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EDlftrRSP. o. Box 243Empor i qrtPa. t 5834

voLUl,tE vI, NUMBER 2 sPRrI{G , 1.987

otrcAN 1ZA',l',r0N

NORTII COUN'I'RY 'I'RAP.O. Box 311Whiuc Cloud, Mich

CO.EDITORS

BARBARA ANN SMITHJOHN G. HIPPSP. O. Box 2t+3Emporium, PA 15834

rt-rl..t-

OFFICERS

Robert E. Dreis, PresidentL632 Smi t,h S t .Spooner, WI 54301

Thomas J. Reimers, Vice Pres.3C l^/i ldf lower Dr .Ithaca, NY 14850

Pat A11en, Sccrctary23L4 Lake Drive, SEGrand Rapids, MI 493L6

Kenneth R. Gackler, Treasurer413 l^lest Johnson St.Caledonia, MI 493t6

Virginia WunschHeadquarters ManagerRoute #4, Mundy Ave.l/hi te Cloud , MI 49349

RuLh Sack, ChairpersonMembership

Ar! Holland, Chairperson1990 End-To-End TraiI Hike

Lance FeildPresident Emeritus

D I R [:C'I'ORS

New YorkffiaEE-Bowen Bosworth USSSAThornas J. lleimcrs C'l'A

Barbara A. SmithJohn G. HippsGlenn OsterPaulette JohnsonBrita and Don Dorn

Ohioffiile S. GregorCecil DobbinsTami Lou SpykerHerschel A. Rubin

MichiganVirginia WunschPat AIlenKen GacklerJim ['IarmelsArt HollandR,tr th Sack

[,]iscons inRobErt DreisSteve Sorenson

MinnesoLaeErffidlowNorth DakotaPdaIns-

:k:l:k

REGIONAL CHAPTERS

Western MichiganSouthern MichiganMinneso taohio(nra)

t t. ASSOC rA',l'r0N

i gan 49349

NCTANCTAAYHI{PCl'ICTA

BTABTAOHCBTA

NCTANCTAN CTANCTANCTANCTA

NCTANCTA

NCTA

voI-uME vr, NUMBER 2 ORGANTZATIONAL

-1-

SPRING , 1,987

VT)I,UMIi VT. NUMRI.:R 2 SI,JAN-SONC Sf ii T l'lc , 1987

December L6, 1985i:i ;'. It i,r,. ..

Ed i torsNCTA News Ie t. terP.O. Box 243Emporium, PA 15834

I dont t know if Jim l^trarmels hascontacted you about Lhis or notbut you may be inEerested toknow that we are in the Processof forming a Southern MichiganChapter of Ehe NCTA, wit.h thegoal of having the fiftY tosixty sout,hernmosL miles ofthe Nort,h CountrY TraiI inMichigan completed in time fort.he bick-to-back walk in 1-990.We have held one very success-ful meeti.g, anrl have severalproposals filed with variousmaniging agencics for differingse2,menti of the trail, though-we

-have not yeL received finalac t. ion on any Ye t . There i s astrong possibilitY that. we willbe able- to apPly for certifi-cation on 20 miles or so inL987. Anyone interested shouldcontact me at. the followingaddres s .

Very Truly Yours,

Wes Boydt4845 Rome Rd.Iutanitou Beach, MI 49253

EDI-FLASII

The new tenth edition of Penn-sylvania Hiking Guide edired bYDlvid Raphael and Published bYKTA, that describc:s more than2 r'2OO miles of t,r:rils, is nowavailable. ConEacE MauriceI orrester, R-252 Edgewood Ave ' ,

1)rrlroistown, PA L770L, 7L7-322'02')3,

T0: AI] meplberS ,r, ,r:r

FROM:

SUBJECT:

Bob Dreis, PresidentSwan-Song

I guess this will be my lastmessage to you-a1I as Presidentof the North Country Trail As-sociation. My term runs out inMay, L987, and I do not chooseto run again.

At our May meeting in WhiteCloud, Michigan, we will vote opersons willing to take up thechallenge and carry on with thetask of getting the t.rail as a"de facto" path on the land. SoLhe May meet.ing is very impor-tant. to alI of us.

The North Country Trail Associ-ation is very dear to my heartand I intend to remai-n an activeember. However, I think I hav

done all I can for the organization in an administrative capa-city and the leadership shouldnow pass to younger minds withnew ideas and dedicat.ion. You

mbers are a great bunch ofpeople and I know you all willsupporl those who are elecEeci asofficers. Our goal is worth-while - some day in the futurepeople will tread a pathway t.hayour pioneering ef fort.s helpedes tablish.

I would like to leave with Lhismessage: the edjtorial in thelast newsletter by Tom Thwait.essays it. alI and I subscribe toit toLally. As he said, time ion our side. See you all on thtrails!Sincerely,

Rober t. E. DreisPresident, NCTA

voi,uME vT, NUMRIiR 2 ,0I',r,,, SPRING L987

February 17, 7987

I wish to t.hank all the N.C.T.A.members for t.heir protn[)L repliesto the September renewal letter.By the end of December our mem-bership had exceeded last years.Every week renewals and new mem-berships plus generous donaEionsare still arriving. By t.hespring meeting I no doubt willbe pleased to announce a tot.almembership of over 200.

Isn't thaL exciting? !

There are still a few who per-haps just forgot to renew.Please check t,he dat,es on yourcards .

Since the Associate Membershiprule was passed last fallr w€are receiving t.he support ofmany hikers from New York,Pennsylvania and 0hio. Manythanks to all of you.

I am looking forward to a Feb.28 meeting wit.h Wes Boyd's newgroup of Southern Michigan NCTAmembers . At las L we can lookforward to linking up withOhiofs NCT Lrail as it crossesover at llillsderle, Mj.chigarn.

From t ime to t, ime i t wou Id begreaL if each staLe would shareLheir trail activities. Pleasesend your information to Lhenews le t, ter .

Once again - sincere thanks forthe renewals, the new member-ships and the generous donaLions

Best Regards,

N.C.T.A. MembershipRuth Sack

:!The editors wish to t't.hank"Ruth for her continued effortand t.ime in all that she doesfor the North Country Trail andmost especially the Associa-t'ionrs membership...

