"A good day's work" actually mis-states the reality, because a lot of work had to be done before we got to this good day.

First, Jeff Fleming had to go out on the Trail, visit an old Trail log box we already had mounted on one of our trail kiosks, take notes, and collect dimensions.  Then back home Jeff drew up a plan and specs for a new box based on the old one.

Next, Steve Hicks took the plan, got the materials, constructed a prototype at home, worked up a list of needed materials and cost estimates, and brought this all to the January chapter meeting.  The assembled elders of the chapter carefully scrutinized his work and declared it good — and wisely stuck ... er ... delegated Steve with the job of preparing for the workday.  Which was a good thing.  Because Steve clearly knew what he was doing.

Finally, Steve spent an immense amount of time, care and energy procuring the lumber and hardware, making adjustments required by a highly inopportune rise in the price of cedar planks, and then measuring and cutting all the pieces himself!  For ten boxes.  (If Mick counted right, that would be seven pieces to measure/cut per box.  You do the math.)

Jeff Fleming applies his router artistry.

And it came to pass on The Day that the faithful workers gathered for a bountiful breakfast at Shirley's Chuckwagon Cafe in Nashville — a new eatery for most of us.  Two new workers drew the prize (well, the praise) for the longest drive: Jeff Leigh, who came all the way from Lake Orion in Oakland County, and Kevin Green who came from St. Clair Shores.

We won't go into detail about a ... mishap at breakfast that sure caught Steve by surprise.  (Well, for a small fee we might....)

Jason gets an extra star for leaving breakfast early to make a hardware run to Hastings.

We then wended our way in the snow to Saddlebag Lake and Steve's workshop.  Steve gave out marching orders and provided a completed model for study, and everybody got to work.  Mick provided press coverage and medical back-up ... and otherwise stayed out of the way.  (Larry Pio got a video of Mick taking pictures of Larry Pio getting a video of Mick ....)

Everybody else did the real work, skillfully measuring, marking, drilling, sawing, pounding nails and driving screws under Steve's supervision. 

With a router Jeff traced "Trail Log" on every box, perhaps in the hope that local furry or feathered denizens would not mistake the boxes for potential places of residence. 

Steve used a draw knife in some cases to tweak the doors for proper fit.

And three hours or so later, the fruits of their labor were a wonder to behold.  The only remaining task would be to mount metal National Park Service NCNST Triangle Emblems on the boxes once we obtain them.

The plan is to install the boxes on the Trail kiosks as part of the February 19th workday kiosk refurbishment project.

Scads of pictures were taken today.  See our Photos page. 

Thanks again to all who took part in today's work — especially to Steve and Jeff for making it possible.

2011 Winter Hike II:   Last month's hike in the Rogue River State Game Area proved to be just a warm-up for the one we had today in Battle Creek.  During the past week, Nature had provided all the necessary trimmings, dumping a foot or more of snow over the region, then arranging for some blowing and drifting in the aftermath.  So there was plenty of white stuff to go around.

Fourteen -- count 'em, fourteen hungry people showed up for breakfast at our usual haunt, Duda's Pizzeria in Augusta.  The group included some familiar faces and some relatively new ones.  Veteran Chief Noonday members were the Brothers Hawkins, Larry and Mick, Hike Committee leader Bob Sulaski, local host Jeff Fleming, Larry Pio, Mike Wilkey, Eric Longman, and Mary Rebert. 

Sweepers for the hike were Bob Sulaski, Mike Wilkey, and Mary Rebert.

We were glad to be joined by Mary Rebert's friend Jane Norton, Mike Wilkey's nephew Michael Nofs with wife Julie and children, and John Merry, who made it all the way up from Goshen, Indiana.  All are members of Chief Noonday Chapter.  John had hiked with us last year at Jackson and almost made it up for the Rogue River hike last month but got snowed in on the morning of.  He had better luck this time.

After enjoying the conviviality and the hearty meal, eight of the group set out for the hike — Bob, Jeff, Larry Pio, Mike Wilkey, John, Eric, Mary and Jane.  First they convoyed to a couple of destination points, one on River Road near Bedford and the other across from the old Cereal City, and spotted vehicles.  Then eventually everybody got together on Brady Road and set out on the Linear Park/NCNST.

Jeff and John elected to snowshoe.  Mick wished he had.  The rest did it with hiking boots and a few trekking poles.  There had been some previous traffic on the pathway, but the snow was far from packed down, so it wasn't exactly easy walking, and it wasn't long before some of us at least were feeling sensations in muscles we weren't exactly used to using on hikes.

Kodak moment near Bedford Road:  (l-r) Larry Pio, Eric Longman, John Merry, Robert Sulaski, Jeff Fleming, Mick Hawkins, Jane Norton, and Mike Wilkey.  (Photo by Mary Rebert)

Mick Hawkins   
Webmaster, Chief Noonday Chapter  
 

Larry Hawkins shares his enthusiasm for the Trail with a couple of the numerous interested visitors who stopped by to chat.

The North Country Trail Association had a big presence at the Quiet Water Symposium, with booths staffed not only by Chief Noonday Chapter but also Hiawatha Shore-to-Shore Chapter from the Upper Peninsula and the Tittabawassee Chapter from northern Lower Michigan.

This was Chief Noonday's second year joining Hiawatha and Tittabawassee for this event.  Our experience last year had been so worthwhile that we promptly made the decision to center our outreach efforts on this event as an annual effort.  And despite the really lousy weather on March 6, our experience this year seemed even better. 

Eric Longman tries to cover up the fact that he's wearing ... somebody else's name tag...

So many visitors, typically people very interested in quiet, non-motorized outdoor recreation, stopped to look over our materials and displays, talk with us, ask questions, and purchase our North Country National Scenic Trail hiking maps provided by the NCTA Trail Shop, that we hardly got a chance to take advantage of the chairs that had been provided for us.

Chief Noonday members on hand to work at our booth were Larry and Mick Hawkins, Steve Hicks, Eric Longman, Jason Buckner, Larry Pio, and Cal and Jean Lamoreaux.  Other Chief Noonday members who stopped by to say hello included Tom Funke and Bob and Sarah Cooley.

Cal and Jean also represented Chief Noonday's partner organization, the Thornapple Trail Association.  The TTA shared our booth with displays and literature, particularly promoting the TTA's "First Annual" Thornapple Woodpecker Festival coming up at Middleville on April 29-30.  It will be on the Paul Henry-Thornapple Trail which the North Country Trail shares along the Thornapple River south of Middleville.

Allen Deming of the Quiet Water Symposium Committee reports, "Neither freezing rain nor sleet nor snow kept enthusiasts from attending the 16th Annual Quiet Water Symposium. Folks from as far away as South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont and Canada joined hardy Great Lakes natives to make the event one of our most successful ever."

The winter hikers in Yankee Springs were (from left) Ron Sootsman, Marcia Mellen, Andy Leonard, Linda Wilkey, Bob Sulaski, Mike Wilkey, and Jeff Fleming — plus Larry Pio who took this picture near the junction of the "new" Yankee Springs re-route and the old DNR horse trail which the re-route replaced.

While all of this was going on in East Lansing, some of Chief Noonday's hardy hikers gathered for a winter-ish morning hike in the Yankee Springs Recreation Area. 

After breakfast in Middleville at The Big Easy, the group spotted vehicles near the Chief Noonday DNR Trail parking area on M-179, then hiked there from the Yankee Bill's NCNST trailhead on the west side of Norris Road.

They hiked the North Country Trail up to the junction with the Chief Noonday Trail south of McDonald Lake, then continued on the Chief Noonday Trail to the trailhead at M-179, which, given the weather and conditions on the ground, had been deemed more accessible than the NCT trailhead at McDonald Lake.  Larry calculates that they hiked a total of about 4.7 miles in the snow.

Participants in the hike were Ron Sootsman, Marcia Mellen, Andy Leonard, Linda and Mike Wilkey, Bob Sulaski, Jeff Fleming, and Larry Pio.  Bob and Larry had organized the hike.  Marcia is Chief Noonday's Trail Adopter for the section between Norris Road and Hall Lake.

Kudos to all who participated in our Chapter's busy day and helped make it a big success — with a special salute to Larry Pio who made it to both events.

Mick Hawkins   
Webmaster, Chief Noonday Chapter