Firth Lake Segment: October 17 – 21
Cold, blustery conditions did not deter the 37 hardy volunteers who framed up half of the 736-foot-long boardwalk on the first day. By the fifth day (or 1,081.5 service hours later), a new structure stood proudly along the route, and the old one had been dismantled and carted away.
How’s that for a wildcard project? It muscled its way onto the calendar a few months ago when funding from the National Park Service came through. Typically, projects of this magnitude are planned out a year or two in advance.
However, thanks to the Chippewa Moraine Chapter’s immense pre-project work – cutting lumber, assembling frames, and staging most of the material ahead of the project – and the skilled team onsite, the short timeline was not an obstacle.
Special Thanks to:
- Bruce France for leading all the preparations for the project enabling the event to go smoothly.
- Dylan’s Dairy for welcoming us in for a great meal and evening.
- Zach Thon and Dave Hladilek, DNR property managers, for allowing prep work at Brunet Island State Park and supporting the project on the Firth Lake State Ice Age Trail Area property.
- The Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes for a beautiful (and warm) base camp at Camp Nawakwa.
Generous financial support for this project came from:
- The National Park Service through its Cyclic Maintenance Fund
- Charter Next Generation
New Hope-Iola Ski Hill Segment: October 20 – 22
Over 3 perfect fall days, 74 volunteers worked 1,316 hours to build 1,600 feet of new Ice Age Trail along the Iola Winter Sports Club property. Combined with the 4,000 feet volunteers constructed in June, that’s more than a mile of new Trail for hikers to enjoy. Add rock walls and stone steps, and it becomes an especially scenic path traveling through Central Wisconsin’s rolling landscape.
Late-season logging prevented a complete separation of hiking and ski trails, but we will return next year to finish up the last few hundred yards of the reroute.
Special Thanks to:
- The Portage/Waupaca County Chapter for planning and assisting with this season’s MSC projects at the Iola Winter Sports Club property.
- Debbie Krogwold and her crew for planning and executing delicious meals.
- The Iola Winter Sports Club for hosting the Trail and providing an ideally located base camp for the project.
Generous financial support for this project came from:
- The National Park Trust and National Park Service through a Challenge Cost Share grant.
- Paul and Laura Przybelski for supporting the reopening of the Trail between County Road T and Krogwold Road.
We are excited about the trailbuilding work done along the Firth Lake and New Hope-Iola Ski Hill segments – all thanks to volunteers’ dedication and hard work!
Generous Sponsors of the 2022 MSC Trailbuilding Season include:
