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Southern Kettle Moraine State Forest
Located in the Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest are some of the best mountain bike trails in the country. Both the John Muir and Emma Carlin trail systems offer a great opportunity to test your riding skills.
The Department of Natural Resources offices are located on Highway 59 between Eagle and Palmyra. Daily and yearly trail passes and vehicle stickers can be purchased at a self registration box located in both the John Muir and Emma Carlin parking lots or purchase online.
Back Yard Bikes | Trailhead (Google Maps) | Trail Map (PDF) | Fat Tire Guides ( John Muir) | Weather Channel (10-Day Forecast)
Trail News
Led by our own Dave Mangan (a.k.a TrailBlazer Dave), a dedicated group of volunteers affectionally known as the eSpecially CrAzy Irregular Trailbuilding Crew have done an incredible amount of work on the mountain bike trails in the Southern Kettle Morain State Forest (Southeastern Wisconsin).
Trail Maintenance News | February 1, 2010
We are just over a month away from kicking off trail maintenance workdays for 2010. We will be meeting with the DNR (Department of Natural Resouces) on Saturday, February 20th. Check back for updates including a complete schedule of workdays.
TrailBlazer Dave Mangan and James Wamser
IMBA Trail Care Crew visit | June 25-28, 2009
What a Wonderful WeekEnd! I believe it accomplished EVERYTHING that WE had hoped for.
The IMBA Trail Care Crew of Kelly and Collins Bishop were Great! Their classroom time was Very interesting and quite educational. Their field work expertise was put to the test with OUR “we already know what we are doing Crew”. But, to some of OUR Crews surprise, they learned some better ways of doing things AND even learned how to do some new stuff as well. It was Fun too (as always)!
The EVENT started with the IMBA TCC’s arrival on Thursday at noon. Along with them was another IMBA representative, Hansi Johnson, who is the IMBA Regional Representative for the upper mid-west. We spent the day assessing the planned activities for the weekend and viewing all the areas where we would be working.
Friday morning was classroom training for many different Land Managers in the area. They were instructed in building and managing trail systems. In the afternoon they had field work training, followed by a casual mountain bike ride at Lapham Peak. In the evening, a social gathering for anyone interested was at Wheel and Sprocket in Delafield, which included food and BEVERAGES! Conversations were lively!
Saturday morning the REAL Event began! The classroom training was WELL received by those in attendance. The IMBA TCC’s pictures and explanations really helped us to understand what needs to be done to make Better Trails. The afternoon WorkDay went well also. It was a bit of a slower pace than OUR usual WorkDay, ‘cuz everyone wanted to learn and do the proper way to construct the Trails – they also were having FUN building a long banked curve, which included one of the Crews favorite games – ‘find, move and Bury the Rock’ (Yep, Butch was involved!). Hot – Yes, Humid – Yes, ‘skeeters – Yes, but that doesn’t stop THIS cReW! And they did a Fantastic job!
After some Cool-Downs in the parking lot, which included a LOT of ‘chatter’, we headed over to the Muir shelter for food and DRINK provided by Mike Bettinger and the General Store. Just what we needed before we headed out onto the Trails for a Group ride. The ‘Group’ Ride became Group Rides as the front of the pack sped away from those in the middle and back of the Group – which was OK – everyone got to ride at their own pace and enjoy some of OUR Great Trails. Shortly after the rides began, the rain started to fall, which shortened the rides and eliminated the scheduled night rides and bonfire – and that was OK too, ‘cuz we was all pretty tired after a full day.
Sunday morning brought a small Grouping of the cReW to get in a Ride with Collins before the TCC departed for their next gig in Manatoba, Canada. A quick ride of the Rainy Dew, Connector, Emma Carlin outer loop (yes, that included the BIG hills), gave way to a some-what slower return on the South-bound Connector and Blue loop to the Muir parking lot. Whew!
The important thing was that Collins had a BIG smile on his face after THAT Ride! Two thumbs UP was his response to “How was it?” Yep, He enjoyed the Ride…… And OUR Trails!!
I would also tell you that Hansi Johnson had ridden that same route on Friday and said the same thing – with a BIG smile on his face too. “THAT was a Great Ride!” “Well worth the trip from anywhere to ride this Trail System!”
With that, I want to say THANK YOU for coming out and participating this weekend! Your presence REALLY made it Worth-While and FUN! The IMBA Trail Care Crew were very satisfied with the weekend, as well. They were well received and the cReW were eager to learn – and DID!
THANKS for the weekend!
TrailBlazer Dave
Trail Building Update | May 23, 2009
A brief drizzle in the Parking Lot didn’t dampen the enthusiasm or the Stories of this Crew of Fifteen! Conversations and Cookies (supplied by Bethany Raven who we LOVE having on the Crew – especially when she brings COOKIES!) is a Great way to start Our mornings!
Part of Our conversations were triggered by the fact that we noticed Vinnie had these sad puppy-dog eyes. Apparently his Rock-move assist with Butch last week gave him more than just a sore back…… We’ll learn more as the week progresses. Then we can all laugh together! BUT, he came back to join the Crew anyway. WHAT a Trooper! Just like the rest of this dedicated Crew!
The skies began clearing during Our hike to the latest Trail Section to be worked on, and thereafter the sun did its best to dry things up and warm us – a little too much! Enough that we wanted to remove the top layer that we were wearing, BUT…. the ‘skeeters were out in FULL Force! Our only defense was one can of OFF and those ‘layers’ that we kept on!
