There was considerable visitor interest in the North Country Trail Association chapter exhibits at the Quiet Water Symposium at Michigan State University.  Participating chapters were Hiawatha Shore to Shore (right foreground), Chief Noonday (center), and Tittabawassee (left background -- this side of the reflective NCNST Triangle Emblem sign).

Steve and Larry chat with one of the many visitors to Chief Noonday's table.

Quiet Water Symposium:  Larry and Mick Hawkins were pretty amazed at their first experience of the Quiet Water Symposium.  Steve Hicks may have been somewhat less amazed because he'd been there before as an avid fan of canoeing and canoe-building, which is a prominent and very visible interest at the Symposium.  It had been Steve's very worthwhile idea that we come to the Symposium this year.

The 15th annual QWS was held at Michigan State University on Saturday March 6th.  It was part of Michigan State's 95th Agriculture and Natural Resources Week, once called Farmer's Week.

This was Chief Noonday Chapter's first exhibit at the Quiet Water Symposium, but it certainly won't be the last.  Larry, Mick and Steve figured they'd probably talked to more interested and eager outdoors people in their first one-day gig at the Symposium than they'd talked to in five years of other outreach activities. 

We passed out a boatload (pun intended) of NCTA and NCNST literature as well as overview maps of Chief Noonday's tri-county Trail section (we hadn't brought nearly enough copies of the latter item with us).  Somebody even made off with Mick's insulated travel mug with the NCNST Triangle Emblem logo, although that had decidedly not been part of the plan!

It was fortunate that the three NCTA chapters were grouped together, which served to increase our visibility and impact with the visitors.  Hiawatha Shore to Shore Chapter from the Upper Peninsula, capably represented by Kay and Stan Kujawa, were old hands at exhibiting at the QWS, and we learned a lot from their set-up.  Chief Noonday Chapter had our literature table with show 'n tell items in the center, with Larry, Mick and Steve greeting and interacting with an almost steady flow of visitors.  And Tittabawassee Chapter's large display, complete with wilderness sound effects, rounded out the NCTA presence at the Symposium.

Larry signs sponsor cards for a couple of potential new chapter members.

Our neighboring Chief Baw Beese Chapter was not directly represented at the Symposium, but we did have a stack of their brochures on our table and we did our best to recruit some new members for Chief Baw Beese who happened to hail from that neck of the woods.

Among the many visitors to our table were a number of friends we already knew including Cal and Jean Lamoreaux, Tom Funke, Mary Armitage and her family, David ("Hikerdave") Goodman, and Jim Studt and family.  Dave and Jim are members of West Michigan Chapter.

The only somewhat frustrating aspect of the day was that there was so much to see and do that we didn't begin to have the time and opportunity to take it all in and still engage our interested visitors at the Chief Noonday table.  So inevitably we missed out on hearing presentations and demonstrations by such well known Michigan outdoor people as Cliff Jacobson, Doc Fletcher, and Eric Hansen, and learning more about such things as canoeing, kayaking, hiking, cooking, and performing wilderness first aid in Michigan's great outdoors. 

With any luck, next year we can assemble a larger group of Chief Noonday people for the occasion and divvy up our teaching and promotional mission on behalf of the chapter and the North Country National Scenic Trail.

Mick Hawkins
Webmaster - Chief Noonday Chapter

Winter hiking 2.0 — Slogging through the snow:  Only a small group braved the elements today for our scheduled hike on Battle Creek's Linear Park pathway.  Mick and Larry Hawkins, Steve Hicks and Ron Sootsman met at the Homespun Restaurant for a hearty pre-hike breakfast and planning session.

Initially, we'd planned a long loop starting from Cereal City up to KCC and then to Bailey Park and back on the NCNST to Cereal City — and the Arcadia Brewery.  Once we got on the way, it became abundantly clear that Mary Rebert’s suggestion of snowshoes was dead on, and none of us had them!

