Call of the North Volume 16 ~ Issue 3 Fall/Winter 2010

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1 Call of the North Volume 16 ~ Issue 3 Fall/Winter 2010 Contacts for Minnesota Star of the North Ch. President Brian Pavek Maple Grove (763) , itm@northcountrytrail.org Itasca Moraine Ch. President Bruce Johnson Park Rapids (218) , itm@northcountrytrail.org Laurentian Lakes Ch. President Ray Vlasak Ponsford (218) , llc@northcountrytrail.org Arrowhead Ch. President Doug Baker Grand Rapids (218) , baker_j_d@q.com Call of the North Editor Stacy Davis-Detroit Lakes (701) thruhikergirl@yahoo.com Regional Trail Coordinator for MN & ND Matthew Davis (701) davis@northcountrytrail.org MN Affiliate Partner Contacts: hike@shta.org; info@kek.org; info@borderroutetrail.org Inside this issue Odds & Ends 2 Scenes from the NCT 3, 9 Re-route update 4 Membership growth 4 LLC Ch. Report 5 Featured trail section 6 Featured partner 6 ITM Chapter report 7 T-Man hikes the NCT 7 STN Chapter report 8 ARW Chapter report 9 Calendar 10 North Country Hiking Fest at Itasca is a hit! By Matthew Davis, Regional Trail Coordinator Over 100 people turned out throughout the day to celebrate the 4th annual North Country Hiking Fest at Itasca State Park on another beautiful late summer day. The featured hike, which was the Itasca Moraine Chapter s thru-hike series finale, drew 36 folks on the Hike to Itasca s South Entrance trailhead from the Spider Lake Trail. Besides the featured hike, the event contained some morning indoor presentations, some shorter family This September eleven NCTA members (including Mary Coffin, NCTA Board Director & hike leader) from NY, MI & MN plus 2 guides from Wilderness Inquiry, a not for profit outfitter enjoyed five day hikes on the North Country Scenic Trail where it is concurrent with the Superior Hiking Trail on Minnesota s North Shore. Sections hiked ranged from 2 mi. to 9.9 mi. in ARW Chapter member Ken Zimmer enjoying the SHT and Lake Superior afternoon hikes and activities, all based out of the historic Forest Inn area.our thanks go to Itasca State Park staff for all their help in planning the event, hosting the event, catering the dinner, securing the Holker Family, and for their search and rescue operations to find our missing hikers. Mark your 2011 calendar for the 5th Annual North Country Hiking Fest which will be held on Saturday, August 27th. We can almost guarantee another beautiful day and lots of great family activities. Good time had on NCTA s extended outing hike of Superior Hiking Trail By Phoebe Alden (ITM Ch.) and Ken Zimmer (ARW Ch.) length. Vans were used to shuttle the group between our base camps and the trail heads each day. Sections of SHT were hiked north to south and included: 2 sections in Judge C.R. Magney State Park, 1 in Cascade River State Park, 1 in Tettegouche State Park, and 1 final short hike along the Lake Superior shoreline at Gooseberry Falls State Park. Our base camps were primitive state park campsites. Logistics, tents & food were provided by Cont. on page 5 The newsletter of the North Country Trail Association in Minnesota

2 CALL OF THE NORTH PAGE 2 Odds & Ends Hiking the Superior Hiking Trail named one of America s Best Adventures On August 23rd, National Geographic Adventure magazine s blog profiled the Superior Hiking Trail as one of it s 100 best American adventures. They wrote The Superior serves up every sensation of a great wilderness hike, but adds in all sorts of flexibility. With 30 trailheads near roads and towns, plus 86 free backcountry campsites, the trail lets you get away for a long weekend or embark on a three-week epic with the possibility of crashing at an inn or two along the way. (Zealous thruhikers add in extensions on the 65-mile/105-kilometer Border Route Trail and the 40-mile/64-kilometer Kekekabic in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.) For more info, visit the NGA website ( Congratulations to the SHTA for this added recognition! Make plans now to attend the NCTA s 2011 Annual Conference in Dayton, OH and help Paint the town blue! August 4-7, Wright St. University Look for more details at northcountrytrail.org MN-DNR is looking for feedback on their draft 10-Year Strategic Plan for State Parks & Trails A draft strategic plan outlining goals and priorities for the Minnesota State Parks and Trails system is available for public review until Sunday November 21. The draft plan lays out the direction for the DNR Division of Parks and Trails from 2011 to 2020, and focuses on the division's state park, state trail, and state water recreation responsibilities. For more info, visit the DNR s website at: dnr.state.mn.us/input/issues/10y_stratplan/index.html. The