There was quite a lot of benching to be done on this section, but we had the Crew who were experienced at doing that. It’s truly amazing to watch and be a part of this Crew. The ‘machine’ again spread out on the Trail Section to be worked, with its Brushing Crew moving way out front clearing the path of trees and bushes and logs, etc. – Lenny is the bull out front; nothing gets in his way! Apprentice Mike Michetti was there with him, learning from the master – although I caught young Mike doing an ‘Ellis’ (for those of you who may be new to these E-mails, doing an ‘Ellis’ refers to one of OUR veteran Crew who has been known to inattentively inadvertently clear a Trail path where no Trail was flagged to go – usually caused by excessive conversation (and not concentration). I think young Mike has been hanging with Mr. Ellis a bit too much and is picking up some of his questionable habits! Next he’ll start telling Stories…….over n over n…..
I feel compelled to let all of you know that Lenny went out last Thursday and sharpened ALL of OUR tools for US again, so we could have Nice Sharp tools to work with. Thank YOU Len! We Appreciate that so VERY much – it makes the work sooo much easier!
As the Noon whistle blew in the distance, we were short of completing this last section of Trail that we were working on. Since this was to be Our last day to work on the Emma Carlin Trails this Spring, I asked the Crew, for those who could, to stay and work ‘til we had that section completed. EVERYONE, EXCEPT GARY! who actually left an HOUR earlier than that, stayed and worked an extra hour in order to complete that last Section of Trail, even though the air was sooo thick with humidity we were dripping wet with sweat, and the mosquitoes were even thicker (AND we ran out of bug spray)!!! Ya gotta LOVE those Guys!...and GIRLS!
Quiz Time: How many Crew does it take to get Scott Guzlecki’s peddle off of his bike to put a new one on?
Answer: ONE – Mike at the General Store had to do it, ‘cuz the TEN GUYS who TRIED to do it in the Carlin Parking Lot after the TrailWork couldn’t do it! (they musta been too TIRED out)!
Because several had asked, after the WorkDay I rode the Emma Carlin and measured the NEW Trail distance with my odometer. The Trail Distance from Parking Lot to where we just finished building NEW Trail is 2.42 miles, of which 90% is New Trail (we reused a couple of small sections of the old Trail). AND, the distance from where we just finished building New Trail up to the OverLook, where the Connector Trail meets the Carlin Trail, is .58 miles - on the Old Trail (the New Trail Sections that we still need to ‘blaze’ to get there will be twice that long). That’s LOTS of NEW TRAIL to explore! Get out there and enjoy it!
Anyway,
Our plan of attack for THIS Saturday, May 30, will be:
MEET AT THE MUIR Parking Lot at 8:30am!
We will gather at the Muir and then proceed to OUR WorkArea from there.
Our WorkArea will be on the New Connector Section between the Muir BLUE/GREEN/PURPLE Trail and Hwy H. The loggers are finished with this area and we have been given the OK to re-open this Trail Section. It will need mostly raking with some removing of logs and branches to clear the Trail and also it will need some of the tractor tire ruts filled in or leveled.
There are only TWO WorkDays left this spring, so get out NOW and be a part of the Crew before OUR Spring WorkDays are over!
And we have a whole CASE of bug spray this time – just in CASE! (and, of course, now that we have it – we won’t need it!)
*And if ya come late: Park on BLUFF ROAD, EAST of Hwy H. There is NO PARKING on Hwy H or on Bluff road WEST of Hwy H.
TrailBlazer Dave
And the rest of the eSpecially CrAzy Irregular TrailBuildin’ Crew
Trail Building Update | May 16, 2009
The weather was Good! The Crew was better!! Seventeen Volunteers of mostly Crew ‘veterans’ gathered in the Emma Carlin Parking Lot this morning. I say Veterans because this assembling Crew all had Two, three or MORE years of TrailBuilding Experience; which meant – they KNEW what to do! And how to do it!! The Trail they built was probably the Best Trail I have seen made in all the years I have been working with this Crew! Of course, they did such a Great Job because I gave them a Great ‘pep’ talk in the Parking Lot before we went out onto the Trail. At least, that’s how I remember it.
Today was to be a ‘Bike to Work’ Day, but only three brought their bikes, so…. they rode, and the rest of us walked out to OUR WorkArea (no, I brought my bike, but decided to join the masses).
We began where we left off two Saturdays ago and ‘finished’ a few spots that didn’t ‘feel’ right. Then this Crew kicked into High gear. They started chewing up the next designated Trail path at amazing speed; and that included benching it as well. WoW!! We THEN moved on to the next area (we had cleared a large section of it the week before) and the Crew began benching this l-o-n-g section. It’s on a steep hillside. When they were done with that section it could have been photographed and put in a ‘How To’ TrailBuilding book! NICE JOB, Crew!!
I have been asked by many, ‘How Much’ Trail have we built on the Carlin? I don’t know, yet, but it’s a long distance (I’ll measure it this Saturday). The distance doesn’t really matter though; it’s the quality of the Trail, it’s the terrain that the Trail traverses, it’s the Flow and the New FUN surprises that counts! Right?!! Well, we’re gonna make it even L-O-N-G-E-R this Saturday…. With YOUR Help!
