A project beginning with a small, focused premise, grew quickly as seasoned Trail Eyes broadened the perspective (recognizing additional underlying issues could be addressed with the robust crew on hand). Replacing a footbridge with a 36-foot-long state-of-the-art bridge, designed to last 50 years, was not enough; two critical trail reroutes were added, then a third. Signage upgrades covered a mile and trail maintenance with mowers, weed whackers, and chainsaws extended for an additional three miles of Trail.
A similar expansion occurred with the 88 volunteers at the event. With every tree grubbed, blaze painted, swing of the pick mattock, and sandwich prepared, the individuals completing these tasks became an integral member of this trailbuilding community and helped “amp up” the project. The team went above and beyond, cranking it to 11, Lake 11 that is.
View more photos of the project in our Facebook album.
Special Thanks:
· Buzz Meyer, Dennis Renaud and Arvid Lekies for their work as High Point Chapter members setting the stage before and during the event.
· Tim Vetter, Mike Jacobson, Patrick Hampston, and the US Forest Service for great help making sure the project was all set and ready to go.
· Dolly McNulty, Ardis Virnig, Barb Unger, and Karen Sparacio for keeping everyone fed and happy.
· The Town of Grover for use of the park at Lake Kathryn for basecamp.
· New Vision Wilderness for pitching in for three days during the project.
· Clearwater Camp for Girls for digging in on treadwork – always with a smile.
· St. Mary’s University staff for traveling over from Minnesota to add to the team.
· Northeast Wisconsin Great Lakes Sports Fishermen for providing 30 lbs of King Salmon for our Friday night meal.
Next Up:
We head back to Ringle Segment in Marathon County to finish what we started in April and May. August 9-13, we look to open a new 1.7-mile section of Trail and get a head start on future trail to the north. There will be signage, tread, rock and kitchen work to keep everyone busy. Come for the fun during the day and the Perseid meteor shower at night!
THANK YOU to our generous sponsors of our 2017 Mobile Skills Crew Season:
