Call of the North. of the North

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1 Call of the North Fall/Winter people hike the entire 75-mile Dakota Prairie Chapter trail section to celebrate the first ever NCNST Day by Tom Moberg, Dakota Prairie Chapter V.P. September 27th was a great day! We really did Hike Every Mile of the Dakota Prairie Chapter's 75 mile NCT route. There were at least 75 participants, ranging in age from 5 to a lot older than that, who hiked distances from 2 miles to 16.5 miles. Altogether the group hiked more than 350 miles. Many thanks to everyone who participated and contributed volunteer time to help make this a wonderful event. Here are some comments on the event What a wonderful day!! The hike, food, music, weather, and great people made for an awesome day. I can't wait until the 2nd annual "Hike Every Mile" event next year. Comment by Rennae Gruchalla, DPC Chapter member Awesome like always! Very well organized. Music was great! What a nice way to spend the day outside. Trail was in fantastic condition. Comment by participant Jackie Olson Photos: Map with participating hikers by section, hikers relaxing afterward, hikers enjoying the day The Call of the North is the quarterly newsletter of the North Country Trail Association for North Dakota & Minnesota. -Vol. 20 #3 - Inside this issue LLC Chapter update 2 MN Trail Towns 2 Play Clean Go 3 Tech. Series Maps 3 DPC Chapter update 3 ITM Chapter update 4 Re-route update 5 Photos from the NCT 6 STN Chapter update Calendar 6 Editor s Note 6 First ever Minnesota Hiking Celebration event is highly successful by Matthew Davis, NCTA s Regional Trail Coordinator for ND & MN A total of 192 people participated in the first ever Minnesota Hiking Celebration. It was hosted by the four Minnesota Chapters in late August at Spirit Mountain in Duluth. Attendees came from as far away as New York, Arizona, and even China. The group was a good mix of regular NCTA folks, SHTA members, and some locals. Highlights of the event included the group hike led by Duluth Mayor Don Ness, presentation of the NCTA s Vanguard Award to U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan on Thursday night, the fundraising raffle, and the Duluth Hiking & Outdoors Expo on Saturday. Most attendee feedback was positive despite inclement weather every day of the Celebration. Hundreds of photos from the event may be found on the 2014 Minnesota Hiking Celebration Facebook group page (search for that name). Thanks to the planning committee for their work and to the SHTA and other sponsors for their support! Share your favorite NCT fb.com/nctinmn or fb.com/nctinnd

2 PAGE 2 CALL OF THE NORTH FALL / W INTER 2014 Volunteer Contacts for Minn. & North Dakota: Sheyenne River Valley Ch. Pres. Bobby Koepplin Valley City, ND (701) , srv@northcountrytrail.org Dakota Prairie Ch. President Gail Rogne Kindred, ND (701) , dpc@northcountrytrail.org Star of the North Ch. President Kim Fishburn Plymouth, MN (612) , stn@northcountrytrail.org Laurentian Lakes Ch. President Ray Vlasak Ponsford, MN (218) , llc@northcountrytrail.org Itasca Moraine Ch. President Bruce Johnson Park Rapids, MN (218) , itm@northcountrytrail.org Arrowhead Ch. President Doug Baker Grand Rapids, MN (218) , arw@northcountrytrail.org Kekekabic Trail Club Ch. President Mark Stange Shoreview, MN kek@northcountrytrail.org Local NCTA Board Members: NCTA Board Pres. Tom Moberg Fargo, ND (701) , tfmoberg@gmail.com NCTA Board 1st V.P. Doug Thomas Burnsville, MN (612) , dthomas7000@gmail.com Brian Pavek Maple Grove, MN (763) , pavekb@comcast.net Ed Gruchalla Fargo, ND (701) , egruch@aol.com Jerry Trout Hackensack, MN (218) , jjtrout@tds.net Contact the Call of the North Editor Stacy Davis Detroit Lakes, MN thruhikergirl@yahoo.com Report of the Laurentian Lakes (LLC) Chapter By Karen Stenberg, Chapter Communications Coordinator The Laurentian Lakes Chapter finished another successful and rewarding trail building season on Oct. 27 th. The season began on April 7 th with a group scouting and flagging a loop trail in Tamarac Wildlife Refuge. Nearly every Monday the rest of the spring, summer, and fall was spent on various projects including the five mile trail completion through Hubbel Pond WMA to the building of several new kiosks. Also completed were puncheon extensions, rebuilding beaver dam damage, rerouting two confusing intersections, and other trail improvements. In August several members attended and helped during the Hiking Celebration in Duluth. This was a great weekend with many scenic hikes on the Superior Hiking Trail, informative sessions, and an expo with various exhibits. Special thanks to Florence Hedeen for chairing the committee and spending countless hours in the planning and preparation of this ambitious event which was held in place of a National Conference. Spring and summer hikes were well attended and