The Reimagined Ringle Segment is almost a Reality!

The reimagined Ringle Segment will wind its way on fresh tread and over boardwalk through mossy and hummocky terrain. Photo by Lisa Krueger.

The less-than-stellar weather, coupled with a record hatch of mosquitos, attempted to slow down the 78 dedicated volunteers at the Ringle Trailbuilding event. Over four and a half days, and through rain, mud, and clouds of bug spray, volunteers contributed 1,972 hours to open a beautiful new half-mile section of Trail. Volunteers cut and hauled lumber, built bridges, constructed rock walls, drafted blazes, crafted tread and slung rotten granite through the air via a highline to more easily – and safely – create a hardened walking surface through a moss-covered boulder field.

The stage is set, and with October rapidly approaching, we await the final act in the Reimagining of Ringle saga.

Boards being passed down a line of volunteers on their way to be installed as boardwalk. Photo by Dave Caliebe.

Freshly laid rotten granite makes for sturdy and durable tread. Photo by Dave Caliebe.

Stone steps are placed with much care to ensure they won't budge! Photo by Lisa Krueger.

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To everyone who helped make this event a success, a special thanks to:

The Central Moraines Chapter of the Ice Age Trail Alliance for hosting the MSC event.
Marathon County Solid Waste Department for providing a base camp location.
Fox Cities Backpackers Meetup Group for the smiling faces and extra helping hands.
Dan Rossiter for the use of his ATV.
Rick and Karla Larson for roaring campfires every night.
Jerry Sazama and Gail Piotrowski for their excellent leadership as Crew Leader Managers.
Crew Leaders for their dedication and perseverance.
All the new volunteers for helping out for the first time!

Our multi-year effort to upgrade the Ringle Segment has been made possible by generous funding from the Dudley Foundation, the Judd S. Alexander Foundation, the National Park Foundation, and the National Park Service.

78 Volunteers

1,972 Volunteer Hours

1/2 mile of Trail

Up Next:

September 15-19, Waterville Segment, Waukesha County (Registration open.)

Join us in Waukesha County at the Waterville Segment September 15-19 to grub out new tread, build a 430 ft boardwalk, reroute small sections of existing Trail, and open a new half-mile of Trail off of busy Waterville Road.

Event Details and Registration, Here

Up Next:

October 5-9, Ringle Segment, Marathon County (Registration open.)

Join us in Marathon County October 5-9 for the final push to complete the reimagined Ringle Segment. Expect plenty of tread construction, a good deal of stonework as we construct monowalls and stone staircases, and maybe even a boardwalk! Finally, heaps of signage will be added to welcome hikers.

Event Details and Registration, Here