Ice Age Trail Alliance
Chippewa Moraine Chapter
Ice Age Trail Dispatch
October 2021
Parade of Colors Hike - October 2
Come to the Ice Age Trail Interpretive Center on Hwy. M near New Auburn to enjoy the fall colors in all their glory. Experience the colors, smiles, and sights of fall on the Ice Age Trail at our annual Parade of Colors Hike on Saturday, October 2nd. Bring your family or hike with a friend. Choose from a variety of hiking options from 1 -6 miles, and we will whisk you off to your starting point for a one-way hike back to the Obey Interpretive Center through the beauty of fall at the Chippewa Moraine. Refreshments await, bring a lunch, and extend your visit at the center or on the trail.
Arrive between 9 and 11 am at the Obey Interpretive Center to begin your hike. Shuttles are free.
For more information, contact chippewamorainechapter@iceagetrail.org. Be sure to stop in to the Obey Interpretive Center after your hike. There are wonderful displays of the animals of Chippewa County, including live animals that you can ask to hold. They have interactive displays showing the glacial features in our area. Ask about their videos about the Ice Age and the Ice Age Trail. Kids can enjoy their age-leveled scavenger hunts that feature items that are displayed there.
MAMMOTH 41 EVENT: HIKE CHIPPEWA RIVER SEGMENT AND MEET MONTY IN CORNELL - OCT. 9th
Cornell is a trail community for the Ice Age Trail, and for the Mammoth 41 event, you can come and participate in our hike and meet on October 9th. We will be hiking the Chippewa River Segment from 10:00 to 12:00. This is a 1.9 mile segment and we will be doing it as an out and back for a total of 3.8 miles. Hikers should arrive at the CC parking lot by 9:45 to get checked in. Bring your friends and family to enjoy this beautiful section of trail. Kids will be encouraged to find a walking stick along the way.
After the hike, we will head over to the Cornell Visitor’s Center where the kids can decorate their walking sticks. There will be hiking stories and songs, as well. While you are there, you will get to meet Monty the Mammoth (a great photo op)!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR HIKE AND MEET MONTY ON OCTOBER 9TH
We need volunteers to work at our HIKE AND MEET MONTY event on Saturday, October 9th. Come and hike the trail on the Chippewa River and share your knowledge of the trail and the chapter. Hikers are meeting us at the CC parking lot at 9:45 for the 10:00 hike. You would need to arrive at 9:30. We also need a couple volunteers to man our booth at the Visitor’s Center from 12:00 to 2:00. Monty the Mammoth will be there for photo opportunities. Kids will get to decorate a walking stick, and we could use a person or two to help with that. If you are willing to help in one of these areas, please contact Vicki Christianson at chippewamorainechapter@iceagetrail.org
Note: You need to have the Volunteer Agreement to volunteer at this and all events. If you do not have the volunteer agreement, see the information below. (It’s simple to fill out)
Thru-HIking the Ice Age Trail: Emily Ford on race and outdoor recreation - October 7th
Emily Ford will be presenting at this on-line event sponsored by the Ice Age Trail Alliance and the Sierra Club among others.
Emily Ford is the first known Person of Color and Black woman to thru-hike the ice age trail. She traversed 1,200 miles in Wisconsin winter weather conditions. At this event, Ford will be sharing her experiences on this hike, as well as her broader experience as a Woman of Color in outdoor recreation.
Go to https://fb.me/e/1MsoExtzp to register for this event taking place online from 6:30-7:30 on Thursday, Oct. 7th. Click on the Blue “Go to the Link” button to get more information and to register for the event.
Our Trail Maintenance Crew were as Busy as Beavers
Four crews of volunteers went out on the trail on September 21st and installed our new official Trailhead Signage. The trail signage was routed for us by the Cornell High School Tech students last spring. New signs are now located at each trailhead for the Chippewa River, Firth Lake, Harwood Lakes, and Chippewa Moraine Segments. Come hike the trails and take a selfie at the signage. Thanks to everyone who participated. Digging 3 foot holes through glacial till with a post hole digger is hard work.
On Tuesday, September 26th, a small crew of volunteers stabilized the beaver dam bridge at the west end of the Firth Lake Segment near 245th Ave. The center of the bridge was becoming unstable, and they straightened the bridge and installed new posts with H-braces. Next week they will be adding railings on both sides of the bridge. Thanks to Bruce for leading the project, and Steve, Norm, Jerry, Dave, Dan, Libby, and Diane for all your hard work in repairing this bridge and the smaller one to the east.
October Work Day - Saturday, October 16th, 2021
Come and join us for our October Trails Workday! Crews will be working on trail maintenance on the Firth Lake Segment east of the 600’ boardwalk at Firth Lake. We will be doing work on a small creek bridge and repairing trail that is heavily rooted. Volunteers will meet at the CC parking lot at 7:45 and shuttle to the Firth Lake parking lot off of 250th Ave promptly at 8:00.
Please bring water, snacks, work gloves, sunhat, rain coat and pants, cell phone, bug spray, and personal items. Please wear long pants, long sleeve shirt, and sturdy shoes. Somewhere in our work area expect that there may be wood ticks, poison ivy, ground bees, ants, and sharp thorns. We will be carrying in the tools we need and our backpacks. We will provide tools such as buckets, loppers, hand saws, and shovels. Please RSVP to Jerry Sazama at sazfam@aol.com so that he knows how many tools to bring.
We plan to stop in Cornell afterwards for lunch.
Get your Volunteer Agreement and join the trail crew on work projects!
You need to have a completed Volunteer Agreement for the National Park Service in order to participate in our trail improvement days. If you filled one out last summer, you are in good standing.
If you do not have a signed Volunteer Agreement, here is the link: https://www.iceagetrail.org/wp-content/uploads/x_INDIVIDUAL-301A-COVID-Packet.pdf Please fill out the fillable form and email it to Daniel_Watson@nps.gov
Please read the following documents before signing the agreement:
Cover letter from Eric Gabriel NPS https://www.iceagetrail.org/wp-content/uploads/Final-Cover-Letter_Eric.pdf
IATA Volunteer Risk Assessment Tool https://www.iceagetrail.org/wp-content/uploads/Final-IATR-VIP-Risk-Assessment-Tool-002.pdf
Covid19HA https://www.iceagetrail.org/wp-content/uploads/Final-COVID19-JHA-v2.pdf
When you send in the Volunteer Agreement to Dan Watson, he will sign it and return it to you. Please print a copy for yourself or save it in your files. Email me at chippewamorainechapter@iceagetrail.org to let me know that you have received your signed Volunteer Agreement.
Upcoming Events:
October 2 - Parade of Colors Hike-Obey Center 9-11
October 9 - Hike and Meet Monty Hike Chippewa River Segment 10:00-12:00 Meet Monty - Cornell Visitor Center 12:00-2:00
October 16-October Trail Work Day- CC parking lot-Firth Lake Segment
Month of October: Mammoth 41 Challenge
See you on the trail,
Vicki Christianson
Chippewa Moraine Chapter Coordinator
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The Ice Age Trail
A Walk Through Time