we are anticipating a great turnout for Winter Trails Day at Maplelag on Jan. 10 th.this event also serves as our annual meeting. Next year s plans include more trail improvements and construction of the loop trail from Tamarac s newly constructed Discovery Center to the NCT. One of the goals of this new center is to create more opportunities for the youth and families of our local communities and to make meaningful connections with nature. It is exciting that the North Country Trail will be an integral part of this goal and will introduce many area youth to the benefits of our trail and hiking. Next year s hikes will be in coordination with the Itasca Moraine Chapter. Hikers Challenge 165 will start on April 25 th and continue twice a week to Continued on page 3 Celebrating the first two NCTA Trail Towns in Minnesota who will be first in North Dakota??? On the first ever North Country National Scenic Trail Day (9/27), the City of Frazee and NCTA celebrated Frazee becoming the first NCTA Trail Town in Minnesota with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Not to be outdone, the City of Walker became the second ever Trail Town in Minnesota. Signs are currently up along the Shingobee Connector and Heartland/Paul Bunyan State Trails informing hikers how to reach Walker. A formal dedication will be held in the spring following installation of a new kiosk by Chase on the Lake. Learn more about this relatively new NCTA program at northcountrytrail.org/trail/trail-towns/.

3 FALL / W INTER 2014 CALL OF THE NORTH PAGE 3 LLC Chapter update complete the 165+contiguous miles from Hubbel Pond on MN Hwy 34 to Remer. Hikes will vary in length from 4.5 to 10 miles. Though we may not all be able to be thru hikers this is an excellent opportunity to explore our trail and be guided on our natural treasure. Below: Hikers enjoying the NCT at the North Country Hiking Fest at Itasca State Park PlayCleanGo by Ray Vlasak, LLC Chapter President PlayCleanGo is a program sponsored by the State of Minnesota and USDA Forest Service to help prevent the spread of terrestrial invasive plants and animals. It is important for hikers and trail adopters to be aware of the potential for spreading invasive plant seeds along the NCT. This is especially important in areas such as Itasca State Park, Hubbel Pond WMA and the Greenwater Lake SNA where natural environments are being protected and restored. In these areas the machines need to be power washed prior to mowing and trails should be mowed before the parking areas. Due to these especially sensitive areas and the general high biodiversity in the Laurentian Lakes Chapter trail area, in the spring 2015 the Laurentian Lakes chapter will install boot brush stations at all trailheads including panels describing the program, identifying common invasive plants in the area, and actions needed to prevent the spread. Personal boot brushes were handed out to attendees at the joint end of season chapter meeting on Oct. 25. Invasive species have already been observed leading from some NCT trailhead parking areas. Trail adopters need to be on the lookout for these plants and report their presence so they can be monitored and eradicated. It is likely that seeds are being spread with the mowers from the parking areas. Go to playcleango.org for more information. Report of the Dakota Prairie (DPC) Chapter By Gail Rogne, Chapter President The Dakota Prairie Chapter continues to be very active and membership is growing. We hope the growth continues in the year 2015 when we plan to have more outings and activities. We will continue building trail through our section. There are currently about 40 miles of off-road hiking trails and about 35 miles of road connectors mostly on unpaved, low maintenance roads. We have had a variety of groups helping us build trail, including Eagle Scouts and Doosan Bobcat employees. A summer volunteer from out of the area was also very helpful. We are planning to start a trail maintenance volunteer program so that members can adopt sections of the completed trail to maintain. We will also work with towns on the trail to become Trail Towns. Our Hike Every Mile" event for the National North Country Trail Day on September 27 was a big success with approximately 70 participants and 350 miles hiked. We are planning to have a similar event this year with more participants and miles. New Technical Series hiking maps are available for MN Available northcountrytrail.org/shop