DNR is also still working on the 10/25 Parks and Trails Legacy Plan. Look for a draft plan and input meetings in early December. More info is online at patl.intergov.mn.gov/. Minnesotans win awards at the NCTA Annual Conference in Ashland, WI At the recent NCTA Annual Conference held in Ashland, WI a large contingent of Minnesotans were recognized for their service to the NCT. The list included: Vanguard Award: Chippewa National Forest Walker Ranger District staff for their support of the NCT Blue Blazes Benefactor: Jim Weiske, STN Chapter, for his financial support of the MN chapters and NCTA Rising Star: Jessie Rideaux-Crenshaw for her volunteer service to the ARW Chapter Friend of the Trail: Barbara Boyle and Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge staff for their support of routing the NCT through Tamarac NWR Outreach: Brian Pavek, STN Chapter, for doing pretty much everything to spread the word Trailblazer: Itasca Co. Trails Task Force for their financial support to do outreach and route planning in Itasca Co. which led to the ARW Chapter. Sweep: Barb Pavek, STN Chapter, for always doing stuff behind the scenes to support NCTA events and staff (Photo at right). Congratulations to all the award winners and other volunteers from Minnesota for your dedicated service to the NCT and NCTA!

3 Scenes from the NCT in Minnesota 1 2 CALL OF THE NORTH 3 PAGE Photo key 1)Tom Schackman (l) and Mitch Bouchonville (r) with Bruce Matthews accepting the Chip s Vanguard award; 2) Ray Vlasak presenting the Friend of the Trail Award to the Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge staff; 3) Brian Pavek accepts the Outreach award; 4) MCC workers; 5) Connie Cox giving her North Country Wildlife presentation at Hiking Fest; 6) ARW Chapter members looking at their newly acquired trailer, DR mower, and tools; 7) Carter Hedeen (at far right) enjoying the Superior Hiking Trail during a conference hike; 8) LLC member Bill Dahnke roofing the new NCT kiosk at the newly-created Elbow Lake Road trailhead; 9) the Holker Family of Remer plays music under the pines during Hiking Fest; 10) the LLC s Fall hike at Tamarac NWR; 11) LLC s Gary Narum in front of the bridge he designed; 12) SRV chapter member Daryl Heise (l) accepts his Trail Builder of the Year award from Deb & Bobby Koepplin at Hiking Fest; 13) ITM s highway crossing sign at Co. Hwy 91

4 PAGE 4 CALL OF THE NORTH Arrowhead Re-route Update by John Leinen There will be one last chance for passage of the Arrowhead Re-route legislation before the 111 th Session of Congress ends. After all our effort to gain introduction and have hearings held in both the House and Senate for both H.R. 481 and S. 553 this legislation suffers the same fate as so much of the work of this Congress and sits waiting for action. I understand Majority Leader Reid has requested the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee work on a draft of an omnibus lands bill. This bill would also likely include measures from the Environment, Public Works, Commerce, and Indian Affairs committees. The North Country National Scenic Trail Route Adjustment Act of 2009 will be included in this bill. To date, the House has show little to no interest in lands/land and water bill. The best thinking today now shifts to a post-election strategy of making the pending land and water bills a high enough priority for House and Senate leadership to take up these measures in a lame duck session in November or (more likely) December. The North Country Trail Association will add its name to a sign-on letter to House and Senate leadership, to raise the profile of these pending bills. So it would seem that our best chance for any action on the Re-route Legislation in the rapidly concluding 111 th Congress would be to seek passage of Majority Leader Reid s Omnibus Lands Bill. If this doesn t happen it s back to the drawing board with the new 112 th Congress. There we ll need new House and Senate introductions along with getting Committee hearing scheduled and then wait for action all over again. Editor s notes: Read the NCTA blog post about the impact of the mid-term elections on the Arrowhead Re-route at northcountrytrail.org/insight/?p=1160. Future updates will be posted at northcountrytrail.org/arrowhead.php. We need your help for NCTA to grow its membership in MN! By Matthew Davis, Regional Trail Coordinator for MN & ND Have you ever thought about why more people aren t members of the North Country Trail Association here in Minnesota? I certainly have.a lot! NCTA s Minnesota membership is currently about 375 but, most importantly, it has been stable and/or growing over the