The last Mobile Skills Crew project of the year deserves to be savored as we think back to the year that was and this recap provides that, as it is the longest blog post of the year (I bet I still missed a lot of good stuff). It reminds me of Rome just before it fell, bloated and full of waste and proving that quantity does not equal quality (and begging for an editor). The Montrose project that took place Oct. 13-16 was one to remember (are there any that you wouldn’t want to remember?). We had rain, wind, sun, a free keg, great musicians, garlic mustard, droves of volunteers, scenic vistas and jack-o-lanterns. Through all those distractions, we dominated some intimidating terrain and opened up a road-to-road connection on the Ice Age Trail from County D to Frenchtown Rd.
Down the trail, Wollmer and his crew were doing battle with a gully. They armored the crossing with some pretty hefty rocks that aren’t even visible so that should provide safe passage for many many years. Whenever there is rockwork to do, Wollmer is sent to do the job, because as they say, “Wollmer, he’s no pussy.”
Chet, “the Gray Ghost,” returned from his Pacific Crest Trail hike with an appetite that could not be sated. Seconds and even thirds was not enough for him. After hiking over 2000 miles with much of the trail snow-covered and still managing to walk 25 or more miles a day for months on end will leave a man hungry. He pulled off a day of 40 miles and a 3-day stretch of 100 miles, just because he thought it would be a good goal (how does that compare to your goals?). Chet retired and decided to do some hiking so he did the Appalachian Trail one year, then the Ice Age Trail, followed by the Arizona and Colorado Trails and finally this year with the PCT. That’s about 7000 miles 4 years! If he isn’t superman, I don’t know who is.
Bro, Jerry, Rich, the Gray Ghost and others were pounding out great tread just around the corner from Wollmer’s crew. They may have a few years on some of us young whippersnappers but they’ll out-build most crews any day. Volunteers worked throughout the rain and drizzle that accompanied Thursday and completed some of the hardest sections of the project. Along with the steep cross slope, everyone had to deal with the mat of garlic mustard that covered the ground. There wasn’t a lot you could do because it was so pervasive, but we did our best to limit the spread by piling the top few inches of duff in marked areas so people later can come out and take care of the invasive. As the crews made it back to the greeter station, Bob, who was our welcome committee, said there was something weird going on over the radios. We listened and heard “Matt to Matt’s radio. Radio check 1-2, radio check. Matt to Matt’s radio.” What is that we wondered? Oh yeah, Matt had lost his radio at the beginning of the day was out in the woods looking for it by using a different radio to call his. Turns out he lost the radio on the way from the food tent to the port-a-potties at camp in the morning…
This picture was followed by a conversation on prostitutes in famous paintings...
Back at camp, Randy, wearing his “Dance with grace” shirt (grace, or dance for the that matter, is not a word that comes to mind when thinking about Randy), was feverishly working with his support crew to prepare the best burrito spread ever at a MSC event. We had 3 kinds of meat!! The veggie eaters had quite the spread even without that delicious meat. For dessert, Randy made his famous Dandy Randy’s Grandes with fried tortillas, topped with apples and whipped cream. He keeps getting better at making it so we can only imagine how good they will be next year.
Dandy Randy's Grandes (you have to mispronounce it and a gringo twang)
We were joined by a group of newbies from George Williams College. They told me the college was in Williams Bay, which I took for being somewhere on the East Coast. Turns out that’s on Lake Geneva, I was way off! They huddled around the campfire as Randy peddled his usual songs and newbie Tony started singing along. Uh-oh, it’s never good when someone encourages Randy when he has the guitar. We made it through OK and I found out a few of them were going to the Boundary Waters in a couple weeks so I yogied my way into going on the trip! I’m great a mooching.
“I used to teach that” – Evelyn “How to be a prostitute?” – Chris
“Are you living in Sin?” – Ruth
“He’s amaaazing” – Jennifer talking about Randy
“Randy, you could be hired out as a scent bag” – Wordsmith unkown
“I like Oompa Loompa’s” – Leah
“I spent a lot of my life in a corn field” – Jo(Ellarson)
“Jason’s our secret weapon” – Jennifer
“We had a little fling up there” - Undercut
“You just brought up debotulism squared” – Pete (Is there really a proper context for this quote?)
