The year 2011 in Review
2011 wasn’t the biggest year for me in terms of hiking miles, but I did get a few things off the trail accomplished, and of course, I opened my big mouth and caused a few controversies. Let’s take a look.
Canoecopia
In January and February, I was concentrating on Canoecopia. I was arranging the first ever North Country Trail Booth at Canoecopia. Plus my backpacking class “Backpacking through the Boundary Waters” was accepted by Canoecopia. I met with Dean Gettinger of the National Parks Service office here in Madison to obtain a NCT Backdrop for the booth. I sent out emails to all the Midwest Chapters and Affiliates asking for volunteers to man the booth.
Also during this time frame I was helping the Kekekabic Trail Club by providing comments for their new Guidebook. During this process, I was made aware of a 2003 Forest Service Survey of the Snowbank Trail. I decided to adapt the survey into a Wiki entry. The Survey had a lot Forest Service terminology in it, so it was just a matter of making it a little more readable to the average person.
I prepared a power point presentation and handout for my Canoecopia class. For the handout I called several outfitters and found out several new tidbits of information. Overall, my handout turned out to be one of the best resources for hiking the Kekekabic Trail and Border Route Trail.
I managed to get some volunteers from the Midwest Chapters to man the booth at Canoecopia. They were Mikie Kuhman of the Chequamegon Chapter, Phil Nimps of the Star of the North Chapter, Gaylord Yost, Dan “the Griz” Wilshire and Mike Schultz of the Heritage Chapter, Bill Menke (NCTA Regional Coordinator) and Jill Nowlen (At Large). Thank you all very much for helping make the first ever NCT Booth at Canoecopia a success. And my class at Canoecopia was very well attended also. But I didn’t have enough time to cover all the material on the Power Point Presentation. The Class has been picked up for the 2012 Canoecopia, so I am making changes to insure I cover all the material. I’m taking the rules of hiking in the Boundary Waters out of the presentation and putting them into the handout.
Preparation for the May Hike
I decided I was going to do the “Grand to Grand” hike from Grand Portage to Grand Marais for my Memorial Day Week Hike. Part of the reason I wanted to do that hike was to see if the unmaintained Old Border Route Section between Partridge Falls and Otter Lake Road was still a viable route. My plan was to take the Grand Portage National Monument Trail and take the side trail to see the Cascades. Then I would return to the National Monument Trail and hike out to Fort Charlotte on the Pigeon River. Then from Fort Charlotte I would take a side trail to Partridge Falls. After Reaching Partridge Falls, I would hike the unmaintained section of the Old Border Route Trail. After reaching Otter Lake Road, I would hike west for about 2 miles then start hiking down the Superior Hiking Trail.
Nobody seemed to know whether the Old Border Route was still a viable trail. I wanted to find out for myself. I got a detailed map from Ed Solstad of the Border Route Trail Association, and I called Scott Rademaker, the last backpacker with his wife Teresa, known to have hiked the segment. Scott said the section was hikeable, but I was a little bit skeptical because they did not make it through the 4 mile unmaintained section in one day. They ended up camping near a creek about a mile from Otter Lake Road.
So, that was my plan, and I prepared my gear for the hike. I usually try some new gear when I’m out hiking, and this time was no different. I bought a Kelly Kettle for this trip. A Kelly Kettle is a pot with a chimney in the middle of it, which you use to heat water. The other thing that I used on this hike was Peretherin. I sprayed it on my hiking clothes before the hike, and it repells insects like ticks and mosquitos.
Memorial Day Week Hike
I drove up to Grand Portage on the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend. I started hiking the Grand Portage Trail on Saturday morning. I wanted to take the side trail to the Cascades, but I somehow missed the side trail and ended up hiking right to Fort Charlotte. Then I started hiking west towards Partridge Falls and I encounter a dilapidated bridge over Snow Creek. I barely made it across the bridge then there was a sign saying that the trail is no longer maintained after this point. I hiked the trail anyway, and eventually wound up at the Partridge Falls Campsite where I decided to stay for the night. Partridge Falls is an amazing sight, and I’m glad I stayed there. However, a downpour of rain made me hastily scurry into my tent. And it kept raining all night. Luckily I had my tent up and my bear bag hung by the time it rained.
I woke the next morning to a beautiful day. I ate breakfast using the Kelly Kettle to heat the water. It heated it in no time. It works really slick, but it seems a little heavy and bulky for ultralight backpacking. But they are supposed to be bringing out a lighter version.
I continued hiking west and encountered the unmaintained section of the Old Border Route Trail. I came upon a creek that I needed to ford. Unfortunately, the creek was swollen due to all the rain and it looked fairly treacherous to cross. There was no sign of a trail on the other side of the Creek, so I decided not to cross the creek there. Instead, I decide to find an alternative spot to cross the creek. During this process I spotted a moose. That was really cool. Eventually, I did cross the creek, but found no sign of a trail on the other side. I decided I would hike back to Grand Portage using Partridge Falls Road.
When I got back to Grand Portage I talked with a Park Ranger. She said that the Trail to the Cascades was being discontinued and the bridge across Snow Creek on the Trail leading to Partridge Fall would be taken out. The main reason they were doing this was due to the wishes of the Tribe. These trails led people off the National Monument Trail and onto Tribal lands.
I hopped in my van and headed up to Otter Lake Road. I hiked in on the Old Border Route Trail from Otter Lake Road. The Trail soon dissipates into a thicket. This trail is no longer a viable trail. Over the next 5 days I continued hiking down the Superior Hiking Trail.
First Controversy-Calling the Grand Portage National Monument Trail a “dud of a Trail”
The first controversy of the year started when I posted the following on the Superior Hiking Trail Hiker Yahoo Group
Post Begins
“Hi Everyone
I have recently posted photos on my website of the historical sites in Grand
Portage, the Mount Rose Trail and the complete 8 mile Grand Portage National
Monument Trail. This brings me to a rather sticky subject which I will address
here on this forum but I'm not sure how exactly I will handle it on my website.
I undertook this hike in part to see for myself the Old Border Route Trail that
goes between Partridge Falls and Rengo road (aka Otter Lake Road.) I wanted to
find out for myself what the condition of the trail is and try to talk to people
about getting this trail reinstated. After all, hopefully, the Arrowhead Reroute
Bill will eventually pass Congress and the 4 mile Old Border Route Trail would
be a trail that would connect two National Trails.
Now, I am totally convinced that this trail should not be reinstated.
First of all, now there is no Trail between Partridge Falls and Rengo Road (Aka
Otter Lake Road). I hiked in from both ends and it is dissolves into one big
thickety mess. I was a little bit concerned about it when I talked to the
Rademakers, the last known backpackers to use this route. They said the route
was passable, but even they did not make it through in one day. They camped
about a mile from Rengo Road next to a creek.
Secondly, they are taking down the Snow Creek Bridge. This is a bridge that is
west of Fort Charlotte. This is a 30 yard long bridge that people could use to
visit Partridge Falls from the Grand Portage Trail. According to Ed Solstad,
there is a different route you can use using two track forest roads. But still,
another example is that the trail leading from the Grand Portage Trail to the
Cascades has been shut down. I did not see that trail and going to the Cascades
was supposed to be one of the big attractions of hiking the Grand Portage Trail.
It seems that now the Tribe wants to keep everyone on the Grand Portage Trail
and doesn't want anyone wandering on Tribal Lands. There are many reasons for
this and maybe there are some that are not necessarily coming from the Tribe.
First of all, when you travel in your car down Old Highway 61, they have a big
sign saying it is a Federal Offense to trespass on Tribal Lands to fish, hunt or
trap. So it seems that the tribe is very concerned about people doing those
activities illegally on their lands.