last year. Just as a reference point, the Superior Hiking Trail Association currently has over 3,500 members most of which are from Minnesota and the Upper Midwest. I know that Minnesotans really love the North Shore and the SHT, but can t we here in the North Star State give the nation s longest hiking trail a little more love? Membership dues & contributions are a critical resource for the NCTA to expand the Trail here in Minnesota and elsewhere. The organization currently gets about 15 % of its revenues from membership dues. As Bruce Matthews wrote in the April-June issue of the North Star, Increasing membership indicates power, vitality, and competence; it suggests NCTA is a winner. It makes others want to be associated with us. Member growth begets growth in sponsorships, donations, bequests and other revenues. Sounds great, right? I would like to issue a 2011 challenge to our Chapters, members, and friends in Minnesota. Consider signing up one additional member in the next year or joining if you haven t yet! You can do so by sponsoring an introductory member for $23, giving a gift membership to someone you think will like what we re up to, or by using the form on the last page of this issue. Hint: gift memberships make great holiday gifts for hard-to-buy-for folks! The funds will not only help out the NCTA in achieving its mission but will also help our Minnesota chapters (20% of each member s dues help fund local work). If we all did this, we d have at least 750 members in which is close to the ideal of one member per trail mile. To join or to purchase a gift membership, contact the NCTA at or visit northcountrytrail.org/involved-become_a_member.php. Thanks for your continued support...we couldn t do it without your help!

5 CALL OF THE NORTH PAGE 5 Laurentian Lakes (LLC) Chapter Report By Karen Stenberg, Communications Director It is hard to believe another season of trail work is quickly coming to a close. With the tribal hunting and deer season right around the corner most unfinished trail work will have to wait until spring. This year another eight miles of trail has been completed with seven board walks and two back country campsites added. Besides the regular volunteers working most Wednesdays, we were assisted by the Minnesota Conservations Corps as well as the Americorp-NCCC group we hosted in June. We welcomed new members and new friends on our monthly hikes. Hopefully, this enthusiasm for the trail will continue as we spread the word and show others the beauty and natural areas of Becker and Clearwater counties. Next year s planning is already underway and our chapter hopes to host bimonthly Saturday hikes. Hike to the Headwaters will start at Green Water Lake and feature day hikes ending at Itasca State Park patterned after the successful series that the Itasca Moraine Chapter hosted this year. Hats off to all who participated in the recent meeting on Becker County s proposed recreation plan. Those of you who spoke on behalf of hikers and other silent sport participants and continue to address the issues of motorized trail conflicts have our sincere appreciation and thanks. Though we know the conflicts are not going away, it is very encouraging to know our leadership and members are continuing to speak to County Commissioners and officials about our concerns for protection of the trail. We all need to be advocates and become involved with the local political process. NCTA s Extended Outing, cont. from cover page the outfitter. Participants were responsible for their own gear, setting up tents, & KP duty. Fortunately, we experienced great weather with lows in the 40s at night and 60s during the day. We only had a half day of rain. Other highlights of the trip included picnicking and a short hike at Split Rock Lighthouse St. Historic Site (which is celebrating it s 100th anniversary this year), sightseeing in Grand Marais, and visiting the Grand Portage National Monument & Heritage Center. Editor s note: look for an article about this trip in the next issue of the North Star. Mary Coffin will be leading another extended outing next summer and you are invited! This time, the hike will be August 8-13 conveniently after the NCTA s annual conference in Dayton, OH on the NCT within Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the U.P. of Michigan. More info is available online at northcountrytrail.org/exout2011.php. Photos below: the hiking group and hikers including Ken Zimmer (at left) enjoying a fine overlook on the SHT. LLC Volunteers stand on a newly-built bridge north of Camp 6 Forest Rd. Editor s note: for info on LLC trail adopters and volunteer opportunities, see the article on page 8.

