Robyn Swanson Presentation on her Ice Age Trail journey
Join Thousand-Miler Robyn Swanson of Elkhorn, WI in a program sponsored by the Alice Baker Memorial Public Library, Matheson Memorial Library, and Hartland Public Library.
Robin will be sharing stories and photos from her 1,200 mile walk along the Ice Age National Scenic trail, offering her perspective of the journey and answering questions about her experience on the Ice Age trail.
The event will take place via Zoom on Tuesday, February 23 at 7PM. To register, email rsvplibraryprograms@gmail.com with “Ice Age Trail” in the subject line and you will receive Zoom information prior to the program.
Emily Ford - Winter Through-Hiking the Ice Age Trail
Have you heard about Emily Ford? She is from Duluth, Minnesota. She is the first woman (and second person) to attempt a winter through-hike of the Ice Age Trail. She began her journey at the Eastern Terminus on Dec. 28th, and plans to complete the trail at St. Croix Falls in early March. She is hiking about 20 miles per day, along with an Alaskan sled dog. She has passed the halfway point and will be coming through our area sometime in February. She says of her hike: “2020 was a really rough year for everyone, but especially so for people of color. I want this trip to be an inspiration. Anyone can do this. Everyone can do this.”
There have been postings about her on the "Ice Age Trail" Facebook page and the “Thousand Miler WannaBes” Facebook page. These are both great sites to hear about hikers' adventures and discussions of all kinds about hiking the trail. Check them out.
If you are a snowshoer, consider getting out to snowshoe a piece of a segment before she gets here. It’s tough going with a heavy pack on to go through the fresh snow. On a recent snowshoe hike, we found that our normal 30-minute mile became a 45-minute mile due to snow conditions. We have now gotten another 4-5 inches of snow. Contact me via chippewamorainechapter@iceagetrail.org to let me know if you can snowshoe a section of trail after this arctic blast is done. Based on her rate of 20 miles per day, she should arrive in Cornell in about 2 weeks.
Watch for Upcoming Zoom Meeting on Trail Maintenance Safety
Daniel Watson, the IATA Volunteer Coordinator, normally meets with chapters in person in the spring to discuss updates and information regarding the National Park Service (NSP) Volunteer program for the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. Because of Covid, he will be holding those meetings virtually. The Alliance will be hosting two Zoom meetings: Wednesday, March 3rd at 6:00 PM and Friday, March 5th at 1:00 PM. The meetings present the same information, and people are welcome to attend whichever meeting is most convenient for them. All chapter trail volunteers are welcome and encouraged to attend. The meeting is expected to last about 1 hour, including a question and answer session.
The Alliance will send out an email closer to the meeting dates with the Zoom link. They will also send out a formalized agenda of topics that they will cover. Look for more information in the next newsletter.
If you are interested in attending this Zoom meeting, please email me via the chapter email to let me know. Let me know which meeting time you plan to attend. When I receive the Zoom link, I will send it to you. Thanks!
Chapter Snowshoe Hike Canceled
The Chapter Snowshoe Hike on February 20th, sponsored by Mayo Clinic, has been canceled due to the current Covid conditions. However, conditions on the trail are good for snowshoeing for individuals or families to do on their own.
See you on the trail,
Vicki Christianson
Chippewa Moraine Chapter Coordinator
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