Along the Parade of Colors Route

Saturday, October 5th, is our Annual Parade of Colors Hike. At this annual hike, we offer shuttles of 2, 4, 5, or 6 miles. Hikers choose the distance that they want to hike. They leave their cars at the Obey Center, and shuttlers take them to their start point. They hike back to the Obey Center, where their car awaits them. The first Saturday in October brings us fall colors in all their glory. It is a beautiful time to hike this kettle lake filled segment. The weather forecast looks great and the fall colors are starting to appear. It should be a great day for a hike.

Thank you to all the volunteer members who have signed up to help at the Parade of Colors Hike. We have enough people to work the registration table and to shuttle hikers to their choice of starting points. The shuttling takes place at the David Obey Ice Age Trail Interpretive Center from 9:00-11:00 a.m. Volunteers should be there by 8:30 to get things set up.

Join us on Sunday, October 13th, for a hike on the Chippewa River Segment. Afterward, we will head for the Cornell Visitor’s Center to meet Monty the Mammoth, our IATA mascot.

Hikers should meet at the Ice Age Trail parking lot on Cty CC west of Cornell at 11:45. The hike will begin at 12:00.

We will hike high above the Chippewa River before crossing Cty CC to enter the Krank Preserve. We will hike the hills, cross creeks, and circle around Perch Lake before reaching the trailhead on Cty. Z. We will then return along the trail back to the CC parking lot. This out-and-back hike is 3.8 miles.

This is a great hike to bring your kids or grandkids. Children will be encouraged to find a walking stick along the way. After the hike, they can bring their walking stick to the Cornell Visitor’s Center, where they will have the opportunity to meet Monty the Mammoth. Kids will decorate their walking sticks with the art materials provided. They will also play Ice Age Trail BINGO. (Extra walking sticks will be available for kids who don’t find one on the trail.)

Take Up the Challenge! You can still register! Register with Friends, Family

The Annual Mammoth Hike Challenge (2024) is here. This event runs for the whole month of October. Hikers are challenged to hike 44 miles in the month of October and visit 3 trail communities. That is going to be even easier for those of us that live north of Hwy 29. Back in 2020 when the Challenge first started, there were only 13 Trail Communities, and only 2 of them (Cornell & St. Croix Falls) were up north. We had to drive a long, long way to hit the other trail communities. This year, there are 24 Trail Communities, and the new ones are all up north: Besides Cornell and St. Croix Falls, we now have Wausau Area, Hatley, Algoma, Rice Lake, Weyerhauser, Rib Lake, Merrill, and Antigo.

Check out the page on the Ice Age Trail Alliance website to read all about this event and to register: Trail Community Itineraries will be posted. There are lots of ways to earn Bonus Miles by attending events, or by working as a team. (Families can pool their miles together, so a family of 4 would only need to hike 11 miles each!

Go to: https://www.iceagetrail.org/mammoth-hike-challenge/ to check out all the details. If you register for the Challenge and complete your goal of 44 miles and 3 Trail Communities, you will earn the 2024 Challenge patch above, and receive a Certificate.

Saturday, October 19th, is our next trail maintenance day. We hope to see you there. Jerry has a lot of jobs on his trail wish list, so the more the merrier. If you plan to attend the work day, please email Jerry Sazama at sazfam@aol.com to register.

Meet at 8:00 a.m. at the Obey Center. It is important that you register for the event because we need a head count to organize our groups and to determine the number and kinds of tools to bring. Wear long pants and long sleeves. Wear sturdy boots and socks long enough to tuck your pants into. Wear gloves and a hat with a brim to shade your eyes from the bright sun. Bring plenty of water and a snack or two.

NOTE: If you are not already on our trail crew (with a Volunteer Agreement-see below), consider joining our trail crew this year. There is something special about building and maintaining the trail. You will never look at the trail with the same eyes again after participating in a work project and learning what it takes to keep our trails in top condition.

Thank you and welcome to our new trail crew members. Hope to see you at our October work day.

Wednesday, November 6th - 6:00-8:00 p.m. - Virtual ZOOM

The Volunteer Ramp Up (formerly the Regional Rally) will take place via ZOOM on Wednesday, November 6th, from 6:00-8:00. All members are invited to attend. This is your chance to hear an overview of all things Alliance and Volunteers:

• 2024 Achievements
• 2025 Previews
• Updates from Alliance Staff
• Success stories and updates from chapters
• Alliance Habitat Management
• Meet the new Director of Philanthropy

To Register for this ZOOM meeting, go to:

https://iceagetrail.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/iceagetrail/eventRegistration.jsp?event=1910&

As of Aug 1, fifty six of our chapter volunteers have renewed their volunteer agreements or signed up for the first time. Thank you very much for keeping up to date with your agreement. We could not achieve as much to maintain our beautiful trail segments without your help. If you have not renewed yet, please check your 2023 agreement to see when you are due to renew. You need to renew 1 year minus one day from the date the NPS signed and dated your agreement.

All volunteers need to have a completed Volunteer Agreement for the National Park Service each year in order to participate in our trail improvement days or to volunteer at events. There is a new form on the Alliance Website.

To access the new Volunteer Agreement, here is the link: https://www.iceagetrail.org/wp-content/uploads/Packet-Individual-301a-IATR-Staff_508.pdf. Please fill out the fillable form and email it to iatr_vip_ice_age_trail@nps.gov

NOTE: Fill in all the required boxes. The fillable boxes are on everything except the signature line. You can type your name and date in the date box next to the signature line. Save the document to your computer and then send it to NPS as an attachment. Or print off your completed document, sign it, and mail it to the NPS. The email address is on the directions page that comes with the form.

When you send in the Volunteer Agreement to NPS, they will sign it and return it to you. Please print a copy for yourself or save it in your files. Email us at chippewamorainechapter@iceagetrail.org to let us know that you have received your new signed Volunteer Agreement.

These are our annual events.  Watch for information on upcoming events and additions (in red) to this calendar in the monthly newsletters.  

Oct. 5 Parade of Colors Hike - 9-11  Obey Center
Oct. 13 Hike & Meet Monty Chippewa River Segment/Cornell Visitor Center
Oct. 19           Trail Maintenance Day
Nov. 18           Chapter Annual Meeting