Smithipps Hoorah and a Big hugfrom all!!!

DPERIENCED HIKEreNEEDED rc /tMERtcAN

fi[iSE[I..,,f{BsI&'Since 1979 we havs been sending teamsol voluntgers to remole areas'Alaska' Ver'monl, Hawaii, Montana, Arizona. work wrthlhe Nalional Park and Forest Servtces build-ino nsw cabins, bndqes and trails or marn'taining ol<t ones. All ldod provrdEd. For rnlor'mation on winter and summor opporlunities,s€nd a Long, Self-Addressed, Stamp€d En-velope lo:

AHS Volunteer vacatlon3PO Box 86

No. Scituale. MA 02060

JIM CARLSON'S ShIOWSHOES

Ojibwa style (point.ed at bothends) 53 x L04 including bind-ingsr nstural or walnut stained,$59.00. Michigan residents add4'L sales tax. Include LO7" f orshipping and handling. Moneymust, accompany order.

LIe replace old rawhide lacingwith new nylon lacing and finishwith spar varnish. Estimatesupon request. Must send lengthand width of center secLion t,obe redoner oL overall length, ifwhole shoe must be redone.

MaiI all orders and inquiries to

(aa )J.C. IS INSTALLATIONP.0. Box 292Hesperia, MI 49421

-3.-

VO],UME VI, NUMBI.]R 2 RUT}I AND TIIN WOLFE SPRING, 1987

ED I - NOTE

e have once ag"ain heard fromut.h MacFarlane which is alwaysreat news because of her kindf good news. Some portions of

her lett.er are reproduced belorvNo one can say it bet.ter thanRuth herself.

Dear Co-Eds: L/ 30/ 87

fhank you f or the Ia t.es E edi t ionof the Newslet.ter. I alwayscomb t.hrough i t caref uIly. I tis such an effect.ive tool inholding the I{CTA t.ogeLher. Someof us cannot get away to travelthe Iong dis tances t,o the meet-ings, but you make us f eel rve'are a part of it alI.My big project is that I amwriting a book about Pet.e. Last.January he brought, me all hisjournals, photos, maps, andmementoes of the trail. Then wemade many hours of voice tapesof his memories of his sevensummers of hiking. I havet.ranscribed j ournals and Lapes ,edited, and have just sent offthe account of his first year'shike (L974) to my agent, andhave yet to hear what he thinksof it. I am very errLhusiasticabout Lhe book and plan Eo go onwith it, even i,f. I have t.osearch a long time for a pub-1i- sher .

A couple of weeks ago I went toMunising,. Michigan where theywere holding snowshoe races ona portion of Lhe NCT. It wassome spectacle--people runningon snowshoes on courses 4.5 and9 rniles long! They had somemore Ieisurely walks for novicesalso . I am trying t.o interes tthe Michigan AAA magazine in anarticle on hiking the trail asa break from driving. I have yet

t.o hear f rom them also. TheMichigan Natura,f, Besources m4gazine has expressed an interestin an article on Peter LToIfeand the NCT. They jusL boughtanother article of miner so Ican trus t t.hat they mean bus i-ness on the second one.

Keep putting out the Newsletterand holding us together. I a-witit more news of t.he 1990 end-to-end hike. In fact Lhat ismy submission for the name ofthe hike ! The ETE on the NCTin 9-0.

Sincerely,

Ruth B. MacFarlane

Ttre above candid snapsho! showsNCTA President Bob Dries clear-ing traiI on last summer's longl'r i ke in Lhe U. P..and he swore he 'rvould not lieabouL a thing like this.EDI-NOTE - The Editors are won-dering it this story is aboutas ta11 as that t,ree.

VOLUMIl VI, riUPi:)Ei{ 2 !T.'LASII ! sPRil{G, 1-987

BUCKEYETRAIL

ASSOCIATIONl<r.v' A1';rir 11 ' 1eB7'

28th ANNUAL MEETINGFri. evening thru Sun. afternoon

APRIL 24-26, 1 987

ED I - I,'I,ASTI

'l'tre P<-rtomac Appalachian TraiIannounces their sponsorship ofLhe second annualttDogwood HaIfIlundred" one day hike on Satur-

EDI-FLASH

The Colorado Mount.ain Club, inconjuncLion with the Friends ofThe Colorado Trail are seekingvolunteers Lo help finish theColorado Trail this summer.ConLacL Friends of The ColoradoTraiI, Crew Coordinator, 548Pine Song Trail, Golden, CO80401 .

PILI fll' : Put var ious s izesafety pins on the tangs ofthe zippers of your pack.These make the zippers easierto grab in the cold or whenwearing gloves. The safetypins are then readily avail-able for other uses: clothespins, awls, connectors, etc.T use safety pins to hangthings from my tent, to hold akerchief on the frame (near myhead) , to mend clothes, toclean my stove and (on occa-sion) to replace those blastedlitt1e rings on my frame. Noone should hike without atIeast a dozen safety pins.(Vernon Leming) EDI-NOTE: andyou need never to get caughtwith ';-cur diaper do.lun either j

EDI.FLASH

The Finger Lakes TraiI Confer-ence 25lh Anniversary Celebra-tion is set for Flay 22-25, 7987at Ithaca ColleB€, Ithaca, N.Y.

vjs\r'.x\:.$ :':.r

CAMP WELSEYRoute 2, Perrysville, Ohio

hosted by:

CLEVEI-^AND HIKING

VOLUME VI, NUMBER 2 TO YOUR I'ITKTNG HEALTH sPRrNG, L987

IIEALTH AIID SAFETY ON TIIE TRAIL*fhe Editors

"Prepare for the possibility, kn@l as much as possible, treatwhen necessary',

Perhaps second to getting out on the trair as often as possibis to get back aLways, safe and sound.

To more insure the latter it is heS.pful to have some awarenessof the cojnmon hazards encounterabLe, to be prepared to takeeare of them and to knour hou, to do so.