“Oh, I don’t have standards” - Jaime
“How do you know that?” - Sharon “I talk to people” – Undercut
Friday was a blustery day, and not just because I do more talking than working. Winds whipped through open areas like crews whipped through the Montrose tread. Professor Englund and Matt were on the far north end, leaving me as the ranking technical advisor with the rest of the crews. In a span of 30 minutes I was demoted from grip hoist crew, to post hole crew, to Matt’s crew to TA (I guess they figured I could do the least damage as the TA). Let’s just say the finest tread of the project was completed during that time in spite of my presence. Wanda was being Wanda and team Jo-Jo was attacking their section. Jo(elle) was the crew leader with Jo(Ellarson) as the ACL making for a heckuva 1-2 punch. Jerry and Allan were leading crews and doing excellent work like always (I like some of the newer folks like Jerry and Allan because they haven’t lost all respect for me yet). On top of the hill Bro, Rich and “I still volunteer harder than I work” Jason were completing the connection to the North. Crews touched things up on the north end and by the afternoon, most everyone had moved to the south project area. The two sections are separated by a 50-foot wide by quarter mile long corridor through a farm field. With over 100 people slated to hit the trail on Saturday, things were looking good for completing the project goals.
Chris adding the final touches to a blaze
I left early to head back to camp and help Randy work the grills. Burgers and hot dogs were on the menu! I brought two of my grills and another was rounded up from the local chapter to help grill all that food. We set it up so we didn’t even have to stand up to grill, all the grilling could be done from the comfort of a picnic table (I’m not sure if that was being smart or lazy). The nice thing about helping grill is being able to enjoy a cold beverage before all the people in the field can, and boy, they were flowing well. Katie was debating whether to stay for dinner or head out, but when she found out there would be sauerkraut, she had to stay. Folks worked their way through the line and those that were smart, brought their burgers back over to the grill so I could melt the cheese and toast the bun. A burger just tastes better with melted cheese and a toasted bun. We also celebrated Groovy Struve's birthday. Happy Birthday!
Rumors abounded about a free keg that was arriving at some point. Someone had contacted the Grumpy Troll Brewpub in Mount Horeb about providing a keg to slake the thirst of the hard-working Ice Age Trail volunteers and they obliged! The keg wasn’t going to arrive until Saturday night meaning there was a good chance we wouldn’t finish it (Most of the volunteers are a few years out of college and their drinking prowess has diminished over time). This was not acceptable so Brad got on the horn and changed the pickup date to Friday and B-Funk offered to drive and pick it up. B-Funk made the run and brought back a half-barrel of their nut brown, which everyone soon was enjoying. Brad and B-Funk were two unsung heroes of the Montrose project for working behind the scenes and taking a little initiative to make sure the volunteers stayed happy and hydrated.
Around the campfire, Haslet appeared with a horn filled with homemade mead. It wasn’t ordinary dry mead, but one flavored with golden raspberries. It was passed around the circle and everyone exclaimed how tasty it was. I became a little hoggish with the mead (I have a history of drinking out of a horn) and drank more than my share.
“So Mike, how strong is the mead?”
“About 17% alcohol.”
Holy cow, that stuff is dangerous. It tastes waaaaay too good to be that high in alcohol. In other news, I think I need to start making mead. Randy had his guitar going and everyone was in a good mood so he decided to play the song “Last Kiss.” Nothing keeps a crowd happy like a song about losing a loved one in a car crash…
Saturday began with a Randy special, tardy breakfast (turns out, tardy food tastes just as good as food on time). Everyone had their fill and still had time to get ready so it wasn’t too big a deal (it meant that I was up before breakfast started). We convened on Butts Rd where we finally got an idea of how many people there were. 100+ people is a lot! Circling up was not an option; we had to make concentric rings because a circle would’ve been a few hundred feet across. REI had a booth set up where volunteers could enter a raffle for shirts, backpacks and other things. Pete took the lead getting things going by using lines like “Brandly new trail” (I think if we create new trail, that gives us the right to create new words). Crews were split up and headed out to the tool trailer. To get there, everyone had the pleasure of hiking on trail that had been beautifully constructed the previous two days.
Most of the effort focused on building trail on the west-facing hill, but a few crews headed to the southern/eastern end where the new trail meets up with a troad in the Brooklyn Wildlife Area. I was sent to work with the crews on the south end and tried throwing a wrench into things before anyone got started. There was some conflicting information on where the crews were starting, but we got it straightened out and work got going. Allan and his crew were tackling the last 100 feet to the troad, Ceci had her crew of newbies in the next section and Groovy Struve was leading the charge next to her.