6 CALL OF THE NORTH PAGE 6 Featured Trail Section: Along the (Laurentian) Divide 13 mi. from Co. 39 trailhead to Camp 6 Forest Rd. - NCTA hiking map MN-10 When laying out this section of the NCT, Ray Vlasak and the other Laurentian Lakes Chapter volunteers tried to stay true to the area s dominant landscape feature the Laurentian Divide. This little-known continental divide separates land draining to the Arctic Ocean (via the Otter Tail River, a tributary of the Red River of the North) from that draining to the Atlantic Ocean (via the Mississippi River). While the more famous East-West continental divide out west features dramatic topography, the Laurentian Divide mostly does not. In fact, sometimes the dividing line is as subtle as which way two neighboring wetlands drain. There are some places where the Laurentian Divide is very noticeable on this section particularly north of the St. Hwy 113 trailhead where there are short, steep hills. The southern most portion of this section of trail (south of Camp Six Forest Rd.) is still under construction using the Conservation Corps Minnesota (see article below). To experience the Divide, a good hike would be the segment from the Hwy 113 trailhead to the Elbow Lake Rd. trailhead, a distance of 4.5 miles. Visit for a map or purchase hiking map MN-10. Camp Six Forest Rd. Featured Partner: Conservation Corps of Minnesota / Iowa The Conservation Corps Minnesota & Iowa (formerly the Minnesota Conservation Corps or MCC) is a non-profit organization based in Maplewood, MN that is building upon the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s and 40s. Their mission is to provide hands-on environmental stewardship and service-learning opportunities to youth and young adults while accomplishing conservation, natural resource management and emergency response work. Through employment in one of the CCM s five main program areas (Field Crews, Home Energy Squads, Seasonal Trail Crews, Summer Youth programs, and Youth Outdoors), youth and young adults receive training in resource management and safety while gaining job-readiness and technical skills. Corps members also develop personal responsibility, a strong work ethic, and greater awareness of environmental stewardship while earning. The Conservation Corps has been involved quite a bit with the NCT of late. In addition to working with the Itasca Moraine and Laurentian Lakes chapters and the Superior Hiking Trail Association, they had numerous crews working this year with the Chippewa and Superior National Forests including work on the NCT, Kek, and Border Route Trails. They have also assisted Bill Menke with build- ing the NCT in NW Wisconsin. According to Anna Lipenga, Northwest District Manager in Brainerd, It is a pleasure to continue working with the North Country Trail Association and the Laurentian Lakes Chapter on what I consider to be a legacy project in more than just name - Funded by legacy trail grant funds, continuing the Conservation Corps' legacy of working on the trail for close to a decade, and leaving a legacy behind of beautiful trail for the public to enjoy! It doesn't get much better than that. According to Joe Anderson, Bemidji Crew Leader Well, I like the work. It s nice hard labor and you get to walk out at the end of the day and see what you ve done. I kind of like the idea of working on a national trail. I think it s something that ll be a national treasure like the National Parks in the future. It ll be kind of cool...playing my part in it. For more info, visit: or contact the Corps headquarters office at (651) The NCT is certainly lucky to have the services of the Conservation Corps available to us. Check out our You- Tube website ( user/northcountrytrail) for video clips of the crew at work.