This NewsLetter speciaL is to provide information that wirlherp you to get off the hiking trair; hearthy,wealthy and wise.The- accomp_anying gr_aph outlines the sixteen most common typesof heaLth hazards the outdoor enthusiast may encounter.

rolLcming is a list of items to guide you in preparing youror.r,n personal First Aid Kit:

Insect RepellantSnake Bite KitAntihistamine for itching, i.e. Dimetapp Extentabs and

trenadrylTyIenoI or eguivaLentFirst Aid Ointment, i.e- Neosporin; ointment rather than

cream; multi-purpose for surrburn, poison iry, blis-ters, burns and minor skin problems such as scrat-ches, abrasions, etc.

Kling Bandages 1,,, 2rr, 3,,, 4,r, 6nAce Bandages 2r, , 3,,, 4" , 6"Pressure BandageI,luLti Purpose Pocket Knife, i.e. swiss - to incrude'crip-per component for fish hooks and scissors for cut-

ting clothing and bandagesCompass - B1azes or not, its not at all uncommon to 1ose

a traiL because of pocr bLazing and be l_ost veryguickly

Read again the List of common hazards anc think about them.Many of them,i.e. sunburn can be totally prevented, others canbe minimizedt i.e. insect bites; most atr-can be handred withcommon Bense (its in your head and not your First Aid Kit).Dol:t forget to have notice on your person pertaining to anymedicar condition you have and medication you are taking. -

rcrot, how to improvise splints, canes and crutches from treebranches an,jl ace bandages.

PERCENT OF OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS AFFECTED

953 lnsect EitesX

328 Burrrs

778 Sunburn

778 Unpurt f ied Water

70X Elisters

70R Wasp Strngs o

52R Troumstic Experiences E

528 Deep Loceretions

458 Poison lvg

43:8 Embedded Fishooks

43R Spratn Ankles

Specrfrc insects not ldentified

0ther tgpes of bees not mentioned, an

additionol point of advtse ls offered to peopleknown to be ollergic to bee venom ond f or theneed f or o special emergencu kit f or this

Near drowntngs, folls, encounters with bears,snokes, bod stornts ond the 'like.

Whether porsonous 0r non-polsonous notspecrfied.

W l6ELost

ffi I 4fr Broken Bones

W lox Food Poisoning

O

E

ffi BE sun stroke

ffi 5E Snoke Bites A

.5

-7-

(co to page 10)

voI-uME vT , NUMRTR 2 TOMT AN; TIIF,' HORSE 5PRING, 1987

. .4 BOARD MEMBER PROFTLE. .lj), 'ri<r, '1I:

EDI-DUCTION: Following is an interesting item about, and by,one of our newest Board Merdbers. Tomi is from ohio, dr avidhorsewoman; her introduction and her trail .documentary isnicel-y appropriate for this issue of the NewsLetter i-n view ofother items appearing in this same issue regardj-ng murtipreuse of NCT, including horseback riding. other new Board Memberare asked to provide the Editors with their profile for futureissues. A11 readers are asked to respond to the issues ofmultiple non-motorized trail use of alL kinds:I have been invited to provide the rest of the NCTA memberswith an informative article and thereby share my views andideas with you. I can provide a few hard statistics of who Ithink r am. My name is Tomi Lou spyker, r have been appointedfor. a three year term to your goard to aid in the creation ofa reality - The North Country frail. f am a Horsewomani therfore my first bent is tovrards Horse TraiL Riding especially ona long trail such as the NCT. I enjoy walking along trailsbut far be it for me to claim any authority in hiking (: donot have that much will or stamina). To me each of us likesvarious trail experiences. - f think you wilL come to knoqr mebest if I share one of my Horse Trips al.ong a section of theNCT (in Ohio) - it will also give those of you unfamiliar withthis area of the trail an idea of what awaits you there.

Some background is necessary to this trip IoE; I rode onehorse, dD Appaloosa Celding named ',,fefet'. I had been condi-tioning him and myself during the summer to ride J-onger dis-tances carrying increasing amounts of weight over tougher ter-r-ain (you knovl those things - they are LaughingJ-y ca1led"hi11s"!) than either he or I normally see around home.

MONDAY: The day is beautiful; t feel that my vacation is go-ing to get off to a nice start in spite of the previous badweather.

Paint Creek Horsements Campground is the Location of an oldfarmhouse; aL1 that remains is the well and the magnificentoId Sugar lr{aples that surrounded the house. r let Jefe graze-rope hobbled-\,r,hi1e I set up the tent. The park Rangers haveLeft a fire ring as they said they would; plenty of deadfalland old house timbers are near camp - I will have a nice firetonight.

During afternoon I rode part of the Rattlesnake trail but amunable to locate the shore of the reservoir. ir,Iost of the parkis flatly roLLing oLd farmland sLovrLy returning to shrub. Atype of juniper (nea Cedar it Likes the Limestone of SW Ohioseems to be an occupant of the abandoned fields. fn otherareas the soil is of a poor gravelly nature giving rise to

-8-

VOLUME VI, NUMBER 2 HORSES SPR ING 7987small prairie Patches. vfhether these areas are self sustain-ing or will eventually return to forest is beyond my tcncrwledge

The night proved clear with a sharp creselt moon. Found my_serf admiring the silhouette of th6 tree Limb and llaves a_gainst the moonlight night. Nature arways seems, in momentslik_e this, to render a frore than adequate def inition of wordssuch as 'rsererre,,. The photograph t liave tried to take willn9t capture this moment but perlraps it wirr herp to remind meof its fleeting existence.(continued in r761umn VT, Number 3)

TIIE EQUESTRIAN VTEWPOTNT*by Jennifer Leipold

PresidentChester County Eguine Council, fnc.

NorE: The follovling article is in response to the corumn,"Horses on Hiking Trails" by the editor which appeared in theWinter 1985 Newsletter-

Thank you for the opportunity to reply to your articre. r a-gree there are probS-ems with multi-use traiLs. However, be-fore the "Horses Keep Out" signs are posted, I think the is-sues need to be clarified. Motorj-zed users, because of speed(safety) , sound (aesthetics), and damage (erosion) factorS,really need separate trails. They shouLd be considered in thep_lanning process. If off-road space is not made avaj-Iab1e,thentheseusersaregoingtobeonwhatevertrai].sexistsigns or not.