It also could be said that the Native American has a different view of the land
than other people. They have a spiritual connection with the land. Sometimes
it doesn't seem like they care about the land because of all the Casino
Development that has been a scourge upon the earth. An example of that is the
sprawling complex at Wisconsin Dells. But, the Casino at Grand Portage is not
an over built affair.
Another reason why the Rengo Road to Partridge Falls route is not worth it is
that the Grand Portage Trail is a dud of a Trail. It is a very well maintained
trail, but the trail itself is not very scenic. You can check out the photos,
but you are basically just traveling through the woods with not many scenic
features. And once you get out to Fort Charlotte there is basically nothing
there except for a campsite.
There are a lot of other Trails in the Grand Portage Area that are a lot more
scenic. I hiked the Mount Rose Trail that starts out near the National Monument
Heritage Center, and the .75 trail was a lot more scenic than all 8 miles of the
Grand Portage Trail. There is also the Mount Josephine Trail and trails in the
Grand Portage State Park that include the highest waterfall in the state of
Minnesota including the border. Plus, the historical features in Grand Portage
including the Heritage Center and Depot are interesting places to visit.
I think the main hikers of the Grand Portage Trail are Scout Troops and other
hardy soles who actually want to portage the trail. Carrying a canoe for 8
miles doesn't sound like very much fun to me. I wonder how many people actually
do it.
I could also be cynical here and say that the Grand Portage Trail is a dud of a
trail because it celebrates the misery of innocent fur bearing animals. It also
shows the hardships of the voyagers who had a hard low paying job, and often
became overly indebted to the company they were working for. But it was a
different world back then. Back then Furs were the main commodity of the world,
much like oil is today. And Northern Minnesota and Canada were the Saudi Arabia
of the fur trade.
And I won't be saying it is a dud of a trail on my website because I want to be
positive towards hiking. People can just look at the photos and figure that out
for themselves. It is a relatively easy trail to hike and for some people that's
a blessing. The fact that there are no scenic overlooks means you don't have to
bust your butt making the hellacious climb up to the overlook.
The main attraction for hiking the Old Border Route Trail was to visit Partridge
Falls. It is a spectacular sight. I will be posting some photos of it on my website.
But you can just drive out to see Partridge Falls if you want to. Again, please
ask permission from the Grand Portage Land Trust Office to do so, Drive up Old
Highway 61 to Partridge Falls Road. I would feel more comfortable driving on
Partridge Falls Road with a SUV, pick up truck or other high clearance vehicle
rather than a minivan or car. Take Partridge Falls Road about 4 miles and park
near the old broken down Partridge Falls Cabin on the Pigeon River. Then it is
about a 300 yard hike to the right to the falls. It is an amazing falls, but it
is rather steep getting down to the bottom of the falls where the best view is.
I made sure I was carrying my Spot Messenger when I went down there, because I
was hiking by myself.
But, all the gobblygook I just wrote really doesn't compare to what I am about
to say. During my travels up on the Arrowhead I happened to meet up with a
Border Agent. And I had a rather interesting conversation with him. It appears
that the Grand Portage Reservation is a spot where people try to cross the
border illegally. I would not necessarily call it a "popular spot," for illegal
border crossing, but it happens frequently enough to where it is a concern. And
to my surprise, the border agent said there is a fair amount of people who try
to cross into Canada illegally. I always had the misconception that people were
only crossing into the US. After all, the Vietnam War is over.
Given all these reasons I have contacted Ed Solstad of the Border Route Trail
Association and he has agreed not to give out the map for the Old Border Route.
It is no longer a viable route.
And I just want to suggest that if people want to do some hiking after reaching
the northern terminus of the SHT, they should not go east to Grand Portage.
Instead, they should go west onto the maintained Border Route Trail. The first
13 miles of the eastern Border Route is spectacular with many overlooks. And the
trail isn't all that difficult considering you are visiting all those overlooks.
Have your ride pick you up at the Border Route Trailhead on the Arrowhead Trail.