7 PAGE 7 CALL OF THE NORTH Itasca Moraine Chapter Report By Bruce Johnson, President This summer the ITM Chapter was busy with five major "projects": Kiosk work, Campsites, trail maintenance, a thru-hike to promote the trail, and signage installation. The ITM chapter is looking after and maintaining five Kiosks. At each kiosk, new maps were installed. Several brochure boxes were built and installed. At each kiosk, brochures are available as well as comment boxes and mileage information to features going either way from the "You are Here map. We currently have Kiosk Adopters for each of the kiosks. Thanks to these volunteers for keeping your eyes on and keeping the kiosks well stocked with brochures. This Spring, after hours of deliration & map study (over the past few years) three campsites were located. They are somewhat equally spaced along the trail from Itasca State Park to the Shingobee Recreation Area. Sites were approved by Hubbard County and the MN DNR. Then, a licensed septic designer located privies at each site. Necessary permits were secured from the Environmental Services Dept., Hubbard Co. During this time latrines & fire rings were purchased and delivered. In August, the Bemidji MCC crew volunteered their Public Service week helping ITM "regulars" Jerry T., Carter H. & Darrel R. install the latrines & fire rings as well building spur trail as the campsites. Later, tent pads were cleared of roots, roto-tilled, packed and seeded. Beth Trout's idea of Saturday hikes of between 4 to 6 miles through out the summer to promote the NCT was very successful. The program started East of Lake Erin in the Chippewa Nat. Forest to Itasca State Park. Several members as well as interested hikers (some summer visitors to the area) enjoyed the weekly hikes. The last hike was a part of the NCT Hiking Fest at Itasca State Park. Trail maintenance was done "out in front" of the thru hike segments so the whole trail was mowed and cleared this summer. ITM members also participated in the "24 hours in the Chip" maintenance event mowing and clearing about 8 miles of trail in two days. According to Matt Davis, our Saturday group (Byron, Darrel, and myself) received the difficulty award because our assigned section contained so many blowdowns. Twenty five posts were installed with signs on each identifying features like roads, lake names and other information along the trail. Some nine inch NCT emblems identifying the trail crossing at forest roads are most welcome. It is now much easier to find the North Country Trail as it winds across Hubbard County. Trail Register feedback on hiking the NCT My cousin's wife and I had the best time walking the NCT on Saturday. It was a gorgeous day, the trail was impressive--well-kept, interesting and rigorous enough to make us feel like we walked a lot more than 20 miles :). We both were so impressed by the time that must go into maintaining such a remote, beautiful thing. Thank you so much!! We definitely hiked your section as we started at Waboose Lake and walked west to County 4. What a great time and a great trail. I only wish I had time to go back this weekend and do it again! Ardis Johnson of Akeley as told to Darrel Rodekuhr of the Itasca Moraine Chapter Todd McMahon hikes 50 mi. of the NCT I did a four-day hike of the Chippewa National Forest section of the North Country Trail starting on October 21, I started out at the Highway 6 Trailhead, northeast of Remer and completed about 50 miles to the Woodtick Impoundment on the Woodtick Trail. I found the trail in very good shape. You should be proud of yourselves for the condition of this trail. I think it is an amazing feat that you mow this trail every year. So, what did I find wrong with the trail? Not much, the trail was very well maintained. There were a few areas that could use better blazing, but it looks like you ve been working on it. A way to get people interested in hiking the trail is to post some photos of the trail on the internet. I m happy to say that I ve already done that for you. I ve posted over 2000 photos of my 50-mile hike on my website. Check it out at isawtman/.