It was GREAT to see Ben and Butch again after a several ‘weeks’ hiatus. Butch found another ROCK again! Vinnie wrenched his back helping him move it! – of course, Vin can wrench his back just sneezing too! Vin’s OK, he’s night ridin’ with me tomorrow! Ben was HEARD enjoying the conversations…. when he could get a word in Over Mike Ellis. And that’s OK! They do an amazing amount of TrailBuilding too!
Speaking of Ellis – He almost did an ‘Ellis’ himself! You gotta come… just to watch this guy!
Anyway,
Our plan of attack for THIS Saturday, May 23, will be:
Going for a Hike on THE CARLIN! The Trail WorkArea is getting’ farther out, so we get to enjoy a morning hike to get there. Call it a Warm-Up! Our TrailBuilding is just going farther into the forest toward the bench at the OverLook.
We only have a few WorkDays left this spring, so if you’ve been missin’, ya better get out NOW before they’re over!
Soooo….. be meetin’ US in the Emma Carlin Parking Lot at 8:30am.
We’ll have a Chat-a-round, and then we goin’ for a Hike!
*And if ya come late: to get to where we will be working, follow the MAIN Trail (the Bikers way) to the WorkArea. You’ll hear or see us off to the left! First, Grab a tool from the shed and bring it along, if there is any left.
TrailBlazer Dave
And the rest of the eSpecially CrAzy Irregular TrailBuildin’ Crew
Trail Building Update | May 9, 2009
It was a dreary morning when I awoke and looked out my window at home. RAIN! Hmmm…… do we cancel the WorkDay? Of course not! This is the CrAzy Crew!! We ain’t afraid of no rain (lightning is a ‘nother story). A check on the Weather Channel shows that the rain will be stopping within the hour and there is to be clear skies by 9am. All Good!
True to their word, as I drove toward the Trails, the sky cleared and I did see sun and blue sky. In the parking lot that sun played peak-a-boo while a smaller than has been the norm Crew gathered. Fourteen CrAzy Crew Volunteers showed their willingness to ‘Give Back’ even on a less than ideal looking day (besides, what else was there to do on a dreary looking morning). The weather actually turned out Good! No more rain, but we did work up a sweat quickly due to the humidity.
OUR walk out to the WorkArea is getting Longer the more Trail we complete; which does give us more casual conversation time on the ‘WalkOut’. This week we carried the smaller tool shed out to Our WorkArea so that we could leave the tools out in the forest (less we’ll have to carry out and back). We started clearing the New Trail from where we had left off last week and rapidly advanced to the reconnection point back on the old Trail. The New Trail that we are building on the Emma Carlin is going to be weaving back across the old Trail many times (that will allow Us to open New Sections of Trail more often). We then advanced down the old Trail to the next New Trail Area and began again. The guys had a Good rhythm going. We had the ‘Bulls’ at the front of the Crew clearing the path of the Big debris, followed by the ‘Trimmers’ who cut and cleared the ‘smaller’ stuff, and they were followed by the ‘Rakers’ in the middle of the ‘pack’ who raked the main ‘duff’ off of the Trail (which really shows where the Trail is to be), and they were followed by the ‘Finishers’ who tweaked the Crews efforts into the Trails final form. WHAT a Machine!!! It’s was kinda Fun to watch (yes, we have some of those too – although Mr. Ellis didn’t make it today).
Speaking of Ellis – the ‘Quote of the Day’ overheard was when the Crew missed where the flags were going and started clearing where they weren’t: - “We almost did an ‘Ellis’!”
We came across one problem during Our drive. As the Crew was grinding out a beautiful path section, we suddenly realized the ‘flags’ we were following led us down into a ‘swamp’. Opps! It wasn’t there last November when the Trail was laid out! That’s what Spring will do! After scanning the terrain for a better route, and realizing there wasn’t one, we decided to STOP, return to the old Trail, walk farther down to the next WorkArea and proceed there. We would await to complete the ‘swamp’ section of Trail later after a proper decision could be made as to where the Trail should go.
Except for the ‘swamp’ section, we have now completed the Carlin Trail GREEN Loop up to, and beyond, where the RED Loop splits off. We still have a LONG way to go, but what we have completed so far is a LONG distance in itself. And the New Trail flows sooo nice!
“Hey”, it was good to see John Duchac back Helping on the Trail. He was Great doing ‘Finish’ work on the New Trail Sections, but were gonna miss him for the next three weeks, ‘cuz he’s goin’ to Greece! Some people come up with the lamest excuses! He wasn’t sure if they would let him take his bike AND his golf clubs. “John, I’m sure they have to allow you to take your clubs AND your golf Cart!”
Anyway,
Our plan of attack for THIS Saturday, May 16, will be:
GOING EVEN DEEPER INTO THE CARLIN! The Trail continues!! We again are going to continue from where we left off last Saturday, which is past the RED Trail split-off.
**This will be a BIKE to Work Day! Meaning: Bring your bike and RIDE out to the WorkArea (the tools will be out there waiting for Us)! But, YOU can still walk if’n you want to!
AND….. the weather looks to be GREAT this time! We only have a few WorkDays left this spring, so if you’ve been missin’, ya better get out NOW before they’re over! We still have a LOT to accomplish this spring, and WE NEED YOUR HELP to ‘git-er-done’!
Soooo…..expect to be meetin’ in the Emma Carlin Parking Lot at 8:30am.
There will be the usual Gab-Fest, and then we’re off to explore the Trail and then…. Get Dirty.
*And if ya come late: to get to where we will be working, follow the MAIN Trail (the Bikers way) to the WorkArea. You’ll hear or see us! First, Grab a tool from the shed and bring it along, if there is any left.