Evidently there are many misconceptions about horses and ridersand some hikers have complaints about both. yes, r do agreethat Eome of the compraints are valid. r wilL address thevarious issues separately.

SAFETY. Horses do not move so fast that they run hikers offthe trail. H_orses go t_o great lengths to av6id stepping onothers - to the point that they will hurt themselveS-riist.Additionally, horses sense traffic ahead or behind sooner thanthe rider, and so often alert the rider long before the otherparty comes into sight. This factor has prevented collisionswith motorbikes, Horses are arways ridden with some kind ofbridLe and so are under control, not running around roose asmost dogs seem to be.

MANURE. This debris breaks down in about 24-49 hours. Mosthorses evacuate when being saddled or in the first guartermiLe of riding - not so great a distance as to precLude sepa-rate traiLheads. Horses carry no diseases that are communi-cabLe to man. Besides, it is great for the birdsj

-9-

voLUME VI, NUMBER 2 HO]?SES sPRrNG, t9B7

assist in the parks and Landthat inadeguate maintenancehorses.

lRosroN. .-Ride19 do not like rutted, muddy, overgrorrrn trails,.alry more than hikers, aird neither do horses. rhis " p="u'i"* i,that is soLvable. some trails need to be rerouted to betterdrained so1I. where demand is high, some traiLs need to bewidened to permit the traffic to ipiead out and to get eguip-I:II IIT,:1"I in- some rrairs wilr srir1 need more"speciaL'nerp in the form of weed chips or filr dirt periodicaity. rnthe area r ride, maintenance is a never endiirg headache andugy3rlr 'Left to "the other guy. ,, perhaps in ftre future wewiLL be paylng user fees, as ire fishermen, campers, and hun-ters. rn chester_ county there are many rocar giorpi that arealready funding their cmrn maintenance. Also, fr"rry'individuaLs

preserves. I am not convincedis justification for excluding

Prease Iet me point.gut some benefits of havins horses ontrails. we never rirrer. weE picli-uF--1i[i6i-I"il' uyothers becauEdTf we don,t, we "ni up iritr, Lame horses andveterinarian biIls. Trails with hories are used almost dailyall year, whj-ch in itserf is a deterrent to undesir.ables. r;1effect, riders provide a sort of ,,country watch,,. We arebasically interested in the same goars ai other outdoor ori-ented folks i that is, pro-tecting what there is f or the g"o-of the environment, and the more we purr together, the moreeffective our efforts will be

The bottom line: there is just not enough space on earth foreach group to have separate facirities. -eopirlations of botheguines and people are increasirg; open space available forrecreation is not keeping pace. rf hikers and riders cannotget together and solve probrems, then we arl Lose.*Taken from the ICIA Newsletter, Spring, 1995, with the per_mission of the Editor, Maurice J. Foriester, LTr.

/- -\\rrom page / )

There comes a time when the bottom line of care from othersor yourseJ.f for many of these hearth hazards, i.e. sunstroke,snake bites, bee allergids, getting rost and the traumatic ex-periences is to avoid panie, sit d6wn, relax, think thingsover! It can save your life*created and composed from a personal, in-depth interview be-tvleen Editor Barbara A. smith, a natural nati:rarist, and co-Editor ,John C. Hipps, M.D.

-10-

HORSES ON HIKING TRAILS*

Multiple use of trails is a probrem that wiLr not go away.once a trail exists it is coveted. No matter hor^r It *a= de-signed and engineered, and no matter even who went out and didthe work of layout, design and construction; when the trail be-comes a rearity, others wirr want to use it. rhe probrem isfurth_er compticated when (as is usuarly the case) trr. trair ison pubLic Land. Then we must deal with the phil-osophicar gues_tion of who hae the right of access to pubrii landsl or vre canmake the guestion even mcre difficurt by turning it around andasking who should be denied access

over !h" years the major conflicting use probrems for hj-kershave rnvorved motorized vehicles. r remember some years agohiking in moderate snc,r^, cover on the Appalachian rrlir in ierkscounty and encountering a veritable swiim of snorarmobires.(rhey arways seem to tiavel in packs.) There is no need, rsuspect, to say that it was not the snowmobiLes who leaped offthe traitr to avoid being run dcr,rn.

on another occasion - in the summgr this time r was hikingon a remote mountain trail in northcentraL pennsylvania. aiongthe trail behind me a dull roar sharpened to the-keening whine-of straining gasoline engines. r moved aside as a fiLe oftrail bikes swept past. Just in front of me they rode througha.moderateLy wide creek anc tore up a steep bank on the farside, spraying mud, water, and pebbles behind them.

rt is becoming crear from these examples, r hope, that theprobl.em is not re3rly on9.of murtipre use, but oi "o*patiblemu1tip1euse.Hikersordinari1.yhLveno6irticuitffi',ga winter traiL with skiers or snovushoers. Motoriz6d vehicles]on the oEher hand, t'aise tvro major difficurties: safety andtra_r! dam-age. _ (The noise caused by the vehicres is a thirdproblem, but largely an aesthetic 6ne and r will defer discus-sion of it to some other occasion.)

The safety problem is self-evident. peCestrians and motorizedvehicles cannot safely use the same right-of-way at the sametime. It is in recognition of this axiom that lities providesidewalks for pedestrians. Trair damage faLLs in a diiferentcategory. ft is less of a problem from snormobires becausethere is normally a cushion of sno!.u between those vehicLes andlhu treadway. At oEher times of the year, hor{ever, the damagedone to a footpath by marauding vehicies can bring tears of.fyry_to the eyes of a conscienEious trail maintaiier. ftresim3lJ-e fact is that foot trails in this stite are almost neverengineered to standards that can absorb the punishment infLic-ted by a Erail bike.

VOLUME VI NUMBER 2 N,IORE ON HORSES

-7t-

sPRrNG, 7987

voLUME VI, NUMBER 2 MORE ON HORSES SPRTNG , Lg87

Nour come the horses. Lately there seems to be a grov,ring in-terest in horseback ridipg in Pennsylvania. With this trend i:have corne the ominous runilclings of anottrer user conflict aborn-ing. Recently my maiL brought me a letter and a flier from anoutfitter in northcentral Pennsylvania who offers aII manner ofhorseback trips in that part of the state. These include(Would you believe?) "skijoring", which is defin,=d as skiingbehind a horse. It. sounds not unlike waterskiing in the sncn^r,with locomotion provided by a horse instead of a boat.

