An Outdoorsman's Journal

   The Ice Age Trail/Trail Builders

Hello friends,

   I have backpacked at least 3,000 miles in my day but know very little about building trail "tread.” This week and next I will be writing to you about four days of grueling work, learning experiences and new friends that I made while volunteering to build a segment of the Ice Age Trail in the Antigo Heights section in Langlade County. If I have ever felt that a website is worth checking out, please look at this one, www.iceagetrail.org.
   I am going to do my best to help educate my friends on trail building, on the people and what it takes to make this process happen in the space that I have.
   The eastern section of the trail begins at Potawatomi State Park and the western edge is at Interstate Park on the St Croix River.
   About 712 miles of this 1190 trail are complete and the rest is road hikes of various sorts

   Wednesday, July 8th
   High 78, low 51

   Up to 70 of us and sometimes as few as 40 would be calling Langlade Counties "Camp Susan" home at times between Tuesday and Sunday. Camp Susan was originally a logging camp and then a 4H camp and now is used for outdoor education and can be rented for a host of potential reasons, this piece of heaven is located on 1000 acres, and looks much like it did in the 1940’s.
   Most of us would tent camp, some stayed in their cars, others in the bunkhouses and a few in campers. In the morning we would enjoy a light breakfast that was put out in the lodge and in the evening, there would be an excellent meal, and most people enjoyed a beer and good conversation.
   Our goal was to build 3,240 feet of white loop trail near Mueller Lake. A white loop is signaled by white markers on trees that signal a bonus trail that brings you back to where a hiker has parked, this is a really nice gift to locals and or day hikers from outside of the area.
   Patrick Gleissner is the Team Leader on this project and a full-time employee of The Ice Age Trail Alliance who calls Wausau home. I would observe this hard working and thinking man and also follow him on the trail at times and we had excellent conversations. Every club, factory and team needs a boss, Patrick does not always say what trail workers want to hear but everyone knows that he is right and it has to be said. My thoughts are that building "tread" is more a way of life than it is a job for this hardworking man.
   Today started out with what is called "Roundup," everyone gets in a circle, probably 35 people today and the days plan is given and that is followed by stretching exercises. Despite the fact that it is raining the mood is very positive!
   I would be assigned to Crew Leader Managers Mark (Tie-Die) Walker and Pam Bowe to Crew Leader Bill Rynos crew which totaled six people. Our task was to build 200 feet of trail using the following hand tools, and as I must stress, safety is a non-stop lesson, especially for a greenhorn like me.

   McLeod=heavy duty scraper rake!

   Pick Mattock=heavy pick/axe

   Pulaski=sharp axe

   Rogue Hoe= heavy, wide hoe with axe handle

   Loppers/knippers

   Five gallon buckets

   Transfer shovel and spade

   First aid kids and AED

   Lots of water

   The tread is planned to be 24 to 30 inches wide, has been flagged by someone like and probably was, Patrick Gleissner long before the volunteers arrived and that process is massive.
   I quickly learned that everyone works like an ant colony, you become very dirty, especially with the rain, and the comradery and pride is unsurpassed in anything that I have ever witnessed with an almost all volunteer crew.
   A example of trail building, the upper edge is called the backslope, where hikers will walk is the out sloped tread and the critical edge is the lower part of the trail.
   All small roots are removed. Stumps that are in the way, dead or alive are removed, or if it keeps that step of the trail even, hard soil, not mulch is added. Drainage and the most comfortable walk for hikers as in fewest tripping hazards and puddling and or erosion are dealt with.
   Leaves and soil are hauled with 5-gallon buckets 10 to 25 feet away and no piling is allowed, kind of like no trace camping.
   Crew leaders go through classes to obtain this position. Crew Leader Managers who work each day directly under the Team Leader go through very extensive training.
   I would observe Bill Ryno who was our crew leader today becoming a crew worker the next few days as the crew leaders change almost every day. Crew Leader Managers hold that position for the entire job, which in this case would be a 3-day job as we would finish a day early and then switch to another section.
   Humble, happy, dirty, giving, fun, intelligent is a pretty fair description of the people I would be honored to spend several days and nights with.
   Next week's column, to build a board walk and lots of trail!

   Sunset