WISCONSIN
BOB GOULD is a member of the Heritage Chapter of the NCTA, but his trail work has taken him all over Wisconsin, particularly to the Brule St-Croix region. He's retired from a position with Stokely's and celebrates having time to work on trails. About three years ago Bob saw an article about the NCT in the Madison, WI paper and called the Park Service office to learn more. The phone was answered by Bill Menke (who is rarely the one to first pick up the phone), but in short order Bob was signed up for what he
describes as a "Menke special"-- three full days of work building new trail in the Mott's Ravine area. Within three weeks of that phone call Bob was camping in the November snow and cutting new trail! Bob laughed and assured me that his work is "no big deal." He likes being outdoors and feels a sense of accomplishment to be able to build trails that others will use, realizing that people built trails in years past that were there for him to hike. One of Bob's more unusual talents is that of a carnivore tracker for the Wisconsin DNR. They offer training twice a year and the students then aid in gathering information on the wolf recovery program. Of course wolves aren't the only ones who leave tracks, so there are chances to see trails of coyote, badger, ferret, weasel and more. Gould says the hardest part is to guess what days in northern Wisconsin will have good tracking conditions, since he lives in the southern part of the state. In addition to his work for the NCT, he's worked on the Ice Age Trail, and participated in Sierra Club Volunteer Vacations at Hawk Mountain, PA and on Isle Royal, MI. Bob likes being available to go out and
do the hard work of trail building, and thanks in part to his efforts there are ten more miles of new North Country woods trail in Wisconsin to hike.
PETER WOLFE CHAPTER
By the time I finished chatting with DOUG WELKER I was highly anticipating the time when I'll be able to
hike the miles in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan which Doug has worked on. He promised me (and you too!) 130 miles with no sight of a permanently occupied building and only one mile of road-walk. Doug first heard of the NCT from the "Smithipps" (John Hipps and Barb Smith) in Pennsylvania in the early 1980's, but says he never followed through with this knowledge until he moved to MI and learned that the trail passed within 10 miles of his new home. He soon met Gene Elzinga (of the North Country Trail Hikers) and in short order was on the NCTA board of directors where he served until term limits dictated that he take at least a year off. At this point Doug decided to concentrate his efforts locally. These efforts are not inconsiderable! Welker's list of accomplishments and associations goes on and on. We will mention his recent organization of the new Peter Wolfe Chapter, of which he is President and webmaster (check out their site, it's worth a look!). Doug was also influenced by Vince Smith, another well-known NCT pioneer. Vince came to visit him, camped in his yard for a week, and they worked at laying out trail east from the Ottawa National Forest. Welker has great vision for the NCT. "People don't know what the NCT is," he stated. "They come to a trailhead posted only with a little four-inch sign and they say, 'What's down that trail?'" Doug wants to fix that by adding large signs with distances, destinations, significant features, overview maps and mileages to show people that the NCT is a long-distance trail. "We need continuity," he pointed out. So he's currently in the process of creating larger routed signs with this information to be placed at major trailheads. He's also in the midst of a project to build ten trail shelters. Two of these which are on private land, requiring less advance time than building on public land, are already completed and available for use. These are indeed deluxe shelters, with screened fronts and bunks and hooks to hang your pack. Doug explained his passion for trails with a chuckle. "As a kid I would build roads in the dirt with my toy grader. I seem to have a need to make things and follow them!" He admits to also being a map fanatic:
he sees things that go places and has to go there. He admitted to a love for bushwhacking as well. "I'll often travel one direction on a trail, and return by an off-trail route." Welker believes that some of the most significant work he does is to be willing to organize projects, do the paperwork and make contacts. Although he loves the physical work involved in scouting and laying out trail he knows that the organizational expertise is needed, in order for the actual trail building to be accomplished. Thanks, Doug!
GRAND TRAVERSE HIKING CLUB
RICK HALBERT teaches science at the Traverse City East Junior High. His degree in Botany and love for
the outdoors led him to check out the hiking club. Rick says he drifted away at first but then realized that "if I became involved, I'd enjoy it more." At a computer class he met Dick Naperala, also a hiker. Several months later when club elections were approaching Dick suggested, "Why don't you become President, and I'll be the VP?" Rick agreed to this plan if it was the other way around, and he now serves as Vice President, and also as club Librarian. As VP, the program chairman, Rick has organized lots of great programs for the Chapter. They host both a monthly program and a monthly hike or activity. Halbert also uses his knowledge of nature to lead hikes. He enjoys teaching participants about the wild flowers seen along the trail. He's also led night hikes where his interest in astronomy gives him the ability to point out constellations. One of Rick's specialties is ultra-light-weight backpacking, and he's led several seminars on this topic. He too knows that we must promote the North Country Trail if we ever hope to finish it. He
strongly believes that we need to continue to work on the map project, and to support the Willing Seller legislation. He says he is happiest when he is walking through the woods; "my soul needs to be out." Sadly he notes that most people today are not attuned to wilderness, but believes that trails are a means of getting people into nature. "The better people know it, the more likely they are to preserve it," he predicts. He is pictured painting a blue blaze which will guide hikers along the pathway. Since I recently hiked some trail well-maintained by the Traverse City Club, I'm personally grateful for this aspect of Rick's contribution to the trail effort! The enthusiasm Rick has for the trail is contagious and spreads to those people around him.