We hiked as far as Leila Hospital and we were the first to plow through about a foot of virgin snow (Mick insists it was more like a foot and a half or more!) in Irving Park.  It was clearly going to be more work than any of us were in the mood for. 

So we adjusted our plan and did an urban hike down Emmet Street in the direction of Bailey Park where, once again, we began to break snow heading back along the Battle Creek River to downtown.  At one point, we did move a little off the trail and hike along the shoulder of Wagner Drive.

We arrived back at Cereal City tired and sweaty but satisfied.  The GPS recorded that in all we had walked just over 5 miles — which Mick asserts was the equivalent of 6+ "snow miles."  The map mash-up below shows where we walked.

We topped it off with a good lunch and fellowship at the Arcadia Brewery, which was really jumping due to a High School Wrestling Tournament at Kellogg Arena.

Next year, we’re going to have to think seriously about snowshoes!

Larry Hawkins
Chapter President - Chief Noonday Chapter

 

This impressive picture of the hoar frost early Saturday morning across the Kalamazoo River from the Historic Bridge Park gives an idea of how cold it was when we started out on our hike.  (Image by Steve Hicks)

Winter hiking from Ott Biological Preserve to Historic Bridge Park:  It was predawn when I left Hastings for Battle Creek. The thermometer registered a minus-3° as I drove down. Unfortunately for me, the Battle Creek PD was out in force despite the bitter cold, and I was delayed in my arrival at the Homespun Restaurant for breakfast.

Rest stop on the iron bridge in the Ott Biological Preserve: (l-r) Josephine Miller, Maureen Tucker, Larry Hawkins, Vicki and Greg Hall, Bob Cooley partially hidden behind Mary Rebert, and Steve Hicks (Mick Hawkins inset).

When I did arrive, I met Mick, Bob Cooley, Steve Hicks, Mary Rebert and, newcomers to our hikes, Greg and Vicki Hall from Battle Creek.

During breakfast, Greg shared with me his experiences in Antarctica when he was there working for Raytheon. He is now retired, and hiking is his retirement hobby — lucky for us.

When we spotted the cars at Historic Bridge Park, it was beautiful. The sun was out and shining on all the trees covered in hoarfrost along the Kalamazoo River with ice floes moving downriver. Steve got a couple pictures, and I later regretted that I hadn't gotten my camera out, as it was all gone when we arrived later at the end of the hike.

We all gathered at the Jameson Avenue trailhead for the Ott Biological Preserve. There we met Josephine Miller and her friend Maureen Tucker who had driven down from Grand Rapids.  It was still briskly cold but no wind, and though there was snow on the ground it was not enough to make hiking difficult.

We hiked the Ott Preserve along the traditional NCNST route, as Tom Garnett had been unable to join us to guide us through the Calhoun County Trails Alliance reroute. Even though Tom wasn't with us, I indoctrinated everyone on the progress and efforts of the Alliance and the quest to establish the Historic Iron Bridge Trail through the Preserve as well as Kimball Pines.

As we headed into Kimball Pines, Bob and Mary couldn't resist making snow angels in the middle of the virgin snow of the Silverleaf parking lot. Further on in the wetlands we experienced how easy it is to walk through wetlands ... when they're frozen. 

When we reached the school property, Mary and Vicki left us, and the rest of the group followed the proposed path on the school property behind the homes on Wattles Road, which effectively bypasses the street- and roadwalk from the former Harper Creek School property down to Historic Bridge Park — a big improvement.

Bob Cooley, the adopter for Ott and Kimball Pines, fell in love with the new route and vowed to keep it open. Bob is a retired freight conductor for the railroad; so he entertained us with railroad lore as we hiked down that section of trail to the tracks and out to Wattles Road.

We entered Historic Bridge Park through the old underpass and walked over several of the bridges as we made our way back to the cars.

The map mash-up above shows the path we took — although through no fault of ours it mis-names the Ott Biological Preserve.