TrailBlazer Dave
And the rest of the eSpecially CrAzy Irregular TrailBuildin’ Crew
Trail Building Update | May 2, 2009
Another beautiful day in the forest! Warm, sunny and a Crew of 22 Volunteers – who could ask for more? …..well, we can always use MORE Volunteers. But I would have to say WE (the Crew) are quite Pleased with the size of OUR Crews this year. YOU’VE all been quite dedicated and continue to return, and bring ‘friends’. Thank YOU! The New Trails we have put in this spring are settling in really well and are a LOT of Fun to Ride. Get out and enjoy them.
We completed a very LONG section of Trail today. It’s hard to explain exactly where on the Emma it is, ‘cuz there isn’t any real landmarks…… yet (we’ll have to start putting some in for future reference), but the Area completed is out there somewhere.
OUR New ToolShed was put together and is in place. WoW! It’s so MUCH better than the old one. Easier to put ALL the tools into, with enough room left inside to step in and change clothes if need be (ok, maybe I’m pushing it there). But it is a Great addition to OUR ‘cause’. THANKS Mike Bettinger (General Store)! Crew, Remember to say “Thank You” to all of these other guys who are ‘Giving Back to OUR Trails’ in soo many different ways, like Mike!
Many of the Crew today were First Timers on the Crew. Thank You for ‘Giving Back’! Hopefully you saw the value of what you and the Crew did today and you will come back to Help again. The Trails NEED your Help! ….and it was kinda Fun too, wasn’t it! – unless you were within ear-shot of Vinnie!!!
OUR Goal for this spring on the Emma was to complete the NEW Trail up to the OverLook where the Connector Trail meets the Emma. Honestly, that was an almost unrealistic goal because that is a Huge amount of Trail to be built; but with THIS Crew, I’ve learned to believe in the unbelievable! In looking ahead, we only have five more sections of NEW Trail to complete to reach that Goal. Two of those sections are L-O-N-G sections though, and to reach that Goal, we would NEED a lot more ‘bodies’ then what I think we will have now that May is here. The Crew usually becomes smaller in May due to the Racing season is here and ‘yard work’ is necessary at home. But we’ll keep doing what we do and Enjoy what we do get done.
WARNING, WARNING Will Robinson! A Jamison Sighting!!!
Sunday evening, in the Muir Parking Lot, Jamison was spotted attempting to get in a “second ride of the year”. Talk about Out Of Shape! It’s May already!! That doesn’t sound like the Jamison WE know; but I guess it can happen to any of us. He DID Promise to get back out and join the Crew again within the next couple of weeks. (For those of you who don’t know who, or what Jamison is, I guess you’ll just have to wait and see; but think Ellis Doubled!). Sheeez!
We missed a few of OUR other Crew members like Brian Paterson! He’s the only guy who hadn’t missed a Trail WorkDay all season – ‘til this last one. That’s an impressive streak. Remember to bring a note from your doctor, Brian!
AND what happen to John Duchac! Greek Easter can’t be THAT Long!! You know, for a retired guy…….
Anyway,
Our plan of attack for THIS Saturday, May 9, will be:
GOING DEEPER INTO THE CARLIN! The Trail continues!! We basically are going to continue from where we left off last Saturday.
Soooo…..expect to be meetin’ in the Emma Carlin Parking Lot at 8:30am.
We’ll start with the usual chat, then we got a little work to do by the Parking Lot first, and then it’s off to do the Trail.
Be Bringin’ Your Bike for a little ‘After the WorkDay RIDE too!
*And if ya come late: to get to where we will be working, follow the MAIN Trail (the Bikers way) to the WorkArea. You’ll hear or see us! First, Grab a tool from the shed and bring it along.
TrailBlazer Dave
And the rest of the eSpecially CrAzy Irregular TrailBuildin’ Crew
Trail Building Update | April 25, 2009:
With the threat of Rain in the forecast, OUR Volunteer Crew was down to only 18 people (that is still a GREAT turnout).
We gathered in the Muir Parking lot and were greeted by a smattering of light drizzle – hardly noticeable – and then it was gone (that has been the usual for us on rain forecasted days). After the usual ‘talk about’, we headed to the shelter to pick up tools. True to his Word, Lenny had come out earlier in the week and Sharpened ALL the tools! We ALL THANK YOU LENNY!!! THAT’S ‘Giving Back’! Not only did he sharpen them, he painted them all a Glowing…. ORANGE!!, so we won’t lose them in the forest, like we already have too many times.
We then proceeded to the first WorkArea, which was building a New Trail Section to replace a deteriorated one on the RED / WHITE / ORANGE section of Trail. We began with vigor as usual; “Making NEW Trail is Always exciting!” About twenty minutes into Our attack, the Rain began. Within 5 minutes it was raining HARD!..... and then it stopped. But, within that 5 minutes, we were SOAKED. We couldn’t get any WETter, and the rain had stopped, so we continued on and completed the re-route. TROOPERS, EveryOne! This NEW Trail Section climbs through a grove of soft pines and grass. It’s really nice!
With that Section completed, we advanced on to the second WorkArea (with this Crew, and as quick as they have become, we’ve gotta have a second WorkArea planned). We returned to the NEW ORANGE Trail Section that we had completed four weeks earlier. Now that it had been ridden and ‘broke in’, we needed to ‘tweak’ a few things that didn’t work out completely the way we thought it would (bikers have a way of changing OUR minds). The Crew spread out and adjusted here and fixed it there and moved the Trail a bit over that way and such. Mostly little fixes to correct the ‘flow’.