4 PAGE 4 CALL OF THE NORTH FALL / W INTER 2014 Report of the Itasca Moraine (ITM) Chapter By Bruce Johnson, Chapter President In our area two trail improvements were completed this season. The Trailhead at Cass County 12 SW of Walker, MN, was improved. Now the NCT going east runs through the trailhead and directly across Cass County 12 into the forest. From the trailhead westward the NCT enters the woods at the Info sign/brochure box located at the edge of the parking lot. Thanks to the twenty volunteers who joined the effort; a special thanks to U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan who worked with us. As far as we know, he is only the 2nd member of the US Congress to ever actually work on the NCT. The second trail improvement was dubbed the Beaver Dam Challenge. It involved reclaiming and rerouting the NCT near Green Lake in the Chippewa National Forest. This project has been on the radar screen since 2008 and last fall was identified as the highest priority improvement of the 170 miles of NCT between MN 34 near Detroit Lakes and Remer. Volunteers from the Itasca Moraine, Star of the North and Dakota Prairie Grasslands Chapters helped with this full steam ahead effort. Look at the last North Star, July/Sept. 2014, page 3. The scary bridge has been replaced. Going eastward from the new bridge 1/3 of a mile of trail was relocated to higher ground. The old trail is now under water, a part of the beaver pond. Also, 180 feet of puncheon improves what was previously a very difficult crossing. The puncheon runs parallel to an old beaver dam. It crosses over alternating hammocks and holes all covered with slough grass. Everywhere sticks were well embedded in the vegetation which was a hazard to even the most seasoned hiker. Mary and Tom Moberg are the adopters for this section of the NCT. How they managed to get a string mower over the scary bridge, around the submerged part of the trail and over the old beaver dam is a testimony to their dedication. Mary and Tom helped with the project and when we were finished, both were all smiles. The last project was installing a campsite near Moccasin Lake between the 3 rd and 4 th Crossing of the Woodtick Trail in the Chippewa National Forest. First the material was moved one mile on the NCT to the site. By mid-afternoon two improved tent sites were finished and the latrine, fire ring and table/bench were installed. Once again there were smiles all around as the crew of six admired the new campsite. I have already heard from a Boy Scout troop who plan to camp there next spring. One of the things we are working on is promoting the NCT in our area. Byron Knapp is spearheading this effort. He, along with others, has setup shop at ten different places between Park Rapids and Longville. They hand out brochures and maps and answer questions. Please let Byron know if you have ideas as to getting the NCT story out there or if you can help him promote the trail at an event. Of course, the first ever Minnesota Hiking Celebration held at Spirit Mountain in Duluth this August helped put the NCT on the map. Thanks to all who volunteered, especially Florence Hedeen who chaired the event. Another major project was also completed this summer. Under the leadership of Jerry Trout the signage of the NCT in the ITM area of the Chippewa National Forest has been 99% finished. Hikers will be more confident knowing their location now that the signage project on the back roads is finished. Next year we hope to complete the signage project with MN-DOT type signs identifying where the NCT crosses MN 34 and MN 371 in the Chippewa National Forest. Also in 2015 we have another campsite improvement in the works and two Leopold-type benches to install at scenic overlooks. If you have any suggestions as to where a bench could go along the trail, please share your idea with us.

5 FALL / W INTER 2014 CALL OF THE NORTH PAGE 5 Arrowhead Re-route update By Matthew Davis, NCTA s Regional Trail Coordinator for ND & MN As was reported in previous issues, the NCTA was successful in getting North Country National Scenic Trail Route Adjustment Act of 2014 bills introduced in both the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R. 4736) and Senate (S. 2595) during the 113th Congress. We were also successful in obtaining co-sponsorship by nine Representatives and seven Senators from across the NCT. Unfortunately, that is where our luck ran out. Neither bill was acted upon before the election and it appears chances are very slim that any action will be taken in the current lame duck Congress. We will be forced to start over again in the 114th Congress in January. One bright spot in the Election was that Re-route champion Rep. Rick Nolan (DFL MN 8th District) was re-elected. Did you see that he came out to work on the NCT for a half day this summer? We are confident that Rep. Nolan will once again do everything in his power to obtain passage of the legislation. NCTA s leadership will begin working with Nolan s staff in early 2015 to chart a course in the House where we have encountered difficulty. We will most likely need many of you to help out by contacting your Representative and Senators and requesting their support! Look for calls on the NCTA website & Facebook pages with specific action requests.