There is also a forest campground nearby.
That's enough for now, Todd aka Tman”
Post Ends
Well, after that there were a bunch of postings critical of my posting. One in particular by Lisa who said “I'm torn on this between saying, great job of telling it like it is - and, on the other hand, thinking you put waaaaay too much opinion into this.” She continue on talking about another secret trail she wanted to hike called the Angleworm Trail, and she had a heartwarming story about an Afghan Student that crossed the border illegally into Canada to prevent being sent back to Afghanistan.
I replied
“First of all Lisa, it WAS a great job of telling it like it is. And the only
part that was somewhat opinionated was when I said the Grand Portage Trail was a
dud of a trail. Is there really such a thing as a dud of a trail? And I did
say that some people may like the trail because it is a relatively easy trail,
Basically, I'm trying to inform people if they are headed up the Grand Portage
Trail and are hoping to take the side trip to the Cascades or Partridge Falls,
you're going to be out of luck. Also, I wanted to warn people that the Old
Border Route between Rengo Road and Partridge Falls no longer exists. Part of
it was an old logging road, but now it is one thickety mess.
And I did not hike the whole route. I hiked in from one end and found it to be
thickety then I went to the other end and also found it to be thickety.
In no way does the section of Old Border Route even compares to the Angleworm
Trail. The Old Border Route has not been maintained for 13 years due to the
wishes of the Grand Portage Tribe. The Angleworm Trail is a Trail in the
Superior National Forest that is regularly maintained by the Boundary Waters
Advisory Committee.
And your parable about the Afghan Exchange Student is really not a valid
argument. Crossing the border illegally is still crossing the border illegally.
And though the intent of the Afghan Student is heartwarming and noble, there may
be people coming across with more evil intentions.
And is it my call to lobby Ed Solstad? You Bet. Last time I looked I was an
American Citizen, so I can lobby for anything I want. I am a responsible hiker
who informs the trail maintainers about the condition of the trail. Is this any
different than what Anne O did a couple weeks ago when she let the SHT know that
the section around Rosebush Ridge had many downed trees?
Regards from me, Todd aka Tman” end of post
That pretty much ended that Controversy
The Hike Continues, Then next Controversy emerges - Shower usage at Minnesota State Parks.
After I explored the Old Border Route, I went to the Swamp River Campsite near the Border Route Trailhead on Otter Lake Road, with the intentions of staying overnight there. That’s where I met up with Jeff and Beth, SHT Trail Maintainers who were camping at the site. They agreed to shuttle my van down to the Jackson Lake Road Trailhead the next morning. Thus, I became a day hiker instead of a Backpacker. It’s my vacation, if I feel like taking it a little easy, so be it. So, I hiked from Otter Lake Road to Jackson Lake Road on Memorial Day Monday. Then I hiked from Jackson Lake Road to the Arrowhead Trail on Tuesday, plus I did the Lakewalk. Then I hiked from the Arrowhead Trail to Judge CR Magney State Park on Wednesday. On Both Tuesday and Wednesday, I manage to get rides back to my Van. I was truly in Day Hiker Mode at this point. On Wednesday Evening, I took a little tour of Judge Magney State Park, stopping at the Campground Restroom and Shower House along the way. Then I headed into Grand Marais for Burger Night at the American Legion.
The next morning I decided I would do a “Hike and Bike” for the portion of the SHT between Judge CR Magney State Park and the Lakewalk. So I dropped off my bike at the east end of the Lakewalk, then I drove to Judge CR Magney State Park and parked in the parking lot.
As I was getting my gear ready in the Parking Lot, a lady Park Ranger pulls up and tells me that that shower house is for registered guests only, and that I should not have taken a shower there the night before. I told her that I didn’t take a shower, I was just checking out the facilities for future reference. I told her that I did go to the bathroom when I was at the restroom/shower house facility, but I didn’t take a shower. She said that it’s for registered campers only, and I shouldn’t have been down there. I said “oh Well,” basically because I was getting tired of talking with the lady. I could have told her that I was checking out the facilities for my Backpacking Website, maybe that would have changed her attitude. She must have gotten tire of talking to me, too, because she drove off.