These sections weren’t planned on being completed until next spring so there were no construction notes, but the super crew leaders didn’t bat an eye and forged ahead. Allan had a weird dip with a bunch of rocks piled up but we found an attractive way to get the trail through. At one point Ceci came over and asked if was a little drunk the previous night. Well, free beer, Haslet’s mead and brandy will do that to a guy (I’d like to point out that I felt great Saturday morning)! Ceci was lucky enough to have the indomitable Sharon Jingle Bells on her crew. If there is a person with whom you can waste spend a lot of time talking about trails, Sharon it is. Work continued and I thought we’d get ‘er down by the end of the day. Pete sent over Cowboy’s crew in the afternoon to help us finish our 700-foot section, but we ran out of time before the tread could be completed. It would have to wait until Sunday.
At lunch, REI drew the names for the free garb and suspiciously Matt was picked first who in turn picked Jason. Jason is the last person who needs something free from REI. He has one of those posh state jobs where he just rakes in the money and benefits and lives high on the hog. Other than Jason, MSCers love free stuff, especially sweet shirts as shown by the many people who are still wearing shirts that REI had given out at previous projects. With the new swag in tow, crews set out to finish off the tread started in the morning.
The word went out for everyone to head in at 3:30. The crews by me had a half hour walk back to the tool trailer, followed by another 15-minute walk back to the cars. It wasn’t the most convenient project area, but a little walking never hurt anyone. I hung back to be the sweeper and make sure we didn’t leave anybody or tools in the field (the tools being the most important of course). As the few stragglers made their way back, we ran into Rich and his cohort still pounding away at a posthole in the middle of the Blaser prairie. He said that was the last one left and there’s no point in leaving it for the morning so they were going to finish the job. The first couple feet were easy, but then they hit sandstone bedrock. With enough pounding and time, you could get down a bit more and call it “close enough” (how often is Rich the last one still working?). When the dust settled, the last people in the field headed back in the beautiful October weather.
We ran out of campfire wood Friday night so Pete fired up the chainsaw back at camp and hacked away a dead oak and cherry. Cowboy showed Harmonica Rob how to split the wood and the pile soon grew. We weren’t going to run out of wood Saturday! REI brought out the big guns or at least checks and presented the Ice Age Trail Alliance with a check for $15,000 (I kept thinking of Happy Gilmore when I saw the oversized check)! REI donates a percentage of their profits to non-profit organizations every year; especially volunteer groups and they chose the Ice Age Trail Alliance this year. That check will help the Mobile Skills Crew keep the dream of completing the Ice Age Trail going.
Dinner was spaghetti and meatballs, but the meal was just a start to the festivities. Randy had everyone gather in the dining tent for a special announcement, begrudgingly Cowboy and I obliged. He came out balancing a huge cake on his head, which he would’ve dropped if it weren’t for the fortunate placement of Leah’s head. Crisis averted, the shivaree started! If you are unfamiliar with a shivaree (I think Randy was the only person who has ever heard of such a thing), it is a loud and calamitous surprise at a newlywed’s house, usually with pots and pans. While it was neither loud nor calamitous, we surprised Cowboy and Jennifer with a cake! They were married last December, but neglected to tell anyone so Randy thought he’d let the secret out. By the way Jennifer acted, I think she was relieved to get it out in the open. They officially met when they worked on the same crew at the Straight Lake MSC project in 2009. They are another example of Trail Love, which has spread through the MSC ranks from time to time (We have at least one other pair of love birds who’ve met on the trail in the last year). The cake was ornately sweet with a yellow-blazed trail on it. On further inspection we noticed whoever signed the trail did a poor job and needed to brush back the corridor a bit too. Trails are pretty tasty when lathered in frosting.
With merriment in the air, we recapped the 2011 MSC events. A lot of great memories were had over the year and new friends were found. Perhaps I’ll get around to doing a recap of the entire season in a blog post if people are interested. Sensing the time was right, Jo(elle) scrambled to her car and retrieved the pink pick (newly fashioned with Godzilla stickers!) she had “won” at the Janesville project and bestowed it upon a new recipient. This person had been at a rigging training a few weeks earlier where he learned from an expert that you could grub stumps using a griphoist and the right safety equipment. It was an easy way for two people to remove the stumps without a lot of work. Wanting to test this out, this person improvised the expert’s advice and used a come along instead. Needless to say, a broken handle ensued. For using a tool the wrong way and breaking it, Professor Englund was honored with the Pink Pick. I’m sure he can’t wait to give it to me for the slightest imperfection in a tool I use (then again, I’d actually have to use a tool to break it). Once the correct equipment was used to pull the stumps, it worked like a charm.