Everyone pretty much had commitments after the hike, so we split up and left for home. The Arcadia Brewery awaits our next month's hike on the eastern portion of the Battle Creek Linear Park.

Larry Hawkins
Chapter President - Chief Noonday Chapter
 

Kiosks refurbished:  We had an amazing turnout for our workday for January. 

Jim Heaton and Bob Cooley post maps and information in our kiosk in the Historic Bridge Park east of Battle Creek.  (Battle Creek Enquirer photo by Kevin Hare)

We met for breakfast at the Grove Street Cafe in Delton.  Kudos to them!  The omelets were outstanding.  When they brought Steve his "Farmer’s Omelet", he thought he had made mistakenly ordered a "Family Omelet". 

As our group grew and grew, they graciously came out and asked if we wanted them to set us up at a family style table in their back room.  We’ll definitely keep patronizing them.

See related item in the Battle Creek Enquirer.

As much effort as I made to organize the kiosk restoration project, we still had a few snafus. 

The Battle Creek contingent, Jim Heaton, Bob Cooley and Mike Wilkey had to rush off early to meet Kevin Hare, a photojournalist for the Battle Creek Enquirer at Historic Bridge Park and unfortunately left some of their refurbishing supplies behind.  They met up with Jeff Fleming later and collected some of their lost material. 

Larry and Mick experienced some mix-ups with their supplies and had to pay two visits to the Robertson Road south kiosk. 

And Larry briefly lost his cell phone in the snow but luckily returned to the scene and found it.

Jeff, Jim Martin and Eric Longman went to the Kellogg Biological Station and did the kiosks at the Farm, Bird Sanctuary, KBS's bio-fuels field, Kellogg Experimental Forest, and Augusta Drive. 

(Update 1/25/10)  While Jeff, Jim and Eric were at KBS they ran into Gwen Pearson, Assistant Director for Education and Outreach for KBS, and offered to do some additional posting on the kiosk for KBS.  Later Jim and Eric went back to KBS to pick up the material from Dr. Pearson and post it on the KBS side of the kiosk by the Bird Sanctuary.

Steve Hicks and Mary Rebert re-did the kiosks in the south portion of the Barry State Game Area and Yankee Springs, while Larry Pio and Bob Sulaski, a recruit from Wyoming and the West Michigan Chapter, cleaned up the northern portion.

Larry and Mick Hawkins traveled to the Paul Henry Thornapple/NCNST trailhead at Irving and worked north through the Middleville State Game Area. 

The Stagecoach Park and Ott Biological Preserve at Jameson Avenue remain to be done as they are locked by our partner organizations.  We elected not to change anything on the Arlington Avenue kiosk at the Preserve for now as it has been subject to what appears to be gang related vandalism.

My very great thanks to everyone who showed up to work. It is very gratifying to have such dedicated and neat people with whom to work.

Larry Hawkins
Chapter President - Chief Noonday Chapter
 

2009 Chief Noonday Hiker Challenge results:   At our chapter meeting this month Larry Pio announced the results of the 2009 Chief Noonday Hiker Challenge. 

The challenge had been made to members of the Chief Noonday Chapter to see who could get in the most miles on the North Country National Scenic Trail.  Miles could only be logged in one direction and only once per section for the year — so the miles listed below do not necessarily reflect the total miles actually hiked on the Trail by the hikers listed.

Ron Jeff Linda Mike

The four who placed in the Challenge and will be awarded prizes were:

  ●  First place: Ron Sootsman — 287.7 miles
  ●  Second place: Jeff Fleming — 123.2 miles
  ●  Third place: Linda Sootsman — 71.6 miles
  ●  Fourth place: Mike Wilkey — 71.0 miles

This elegant engraved Hiker Challenge Bowl is to be awarded to the first place winner of Chief Noonday Hiker Challenge 2009 — Ron Sootsman.