The Rain played with us. Start, then stop. Wait 15 minutes – start, then stop. At one point, I turned and looked at Tom Bauman and I broke out laughing! He looked like the cat that fell into the pool. Soaked!! “Wanna stop?” “Nope, can’t get any wetter.” Good point!
And we WERE having FUN! We were in it together! THAT’S why we call them the CrAzy Crew!!! They ain’t afraid of no stinkin’ Rain!..... and then the lightning cracked, and the thunder was sooo LOUD that it shook the ground. Everyone stood straight up and had ‘THAT’ look on their face. I spoke up, “Well…. Do youz wanna keep on, or do you think we should pack it in?” Fourteen voices chimed in: “PACK IT IN!” and everyone at the same time turned and began moving back towards the Parking Lot. And then it RAINED HARD!!!
…and the ‘buzz’ was: everyone did notice: Mike Ellis DOES look Good in a Wet T-shirt!!
The Crew DID get a LOT of Good Work done even though we stopped an hour early due to the Rain Lightning. That was the first REAL Rain day we’ve had in years of TrailWork. Usually it may look bad, but it rarely rains while we are working (for those of you are remembering that one time last year – it didn’t rain while we were working; it rained before we started and after we had quit….. ‘course we got soaked walking back).
The ‘Grill Out’ obviously did not happen, ‘cuz of the Rain. Instead, Kenny Dretska bought us all lunch at the General store. THANK YOU KENNY!!! You ARE Appreciated! Again, I’ll say: It’s kinda nice having the ‘gathering’ after the WorkDay. Our conversations get a little more personal in the small groups around the tables.
Anyway,
Our plan of attack for THIS Saturday, May 2, will be:
BACK TO THE CARLIN! The Muir is looking pretty Good right now, so we need to return to the Carlin to continue OUR Quest to replace those deteriorated Trails. We are currently working on the Outer Loop, which when finished, will hopefully complete OUR EPIC Ride to a 30 mile loop (Muir BLUE, Connector, Emma Green).
Soooo…..we be meetin’ in the Emma Carlin Parking Lot at 8:30am . Don’t go to the Muir TrailHead this Saturday ‘cuz WE won’t be there this time!
AND…. It WON’T Rain this time! We got OUR one Rain for the year last week. Besides, We ain’t afraid of no stinkin’ Rain…….
Bring Your Bike for a little ‘After the WorkDay RIDE! Ya wanna try out these Trails that you’ve built, don’t ya!
*If ya come late: to get to where we will be working, follow the MAIN Trail (the Bikers way) to the WorkArea. You’ll hear us! First, Grab a tool from the shed and bring it along.
TrailBlazer Dave
And the rest of the eSpecially CrAzy Irregular TrailBuildin’ Crew
Trail Building Update | April 18, 2009
Saturday was another Great day. 34 Volunteers came out to ‘Give a Little Back to the Trails’.
THANK YOU!!
Our usual ‘chat time’ in the Parking Lot was replaced with work starting early. There was a pile of gravel to move off of the Parking Lot and put on the New entrance/exit area of the New Trails. While chatting, a couple of us started shoveling the gravel, and as people arrived in the lot, they all started grabbing tools and joining in. It didn’t take long to move that gravel and pack it down to complete the New Area with all that Help!
Our objective today was simple – Continue making New Trail from where we left off last Saturday. The area that we are working on is a L-O-N-G section of New Trail. It’s gonna be a fast section – nothing technical at all! With the Good Crews we’ve had, it’s impressive to see how much Trail they get built – and built well – each WorkDay! It has Helped having some of the veterans step up and take charge of a particular group. THANK YOUZ GUYS!
Speaking of taking charge….. Wait ‘til you see Vinnie and Butch’s Log ‘RollOver’. It started as just a small downed dead tree lying across the Trail. It was a simple hop to get over it, I felt – just leave it. Well, they thought it needed something to make it ‘easier’ for ‘some’ to cross, sooo…….. you know Butch! They used rock!! I knew it was gonna be a project when I heard Butch call out for the “Big Guy”, the “Beast” (Neil Wolfe – a new volunteer) to come help him move a rock. Butch… needs help to move a rock?! – It had to be BIG! Anyway….. with all the rock they built up in front of, AND behind this log, it’s now like a wide paved super highway. Oh, to make the log meet up with the rocks, they had to RAISE the tree! It would have been easier to just cut the tree off the Trail……. But then that wouldn’t have been as much Fun!
Another ‘new guy’ I have to mention, who came out for the First Time with us, was Jim Marx. On our way to the WorkArea, I spoke out loud that the section of old Trail that we were walking on, and was going to be kept, needed to have the edge shaved off so water could roll off rather than stay on the Trail. I said “on the way back out we’ll have a few of us do that”. I thought that with 6 or 7 of us it would only take 15 minutes. Jim spoke up, “I’ll get started on it now”. OK, I’m thinking one guy will probably take over an hour and a half. In less than an hour Jim had caught up to us out on the Trail and asked “what area do I work next?” WoW! He’s done this before! The section that he shaved was perfect, too! Great Job! Come back!