6 PAGE 6 C ALL O F T HE N O R T H F ALL / W IN T E R From top left: Bruce & Matt Johnson atop the new Mary s Bridge in the Chippewa NF; the new STN Chapter mower at work; building the new Beaver Dam Challenge puncheon; the ITM s new campsite workday; a Volunteer Vacation volunteer takes in the Sheyenne State Forest s waterfall; a group of Doosan-Bobcat employees volunteer on the NCT with the DPC Chapter; a new DPC Chapter fence stile; LLC Chapter volunteer Larry Eisinger wheels the NCT in Hubbel Pond WMA

7 FALL / W INTER 2014 CALL OF THE NORTH PAGE 7 Report of the Star of the North (STN) Chapter By Kim Fishburn, Chapter President It s been just over a year since I took over as President of the Star of the North Chapter and I'm still learning the job. The biggest problem I've heard about concerned the old mowers that the chapter has been using on the trail. With them breaking down it s been hard for volunteers to keep their section of trail open. Brian Pavek has done a great job obtaining funding from the National Park Service to purchase a new mower. Before it was even purchased a representative from Orec America brought one of their Cyclone Flail mowers up for various people, including other chapter presidents to try out, our folks liked what they saw (Check it out on Youtube). With the new mower in hand we then needed a trailer to get it around, and we were able to find a used one. Trailers aren t cheap, and I d like to thank the chapter member that paid for it. It saved the chapter from spending a considerable amount of money from its funds. We may use some of those funds to buy another mower in the future. As it s not exactly a small mower, we now need to go out next year and move some of the posts that are meant to keep ATV's off. To finish off the year, a group of us put in 144 feet of puncheon west of Remer near Green Lake, in what I ve been told was probably the worst section of trail in Minnesota. One section still needs to be completed, but we ran out of wood, and it was decided that it might be best to wait till spring to see what the Beavers do. Their dam building is what forced the building of the puncheon, and the rerouting of the trail. A new campsite was also added earlier this summer to the STN s section of trail near the Boy River. I think we need more campsites so I ll be keeping an eye out for possible future locations along the trail. I d like to try to lead hikes on all the trail that the chapter maintains next year. I'll make sure to post them on the Meetup Group ( Chip-NCT-hikers/ ). I ve been leading hikes in the Twin Cities, and taking the opportunity to educate people about the NCT while I have the chance, and possibly recruit new members. These hikes have been part of the Twin Cities Meetup group. Reminder: the new Minnesota Guidebook makes a great Christmas present for all the hikers on your shopping list! Available northcountrytrail.org/shop or at many local bookstores NCT Hikers for the HIKERS CHALLENGE 165 Sponsored by Laurentian Lakes & Itasca Moraine Chapters Take up the challenge! Hike 165 miles in 2015 on Wednesdays and Saturdays, beginning April 25 th and ending September 23 rd. For more information, visit or

8 activities schedule November 21-23: Outdoor Adventure Expo Minneapolis, MN November 24: Informational NCT open house meeting Fergus Falls, MN December 14: DPC s Pre Winter Hike Location TBD January 10: Winter Trails Day LLC s Annual event at Maplelag Resort Callaway, MN DPC s Snowshoe event at MSUM Regional Science Center Glyndon, MN February 9: DPC Chapter meeting & Mile...mile and a half film screening Fargo, ND April 24-26: Outdoor Adventure Expo Minneapolis, MN April 25: 165 Mile Challenge Hubble Pond to Boundary Rd. 5 miles. (MN Guidebook page 67) May 2: 165 Mile Challenge Boundary Rd. to Tamarac Lake Access. 5.3 miles. (MN Guidebook p. 67) May 6: 165 Mile Challenge Tamarac Lake Access to Black Bird Rd. 4.1 miles. (MN Guidebook p. 67) May 9: 165 Mile Challenge Blackbird Wildlife Drive to 400th Avenue. 