Plover River June 21-26

Plover River June 21-26, a set on Flickr.

A smattering of pictures from the Plover River project, including the highly anticipated pictures of what a campfire looks like through an empty PBR bottle!

Ice Age Trail University Recap

Jason S. "Grizzly" - Contributing Writer

“Weather Or Not” became the class of 2011’s mantra, as Mother Nature dealt them some wet and sloppy wildcards this past weekend.

The class began Wednesday night with introductions of the 9 crew leaders in training, a training overview and some activities that included working as a team, and how to actively listen -or something like that, I wasn’t really paying attentionJ A few training manuals were handed out and gave the class some nice light reading material as the storm would send them seeking their shelters early.

Thursday the class was ready to go as the rain would arrive a few minutes before field time. It poured, yet they stood there attentively listening to Tim and Mike CUSS the tools. They discussed the proper ways to Carry Use Store and the overall Safety of each trail building tool. A classic Tim “walk and talk” followed where trail anatomy features were looked at and discussed in sections built last year. The class got to work as a team and help another crew move some huge boulders with the Feldman. No not bizzaro Kramer but a special tool that makes carrying boulders less burdensome. They did an awesome job rockin in the tread world. Classic 4 step was taught, demonstrated and practiced during the afternoon. After dinner, the class had safety and risk management training, where they learned some "don’t try this on the trail" techniques, as well as education and awareness of how to safely work with crews.

Friday brought more field training, a review of cussing the tools, basic trail construction - some good ol’ sweaty workin’ on rocks, stumps, roots and tread. The afternoon consisted of American Red Cross First Aid and CPR training certification. The class grew larger as 27 volunteers would be recertified in the refresher course.

Saturday’s trainings included FISTA chainsaw safety certification for some and the care and feeding of volunteer crews for others, and a birthday party for all. Thanks again everyone.

By Sunday, the class of crew leaders in training had gained crew leading knowledge, as well as a variety of technical trail building skills, First Aid/ CPR certification and chainsaw safety certification. The class practiced what they had learned by acting out leadership scenarios. They proved they were ready to get out there and use their leadership skills -WEATHER OR NOT!

Plover River Preview

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!

Straight Lake June 1-5

Straight Lake is becoming an old friend for Ice Age Trail Alliance (IATA) Mobile Skills Crew (MSC) volunteers. We’ve seen her in 4 different months, each one showing a different side. This time we were graced with an early summer date that felt like late spring (although the temperatures were a bit warm during the day). The trilliums were less than a week past peak, but the ticks picked up the slack and treated us to a strong showing. The Straight Lake finale entailed finishing up a few hundred yards of tread on a newly acquired parcel out to CTH I, constructing 200 feet of boardwalk in the tunnel channel, moving a boardwalk 20 feet and finalizing signage through the entire segment. We wrapped up the project late Saturday afternoon and celebrated with a few cold beverages (after conducting a covert mission to steal the beer cooler from the back of a truck).

Sitting at camp Saturday night, I realized that I was missing a great sunset so I literally sprinted to the dam. That was the most I’ve run in a long time, but it was worth it. The owls were hooting from one side and the loons would volley back from the other. This eternal game of tennis will go on as long as we don’t spoil the landscape.

The night ended as the first project had begun 2 years ago – with a night hike. No flashlights were allowed, but the well-built and designed trail guided our feet in the dark of the night (all right, there may have been a few stumbles and wrong turns). Under a blanket of stars, the faint glow of the distant campfire and the luminiferous fungus covering the ground was the only light we had. As the group was ready to turn back at the Nexus, Randy and I forged ahead, making it all the way to CTH I. Realizing we had a long way back through the woods, we decided it would be easiest to head back along the road. We made it back as the last campfire stragglers were heading back to their tents.

Sunday was a treat for an MSC project. The workers kept the tools in the trailers and hiked through one of the best (in my opinion, the best) segments on the entire Ice Age Trail – the Straight Lake Segment. The boardwalks, rockwork and top-notch tread make for en experience many will not soon forget.

The highlight of weekend came when we gathered Saturday evening to give our “snapshot” of Straight Lake. If all your memories of Straight Lake were pictures on a table, what would be the one snapshot you take away? People talked about the amazing transformation that the trail AND the volunteers have undergone in the past few years. It was sentimental at times (and rightly so) yet the overwhelming feeling was that of laughter. The fact that people can volunteer all day in the hot sun with no pay and then fill their stomachs and laugh the evening away is a sight to behold. We may be crazy among the common folk, but here we are normal.

Straight Lake June 1-5 2011

Straight Lake June 1-5 2011, a set on Flickr.

Pictures from Straight Lake