Hey, it was GOOD to see Ron and Tom from Chicago again! They’re Happy to ‘Give Back’. Who says it’s ‘too far to drive’? Brittney and Brady…. We Love you! ….and Michelle!! You guys are GREAT! And Adam Stone, the CrAzy man with the chainsaw was back again. He’s fittin’ in with this CrAzy Crew!
Gary??!! eh….. GARY?
And you had to laugh at/with Lenny who was imitating Jim Wiser from two weeks ago, beating the trees to death! He got soo ……., that he promised to come out this week and sharpen EVERY %#$& TOOL! And I know he will!!
When we returned to the Muir TrailHead after the WorkDay to do some Riding of our own – the Parking Lot was PACKED!!! People were parking on the grass ‘cuz there was no room left on the lot. I guess we can feel Good that soo many people like what we have done to the Trails. It shows in soo many people coming out and using them. I just hope WE can still get in to enjoy them ourselves!
And this was sent to me in an E-mail from ‘one of US’ last week, and I wanted to share:
What a great work day we had last week. There is something to be said about riding a trail that you have helped build, riding along thinking " I worked here and benched this out, or I helped make that wall, or laughing with so many good people you meet", it's such a great feeling and brings big, big smiles; how rewarding.
…and that’s how I feel too!
Anyway,
Our plan of attack for THIS Saturday, April 25, will be:
BACK TO THE MUIR! We are going to build a NEW Trail Section to bypass an eroding hill and an often muddy area on the RED/WHITE/ORANGE Section, making the Muir EVEN BETTER!
Also, after the WorkDay there will be free food at the Muir shelter for US TrailWorkers. Kenny Dretzka, you know him ‘cuz he comes out and helps on the Trails with us – OK, so you know his son Josh who comes out to help and brings his dad! Anyway, to show his appreciation, he’s ‘Giving Back’ by supplying a ‘GrillOut’ Day. He’s suppyin’ the burgers, brats, dogs – whatever; and we do the eatin’! That works for me! This will be a FUN time. DON’T miss it!
Soooo…..we be meetin’ in the JOHN MUIR Parking Lot at 8:30am . Don’t go to the Carlin TrailHead this Saturday ‘cuz WE won’t be there!
AND Bring Your Bike for a little ‘After the WorkDay - After the Eatin’ Ride.
*If ya come late (like some did last Saturday), to get to where we will be working, follow the RED/WHITE/ORANGE Trail backwards (the hikers way) to the WorkArea, which is before where the ORANGE (at the top of the BIG hill) meets the RED/WHITE Trail. You’ll hear us!
TrailBlazer Dave
And the rest of the eSpecially CrAzy Irregular TrailBuildin’ Crew
Trail Building Update | April 11, 2009
Saturday was a HUGE day for ‘the Crew’ and for the Carlin Transformation! We had OVER FIFTY Volunteers out on the Emma Carlin Trails determined to rebuild the deteriorating Trail System! (people kept showing up even after we were out working), OH, MY, GO……!!!
THANK YOU!!!
When I arrived at the Carlin Parking Lot (running a little late ‘cuz I had to stop at the Muir to get a mower to use and also put up a few signs saying we were meetin’ at the Carlin for those who forgot) I was surprised by so many cars. Normally, you might see up to three cars total in the Carlin Lot on a BUSY day – probably because of the condition of the Trails. This lot was full!.... and there was a lot of LOUD ‘chatter’ going on as the people mingled in the lot. The weather was good, sunny and you just knew it was gonna get warmer as the day progressed.
We started with six different Groups of Volunteers spread out in different locations, working on separate Trail Sections, all at the same time. I was walking from one to the other to the other to the ….. the work areas were a long way apart. My feet were hurting from walking so far checking on each Group - in case they had any questions! One-by-one they completed the area they were working on and moved ahead to catch up with, and help, the next group. It wasn’t long before there was ONE BIG MASS of working Volunteers. They then, collectively ‘Consumed’ large amounts of unclaimed territory (oh, I love that visual) making some Fantastic Trail! WoW! It was Impressive. And the Trail was done Very well! We seem to now have some ‘finishers’ at the back of the pack who know HOW to make the final adjustments to make the Trail perfect. THAT is a BIG Help! Thanks ‘Finishing ‘ Crew!!
I found myself chuckling when I thought back to the Thursday before the WorkDay, when I was out on the Trail with DNR Don Dane evaluating and making some flagging adjustments to the section of Trail that we would be working on THIS Saturday. I had said that with a good crew my goal would be to ‘clear the new Trail Section up to the ‘OverLook’. He said, with a grin, “That’s a L-O-N-G section of Trail and you WON’T be able to get that far on one Saturday – maybe two”!………….”Heh, Heh”, Yep, we not only cleared that section of Trail TO the OverLook, but we went quite a ways past! AND….. we benched ALL but the last few feet of that Trail! Did I say…. WOW!? Anyway, I had a satisfying personal moment! This Crew is Good!
I’m awestruck at what has developed by the Individual Volunteers who are coming out to help. Each week, I’m introduced to a Volunteer’s, friend, neighbor, girlfriend, son, wife, co-worker, etc. who they have brought along. THAT is what is getting us these Big Crews. The Volunteers are getting excited by the Large amounts of TrailWork that they can see get done each WorkDay. It’s feeding off of itself. That’s a good thing. Of course, it could be that people are finding this to be just good exercise and/or it’s the opportunity to be out in nature that is the draw, but that’s OK if it is. We are Glad to have them, and YOU, coming out.
