shortage of local volunteer leaders this summer, our chapter is stepping up to take a bigger role than usual, and we’re hoping for an even more robust attendance from our local volunteers. Especially sought after are sawyers and signers, but all kinds of help is welcomed.
As is usual with MSC events, meals are included and camping provided free if you wish to stay and not commute. The planning team encourages you to register in advance at the IATA site where you can find lots more information.
Annual Conference Successful
The 2017 IATA Annual Conference was held in Chippewa Falls in May and it was extremely successful and featured great weather and great trails for the hikes. Many of our chapter members helped in a variety of significant ways, from leading hikes, staffing registration tables, and leading workshops. Also, a lot of time was spent by volunteers getting the trails ready and in superb shape for the hikers. Special recognition went to a robust number of chapter members receiving awards. Our chapter sponsored lunch on Thursday afternoon. A special thanks to our merchandise maven, Kate Lindsay, who planned and ordered, and staffed and sold, over $1,000 worth of chapter merchandise over the three-plus day event. Thanks to all our chapter members for supporting the event and burnishing the reputation of our chapter.
NPS recognition for volunteer service time went to Libby Stupak, Rosemary Kilbridge, Steve White, Mary Skalecki, Diane Harp, Nancy Schuster, and Jerry Sazama (who received an especially prestigious award). Tony Schuster (in purple) was knighted with his MSC honors, and Bruce France was awarded the chapter's “In the Mud” award (in abstentia). Congratulations and thanks to all from a grateful trail-user community. See photo here.
Where to Find IATA and Chapter Event Information
The go-to place to find current information about all our chapter events and IATA events everywhere is the calendar at the IATA website, www.iceagetrail.org. The Calendar link is at the upper right corner of the page, or bookmark www.iceagetrail.org/events/. To find our chapter-specific events, either choose Chippewa Moraine from the dropdown menu under Event Category and click the “Find Events” button, or just bookmark this button ⬇︎
Chippewa Moraine Chapter Events
See you on the trail,
Richard Smith
Chippewa Moraine Chapter Chair
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The Ice Age Trail
A Walk Through Time