The also-rans (pun intended!) were:

  ●  Mick Hawkins — 34.45 miles
  ●  Mary Rebert — 26.8 miles
  ●  Larry Pio — 23.0 miles
  ●  Bob Cooley — 9.4 miles
  ●  Larry Hawkins — 6.6 miles
  ●  Dave Cornell — 6.2 miles
  ●  Martha Jones — 4.2 miles
  ●  Total all others — 15.7 miles

Larry Pio points out that these recorded miles comprise mileage reported by the participants plus, in some cases, miles observed by Larry himself.  It is possible, even likely, that these participants and others hiked miles on the Trail which are not included here because they were not reported or because they were walked in both directions or on more than one occasion on the same Trail sections.

Congratulations to all who took up the challenge!

The 2010 Hiker Challenge is already under way.  At the chapter meeting Mick suggested to Larry Pio that rules be amended to allow Ron to donate "surplus miles" to other hikers, but predictably Larry didn't go for it....

(Update 1/27/10)  In the latest Newsletter Larry Pio pointed out that last year when the Chief Noonday Hiker Challenge was getting under way, hikers doing over 200 miles on the Trail in their lifetime would be listed on the NCTA web site as Hikers of Note.  When the national Web site was rebuilt, that list was discontinued.  However, Joan Young is still maintaining the list on her North Country Trail News blog.  Moreover, we will now have Chief Noonday Hikers of Note given recognition on our Web site.  Our award levels will be 200 miles, 500 miles, 1000 miles, 2000 miles, etc. 

In 2009 Ron Sootsman became a Chief Noonday Hiker of Note. 

Most likely there are a number of others who have accomplished this in the past.  Why not add your name to the list?  Contact Larry Pio.

See Larry Pio's official announcement of the 2009 results and the 2010 rules here.

See you on the Trail!

Mick Hawkins    
Webmaster, Chief Noonday Chapter   
 

Tman takes a picture break by the kiosk in the Ft. Custer section near the "beaver reservoir."

We saw Tman!   Tman — a.k.a. Todd McMahon of Madison, Wisconsin — did a winter hike on the North Country National Scenic Trail in Chief Noonday Chapter's and Chief Baw Beese Chapter's sections in recent weeks.  And he posted 500 pictures on his Web site as evidence.

As reported below, Todd hiked off-road trails in the KBS section from Baseline Road to 40th Street, from Kellogg Forest to the Augusta Drive trailhead, then Ft. Custer with Larry Pio and Ron Sootsman. 

Ron Sootsman and Larry Pio of Chief Noonday Chapter accompanied Todd on parts of his hike through our sections.

After Ft. Custer, Todd and Ron took a "break" for a few days and hiked most of the NCNST in Chief Baw Beese's sections in Hillsdale County including the Lost Nation State Game Area, hiking all the way across the State line into Ohio. 

After Hillsdale County, Todd returned to Calhoun County and spent New Year's Day hiking by himself from Armstrong Road into Battle Creek and walked the Linear Park pathway all the way to the Emmett Street bridge.  At that point, hearing reports of heavier winter weather approaching, he concluded his adventure with a hearty meal and headed back to Madison.

Click here to access Tman's Web site with links to his hike reports — and to the boatload of pictures he took along the Trail, with scenes that will be familiar to Chief Noonday members.

Mick Hawkins    
Webmaster, Chief Noonday Chapter   
 

Winter action on the Trail:   The North Country National Scenic Trail has not closed for the winter in and around Chief Noonday Country.  Visitors have done some winter hiking recently that involved significant miles — both on the Trail and getting to the Trail.

A group called the Fortune Bay Expedition Team has been journaling a section hike of the NCNST from Yankee Springs north to (they hope) the Straits of Mackinac.  In 2003-2004, they section hiked from the Ohio/Michigan Boarder to Highway US-10. 

On Saturday December 19 three members of the group hiked northward through the Yankee Springs Recreation Area and the Barry State Game Area.  They found the section north from the Hall Lake crossing a bit of a challenge at times due to the many intersections and crossings with DNR trails and to reduced blazing between McDonald Lake and M-179 resulting from deterioration and loss of some of the old plastic blazes used there. 

On the day after Christmas they made their way from the Peets Road trailhead via roadwalk and the Paul Henry Thornapple Trail/NCNST to Middleville.  And on New Year's they hiked the Middleville State Game Area section and on north a ways along the Harris Creek Road roadwalk.

You can read their account of their trek on their Web site.

Tman from Madison, Wisconsin, makes his way across our bridge over a very flooded creek in the Fort Custer State Recreation Area.  (Photo by Larry Pio)

Another winter adventure was carried out by Todd McMahon — known on trails as Tman — with some assistance from Chief Noonday Chapter members. 

Tman drove all the way from his home in Madison, Wisconsin — just over 300 miles' driving one-way — to hike most of the Trail from Baseline Road south to the Ohio State Line. 

He hiked not only on Chief Noonday Chapter's sections of the Trail in Kalamazoo and Calhoun Counties but on much of Chief Baw Beese Chapter's sections in Hillsdale County as well.

He received valuable assistance from Chief Noonday members Larry Pio and Ron Sootsman.  Larry, the able Trail Adopter for the Fort Custer segment, facilitated Todd's project, in direct contravention of the work of the beavers, by clearing the way to and across the bridge and rendering it accessible.  Ron provided parking and vehicle spotting services and actually accompanied Todd on much of the hike in the three counties it traversed.

On December 29th Todd hiked the Trail alone through the Kellogg Biological Station to C Avenue, then due to the winter conditions elected to follow a road walk down to Kellogg Experimental Forest where he rejoined the off-road Trail and followed it to Augusta.  After lunch in Augusta with Ron he continued east and over the Ft. Custer section, hooking up and hiking with Larry and Ron along the way, ending for the day at Armstrong Road.  They suffered one wet feet incident on their way across the puncheons in the wetlands.

On December 30th and 31st Todd and Ron by-passed Calhoun County for the time being and hiked together on Chief Baw Beese's section from Hillsdale down to the Ohio State Line, including the Trail from Baw Beese Lake and on through the Lost Nation State Game Area.  In places they had a little difficulty following the thread and hiked a few extra miles in the process of getting back onto the Trail.  And Ron had another wet feet incident.  On December 31st they hiked between the Pittsford Road parking area and the Ohio State Line, setting foot briefly into Ohio because Todd had never been to Ohio before.

Todd spent New Year's Day hiking by himself from Armstrong Road east through Battle Creek following the North Country/Linear Park Trail, reaching the Emmett Street Bridge over the Battle Creek River by evening.  After enjoying an evening meal (not to mention curious glances from other patrons) at an eatery near the bridge he got a ride back to his car on Armstrong Road.  Because the weather forecasts were less than encouraging, Todd decided to head for home in Madison that night.  He ran into major snow in places which had traffic crawling at 10 MPH but still managed to make it home by 2:00 AM.

Quite an accomplishment!  To find out more:

• You can read Todd's own accounts of his trek — milestones, mishaps, foul-ups and all — in the messages he posted to the NCT_Friends Yahoo Group (messages 398, 402, 405, 407, 410). 

• See also his report on Joan Young's North Country Trail News blog. 

• Eventually he will have his accounts and the pictures he took posted on his Web site.

Mick Hawkins    
Webmaster, Chief Noonday Chapter   
 

The moment of implosion of the Crown Point bridge over Lake Champlain. (Image from WPTZ, Plattsburgh NY)

Crown Point Bridge is history!   The bridge over Lake Champlain between Crown Point and Vermont is ... no more.  It was skillfully brought down by implosion this morning shortly after 10:00.

The bridge is ... or was ... at the easternmost terminus of the North Country National Scenic Trail. 

