2008 TRAIL CLEARING SCHEDULE Sept. 19-21,
Thursday – Sunday, Trail Clearing, Camp du Nord. Near Ely, MN.
October 3 – 4, Friday – Sunday, Trail Clearing,
National Forest Lodge, Isabella, MN. October 17 – 18, Friday – Saturday, Audubon Center, near Sandstone, MN. October 16-19, Thursday – Sunday,
Trail Clearing, Banadad Trail in the BWCA along the Gunflint Trail.
October 20-23, Monday – Thursday (mid week), Trail Clearing,
Gunflint Lodge trails.
October 24 – November 2, Friday – Sunday, Trail
Clearing, North Shore Lodges & trail systems.
We hope to add one or two shorter trips. Keep an eye on the
on - line club schedule.
See
the September/October Loype or Current Activity Schedule for trip details.
For ongoing monthly trail maintenance
on the Gateway Trail system, call Pam at 651-730-5899.
Fall Trail Clearing Projects
Hard work, money, time and the coordinated efforts
of many are needed to build and maintain both the Twin Cities Metro and outstate ski trails.
Trail clearing activities are a wonderful way to:
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spend time in the woods in a most glorious season
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make new friends and visit with old friends
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give new members an opportunity to be introduced to the club and make friends before the ski season starts
For answers to questions
regarding the North Star Trail Development Program see the Trail Development policy.
How to Sign Up for Trail Clearing
See the
Current Activity Schedule for day trips and for details of overnight trips, including leader contact and sign-up information.
Some trips have limited spaces so call the leader and mail them a Trip Reservation & Waiver Form to reserve your spot as soon as possible.
Funding Trail Work
Please donate to the Trail Fund when you join or renew your membership or mail a contribution to: NSSTC Trail Development Fund, PO
Box 4275,
St Paul, MN 55104.
Your donations are much needed to:
- purchase and maintain bow saws, nippers, pulaskis, pole saws, and pry bars
- purchase and maintain safety equipment for participants
- purchase building supplies for shelters and bridges
- reimburse gas money for carpools to work locations
- support ski trail development through contributions to projects such as lights
for night skiing and launching snow making at Wirth Park in Minneapolis.
Benefits
of Donating to the Trail Fund or Joining a Work Crew
Enjoy a
free fall weekend in the north woods. Resorts provide food and lodging for overnight trips (must be a NSSTC member to participate).
The club provides food for day trips.
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Take pleasure in the wonderful trail systems Minnesota and Wisconsin have
to offer that are due in part to the NSSTC. The club's efforts can be enjoyed on the Vasaloppet trails, North End Ski Trail
near Telemark, North Arm trails near Ely, Sunfish Lake system in Lake Elmo, Gunflint area trails, Chippewa and Superior National
Forest trails, and many more.
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Fall Trail Clearing: A Time-Honored Tradition of Our Cross Country Ski Club
Trail clearing has historically been an important mission
of the North Star Ski Touring Club. In Minnesota we are able to enjoy cross country skiing on a beautiful system of trails
because of the trail development work of the early North Star members.
Trail clearing is a way of giving back for the many hours
of enjoyment we receive from cross country skiing. Trail clearing is a great way to get involved and meet people in the club.
It involves maintaining existing trail systems by trimming back underbrush and limbs and cutting down the occasional small
trees that have encroached onto the trail. We use saws, pruners and other hand equipment supplied by the club. Trail clearing
provides a valuable service and a feeling of accomplishment for having done something worthwhile.
The 2006 trail clearing schedule includes many of the
same trips we have done in the past, plus two new events. The schedule includes weekend trips to Camp du Nord, National Forest
Lodge, the North Shore, and the Audubon Center in Sandstone. We are also offering a more rugged, challenging four-day trail
clearing trip to the Banadad Trail north of Grand Marais, as well as a mid-week trip to Gunflint Lodge. A one-day trip to
Kathio State Park and a 3-5 hour day outing at Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan (for buckthorn removal) are also planned.
On a weekend trip, we will typically spend six to eight
hours working on the trails on Saturday and four hours on Sunday. Weekend lodging and meals are provided by the host resort
or organization. The club has $1100 allocated this season for gas reimbursement for those vehicles with two or more people.
The gas reimbursement policy this year is $40 per vehicle with three or more persons and $20 per vehicle with two people
for the Camp Du Nord, Banadad, National Forest Lodge and North Shore trips. The club will provide $30 per vehicle with three
or more persons and $15 per vehicle with two people for the Kathio and Sandstone trips.
Your trail clearing trip leaders are looking for eager
participants to help continue this time-honored tradition of the club. Please review the schedule elsewhere in this newsletter
and set aside some time to participate. Remember that most of these trips do fill, so please call the leader(s) soon to reserve
your spot. - Larry Koehler, Trail Development
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