Our Stories

First NCT workday held in Itasca County, MN!

The very first North Country Trail workday sponsored by the newly-formed Arrowhead Chapter in Itasca County, MN was held on Saturday (10/3). It went very well.  The group was formerly known as the Grand Rapids Area Hiking Club and is not officially a NCTA chapter yet.  That should happen at the NCTA’s December Board meeting.

A total of 22 people worked on a “fisherman’s trail” along the bank of the Mississippi River within the Bass Brook Wildlife Management Area.  The work made the trail more sustainable and involved installing crib walls, steps, performing basic maintenance, and installing a short bog bridge in a low, wet spot.  The project materials were funded by the Itasca County Trails Task Force.

Thanks go to the MN-DNR Wildlife staff for allowing us to work there, to the Itasca Community College’s Natural Resources Club members, Brad Jones of ICC, and the other volunteers who participated (Brian Pavek & Harlan Liljequist from the STN Chapter, Lisa Cassioppi, Craig Dingman, Larry Best, Scott Belknap, Don Johnsrud, Eric & John Maturi, and James Davis).

The chapter will have volunteers out scouting trail route elsewhere in Itasca County later this fall & winter and they also hope to mark some existing trail segments (e.g. some of the Forest History Center trails) as the NCNST this winter as well.