8 CALL OF THE NORTH PAGE 8 Star of the North (STN) Chapter Report By Brian Pavek, President & NCTA Board Member The summer months came and went. We have planned, created, maintained and completed many miles of trail. We blazed, we mowed, we trimmed, and we cleared. We celebrate! Thanksgiving will soon be here, and it is traditionally the time we celebrate the harvest, and give thanks for the bounty we have received. I think we can do the same Giving of Thanks for the bounty of volunteers who do the NCT work. We, in Minnesota, are lucky to have all the willing and able hearts and hands that have put in countless hours toward achieving this NCT dream. I wish I could name every one of you. Some of our volunteers were recognized at the Annual Conference in Ashland. Many of you were there to witness our Minnesota Pride, but here s a re-cap: Tom Schackman and Mitch Bouchonville were given the Vanguard Award. I can t stress enough how helpful these guys are to us in the Chippewa Nat l Forest. They show up for every Trails Day, Nat l Public Lands Day, the 24 Hours in the Chip event. No question. They re there to work, and they work HARD! Jim Weiske from the STN chapter was given two awards: Blue Blazes Benefactor and the STN Chapter Affiliate/Honor Award. We can always count on Jim. If he s able to be there, no doubt, he ll show up. He puts younger men to shame with his talents, and several Minnesota chapters benefited from Jim s financial support as well. Jim, THANKS for all you do! The Rising Star Award went to Jessie Rideaux- Crenshaw, a metro teenager who worked with Bill Menke, along with 14 other high school kids on the trail in northern Wisconsin. She s also done work with the ARW Chapter. She s an inspiration to us all, and we hope she is the spirit of those to come. We need more young people to help complete our dream. My wife, Barb, thumped me on the head when her name was announced as a winner of a Sweep Award, but she truly deserved the award. She s my right hand whenever I need help with an event, from start to finish. I ve been lucky enough to be able to go away for a few days to a week at a time, and I never worry about not being prepared. I need her help. I learned that when I packed for the Kekekabic trip last year. (My pants were hanging in the porch, right where I d left them to dry after spraying them with bug repellant. I was in Ely.) If I need something, she s there sweeping up after me. None of these awards surprised me. They are all deserving of their awards. I, however, was very humbled to receive the Outreach Award myself. I guess it didn t occur to me that I was doing anything extraordinary. I truly enjoy being a voice for the NCT. It s a dream I am passionate about and believe in, as I know all of you do. It s not difficult to get excited about talking about the NCT. And truly, I have the NCT to thank for my new job. You see, it was my volunteer work with the NCT that impressed the company president so much. Of course, the down side of being employed is my job may intervene with time I want to volunteer or hike. The NCT kept me from going nuts during the last 30 months, and I am so grateful to have had this outlet. So, back to the Giving Thanks theme of this article Thanks to everybody for letting me be part of this dream, for being allowed to represent the NCT locally and nationally, and for all your listening ears. Thank You Laurentian Lakes Trail Adopters! Trail adopters have an integral role in the NCT success story. They are a key factor for maintaining a quality experience for hikers on the trail. If you happen to meet them on the trail, be sure to thank them for their efforts. Below are the Laurentian Lakes trail adopters: Itasca State Park DeSoto Lake to Gartner Farm: Matt & Stacy Davis and family Gartner Farm to Lake Campsite: Ray Vlasak Lake Campsite to Anchor Matson trailhead: Sue, Bill, Martha & John Sanger Anchor Matson trailhead to West Gardner Road: Lorie & Roger Hanson & Gary Narum West Gardner Lake Road access to Anchor Hill Road: Available Anchor Hill Road to Old Headquarters trailhead: Long Lost Lake Assoc. (Marv Mortenson, Dick Toomey, Greg Johnson) Old Headquarters trailhead to Snowy Owl Trail: John Wagar Snowy Owl Trail access to Hwy 113 trailhead: John Backes Hwy 113 trailhead to power line access: Lanny Waalen Power line access to Elbow Lake Road trailhead: Bob LeFleur & Chuck Church Elbow Lake Road to Old Many Point Lake Forest Trail; Old Many Point Lake Forest Trail to Camp 6 Forest Trail; Camp 6 Forest Trail to Camp 5 Forest Trail; and Camp 5 Forest Trail to Co Hwy 35: All are available contact Chuck Church (cchurch22@hotmail.com / ) Greenwater SNA: Ruth & Willie Bergquist