Needless to say, my day of hiking had gotten off to a bad start. I started hiking but it was still burning me up inside that backpackers have to pay $18 to reserve a campsite at a State Park, just to take a shower. When I got home I wrote the following post on the SHT Hiker Yahoo Group
Post Begins
“Hi Everyone
One of the issues that I encountered when I was
hiking Otter Lake Road to Grand Marais is the
Shower House Rule at State Parks. You need to
be a registered camper at the park to take a
shower.
So, if you happen to be backpacking and reach the
park at noon, and you want to continue backpacking,
well you need to pay $18 and reserve a Campsite
to take a shower. That is not too steep if you are
in a hiking group of 5 or 6 people. But if you are
one or two people that's a little ridiculous
I don't understand why they can't just charge
3 or 4 bucks for a shower.
Furthermore, if the park people see that you
are backpacking, they are on high alert that
you may use the shower house. In other words
they are not making you feel very welcome, and
make you feel like second class citizens.
I know that some backpackers are sneaking in
to take a shower. But I really don't like the idea
of sneaking in. I am a customer of the State Parks
and I feel that I am a customer that they are
not serving very well.
I called 1-888-MINNDNR and voiced my concerns
over this situation.
As most everyone here knows, the SHT is a great
achievement. According to Backpacking Magazine
it is one of the "10 prime trails that leave all others
in the dust." We should not be having so much
trouble washing the dust off.
regards from me, Todd aka Tman”
End of Post
I received a few replies from some other hikers stating that they never had a problem showering at a State Park while Backpacking. Some even said that the Park Ranger gave them directions to the shower house. Recently, I found out some information that may shed some light to why the Rangers at Judge CR Magney State Park are so protective of their shower house. I talked with a Ranger at the November 2011 Outdoor Adventure Expo, and he said that Judge CR Magney is one of the few state parks that don’t have a well for their shower house. He said that they use tanker trucks to resupply the water. I didn’t realize that, but I’m more than willing to pay a fair price to take a shower, but $18 is a little high. Plus, Magney is pretty much the only place on the Northern 60 miles of the SHT where you can take a shower.
An Achievement – The hike is a success
I continued hiking and completed 3 “Hike and Bikes” along Highway 61 on Thursday. The First Bike and Hike was from Magney to the Lakewalk. The Second Hike and Bike was from the Lakewalk to the Kadunce Wayside. And the third Hike and Bike was from the Kadunce Wayside to Highway 14. This was a fun day of hiking, then riding my bike back to the van. Highway 61 has an 8 foot wide bike lane on each side of the road. Plus, since it was a middle of the week, there wasn’t much traffic. I really liked biking next to Lake Superior.
On Friday, I continued hiking west from Highway 14. My plan was just to hike as far as I could, then call Harriet Quarles to take me back to the van. Let me tell you, going up the Devil’s Track to Spruce Knob really kicked my ass. But I made it, and there are two really cool campsites up on the Devil’s Track River. After the Campsites there is another climb up away from the river, then the trail connects with the Pincushion Mountain Ski Trail System. Then it’s easy walking. I took the spur trail out to Pincushion Mountain, and it is a spectacular overlook. Then I continued on to the Pincushion Mountain Trailhead, which also has a spectacular view of Grand Marais. I called Harriet Quarles and she arranged for Dave to come pick me up and take me back to the van.