It is noteworthy that this promotional Literature speaks of"western-styleC trips,, and assures the reader that it is noIonger necessary to travel to the Far West to experience thistype of outing. The American West has a long and largely con-tinuing history of horse traveL. Horses are part of the heri-tage there, and traiLs have traditionally been designed to ac-commodate eguestrians. The crucial guestion, then, is whetherthis Western tradition can be successfully transplanted toPennsylvania where until recentLy horseback riding was largelylimited to a wealthy faction, often referred to disparaginglyas "the horsey setr'.

The fact is that Pennsylvaniars hiking trails, with few excep-tions,. have not been designed with any expectation that theywculd be used by an animal weighing as much as the averagehorse, and armed with metatr shoes. It is, I believe, the dam-age done to the treadway that most hikers find disturbing.There are some, of course, who raise objections on aestheticgrounds, relating usualLy to manure. These are a minority,hovrever, in my j udgment.

NonetheLess, if eguestrian trail use is increasing, as seemsto be the case, it is time the hiking community takes note ofthat fact and begins to establish a dialogue between hikersand eguestrians. Over the next few issues of this NewsLetterI would like to devote some space to consideration of thismatter from aL]. perspectives.. To begin, I have invited thepresident of-ffi'eGe-s-6elfEoEnty Equine council to write an ar-ticLe for the next issue. She has indicated that she will doso. I wouLd also like to hear from oEhers, whatever your opiion may be. Our Letters Fron Readers column is not used nearLas much as r wou1ETffi':-xffiia'ffi an opinion on this issueLet us hear from you.

Another step that might contribute to a hLker/eguestrian dia-logue would be to scheduLe at the KLA Annual lr{eeting in Sep-tember a paneJ- discussion with participation by representativeof both trail using communities. Iet's begin ncm to take steto avoid the kind of trail confrontation that has toc oftenoccurred between hikers and motorized travelers, Ilorses maybe guieter than trail bikes, but they are heavy and come eguiped wirh sreel shoes. rhere * problems, so tE:,?".Bl*"tg).

-72-

voLUME Vr, NUMI-iliR 2 NlI.LUAGE U PDA'I'E sPRrNG, 1987

STATE

NOt{',t'il C()r,N',l'tiy NA't'toNAt_ sct:NIC TRArL

"coNIr{ECToRs"CER'I'II,'IED PEND_INg-EE-RTTFICATION TOTAL

New York

Segments of Wat.kinsGlenn Stat.e Park

Segments of AlleganyStaLe Park

Pennsyrvania LL9.9 Two - segments of Baker 1BO

Trai IOhio 277.25 A number of off-road 69g

segments of BuckeyeTrai I

Michigan 422.65 6.7 miles Barry stare g77Game/Yankee Springsllecreation Area

Segmen t,s of N{anis teeNational Forest

,

ApproximateIy9.0 milesin Wildness State park

A segment of MackinacState Park

L2,6 miles HiawathaNational Forest

17.0 mile segmentTahquamenon FallsState Park

I,/isconsin 67.8 155

Minnesota 43.0 Segments of the 373Minneso ta-Wiscons inBoundary TrailApproximately 4,0 milesJay Cooke StaLe park

6.5 One segment of Eheo1d Erie Canat StatePark. Approximately300 miles of FingerLakes Trail

518

-L3-

voLUME VI, I{UMBER 2 MORE 0N.MILEAGE

-74-

sPRrNG, 1987

STATE

Minnesot.a (cont.)

Nort,h Dakota

''CoNNECToRS''psNDmrrcarroxCERTIFIED

10.0StatePorLage

TOTAL

435

Approximatelymiles SavannaFores L/SavannaStaLe Park

Porti-ons of ILascaState Park TrailsPortions of TamaracNa l-ional l4liIdIif eRe'f uge

About 4.0 miles oftrails in MaplewoodState Park

2.5 Approximately 25miles of a 3-phasetrail development inSheyenne NationalGras s Lands

:kComPiled by the Editors from statistics and written informationsupplied by the National Park Service and lhe North Dakota Parksand Recreation. Any omissions, discrepancies t ot additionsplease address them the the Editors' aLtention.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NORTH COUNTRY TRAIL

In March, 1?80, Federal legislation (public Law 96-L99, 16 U.S.C.L2aa(a) ( 8 ) )au.thorized t,he es tablishment of Ehe North CountryNaEional Scenic TraiI (NCT) as a component of the National TLailsSystem. lt7hen completed, the authorized trail wilI extend approx-imately 3,200 miles from the vicinity of Crown Point, New Yoik,to Lake sakakawea state Park on the Missouri River in NorthDakota, the route of the Lewis and Clark Nat,ional Historic Trail.The NCT will cross port.ions of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio,Michigan, [di-sconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota.

It witl become the longes t continuous f ooLpath in t.he UnitedSt?tes incorporat,ing into its selec 1000miles ,of exisEing trails. of these existing t,rails and Lrailsegments, 939.60 miles have been certified as of6'cial segmenEsof the NCT.Meandering through seven norLhern states, it Lakesusers t.hrough and to a fascinating diversity of landscapes andscenic, historic, cult,ural, and recreat,ional feat,ures.

The- diversity of. the landscapes and features along the NCT isperhaps its most appe?ling quality. rt beckons t[e potentialuser to come and sample a cross section of midwesLern and(Go to page 76

VOLUME VI, NUMBER 2 NEZ .PERCE sPRrNG, L987

ABREAST OF 'IT{J] HERD

From tl:e Fo:t ''Aerthold Indian ReservaEion her^rspaper "Ahead Of il

The Herd", December 5, 19E6.Congress, President Designate1,I7O-Ir{iIe Nez Perce Trail

National Historic. Trail

MISSCULA, MP--Congress has passe,l anrl the President has signedlegislation (s. L542, Public Law 99-445) desighating the 1,170-miLe Nez Perce EraiL, in Oregon, Idaho, Wyorning and Montana, aNational Historic Trail. It wil-I nor.r become a part of theNational Trails System.

Northern RegionaL Forester James C. Overbay said the USDA ForestService wiIl have primary responsibility fo.r management, deveJ.ment and protection of the historic traiL that begins in north-eastern Oregoa, cro,sses ldaho, cuts through Wyoming and ends inthe Bear Paw Moun'bains in lvlontana, 40 miles south of the Canadiaborder.

"This route, used by Nez Perce Chief Joseph and his bai:d rtrhen'they \^rere pursued by the U.S. Army in L877, has importan'E his-toricaL significance throughout the We.st", Overbay explained."Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce Indians are still symbols of western indepenlence an,l 'the spirit of freedom. In addition tocommemoraEing the journey of the Nez Perce an,l their chiefs,designabion of the trail will provide protection and lastin,Jtribute ".

As a result of the study of the Nez Perce Trail, authorized un-der PubLic Law 90-543 in L976, 464 miles of the Erail have l:eeaidentif ied as high potential- route seg"ments, to be developed forculture and historical identification anrl recreaEion. Of this,30 percent (L40 miles) is oa priva'Ee lanrls, 3 percent (13 miles)is on state Lands, antl 65 percent (30,5 miles) is on Federal

'Iands .

In Oregon, the trail is in Wallorva county. In ldaho, the trailis in e1ark, Clearwater, Fremont, Idaho, Leurhi and Lewis Coun-ties. The trail is in Park County in Wyoming.

The trail is in 14 count"ies in luontana: Beaverhead, Blaine,Fergus, Gal-Iatin, GoLden Val1ey, Judith Basin, Missoul-a, Park,Phillips , Ravalli, stiJ.Lwater, Sweetgrass , WheatJ.an,l andYellotos'Eoie.

Po::tions of the trail are in the Nezp,.lrce (Idaho), Cleai:-water(fdaho) , BitberooE (Ivlontana) , Beaverihead (Montana) , antl CallaEi(Montana) National Forests of the Northern Region; Targhee( Idaho) , Sho,bhon,a (Wyoming) an,l r,fallorva-I{hitman (Oregoir)National Forests.

-15-

voLUME VT, NLMBI1R 2 MORII NEZ sPRrNG, 1987

ABREAST OF THE HERD, continued:

Th" legislat,ion, passed by congress and signed by rhe Presidentlast month, call-s f or thc devclopmcn t. of a-comprehensive pranwithin two years (by 1988) for the management, lnd protection ofthe historic trail. overbay said the Forest servile will beworking wlth ot,her Federal and st.ate agencies, private organLza-Eions, rndian Tribes and individuals along the lrail route.The Nez Perce Historic Trail will link up with the Lewis & ClarkHistoric Trail and the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail.Rerat.ed his t.oric places along. Lhe t.rail include: Big HoleNational Battlef ield (t'tontana), Bear Paw BaEtle Comm6morativesite (t"tontana) , North Absaraka'ldilderness in the shoshoneNational Forest. (WyominS), Yellowst.one National Park (I,'Tyoming),and the Nez Perce Nationat Historical park (faano).

Overbay said the Northern Region hiill soon begin organi zing anadvi-sory council to provide advice and consulEant support inpreparing tf,u comprehensive management plan for the Nez perce(Nee-Me-Poo) TraiI.EDI-COM - Good l-uck to this , the lates t of the National His toricTraiIs !

(From page L4)

HIGFILIGHTS OF THE NORTH COUNTRY TRAIL cont.northeasLern America and caplivates t.he mind of one on the trailwith a kaleidoscope of scenes of a deveroping America and thewild, undeveroped resources from which it-grew. The hiker willexpgrience the grandeur of the Adirondack Mountains, t.he tran-quility of the rural farm countryside., the splendor'of placidlakes qnd sparkling sLreams among forested hills, the boundless-ness of the nort,hern prairies, the merging of water and sky atthe horizon of the Great Lakes, and tEe nostalgia of histbriccanals and abandoned Iogging and mining communities.

(From page L2)

them and lry to find solutions.:kraken from the KTA NewsletLer, [,lint.er, 1985, with the permissionof the Editor, Maurice J. Forrester, Jr.

-76-

voLUr.rE vr, NUMBER 2 SPECIAL FEATURE sPRrNG, L987

EDI-NOTE: At our Autumn meeting in October, 1985 at Warren, PA,Art ll,rl l and Aavo us a l^rri ef ncws i tem l-hn L lrad appcared in EheNewsl,:tter of the InLernaEionaI Backpackers Associat.ion in L978.It concerned the North Country Trail Hike of that year under theIeadership of Carolyn Hoffman. We contacted Carolyn who respon-Ced wi.th the letter reproduced below in its entirety. It is amosL interesting bit of early history of NCT that, is new and newshistory about which we have been unaware.

Dear l'ldi tors :

I apoLogize for not. immediately answering your letter. I don'tlive at the address at which you wroLe me any longer, and theletter was not immediately forwarded.

I am somewhat surprised you are not familiar wit,h the NorthCountry Trail hike of L978. IL was undertaken with the sponsor-ship of the then InternaLional Backpackers Assoc., headed byLance Feild.

I spent abouL L4 mont,hs planning lhe hike, using U.S.G.S. mapsprovided by Lance. He got them from a man who had planned t,ohike the trail but had either not begun or quit shortly after be-ginning. Our group was the first, I believe, to hike the entireroute of Lhe NorLh Count.ry Trail. It, took abouL 72 monLhs. Eiveof us left Crown Point,, N.Y. March 5, L978 (in 1980 PresidentCarter was to officially designate the NCT as an addition to theU.S. frails system on March 5, 1980). I,{e were, in addition tomyself, Lou Ann PeIIows of La Mesa, Ca., Richard Rice of Lubbock,Tx., Fred Rubenfeld of Brooklyn, N.Y. and Tim Line of Knoxville,Tenir

!trhen h/e lef t Crown Point,, it was on snowshoes for 6 weeks throughthe Adirondacks. We had good weat.her for Lhat t,ime of year,withouL encount,ering blizzards or much additional snow. Ourcoldest night was -288.

We followed the route of the NCT as best as possible since inmany areas there was (and is) no existing t,raiI. We followed ex-isting trails when possible but also wat,er courses, canals, rail-road tracks, old logging roads, sometlmes paved roads .any-thing that felI within the 5-mile wide corrider proposed for Ehetrail. After 6 weeks all three men dropped out, ciling moneyproblems, injuries, etc. Lou Ann and I continued.

In Ohio the NCT is supposed t,o follow Ehe Buckeye Trail, most ofhich is along back country and paved roads. Herer w€ bought bi-

cycles because we found.backpacking along roads t,o be intolerableWhile we were on bikes, Lou Ann _was injured and went home to re-cuperaLe. I went on alone for almost 2 months, resuming back-packing near Grand Rapids, MI.

-77 -.

voLUME VI, NUMBER 2 sNowSHoE SPRING. 1987Lou Ann re j oincd mc in Ll-rc Upper l'cr-rinsula of I'lichigan, where rrehiked along t.he 'shore of Lake Superior. We f inished t.he hiketogether on 0ct,. 13, 1978 in Four Bears Park, Norlh Dakot,a.

Along t,he way we heard and saw wolves, coyotes, elk, fox andmany other animals and birds.l{e meE a lot. of people along the way who have since become ac-tive in the NCT, including Pat Allen of the Michigan group.

After reLurning I prepared a stat.e-by-state evaluation of theroute, which rvas sent Lo Lance Feild. I kept a daily journalof t.he tr:i p anrl took ncarl y 1 ,000 s I i dcs .

I hope this gives you some informalion about our trip.need anything else please feel free to contact me.

If you

Sincerely,

Carolyn Hoffman

SNOI'SHOES ON THE NORTH COUNTRY TRAII-

Ginny Wunsch jumped out, of bed early to stoke a fire to warmtwelve hearLy souls at t.he HeadquarLers building in ttThite Cloud.I t was a day EhaL snowshoes and the Nort.h Country Trail wouldmeet ! !

l/e took off on Ehe North Country Trail trail head near there,crossing over t.he Whit.e River on our new bridge!! !

It was a fun day, a snow-perfect day. The temperature was wellbelow zero as we passed through the woods and viewed beaut.ifulfrozen rivers, creeks and ponds layered with snow on every treebranch, stump, and fence post,. Deer criss-crossed in front ofus as if playing games, curious to see these big-foot creaLuresout in this kind of weather.

Aft.er hamburgers and coffee at Sally's Restaurant in White Cloud,Ginny Wunsch, ArE and Mary tlolland, RuL,h Sack, Darlene Sydner,George and Vernice Schad, Rut.h Art.hur, Marvin Moon, But.ch andGlena Balk and Edie Osbourne decided on anoLher snowshoe t,ripFebruary 22,

.lim CarIson, many thanks for your experLise on snowshoes!

And many thanks Eo alI for Lhe super outing and one more way toenjoy the NorLh CounLry TraiM Come and 6e a part of itltl

Art Holland.

--1 iJ -

VOLUME VI, NW TTIE END IS ALIVE SPRING, ].987"THE LrvJ,NG, E+{D"

.1

There is a North Dakota! It isa I ive wi t,h boo t, s kicking thanksEo people like Pam Dryer andDakota Backpackers fromtsi smarck.

0n January 13 Pam and I attendeda reorgan Lzat iona I mee t ing o fthese outdoor enLhusiasts whoseinterests lie in not only back-packing but rock climbing, snowshogirg, X-country *kiing, - ga-noeing, running, camping, bicy-cling and on and on.

As everyone in turn in t,roduced[hemselves and their int,erests,I counted some 50 or so in at-t endance . Imag ine tha t ! Nor thDakota!! Back EasL, it is hardto find so many enthusiasticpeople and in one room! ! !

The vectors crossed at just therigtrt moment for Pam and I. Wewere able Eo in troduce the Nor thCoun try Tra i I and the Nor thCountry TraiI Assoeiation t,o theDakota Backpackers and approachthem on t,he i r he Ip and inpu tconcern ing the many mi les ye t tobe laid in Nor th Dako Ea. Mem-bership, the 1990 Hike, BoardMembers and St,at.e Coordinators,and a po s s ib Ie Nor t,h Dako t,aChapter of the North CountryTraiI Association were present,edand discussed.

Pam works f or the Nor t,h Dako taParks and Recrea t, ion and wi 1l beworking rui t,h the U. S , Fores tService to help them develop a25 mi Ie sec t ion of the NorthCoun try Tra i I in the SheyenneNational Grasslands in NorthDako ta . She wi I I a I so be pro-moting the Nort,h Country Trailthrough programs with the DakotaBackpackers including the excel-Ient slideshow/taIk recently

re leased Lo*-,!he,ir Agency on the

Ma ter ia Is on the Nor th Coun tryTrail and the North CountryTrail Association were Ieft wiEPam for her continued use andwe have a youth group interestein helping at the "Grass Roots"of the Trail!

A1I in aII it was refreshing tome e t and ta lk wi t,h s o many nea tand nice people and s t,ar t thesnowball rolIing.. . ... .. ... ....As Pam puL it, "North Dakota isthe beginning as well as t,he endof the North Country Trail" andmay I add "The Living End" !Pam, are you listening?!Smithipps Hoorah for NorthDakota, times three.

Barbara A. Smi th

Peter the lioIfe demonstrati.,gtrail cooking at the 0ntonagonCounty Fair, MI, July, 1986Photo by Ruth MaeFarland.

-19-

NORTH COUNTRY TRAIL ASSOCIATIONAGENDA

Friday, May 15 Djrrner Board MeeLing

PIace: iianda's Res taurant,, White Cloud, MichiganTime: 6:00['.M.