Anyway,
Our plan of attack for THIS Saturday, April 18, will be:
More Carlin Transformation! Come and be a part of this ‘Ground Breaking’ (pun intended) Event! Be able to say “I WAS THERE” at the beginning! ......“I BUILT this Trail!”
The beginning, and ending Area of the Trail, that we have worked on the last two weeks, is looking pretty good. It only needs to be ridin’ a few hundred times to get worn in (please do your part!). OUR mission this Saturday will be to continue TrailBuilding from where we left off last Saturday. We have another Long Section past the LookOut to complete – so bring the neighborhood!
Soooo…..we be meetin’ in the EMMA CARLIN Parking Lot at 8:30am . Don’t go to the Muir Parking Lot unless you are checking to see how many others missed the Notices about meeting at the Carlin! AND Bring Your Bike for a little ‘After the WorkDay’ Ride.
*If ya come late (like many who did last Saturday), to get to where we will be working, follow the Trail (the proper biking way) to the WorkArea which is close to the first ‘OverLook’ off of the old Trail. Walk the Trail ‘til you hear the laughter - or if Ellis is there – the groans!
See ya there!
TrailBlazer Dave
And the rest of the eSpecially CrAzy Irregular TrailBuildin’ Crew
Trail Building Update | April 4, 2009
The NEW Emma Carlin has started to take its New shape already! With the weather being so agreeable and so many Volunteers who want to be a part of the rebuilding of the Emma Carlin Trails, we got a LARGE amount of work done. 32 people were part of the cRaZy Irregular TrailBuildin’ Crew today! THANK YOU!!
We began OUR day by meeting in the Muir Parking Lot, like usual. Donuts and hot chocolate were doled out to those who were in need of a morning boost! Gary Anoszko mistook the dispensing urn as coffee and ‘topped off’ his own cup until he visualized the color and thickness of the brew. “Well, I guess I’m having a latte”. Well, I guess that’s what you get for not asking!! But several others thought it was a good idea and topped off theirs too! Brittany Frederick brought 3 boxes of energy bars for us to nibble on as well. THANKS Brittany! After our hearty breakfast, we loaded all the tools AND the tool shed and headed over to the Emma Carlin TrailHead to begin the WorkDay. I should mention that we took the old tool shed even though Mike Bettinger had bought us a New one to take. The new one is a much bigger shed, but no one could figure out how to get it over to the Carlin. MIKE?!!
Once there, the FUN began! Our mission this day was to make a New Exit Trail. Starting at the Parking Lot, and working back through a New area of woods, we connected with the old Trail about a quarter mile back in the forest. Clearing the New Trail going out and benching it on the way back in was OUR action plan. A few got ‘stuck’ on an area were the New Trail crosses an old rock wall. They got soo involved in making several options to cross that wall that we didn’t see them again until we had finished the New Trail. But they did Good work, and boy, did they have FUN!
The Crew was working at a feverish pace. I expected to spend all day working on this section; but Nooo….. this Crew has gotta prove me wrong! About 10:45am they had finished and were asking: “Where do we work next?” So, we headed off to start on the New Entrance area. Off in the distance we could see someone raking in the woods. It was Lenny! Lenny was so anxious to work, that he went ahead of the rest of us. Unfortunately he had started clearing the Ice Age Trail which was half a football field away! “I saw some flags and just went over to work”. That tickled Mike Ellis to no end! “It’s usually me, or Butch, who inadvertently starts clearing ‘off Trail’, but at least, we’re usually close!”
Again the Crew spread out and began clearing the New Trail. I must say they’ve got it down pat now. They KNOW what to do, and do it pretty well! GREAT Job, Crew!! They completed that New Section of Trail as well. There was even time for Dan (or is it Mike) James to build a log ride along side of the Trail. Hey, we all gotta have some Fun too!
Anyway,
Our plan of attack for THIS Saturday, April 11, will be:
The Emma Carlin Transformation will continue! We will follow the Trail (the proper biking way) to the next WorkArea just off the existing Trail (if ya come late, you can’t miss us).
Come and be a part of this ‘Ground Breaking’ (pun intended) Event! Be able to say “I WAS THERE” at the beginning! Bring friends!
Soooo…..we be meetin’ in the EMMA CARLIN Parking Lot at 8:30am . Don’t go to the Muir Parking Lot unless you are checking to see how many others missed the Notices about meeting at the Carlin!
TrailBlazer Dave
And the rest of the eSpecially CrAzy Irregular TrailBuildin’ Crew
Trail Building Update | March 28, 2009
The weather was not what we have been used to. It was 32 degrees, cloudy, with a chilly wind in the parking lot. Because of that, we didn’t expect a big turn-out. BUT….. 24 people came out to Help! Hence the name…. cRaZy Irregular TrailBuildin’ Crew! It wasn’t that bad though, once we got to the Work Area. The trees blocked the wind, and of course, once you started working – you got hot, so the jackets came off. Oh, and NO rain or snow! WHO was worried?!
We sent five of OUR ‘seasoned’ Volunteers out to the area that we worked on last week to ‘tweak’ a few spots. The rest of the Crew went out to REMOVE that Sand Pit on the northern end of the Blue / Green Trail. IT’S NOW GONE!!! We made a New section of Trail about thirty yards north of the old Trail. It’s a L-O-N-G Section; about a quarter mile long. EVERYONE said they liked the New Section MUCH better than the old (even though some lamented the loss of ‘The Pit’ – but they agreed with the improvement)! Since, for the most part, there was no brush to cut, just picking up branches that the loggers had left and raking the Trail tread, we were able to stay together as a Group, which meant the conversations were endless (SOME more-so than others!!).