I decided to hike the last two miles of my trip on Saturday Morning. So, off I went to Chicken Night at the Grand Marais American Legion, then I sang Karaoke at the Birch Terrace. I woke up Saturday Morning, not especially early, and started hiking west from the trailhead. I crossed the Gunflint Trail, then went up the Sawtooth Bluff, also known as Maple Hill. I made it to the top, to Tower Road. That’s the place where I started my SHT hike back in 2009. So, I finally connected to where I had hiked before. What a great feeling that was! I had accomplished my goal. I rode my bike down Tower Road to the Gunflint Trail, then back to the Trailhead where the van was parked. The bike ride seemed like a victory lap. It was almost all downhill and was a fast trip. I finished up some stuff in Grand Marais, then started on my way home before noon. When I made it back to Madison, I stopped at the South Bay Lounge and sang “Home, Sweet Home” for Karaoke.
Quiet Summer and Fall
The rest of the Summer was fairly quiet. I worked on my trip reports for the Memorial Day Week Hike, and I took my mother on a few trips to visit people. In August, I went to the game playing convention called Gencon with my friends for the sixth year in a row. Then I decided I would be taking a class in Graphic Design at Madison Area Technical College. The Class started in late August and continued until the week before Christmas. I updated my skills in the three key Graphic Design Programs: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Indesign. I really didn’t want to miss any class time, so I didn’t do a major fall hike. I did some day hikes, like on the new Montrose Section of the Ice Age Trail. And in October I attended a Trail building Weekend with the Heritage Chapter of the North Country Trail. We build 1.5 miles of trail near Copper Falls State Park. I really felt like a Trailblazer. Then suddenly, the next controversy appeared rather innocently.
Another Controversy - The Gear Junkie’s Border Route Hike
The Gear Junkie did the Border Route Trail on Labor Day Weekend. He and his crew were trying to do the whole Border Route Trail, all 65 miles, in less than 24 hours. The Gear Junkie’s Article “Vague Path Through the Woods, Trip Report on MN’s Border Route Trail” appeared on his website on Sept 8, 2011. I read the article and was in awe. I was thrilled that the Border Route Trail was getting some national attention. But then something funny happened. On October 4 the Gear Junkie posted a video sponsored by Timberland Shoes. I watched the video and started to wonder.
You see, the 6 minute video had footage of the Gear Junkie on the western 15 miles of the Border Route Trail, and it had footage of the Gear Junkie on the Eastern 15 miles of the Border Route Trail. But it had absolutely no recognizable footage of the Gear Junkie in the interior. So, I wrote the following on the comments section for the article
“After seeing the video I’m
a little bit skeptical about
your Border Route claim.
There’s no footage of you
guys anywhere recognizable
in the interior of the Border
Route. No Stairway Falls, No
Watap Cliffs, No West Pike Lake
overlook. And there are some
signs on the Border Route that
you could have taken photos of.
Instead, there is just the shot
at the sign of you coming out
of the Boundary Waters
If you have photos or video of
any of that stuff, put it on the
web.”
Then all hell broke loose. People were calling me every name in the book defending their beloved Gear Junkie. The Gear Junkie himself never responded to anything. But the two people who accompanied the Gear Junkie on the Border Route Hike did respond, and their answers just gave me more questions and more doubts. For instance, I asked why a person like the Gear Junkie, who could have any GPS unit he wanted for his trip, would go out on the Border Route Trail with just a Map and Compass? TO Worley wrote back saying that they were a “Map and Compass Outfit.” Well, that doesn’t really explain very much. Maybe he could have explained why they are a Map and Compass Outfit. Finally, I called Greg, my Backpacking Advisor, and asked him to review my comments on the Gear Junkie site, to see if I was out of line. I had called Greg on my 8 pm break, and when I got home at 11:30 pm, I saw that Greg had posted a lengthy comment defending me and scolding the Gear Junkie. Here is part of Greg’s post
“Listen, if you are going to have a commercial interest and then make bold claims, at a minimum don’t put yourself in a position to have anyone question your credibility. Knowing that members of the party bailed out (“to move the car”…whatever) and that there is no video footage or photos of anything in the interior, well…I’m with Tman on this one.”
