A Mighty Group Tackled Winter Storm Clean-Up in Northern Wisconsin

Posted on
Three certified sawyers walk along down trees and branches from winter storm damage.
The Alliance's newly formed "roving crew" helped clear winter storm damage on the Ice Age Trail in Northern Wisconsin. Photo by Rick Gamble.

A winter of ice and snow did quite the number on the Ice Age Trail in Northern Wisconsin, making the Trail impassable in places from downed trees and brush. It took considerable effort from segment maintainers to even open parts of the Trail this spring. To help with the efforts, a hardy group of 46 volunteers spent 1,035 hours clearing the Trail where progress was measured in feet, not miles.

Tree branches form an arch over a hiking trail.
An "after" shot of the Blue Hills Segments following a long weekend of trail clearing. Photo by Dave Caliebe.

Blue Hills Segments Spring Clean-Up:

To say the trail clearing was slow-going is an understatement. Hundreds upon hundreds of young birch and aspen hung over the Trail, creating an impenetrable tangle that took a keen eye and deliberate cuts to safely remove the mess. Two days with seven sawyers plus swampers were not enough to open the Southern Blue Hills Segment! A third day was needed. By the end of the hard three-and-a half days of work, the Northern and Southern Blue Hills and Hemlock Creek Segments are finally ready for hiking season!

A sawyer in protective gear uses a chainsaw to clear a down tree blocking a trail.
A sawyer uses a chainsaw to clear a down tree on the Trail. Photo by Lisa Szela

Superior Lobe Chapter Spring Clean-Up:

On Thursday, May 4, three crews made up of local and statewide volunteers worked on clearing the 8.5-mile Grassy Lake Segment. Volunteers lopped back branches, removed downed trees, and improved some wet spots along the trail. On Friday, May 5, crews continued on the 5.4-mile Bear Lake Segment, clearing downed trees, fixing tread damaged by logging, and lopping branches on the Trail. Two blazing crews freshened up and improved signage over about 2-miles of the segment. The Superior Lobe Chapter segments are now ready for hiking season!

A group of volunteers cheers beers.
A group of volunteers celebrate after cleaning up a total of 13.9 miles of Trail in Barron and Washburn Counties. Photo by Lisa Szela.

Lastly, Trail Layout and Design:

Trail layout and design continued for the so-called “Dreamer Route” in the Blue Hills. Small crews worked to solve a couple riddles and fine-tune the route in other places. Slowly, but surely, yellow ribbon is going up as we look to complete Trail layout by this fall.

Three volunteers smile during a selfie.
Spirits remained high throughout the long weekend! Photo by Melinda Nelson.

Special Thanks To…

  • Rusk County Forestry and Parks for a beautiful basecamp at Murphy Flowage Recreation Area.
  • Julie & Pat Kosher, Cindy Sesolak, and Carol Burnham who provided wonderful dinners.
  • Sue Greenway & Bob Held for helping organize the Superior Lobe portion of the event.
  • Audrey Held and JoAnn Parks for leading the blazing efforts at the Superior Lobe clean-up and teaching some new blazers how it’s done.
  • Fred Nash for helping organize the Blue Hills portion of the storm damage cleanup and providing firewood and dessert.
  • The Chippewa Moraine Chapter for coming out in force to help their neighboring chapters.

Upcoming Events:

The Ice Age Trail Alliance will be piloting a “roving crew” this season to help with storm damage and other projects along the trail. Email Lisa Szela, Volunteer Support Coordinator (lisa@iceagetrail.org) to be added to a list of interested volunteers.

Our next “roving crew” project will be July 17-22, 2023 in Taylor County.
Help the High Point Chapter with summer trail maintenance and clean-up! Camping will be available at Mondeaux Flowage. Email Lisa Szela for more details or if interested in helping out at this event.