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Peter Wolfe
Chapter
North Country Trail
Association
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Current chapter
newsletter
Newsletter
of the Peter Wolfe Chapter of the North
Country Trail Association
September
27,
2004
Summit
Peak Road bypass completed
In August, NCTA and Sierra Club volunteers completed
a bypass of a 0.6 mile roadwalk along Summit Peak Road in Porcupine
Mountains Wilderness State Park. Three roadwalks remain in the
western U.P., a 2/3 mile roadwalk on Big Lake Campground Road on Baraga
Plains Road, a quarter mile roadwalk on South Laird Road south of
Alston, and a half mile roadwalk on Gogebic County Road 513 (Black
River Harbor Road) north of Bessemer.
See http://www.northcountrytrail.org/pwf/nctsummitpeakroadreroute2004.jpg
for a map of the new trail.
The reroute has been tagged (blazed) with Michigan
DNR blue metal blazes, and should be pretty easy to follow at the
moment. The new trail has yet to be certified.
Reroute east of Old Victoria completed too!
The same folks, more or less, who did the Summit
Peak Road bypass also built nearly a mile of trail along Victoria Dam
Road. This reroute was needed because its former route was logged
over. In spite of hiking within a 100 foot corridor next to the
road, the road is not very apparent, at least with leaves on, unless a
vehicle passes by. One advantage to the new route is that it
passes within about 30 feet of Victoria Spring (actually a flowing
well), where good, cold water can be obtained.
See http://www.northcountrytrail.org/pwf/nctrerouteoldvictoria2004.jpg
for a map.
The reroute has been blazed with 2X6 vertical blue
paint blazes, and is easy to follow. The route is skiable
(intermediate skiers), and has lots of small ups and downs.
Victoria Dam Road is plowed in winter. This new trail has not
been certified. Signs are still needed at two points on the
trail, to finalize this project.
Last two Baraga Plains boardwalks completed
thanks to Eagle Scout Project
Earlier this month, the two southernmost boardwalks
on Baraga Plains were constructed as the main focus of Mike Cole's
Eagle Scout project. One of the boardwalks, which were designed
to wheelchair accessibility standards, has a very steep slope to the
hillside at the south end. Lots more earthmoving will be
necessary to make the grade more gentle, but it's currently quite
usable. Next steps in the Baraga Plains project are to contruct
and install some signs, and to apply for NPS certification. These
will be done next year.
Hiking/backpacking opportunity - 10/8 to
10/10
If the weather is good, I plan to spend that weekend
in Rainbow Lake Wilderness in northwest Wisconsin. The wilderness
has about 6 miles of the NCT, and is south of US 2 between Ironwood and
Duluth. Tentatively I will camp at Perch Lake National Forest
Campground, on the edge of the wilderness, on Friday night, and
backpack into the wilderness on Sat., probably staying Saturday night
near Bufo Lake. It's a pretty wimpy (approx. 1.5 mile) backpack
from Perch Lake Campground to Bufo Lake. The rest of Sat. and
Sun. I plan to dayhike the trails and visit as many of the wilderness'
lakes as possible, checking out the remaining fall colors and looking
for nice campsites for future trips.
If anyone wants to join me, let me know. Those
not wanting to backpack could stay at Perch Lake Campground and dayhike
into the wilderness. Those not wanting to do all the bushwhacks
to remote lakes that I plan to do may wish stay basically on the trails
and just see the lakes that the trails pass.
This coming weekend should be great weatherwise, so get out and enjoy
it!
Doug
Welker
President, Peter Wolfe Chapter, NCTA
26344 Tauriainen Road
Pelkie MI 49958
(906) 338-2680
dwelker@up.net
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Last modified: September 27, 2004