Peter Wolfe Chapter North Country Trail Association

Building shelters (lean-to's) on the NCT
Over the next 5 years or so, we are hoping to construct eght three-sided shelters (lean-to's) on the NCT on Ottawa National Forest lands between the Porkies and the Sturgeon River.  The shelters, which will average 8-12 miles apart, will generally be in the 9'X12' size range, have a screened in front with screen door (or, in some cases, a side door), and have 2 sets of wooden bunks.  They're designed to hold 6 people with ease, are confortable for 4, and downright cushy for 2.  There's sleeping room for up to 8 in a pinch.

The Oren Krumm Shelter, shown on the map of trail segment 21, is complete and ready for use. It's fairly accessible to those driving Michigan Highway M-28 between Covington and Watton.  Turn north on Plains Road, go 3.45 miles to where the NCT crosses,  and park where a sandy road angles left.  There is no sign on Plains Road at this time, but blue blazes go south where the sandy road intersects Plains Road.  Follow the NCT into the woods and then downstream 2 scenic miles (one way) to the shelter access trail, and turn left on that trail (white blazes) 400 feet to the shelter.  This shelter was built in memory of Oren Krumm, a lover of the outdoors and Michigan Tech freshman who died suddenly a couple years ago.  The shelter was funded by his memorial fund.

The Old Victoria Shelter is at the east end of the historic mining community of Old Victoria, 4 miles west of Rockland on Victoria Dam Road.  This shelter, which is handicapped-accessible, is now usable and is complete.  If you stay there, ask Pat Pattison or someone else from the Society for the Restoration of Old Victoria for a tour of the restoration site (there is a charge for at the tour - it helps keep the Society able to operate the site.  This shelter was constructed and funded largely by chapter member Tom Ellenbecker.

The remaining eight shelters, which will be on Forest Service (Ottawa National Forest) land, are awaiting final Forest Service approval.  All passed the biological and heritage resource evaluations.  It's along story, but perhaps when the new Ottawa National Forest Plan is approved, the project may begin.  

We have funds to construct 3 of the eight remaining shelters at this point.

To see pictures of these shelter, go to our Photos page and look for images of the Oren Krumm or Old Victoria shelters.

The following links are to shelter drawings:
Standard shelter design (isometric view)
Shelter variations (isometric view)
Shelter floor plan (standard shelter, plan view)

Trail sign construction and installation
About 65 of 80 trail signs (mostly showing destinations and distances to those destinations) have been constructed and installed mostly on Forest Service land.  Almost all are placed at trailheads; the rationale was that a lot more people are likely to hike the trail if they know what's down the trail, and how far away it is.

Baraga Plains/Alberta/Canyon Falls trail planning and construction
The sections on Upper Peninsula Power Company lands and on Michigan DNR lands are complete, though they are in need of signs.  Completing the trail across Michigan Tech's Ford Forestry Center lands may be accomplished this coming summer, if all goes well.

Interpretive signs at Rousseau (Pori) Loop
The NCT uses part of the Rousseau (or Pori) Loop, a former logging railroad grade in Ontonagon County near the East Branch of the Ontonagon River.  A railroading magazine once touted the railroad as possibly the world's steepest adhesion railroad, with grades up to 20%.  An adhesion railroad, by the way, is the standard type of railroad on which a trail propels itself by the friction between its wheels and the track, as opposed to a cog railroad, where a train climbs steep hills by being pulled up by moving cogs in the track (much like a roller coaster climbing the first hill on its run). Logging trains on the Rousseau Loop could only climb such steep hills by gradually rocking themselves out of the valley (first climbing up one side as far as possible, reversing, going up the other side as far as possible, etc., until they were finally out).  An interpretive sign is proposed for the trailhead on Gardner Road south of Wainola, as well as on the trail where the 20% grade is visible.  When you look at the 20% grade on the trail, it's really hard to imagine a train going up it!

This project is still in the planning stage.

Chapter brochure with small-scale map of trail
This project is in its early planning stages, but I hope to get funds to prepare a chapter brochure which talks about the chapter and NCTA, the NCT in general, and gives a map of the western UP with the trail route shown.  Map will probably only show the trail, roads, and perhaps mileages between roads.

Trail registers
Discussions are underway with the Ottawa National Forest regarding the placement of several trail registers along the trail, to keep track of trail usage, gather user comments, etc.

By the way, if you're interested in participating in any of these projects, or just learning more about it, click on "Email the webmaster" below.