Blogging the North Country Trail

by admin on October 5, 2011

Welcome! The NCTA’s Insight blog is your source for extended coverage and inside information on what’s happening on and around the North Country Trail.

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Map 5: NCNST Vermont Extension - Alternative C Corridor (Preferred Alternative)

Map 5: NCNST Vermont Extension - Alternative C Corridor (Preferred Alternative)

The National Park Service is accepting public comment through June 15th on their Feasibility Study Corridor Plan and Environmental Assessment for Addison County, Vermont.  This document analyses the feasibility, desirability, and various alternatives for extending the North Country National Scenic Trail through Addison County, Vermont from its current eastern terminus in Crown Point, New York.
The National Park Service will also be hosting a public meeting in Middlebury, VT on 5/21.

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Trail clearing on the Kek

Trail clearing on the Kek

Additional volunteers are needed for a couple trail clearing trips being led by experienced Kekekabic Trail Club volunteer leaders. This is a great way to see the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, experience the Kekekabic Trail, and to volunteer on the NCT!

Information on the Terry Bernhardt led crew trip from 5/16 – 5/20…

We will drive up to Ely the afternoon of Wednesday, May 16, stay at the US Forest Service bunk house the evening of May 16, paddle in to our campsite in the BWCAW Thursday morning, and paddle out Sunday morning.

We will  be working on the west end of the Kekekabic Trail, entering at Snowbank Lake, camping near the Kek on either Parent Lake or Disappointment Lake.  The Forest Service will provide canoes and hand tools (nippers, bow and cross cut saws).  We provide our own food, tents and other gear. The gear and food will be planned at least a week before the trip.

I hope you can join us. There will be a combination of trail clearing activities and time to relax, fish, etc.  Only requirement is that crew members be in good health and able to use hand tools and able to lift/roll  branches and cut logs. We work in teams and do not tackle trees that are beyond our capability with hand tools.

Contact Terry ASAP at 651-226-6546 cell phone or tbernhardt1@comcast.net if you are interested in joining his crew.

Information on the Derrick Passe led crew from 5/23 – 5/29…

My crew is also at 5 currently. I would welcome any NCTA volunteers that want to help out on the Kek (and also get a tour of the Pagami Fire Area). Here are the pertinent details:

Wed. May 23 – Crew Assembly in Ely at Kawisihwi Ranger Station (I haven’t heard back from Cory on the Bunkhouse yet) I do have drivers coming from Mpls/St. Paul Metro Area and one via Central Wisconsin)

Thurs. May 24th – Put in from Snowbank Entry Point  around 10 am (option for Later Arrival).

May 24th – May 27th – Clear from a base camp on Thomas Lake East and West based on feedback from other Clearing Trips.

May 28th – Leave base camp on Thomas and head South into Insula Lake (the north edge of the Pagami Fire).

May 29th – Exit the BWCAW from Lake One, stay that evening at my cabin in Brimson (or go directly home).

Contact Derrick ASAP via email at Derrick.Passe@co.lake.mn.us if you are interested in joining his crew.

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April 27, 2012

Check out the NCT & NCTA at the Outdoor Adventure Expo this weekend!

The North Country Trail Association will once again be participating in the Outdoor Adventure Expo hosted this weekend by Midwest Mountaineering in Minneapolis, MN.  The Star of the North Chapter will be hosting the NCTA booth along with the Kekekabic Trail Club and Border Route Trail Association.  Our Superior Hiking Trail Association friends are usually [...]

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April 23, 2012

Latest issue of the MN newsletter is now available

The latest issue (PDF, 1.4MB) of the Call of the North, Minnesota’s NCTA newsletter is now available.  In it, you’ll find… An update on the Laurentian Lakes Chapter’s busy trail-building year using a DNR Legacy Trail grant An update on the new effort to jumpstart the development of the NCT in Otter Tail County (Frazee [...]

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February 24, 2012

Trail Alert: Parker, PA

Bridge Closure in Parker PA The bridge over the Allegheny River in Parker will be closed for 8 months. Follow Route 268 north from Parker and cross the river on Route 58 at Foxburg. 58 will rejoin the route of the NCT at Callensburg.

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February 17, 2012

Hike the Hill 2012 Final: What we learned

By Bruce Matthews, NCTA Executive Director 9:00am Andrea Ketchmark, NCTA’s Director of Trail Development and I wrapped up our 2012 participation in Hike the Hill this week. See the previous Blogs and Facebook postings for the specifics. Here are some of our takeaways from this year–what we learned, what we might do about it. In [...]

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February 16, 2012

Hike the Hill: Day 4 Update

By Bruce Matthews, NCTA Executive Director 10:00am Wednesday featured another busy day of Hill visits and federal agency meetings for NCTA Director of Trail Development Andrea Ketchmark and myself. A beautiful day in DC–sunny, cloudless and low 50′s–as a contrast to our rugged red plaid north country winters…well, maybe less so this year! Anyway, visiting Members of Congress is [...]

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February 15, 2012

Hike the Hill: Day 3 update

By Bruce Matthews, NCTA Executive Director 7:00am Highlights of Tuesday’s Hike the Hill include meetings with the offices of 8 Congressmen representing districts through which the NCNST passes, a meeting with Vermont Senators Leahy and Sanders staff about the eastern terminus extension, and a meeting at Interior with Will Shafroth, who heads up the President’s America’s Great Outdoors program [...]

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February 14, 2012

Trail Alert – Allegheny River Trail – PA02 S Map Segment

From Dave Adams:  The Parker Truss Bridge will be closed from March 1 through mid-November for rehabilitation and painting.  Northbound NCT hikers normally use this bridge to access the Allegheny River Trail on the East side of the river and then hike north to Foxburg,  etc.  Trail detour is to hike north along W berm [...]

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February 14, 2012

Hike the Hill Recap: Day 2

By Bruce Matthews, NCTA Executive Director 6:00am Monday turned our to be Budget Day in DC–the day when the President delivers his next year’s budget proposal to the Hill. Not a great time to be scheduling meetings with Congressional offices–all the focus and energy is on the budget and what it means to states/districts and political positions and whose [...]

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