The comments kept rolling in from October 19 through 25. People who knew the Gear Junkie defended him pointing out that the Gear Junkie’s team had finished Second in the world’s most prestigious outdoor race, Patagonia. I wrote back “The fact that the Junkies came in 2nd Place at Patagonia is a major accomplishment, no doubt. But what the Junkie does at the world’s greatest outdoor competition where there’s plenty of people monitoring it, might be different than what he does out on the Border Route with nobody monitoring it.”
Finally after days of discussion, I finally just conceded that the Gear Junkie probably did do all of the Border Route Trail. There was still no definitive proof. But, I had made my points and it was just pointless to continue.
I met with the Gear Junkie at the Midwest Mountaineering Outdoor Expo. After our discussion, the Gear Junkie did say that he will do a better job of documenting his trips from now on.
Some Odds and Ends
As stated in the previous paragraph, I attended the Midwest Mountaineering Outdoor Adventure Expo in November. I also attended the Expo in April, too.
I like it because they have some really good speakers and exhibitors. In April, I attended Andrew Skurka’s Gear Session and in November I attended the session about the Pagami Creek Fire, presented by the Boundary Waters Advisory Committee. I helped out at the North Country Trail Booth both times. And I got to talk with Bruce Johnson, Matt Davis and Brian Pavik about some future hikes I’m planning to do on the NCT in Minnesota.
Also this year I published an interview with Joan Young, the first woman to completely hike the North Country Trail. Joan’s hike of the NCT is truly a great accomplishment that largely has gone unnoticed. I was hoping to get Joan and the NCT more publicity by having an outdoor website publish it. But, I finally just gave up and published it on my own website.
Unfortunately, my last controversy of the year involved a clash between Joan and I.
The Last Controversy of the Year – The Mackinac Bridge Hike
On December 3 the NCTA Board approved the End to End Hike/Trip policy which was drafted by the NCTA Long Distance Hiker Committee which Joan Young is a member. The main reason the Policy was implemented was to make sure hikers actually hike the trail, where there is a trail, instead of doing road walks. Joan Young published the policy on her North Country Trail News Blog. I read and liked it for the most part, but I had an immediate negative reaction to one part of the Policy. On the NCTA’s Facebook page I wrote
“I think it is a little ridiculous to require long distance hikers to come back and do the Mac Bridge walk on Labor Day.”
This set off a series of comments between Joan Young and I. In one of her comments she wrote “Todd- it's been discussed for 8 months. This is the policy. People will or will not like it, but the Labor Day bridge walk is part of the NCT experience.” And with another comment she wrote “The Mackinac Bridge is not just any bridge. It is unique in many, many ways. One of those is the annual Bridge Walk. It is part of the NCT experience, which should "showcase the natural, cultural, and historic features of the northern United States."
I commented back “I think hikers can get the "natural, cultural and historic features" by visiting the cities at each end of the bridge. Forcing hikers to come back to the Mackinac Bridge on Labor Day will cause substantial financial hardship to the hikers. The Bridge Walk is not an NCT event, it is sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce of the two cities, and also the Bridge Authority. The Bridge Walk started in 1958 and the NCT wasn't a National Scenic Trail until 1980.”
There was a series of emails too. In one of my emails I wrote
“Requiring people to go to St Ignace on Labor Day
would be the most expensive rule in hiking.
My only objection to this policy is the Mac Bridge.
Of course we should encourage people to hike
the bridge, because of all its benefits, but making
it a requirement is going a little too far.
The great irony in all this is that the Bridge Walk
is a road walk.”
I guess that after I called the rule “The most expensive rule in hiking” that the NCTA Board is going to discuss the Mac Bridge Requirement. I’m happy with the End to End Hike/Trip Policy other than that. And I really don’t like getting on the bad side of Joan Young, “the Queen of the NCT.” She has done so very much to promote the North Country Trail.
So There It Is, The Year in Review.
What will 2012 have in store. Probably, some more NCT hikes in Minnesota. And probably some more controversies created by my big mouth.
Happy New Year
Regards from me, Tman