The highlight of the evening came next as Jo(elle)’s dad Perry entertained us with his guitar and folk music. He is a member of the folk band The Buzzards and did not disappoint. It’s a pleasure watching and listening to someone who can really play an instrument. He played for a while before coaxing Jo to set down her beer long enough to come up and join him. They played a few Dylan tunes with Jo’s sweet voice serenading the crowd. Jo called up Ceci to help her sing the classic “Wagon Wheel.” The cool confidence of Jo and Ceci led the crowd through the verses and even got a few people singing along by the end. It is always wonderful seeing the hidden talents of the volunteers. Maybe we’ll get them up there again to sing a few songs!
The ladies and Jo’s dad gave way to Harmonica Rob on the microphone. Harmonica Rob had randomly found out about the project and thought it sounded like a good time. He showed up and was instantly brought into the family. Trail building was new to him, but he wanted to learn more and more. “Hey Rob, want to learn how to grub out a stump? How about how to do 4-step? How about a retaining wall?” His answer was always “yes”. His eagerness to expand his horizons was refreshing to some of us old hands. His performance with the harmonica Saturday night was one for the ages. It was the most intense and from the heart playing I’ve seen. The harmonica fits with the blues because to really play it and mean it you have to have some intense life experiences. Harmonica Rob blew us away. He played with a ferociousness that only comes from someone who truly means what they’re playing. Let’s hope he wanders back to an MSC event again.
A fickle light rain began to spurt off and on as the tent entertainment came to a close. The folks around the campfire drifted away to their tents as the usual suspects took their place stoking the fire and having a few barley pops. We tossed the chimney log on for a while and then decided it would be a great idea to place a jack-o-lantern on top of the log (We really do have some brilliant ideas). We’ve had some classic fires over the years, but I don’t think we’ve ever combined a chimney log with burning a carved pumpkin. We really are on the cutting edge of campfires. With Halloween around the corner, it was fitting that the Gray Ghost led the charge burning the pumpkins. His zeal to burn those pumpkins was quite astounding. While all the pumpkin shenanigans were going on, in the distance there was some weird Spanish radio providing an odd soundtrack. The music remains a mystery, but it sounded like whoever was listening to it was having a great time. The night continued as I succumbed to sleep while in my chair. Leah kept using a stick like a cattle prod to wake me up. I finally called it quits after midnight and left everyone to their own devices.
Sunday rose like a sunflower after a light rain, turning to catch those early morning rays. Two tread crews were sent out to finesse a few areas and fine-tune the trail. That’s pretty amazing when you look at how much 4-step needed to be built and through some intimidating terrain. It’s a testament to the hunger of the volunteers to get out there and get some work done and to the crew leaders for shepherding those volunteers to build trail commiserate of the National Scenic Trail name. Those not in the field helped Randy tear down camp for the last time this year. It’s bittersweet as the tent comes down knowing that it won’t be going back up until next year, but on the other hand, you can look back at all the places its been over the last 6 months and remember all the good times. From Trail Layout and Design in April to Grandfather Falls in July to Montrose in October and everywhere in between. The new tent was a great addition this year and she will be back next year protecting us from the wind and the rain.
I chose to neither work nor break camp so I walked the entire project area and bugged those trying to work while taking their picture. A lot of talking ensued (that seems to happen a lot to me). Lonsdorf pitched his idea for an Ice Age Trail hiking program consisting of multi-day guided hikes around the state. This would not be free, but people could do longer sections of the trail without having to worry about food or shelter because this would all be planned out ahead of time. I liked the idea because it’s how you are supposed to enjoy the trail - by hiking it, not building it. A lot of people enjoy the building and physical labor, but more people would rather just hike so let’s help them out! Later Sunday morning, I ran into Sharon Jingle Bells who pitched her idea for a book written by IAT hikers. Different people would each do a chapter so the burden of a book would not fall on one person, like an IAT anthology. I liked that idea too! Two good ideas by IAT volunteers in one morning? That must be a record. I bumped into Chet at the Wren in Luck the following weekend and he pitched me the same idea Jingle Bells had, claiming it as his own. I told him I had heard that same idea at Montrose with him standing next to me. He laughed after realizing Jingle Bells had told us that last week. It’s still a good idea no matter who came up with it!