Luckily a recent inspection disclosed an ominous degree of deterioration in the piers supporting the bridge, and the bridge was promptly closed to all traffic.  (Click here for the inside story of how this discovery happened.)

The bridge will now be on a fast track to reconstruction. 

And the dream is that one day the NCNST will go over it into Vermont on its way to the Appalachian Trail.

What now needs to be cleared.  And you thought cleaning up your room was a big deal!  (Image from Albany TimesUnion)

Here is a sampling of coverage you can access on-line:

• video coverage of the implosion from television station WPTZ in Plattsburgh NY.  Access video also here.

• article in the Burlington Vt FreePress

• press release from the New York State Department of Transportation released soon after the demolition

• coverage from the Albany NY Times-Union.  Don't miss the picture galleries.

• about the clean-up operation — from WCAX, Burlington Vt

• a nearly full-span image of the bridge from MassLive.com which suggests it wasn't exactly in great shape!

• another image similarly reflects that the bridge's time had come.

• memories of the bridge's opening

Joan Young is also keeping on top of the story in her NCT Blog.

Mick Hawkins    
Webmaster, Chief Noonday Chapter   
 

Chief Noonday in the news:   The original Chief Noonday, that is.

Chief Noonday — or Nawquageezhig — has been selected as the next subject for a sculpture in the Grand Rapids Community Legends Project.  Sculptor Antonio Tobias Mendez has been commissioned to create a bronze sculpture of Chief Noonday, as one of ultimately 25 sculptures of important figures in the history of Grand Rapids.  The sculptures will be placed in various places in the downtown area of Grand Rapids. 

The planned site for the 7 foot tall bronze statue of Chief Noonday will be on the west bank of the Grand River near the Blue Bridge, the approximate location of an early Native American settlement.  The site, near Grand Valley State University's Eberhard Center, will be on GVSU's campus and therefore will belong to the college once installed.  Delivery is expected in August.

There is no known photographic image of Chief Noonday in existence.  So the sculptor will do his best to recreate an image as true as possible to Chief Noonday's tribe and times.

Click here to read the recent article in the Grand Rapids Press.

Joan Young has posted an item in her North Country Trail News blog.

Mick Hawkins    
Webmaster, Chief Noonday Chapter   
 

The good side of autumn:  November this year seemed to start ... well ... in early October.  But today we managed to hit more of a late October day in November, as we went a bit off-trail, NCNST-wise, to hike on the trails of the Pierce Cedar Creek Institute in Barry County.  What a day for a hike in the woods!

The Brothers Hawkins, Larry and Mick, joined Jeff and Mary Fleming and Charlie Krammin for our customary pre-hike repast at Big Boy in Hastings before convoying out to the beautiful natural preserve of the Pierce Cedar Creek Institute.

On our way down Broadway we received a call from Ron Sootsman that he would be ten minutes late.  We assured him we wouldn't leave without him — then found him waiting for us when we finally arrived at our rendezvous.

By the time we hit the trails the group had grown to include Verle Krammin, Susan Bond, Sheilah Mutschler, and Mary Armitage. 

The group as a whole first hiked the Institute's Red Trail.  Strong winds in the past week or two had downed most of the leaves, but the relatively balmy sunny day made for a most enjoyable hike setting nonetheless.  We actually found ourselves shedding layers as we went along. 

By the time we arrived back in the vicinity of the visitor center we'd walked just under 2½ miles. 

There Larry, Verle, Jeff, and the two Marys took their leave, while Mick, Charlie, Sheilah and Ron, hardier souls that we were, elected to continue on around the outside portion of the Orange Trail and the entire Blue Trail.  By the time we finished we had covered about 4½ miles for the day — which, of course, was no big deal for Ron Sootsman, but the rest of us sauntered back to our vehicles like we'd really accomplished something!

Thanks to all who took part.

Mick Hawkins    
Webmaster, Chief Noonday Chapter