4.5 miles. (MN Guidebook p. 76) May 13: 165 Mile Challenge 400th Avenue to CR miles. (MN Guidebook p. 80) May 15-17: SHTA s Annual Meeting at Wolf Ridge ELC Finland, MN TBA in May: ARW Chapter s Trail Building weekend Grand Rapids, MN May 13-21: AHS Volunteer Vacation trail clearing trip on the Kek Grand Marais, MN May 16: 165 Mile Challenge CR-26 to Camp 6 Forest Rd. 7.2 miles. (MN Guidebook pp. 80 & 86) May 17-22: KTC s Trail clearing trip on the Kek Ely, MN May 20: 165 Mile Challenge Camp 6 Forest Rd. to Elbow Lake Rd. 5.7 miles. (MN Guidebook p. 90) May 22-27: KTC s Trail clearing trip on the Kek Ely, MN May 23: 165 Mile Challenge Elbow Lake Rd. to Hwy miles. (MN Guidebook p. 94) May 27: 165 Mile Challenge Hwy 113 to CR miles. (MN Guidebook p. 94) May 30: 165 Mile Challenge CR-39 to Anchor Matson Rd. 7.3 miles. (MN Guidebook p. 99) May 30 June 3: KTC s Trail clearing trip on the Kek Grand Marais, MN June 3: 165 Mile Challenge Anchor Matson Rd. to 540th Ave.-Itasca State Park. 4.7 miles. (MN Guidebook p. 104) June 6: National Trails Day SHTA s National Trails Day hikes see shta.org/events/guidedhikes.php for details 165 Mile Challenge 540th Ave.-Itasca State Park to Itasca State Park S. Entrance. 6.5 miles. (MN Guidebook p. 109) SRV s National Trails Day event at Fort Ransom State Park Fort Ransom, ND June 10: 165 Mile Challenge Itasca S. Entrance to Spider Lake Rd miles. (MN Guidebook p. 116) June 13: 165 Mile Challenge Spider Lake Rd. to CR miles. (MN Guidebook p. 120) June 17: 165 Mile Challenge CR-4 to CR miles. (MN Guidebook p. 125) June 20: 165 Mile Challenge CR-91 to Spur 1 Forest Rd. 9.5 miles. (MN Guidebook p. 130) June 24: 165 Mile Challenge Spur 1 Forest Rd. to Hwy miles. (MN Guidebook pp. 136 & 145) August 12: 165 Mile Challenge Hwy 64 to Hwy miles. (MN Guidebook p. 148) August 15: 165 Mile Challenge Hwy 34 to Hwy miles. (MN Guidebook p. 154) August 19: 165 Mile Challenge Hwy 371 to FR miles. (MN Guidebook p. 160) August 22: 165 Mile Challenge FR-3790 to Woodtick Trail 4th Crossing. 7.9 miles. (MN Guidebook pp. 166 & 170) August 26: 165 Mile Challenge Woodtick Trail 4th Crossing to Hwy miles. (MN Guidebook p. 170) August 29: 9th Annual North Country Hiking Itasca State Park September 16: 165 Mile Challenge Hwy 84 to Hwy miles. (MN Guidebook p. 179) September 19: 165 Mile Challenge Hwy 200 to CR miles. (MN Guidebook pp. 184 & 188) September 23: 165 Mile Challenge CR-4 to Hwy miles. (MN Guidebook pp. 188 & 193) September 26: 2nd Annual North Country National Scenic Trail Day TBD October 3: ITM s 14th Annual Hike for Hope TBD TBA in October: Joint LLC & ITM End of Season Meeting TBD Chapter and Affiliate Group Abbreviations: ARW = Arrowhead Chapter BRTA = Border Route Trail Assoc. DPC = Dakota Prairie Chapter ITM = Itasca Moraine Chapter KTC = Kekekabic Trail Chapter LLC = Laurentian Lakes Chapter SHTA = Superior Hiking Trail Assoc. SRV = Sheyenne River Valley Ch. STN = Star of the North Chapter Get connected with the NCTA via social media meetup.com/red-river-valley-outdoors/ Fargo-Moorhead area meetup.com/hikenctinmn/ Laurentian Lakes Chapter area meetup.com/chip-nct-hikers/ Itasca Moraine & Star of the North areas meetup.com/arrowhead-nct-hikers/ Arrowhead Chapter area facebook.com/nctinmn NCTA in Minnesota Facebook site facebook.com/arrowheadreroute Arrowhead Re-route Facebook site facebook.com/nctinnd NCTA in North Dakota Facebook site Trail partner contacts: hike@shta.org volunteer@shta.org info@kek.org info@borderroutetrail. org In our house we are now at that stage of hiking where all the kids are Editor s Note by Stacy Davis too small to walk very far and too big to want to be in a backpack. Our longest hike this summer was about 6 miles, which was not bad for a two-year old or his older siblings. Most of our hikes were less than two miles and quite slow. But, the kids enjoyed themselves and enjoyed the woods and that is the most important part! I encourage each of you to get out in the woods this winter. If you can t do maintenance, that s okay. If you can t bag a bunch of miles, that s okay. Just be outside and enjoy yourself! Thanks for all the efforts to maintain this trail for all those hikers young and old that are learning to love the outdoors.