We return to Marathon County for another project at the Plover River State Fisheries Area. With 2 projects in the bag, and more on the horizon, Plover will be on our minds for a while (not a bad place to have your mind on though!). The docket is full for the June 22-26 Mobile Skills Crew (MSC) project. IAT-U will be going on where you can become a crew leader (the thought of having me on your crew and being able to return all the crap I sent your way should be incentive enough to become a crew leader). If you are worried that you may not make a very good crew leader, don’t worry because you’ll always be better than me (Hey, not everyone can be Matt K or Rich P). There will be chainsaw, first aid/CPR, and care and feeding of volunteers trainings (I have a large appetite) along with a full-blown trail building event. There may even be a rogue group heading north of Hwy 52 to work on Trail Layout and Design. The area north of 52 has some pretty sweet features but is protected by a moat of cedar swamps, which should make TL&D a treat. Randy will be doing the cooking so you know the food will be good and a little different than what we are used to. With Randy at the helm, if he says dinner will be at 6:30, be prepared to eat at 6:40. The same goes for breakfast. Randy is a man of many things, but punctual he is not. Also, we’ll be firing up the grill for a meal or two.
We get to camp at the awesome Dells of the Eau Claire once again. Did you know there are at least 3 Eau Claire Rivers in Wisconsin? Being from the city of Eau Claire, I took pride in the clear water (Eau Claire being French for clear water), but it turns out there are more “clear water” rivers out there. Instead of taking a shower after the trailbuilding is finished for the day, take a jump off the cliffs to cool off. The turbulence acts as a washing machine for humans.
If cliff jumping isn’t your milieu, take a walk down the Dells of the EC segment of Ice Age Trail; it’s one of my favorites. There’s something about hemlock forests that I find deeply captivating. The beautiful gloom the hemlocks foster is unmatched by any other tree in Wisconsin. Plus having the Eau Claire River coursing along the trail as your hiking companion isn’t too shabby.
Whether you are at the project for a training or trail construction (there is a sweet native log structure being built), take time to enjoy the primordial feeling the Plover River affords you. It is a very beautiful area and we are lucky enough to play in it! If you want more info or to sign up, head over the Ice Age Trail Alliance website. We'll see you there!
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