An Outdoorsman's Journal

For the Love of the Trail

Hello friends,

   Like last week I am writing to you about my observations and some of the hard work that I took part in with up to 60 volunteers and a few of the paid staff from the Ice Age Trail Alliance. Folks I have to tell you, if you are a hard worker, like the outdoors and get along well with people, volunteering with The Ice Age Trail Alliance www.iceagetrail.org may be something that you would like to check out.
   The goal of everyone involved is to build trail, to finish this roughly 1200-miles of hiking and additional day walking trail that runs along the southern edge of the last glacier in Wisconsin.

   Thursday, July 9th
   High 83, low 55

   My crew boss for the next two days would be Theron Nash, who is 74-years young, calls Stevens Point home and like his brother Fred Nash from Ladysmith is about a billion percent dedicated to The Ice Age Trail Alliance.
   Our task with a crew that totaled six, there were 10 crews today, was to build a 52-foot boardwalk over a wetland that can have water in the spring and during heavy rains. First everyone went through the morning "Roundup", which is stretching exercises, introductions and the days plan for each crew which some days numbered 10 and others as few as 5. It was during each mornings Roundup that I began to realize how absolutely efficient that the leaders are with coordinating volunteers from as far away as Hendersonville, NC. And are at each day’s end with completing the task of building trail in a safe and fun manner.
   To start our workday after Roundup, about 15 of us made two, 600-yard treks carrying lumber on our shoulders to the job site. We did not have all the lumber where we needed it and I would complete that task as I was the least experienced at building boardwalk and enjoyed the bullwork.
   Everything from screws to skill saws, hand tools and drills has to be hiked in, there has to be plenty of extra batteries and then the task of laying out the boardwalk with a string and level starts. Next, sections that are 8 feet long are built and then wetland pans are used which is basically a steel bed to place an 8-foot 4x4 into which in the end will support the boardwalk. Folks, can you say tear apart, rebuild and keep your happy face on? That my friends can be a part of volunteering on the Ice Age Trail.
   I would like to write about some of the volunteers and after 4 days and nights I had a lot of these people somewhat figured out. Jim Mooney is a pure gentleman from the Waukesha area who is 80, and was a prep cook at Champs American in Brookfield. I spoke with Jim every day and I noticed he was always working and proud of what he accomplished. The first thing Jim told me is "I don't know how much longer I will keep being able to do this" but his pride and enjoyment was always evident.
   Rich Bowerman is a middle school teacher from Hendersonville, NC who spends a lot of time on The Mountain to Sea Trail and is about retire. Rich is from Iowa and try's to spend a few days each summer as a trail volunteer on one of the generally six projects a season when he comes home to visit friends and family and also go to a Cubs game.
   Brenda Marquart has section hiked the entire trail and was an elementary school teacher at Kushing Elementary in Delafield. Brenda originates from Hayward and her family still has a cabin near Hayward. Brenda's smile and positive attitude and work ethic always made the day better no matter how much, muck and sweat you could accumulate.
   Our camp manager was Pam Smith Silk, Pam and her staff are responsible for feeding the troops twice a day and cleaning up afterwards and this is a massive job at our home at Langlade Counties, Camp Susan.
       Matthew Christians is a pastor at Hatley Lutheran Church and also I believe the Lutheran church in Wittenberg. Matthew took vacation to work with large hand tools and build trail. Matthew and I had a lot of excellent conversations and this man with a home full of family, worked hard and was very pleasant to be around.
        Last week I wrote about Patrick Gleissner a bit. Patrick was the boss on this job, laying out proposed trail and making sure the task is completed correctly. When you look at completed hiking trail, please think like the lead person has to in that trails creation, maximum views, enjoyment, safety and just as importantly drainage while working with an almost all volunteer crew.
      We built a loop trail and finished a section of the Ice Age Trail and I made a whole bunch of new friends!

  Sunset