1st Quarter Newsletter 2008
(Larry Pio, Editor)

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CHAPTER MEETINGS
    Meetings are at 7:00 PM at the Barry Township Hall on Orchard Street in Delton the second Wednesday of each month, and are open to the public.
    Meetings through the First Quarter of 2008 are January 9, February 13, and March 12.

REMINDER: For the latest information, especially toward the end of the quarter, please visit our Web site for updates -- especially the Trail Log and the Events Calendar.

Upcoming Events

January 12:  Linear Park Hike in Battle Creek:  Your New Year’s resolution is calling.  Our January hike will be from the eastern portion of the Linear Park on our Trail, heading to downtown Battle Creek.  We will meet downtown at 9:30 AM next to the former Cereal City parking lot on W. Jackson and S. Washington streets, and carpool from there to the start of the hike.  Lunch in the city after the hike is anticipated.  -- From Hastings, go south on M-37 into Battle Creek and turn east on Michigan Avenue (aka M89) to S. Washington Street and go a block or two to the south and turn left into the parking lot.  -- From I-94 take the I-194 penetrator (exit 98 North) to Dickman Road, go west to Washington Street, and go north a few blocks to just across the river and turn right into the parking lot.

The Chief Noonday Chapter welcomes any and all to join us for any of our meetings, hikes, or workday events.   For more information, please contact Larry Hawkins (269-945-5398) or see Web site for other contacts.

January 19: Trail Scouting Workday:  The January work day will somewhat resemble a hike, as we will be scouting a section of trail in the Middleville State Game Area, near Harris Creek Road.  We will meet for breakfast at the Hastings Big Boy at 1105 W State St at 8:00 AM, and proceed to the Harris Creek Road area at about 9:00 AM.  -- To get to Harris Creek Road, go north out of Middleville about 3 miles to Parmalee Road, then head east approximately another 3 miles to get to Harris Creek Road, on the north side of Parmalee.

February 9:  Deep Lake Trail Hike in Yankee Springs Recreation Area:  Our February hike will be in the Yankee Springs Recreation Area, doing a loop hike from the Deep Lake Campground located on South Yankee Springs Road.  We will meet for breakfast at the Hastings Big Boy at 1105 W State St at 8:00 AM, and meet at Deep Lake Campground at 9:30 AM.  -- From Hastings, follow M-37 to the west edge of town, and then continue straight east on M-179 for about 8 miles to S. Yankee Springs Road.  Turn south on S. Yankee Springs Road, continuing for about 1.5 miles to the Deep Lake Campground entrance on the west side of the road.

February 16:  Kiosk Repair Workday:  We will be spending our February workday repairing damage caused by small arms fire to our kiosks in the State Game Areas, and doing other repairs and updating as necessary.  We will meet for breakfast at the Hastings Big Boy at 1105 W State St at 8:00 AM and depart from there to the locations where work is needed.

March 8:  Trailer Maintenance Workday:  Our March workday will be used to prepare the trailer and our equipment for the upcoming trail maintenance season.  We will meet for breakfast at the Hastings Big Boy at 1105 W State St at 8:00 AM, and depart from there to Steve Hick’s garage for the workday.

March 13:  Hike the Sassafras Trail and Chief Noonday Trail of the Yankee Springs Recreation Area:  The Yankee Springs Recreation Area has several trails, including portions that host the North Country Trail. This hike will check out some other sections of the YSRA.  We will meet for breakfast at the Hastings Big Boy at 1105 W State St at 8:00 AM, and meet at the Long Lake Trailhead on Briggs Road at about 9:30 AM.  -- To get to the trailhead, go west from the Big Boy on M-37 about 2 miles, then continue west on M-179 (via M-43) another 9 miles to Briggs Road.  Turn south on Briggs Road about 0.5 miles to the Long Lake Trailhead.

Chief Noonday Hike Schedule for 2008-9

Our Hiking Committee of Joe Higdon and Charles Krammin has been busy setting up this lineup of hikes for 2008, and now into 2009. To help your planning:
●  4/19/08:  Warner & Otis Sanctuaries; Barry County
●  5/17/08:  Maher Audubon and Dolan Trails; Barry County
●  6/7/08:  Fort Custer National Cemetery; NCNST trail in Kalamazoo County
●  7/12/08:  Gun Lake Tract; Barry County
●  8/9/08:  Tyden Park, Charlton Park; Barry County
●  9/13/08:  North Country National Scenic Trail M-179 to Hall Lake; Barry County
●  10/18/08:  Moonlight hike MSU Forest to Hutchinson parking lot; Kalamazoo County
●  11/2008:  Portage Creek Bicentennial Park Trail; Portage, Kalamazoo County
●  12/6/2008:  Allegan State Game Area; Allegan County
●  1/17/09:  Saugatuck Dunes; Allegan County (Think of the frozen Lake Michigan landscape!!)