L. Opening remarks by Dreis2. Minutes of last board meeting3. Budget for L9874 . S La Lc Coo rcl ina t,ors5 . Nomina t ing Commi t. t.ee recommenda t ions6. North Dakota and Minnesota7. Headquarters Building8. The Big Ilike in L9909. The summ( r hike in the Upper Peninsula

10. NCT exh j l.,it aL t.he ATC meet.ingLL. Fall meeting in MinnesotaL2. AnyLhing clse from board members

Saturday, May L6 ,\nnual members meeting atWhite Cloud, Michigan

HeadquarLers Building,

The passing of

grounds, cour-of $3.00 would

9:00 A.M.10:00 A.M.10:15 A.l'1.

mee t ing .

9. Election of officers and board members.Ehe t,orch.

10. Program - to be announced.

The noon lunch will be served on Ehe headquarLerst.esy of Lhe Wes tern Michigan Chapt.er. A donationbe appreciafed.

Coffee and rollsCall t.o order & opening remarks by Bob DreisBusiness meeting

1. Minutes of last, member's meeLing2. Treasurer.'s report3. State Co'ordinat.ors reporLs4, Headquarters Building '

5. The Big Hike in L99O6. Wes Lern Michigan Chapt.er activities7. Local hikes on SaLurday & Sunday. Leader, Ginny l{unsch.8. Ot.her it.ems, dependant. on ouLcome of executive board

Staying overnight in the headquarLers or camping out on thehcarlquartcrs grottncls is wcl cotnccl.

13. Exciting Newsletter update and future plans.

vol,uME vT, NTJMRnR 2 AC IiN DA

-20-

SPRING, 1,987

voltrME vT, NUMRIIR 2 APPI,TCATTON SPRTNG, t987;I

Arrrrual Duesf r,,n't OcLobcr

.APPLICATION FOR

(membership year runs1 Lo Sc-.1>L.cnrlr<.r 31)

MEMBERSH f s':li'i e,''"' i''

NCTA.l'.O. Ilox 311Irtrhi te Cloud, MI 49349

Adult,.... ....$ 10.00Family... ....$ 15.00Stuclent. g 5.00OrganizaLion.. ....$ 25.00Supporting ...$ 50.00Donor ...$ 250.00Life ....$ 300.00P'rtron ..95000.00C,r:irn€rcial. .......$ 500.00

.Date

I wish to joinCountry TrailEnclosed is $

Name

the NorthAssociation.

for amemEEffiip.

Address

Phone:';:.;k:k:k:k:k:'r:';:,r:k.,'..:k:.r:k:k:k:l:k:kz.r:k.&:k:t:krk:.r.&:k:k:k;k:'r:.izk:t:k:.c:kzt:kzk

Er ,- los edc iuding

Scnd to:

is$ for NCTA PATCHES ($3.25 each, in-pos tage ) .

ADDRESS

Pl r ase complete:

r ijm interes ted in f urthering the work .of the NCTA by:

Congtr.ucting a.nd maintaining trailsBuilding 3nd maint.aining shelters and campsitesRggional Newsletter reporterClq.=ical, secretarial, - typing workMember:sh i p Dcve lopmen tLiaison with area LraiI organizaEionsO ther :

The following person(s) want to become members of NCTA:

Name

Addres s

Phone

-21-.

Dear You, To Whom It Concerns:

'lhis is to inform you that the NorEh Country TraiI Associationwill init.iate t.he following described advertising policy witht.he Spring , L987 issue:

VOLUME VT NUMBER 2

PAGE SIZEL/8L/4L/2

L

Copy deadlines forDecember L, t987 .

P.0. Box 243Emporium, Pa. 15834a 14-486-4 38 3

ADVERTI S ING sPRrNG, 1,987

THREE ISSUES (1987)

$ 40.00$ 65.00

$100.00$17s.00

ONE ISSUE

$1s.00$2s.00$40.00$70.00

MarchL987 are L, t987, August

The

A Caring ConcernFor The

Environment;HumanKind, Earth

Universe

L, L987 and

Editors

t/e of WONDERWORLD invite you to share our caring concern forthe Rhyme and Reason of our ITONDERWORLD as expressed throughrhe genEIe and soft touch of Lhe Seasonal Rhythm in t,he NaEurall.lorld. Through our yindow, you wiII view beaut,if ul photographyand hear lovely prose written in exquisile calligraphy for thefeeling person in you. You will breath, tast.e, and touch.Appalachian Mountain Country Earth through its days and nights,around the calendar and over its year. Share nllh WONDERI{ORLDrhis caring concern for all Ehat is good, rich, and meaningfulin this life with a matted 8" x 10" Calllgraphied MagnifiProse/|lagnifiPrint of your own. Signed originals; all procectivelywrapped; yours ready to frame.

. AN HEIRLOOM OF QUALITY .

We invit,e you as friends who have been acquainted withIJONDERIIORLD af fairs over the past tuo years to be the f irst toreceive this discount, pre-catalog announcement of Ehe availa-bility of our present art-works.

We respectfully ask you Eo select one or more of our 11000originals from Ehe follouing list of subjecLs and themes:

Subjects: Animal, Bird, Butterfly, Cloud, Rainbow, Silhouette,Slream, Sunrise/SunseL, WlIdf Iorer

Autumn, Educational, Humorous, Philosophical,Romantic, Spring, Strmmer, Winter

IlagnifiPrints atre those wiLh calligraphied titles and names ata cost of $20.00.

IlagnifiProse a:e Ehose wit,h trr,o to four lines of calligraphiedpoetic prose at a cosL of $25.00.

.4J

-22-

'V,IOXVC It,l,)l()l,l ()J, IU0,t M:,lN lAlOUd 'l IVtl,L 'IVCIUOfSIHTVNOIJVN' OgZIUOJOIItr-NONI' gSO-fJTt,lN' N0SVES-TTV

I ',r;,

CNV CINACS'gruN 9fi2'e

NORTH COUNTRY TRAIL ASSOCIATIONP.0. B0x311wHrTE CLoUD, MTCHIGAN &9349

Nm-protrl Org.

U.S POSTAG€

PAIOPatflti, No.4?

dlocloan. ME,lt.

e77'I FIS?{:lHI'; & }'.lEL-FFJ l{rqt-[-ER3E NEEHHAUET.I TIR

I T,{rqtrA NY 1q'g5ril

SNOWSHOEJ BIKEJ HIKE,I SKI I PADDLEJ RUN J