9 PAGE 9 CALL OF THE NORTH Arrowhead (ARW) Chapter Report By Ken Zimmer, Ch. Vice President On October 2nd and 9th the Arrowhead Chapter constructed a new 2.3 mile segment of trail just northeast of Grand Rapids, MN. This was the first unofficial North Country Trail completed in Itasca County! The new trail section goes from Township Rd. B to the Mesabi Trail south of Co. 61. The new section of trail follows the Prairie River and also crosses interesting lands next to an old mine tailings pile. The lands are owned by Arbo Township, which fully supports the Chapter and the NCT. Future segments will go north between the Mesabi Trail and the Prairie River and south to the Itasca Community College campus. Hikers will definitely get to experience some of the Mesabi Iron Range s history while hiking in our area. At the workdays, the participating volunteers used the Chapter s new trailer and equipment that was provided by the National Park Service...thanks! Unfortunately, we destroyed a chainsaw (unfortunately, it was mine!) in our work. We had great weather and enjoyed a lunch by the river. Since those workdays, Katie Blau and Larry Best have been out to blaze the trail. See the photos below. This winter we ll be finishing up route flagging near Figure Eight Lake southwest of Grand Rapids and finalizing a route proposal to submit to Blandin Paper Company and also for the U. of Minnesota for their lands by Itasca Community College. We ll also be actively recruiting trail adopters for our trail section within the Chippewa National Forest. On January 8th, we re holding a Winter Trails Day event where we ll be snowshoeing on our recently-completed segment of trail. We hope to see some of you out on the Trail. For more info, visit our Facebook page (tinyurl.com/mbs2df) or our Meetup group page (meetup.com/arrowhead-nct-hikers/). Co. Hwy 61 Mine tailings pile Prairie River Above: the new trail segment. Below: the graphics on the ARW Chapter s new tool trailer More scenes from the NCT in Minnesota ) STN Chapter member Phillip Nimps drilling a hole for an ATV barrier post at a road crossing in the Chip; 15) ARW Chapter member Larry Best preparing a tree for a blaze; 16) ARW Chapter member Katie Blau painting a blaze on the newest NCT segment near Grand Rapids

10 Minnesota late fall 2010 & 2011 winter activities schedule November 19-21: STN Chapter staffs the NCTA booth at the Outdoor Adventure Expo in Minneapolis, MN January 8: Winter Trails Day Laurentian Lakes 4th Annual Winter Trails Day event & Annual Meeting at Maplelag Resort Callaway, MN Arrowhead Snowshoe hike from Twp B to Prairie Dam near Grand Rapids, MN January 15: STN & ITM Chapter s 3rd Annual Winter Trails Day event at Shingobee Recreation Area Walker, MN February 5: LLC Chapter Snowshoe Hike Ponsford, MN February 12: STN Chapter snowshoe hike at Whitewater State Park near Altura, MN Feburary 12: ARW Chapter snowshoe hike to Trout Lake near Marcell, MN March 5: LLC Chapter Snowshoe Hike Ponsford, MN March 19: ARW Chapter Moonlight hike/ski to Joyce Estate near Marcell, MN March 26: STN Chapter hike at Minneopa State Park near Mankato, MN April 22-24: STN Chapter staffs the NCTA booth at the Outdoor Adventure Expo in Minneapolis, MN April 30: LLC s Hike to the Headwaters series Hike #1 (Camp 6 to Camp 7 Rd.) Ponsford, MN May 7: LLC s Hike to the Headwaters series Hike #2 (Camp 7 Rd. to Elbow Lake Rd.) Ponsford, MN May 21: LLC s Hike to the Headwaters series Hike #3 (Elbow Lake Rd. to MN-113) Ponsford, MN Keep up-to-date on these and other activities by visiting the NCTA s online calendar at northcountrytrail.org/events.php or visiting our Meetup group pages. You should also check the SHTA (shta.org/events/index.php?), KTC (kek.org), and BRTA (meetup.com/the-border-route-trail-meetup-group/) websites for listings of their activities. Keep up with the NCTA online. NCTA s blog Please help the North Country Trail Association grow its membership in Minnesota by using the coupon below to sign up a friend (start by just sharing this newsletter with) who is interested in hiking or the outdoors. If every current member in Minnesota recruited just one additional member, we d end up with 500 members. Recruit two and we d have almost 750 total members. You get the picture...the NCTA s future is partly in your hands. Call of the North