NCTA Annual Conference August 7–11, 2008 in Cazenovia, NY

North Country Trail Hikes and Events in First Quarter 2008

Just to remind everyone of other hikes and events available around the country on our Trail, periodically I will publish this web link and list the hikes available.  This is a good chance to hike a section of trail and then get a ride back to your car, plus see a section of the country you might not have visited before.

The Trailwide Calendar on the national Web site will give you contact information and data on future hikes and other events along the Trail in all seven of the states which it traverses.  Chief Noonday is among the many chapters whose events are listed on the calendar.

There are over 20 unique events listed for the 1st Quarter, with some events scheduled on multiple dates. Events in the next month include:

●   Multiple dates starting January 9:  Grand Traverse Hiking Club Chapter; snowshoe near Traverse City.
●   Multiple dates starting January 9:  NCNST hikers meet Wednesdays and Saturdays for work and hikes near Marquette
●  January 12:  Spirit of the Woods Chapter, hike, ski or snowshoe near Scottville
●  January 12:  Hiawatha Shore to Shore Chapter, snowshoe or ski near Moran
●  January 12:  Laurentian Lakes Chapter; Winter Trails Day, with all day XC skiing, dinner near Callaway, MN
●  January 12:  Lonetree Chapter; Winter Trails Day with XC skiing, snowshoe workshops, gear demo, winter wildlife guided hike; near Harvey, ND
●  January 13:  Grand Traverse Hiking Club Chapter, snowshoe NCT section Valley of the Giants, near Traverse City
●  January 15:  Grand Traverse Hiking Club Chapter; near Traverse City, June Thaden is presenting “789 Miles on the Appalachian Trail”
●  February 8-10:  Adventure Summit Expo near Dayton, OH
●  February 9-10:  At the Adventure Summit Expo, near Dayton, OH, Joan Young is presenting “High Hopes Wearing Sweaty Socks”
●  February 9:  ADK Onondaga; hike / snowshoe Highland Forest of the Finger Lakes Trail (NCT) near Fabius, NY
●  February 9:  Spirit of the Woods Chapter, ski and snowshoe near Manistee, MI
●  February 9:  Hiawatha Shore to Shore Chapter, ski and snowshoe near Rudyard, MI
●  February 10:  Grand Traverse Hiking Club Chapter, snowshoe NCT section along north section of the Boardman, near Traverse City

Volksmarch Middleville Hike Schedule for 2008:  The Middleville Official Volkssport Event Site has announced two hike dates in 2008: May 3 and October 4.  More information later on these hikes.  The last Volksmarch event had 43 participants.

The following are brief recaps of the detailed reports Mick Hawkins has included in the Trail Log page on Chief Noonday's Web site.  Mick has included pictures with his reports for your enjoyment:

Albion River Trail Ribbon Cutting:  Mick Hawkins, Ron Sootsman, and John Rudnicki (John and Ron are pictured at right) attended the ribbon cutting of the new Albion River Trail on October 5.  This is a 1.6 mile paved section from Victory Park to Harris Field.

Workday #3 on the John Gay Property:  The workday on November 3 was our third date for upgrading the trail on the John Gay property north of Prairieville.  John Denis, Britany Loreng, Sarah Tanis, Larry Hawkins, Mick Hawkins, Steve Hicks, Charles Krammin, Fred Miller, and George Lee, along with Rod Brownell, Stephanie Curtice, and four Scouts from Delton’s Troop 50 all participated.  Thank you to all of you for your efforts.

Our thanks to Joe Higdon and Charles Krammin for leading the hikes at the Lost Nations State Game Area, the Pierce Cedar Creek, and the Battle Creek Linear Park in the 4th Quarter.

PLEASE report your volunteer hours on a quarterly basis, either by mail, or by filling out the form on the NCTA web site.   Or you can report them to Larry Hawkins, and he can submit a group report to headquarters.
 

Joining the North Country Trail Association:  Interested in joining the North Country Trail Association?  The easiest way is to go to the national Web site and do it online.  Memberships start at $10 for students, and are $30 for a regular membership.  Your support is appreciated.

Newsletter available on-line!  
    You can view the .pdf file for the Newsletter in the Adobe Acrobat Reader by clicking on the link above under the title of this page, and you can even save it on your hard drive.  Or you can receive the .pdf file by e-mail if you e-mail Larry Pio at nalcoman1@aol.com.