I would like to mention: that Gary Lake tried to kill me, TWICE! When he decides to take down a tree….. ya wanna get FAR away (It must be that ‘magnetism’ that I have)! Speakin’ of ‘downed trees’….. Stacy Whitaker has some ‘attraction’ of her own, Wow! (ya needed to be there!); and to watch Jim Wiser beating a tree to death was exhausting (tools WILL be sharpened again before next week). Speakin’ of Jim… I would like to comment on the work and dedications that his two boys (Jim and Joe) have given to Help make OUR Trails better! They are there EVERY week! They work Hard – and never complain; Just the way that ‘teenagers’ should be! They may be Jims ‘boys’, but they are MEN in OUR eyes! THANKS Jim and Joe Wiser!!! Also worth mentioning is Richard, who didn’t believe in wasting all the logs that the loggers had left on the ground, so there is a multitude of log jumps on this section of Trail.
DNR Don Dane even came out to Help! THANK YOU! He brought a chain saw and cut up everything that crossed his path – I mean, the Trail. That was a BIG Help! Yeah, he’s cRaZy like us!
Mike Bettinger, ‘THE General Store’, delivered us OUR NEW TOOLS before we started! YES!!! We needed them! We DID put them to work (the tools, not Mike, of course)! Mike also bought the Crew lunch at the Store after the WorkDay! THANK YOU, MIKE!!! That time allowed us to have some GREAT conversations in a more relaxed atmosphere!! That was nice.
Anyway,
Our plan of attack for THIS Saturday, April 4, will be:
The Emma Carlin Transformation! Yup, it’s Time to START its resurgence!
*We still do have some areas to work on at the Muir and some on the Connector that will be on OUR WorkDay List for later on in the spring, but for now it’s ‘Time to Get Started on Emma’!
Come and be a part of this ‘Ground Breaking’ (pun intended) Event! Be able to say “I WAS THERE” at the beginning! Bring friends!
Soooo…..we be meetin’ in the John Muir Parking Lot at 8:30am just like usual. We will collect tools and then drive to the Emma Carlin TrailHead (some may not know how to get there); Leaving the Muir at 9:00am – arriving at Emma at 9:15am (for those who insist on going to Emma directly – or those who may come late).
Hope to see ya there!
TrailBlazer Dave
And the rest of the eSpecially CrAzy Irregular TrailBuildin’ Crew
Trail Building Update | March 14, 2009
Our First TrailBuilding WorkDay of the season was well attended! Twenty-seven people were there to help (yes, I counted the sign-in sheet three times). That is GREAT!! Usually on Our first day, we have ten to twelve people attend, and then the Crew grows bigger every week after that. THANK YOU to those who came out to ‘Play’ on Our First Day. There were many who E-mailed to say they were already scheduled to do something else on that day, but said they would be coming out to Help on Our UpComing WorkDays, so this looks to be another Great TrailBuilding season – maybe one of Our best!
The Day started, as always, with a ‘meet-n-greet’ in the parking lot. After about 20 minutes of chatter, while waiting for all to arrive, we got a brief synopsis of what the plans are for this TrailBuildin’ Season (exciting), and then what Our plan for this WorkDay was. You could tell everyone was getting excited! ….and then Richard Palmer gave a lesson on what tools we have and how to use them….. Good lesson though! Thanks Richard!!
The weather was Great! Cool in the parking lot but we warmed up quickly on the walk to the WorkArea, and once we started working, the jackets came off. There were still some pockets of snow on the ground, but not enough to slow us down, and the ground was still hard with frost, so clearing was all we could really do. Our Assignment for this day was to clear a New Section of ORANGE Trail from the BLUE/GREEN Trail [quite a ways north of the area where the Rainy Dew Trail meets the BLUE/GREEN Trail] over to the bottom of the ORANGE Trail BIG climbing HILL! This Section will replace the old ORANGE straight ‘Road’ Section that has become multiple sand pits, and no fun to ride! The Crew completed the entire route! GREAT Job!!
We had Many New Volunteers joining us for this WorkDay. Thank You for that, guys! Your presence was MUCH Appreciated!! We hope you found the WorkDay rewarding and Fun! ‘Giving a little back’ to the Trails is kinda satisfying isn’t it; and you get to meet and socialize with very interesting and caring people! We Hope you come back and Help again! A little insight: The WorkDays will get MORE Fun! The talk, the stories you will hear, will get bigger - and usually some ‘ribbing’ starts. It’s all in Fun! And ‘Believe me’ when I say: Mr. StoryTeller, Mike Ellis, was just warming up; AND wait ‘til the return of Jamison! The WorkDays will get MUCH more Interesting!......
…….Oh, and did I mention ‘WrongWay’ Mike Ellis clearing Trail where there was no flags Again! “Aahhh…. I was just followin’ those guys”. “Yes Mike, but they were on a different section of Trail on the other side of the hill!” - As I said….. Much more Interesting!
Upon returning to the parking lot Ken Dretzka and son Josh [who helped a bunch last year] approached and explained they came to help but arrived a ‘little’ late. They thought they could just walk and find us. They thought wrong! It’s a BIG forest!! They got plenty of exercise though! Speaking of exercise, I should also mention Ron Stawicki rode his bike out from Waukesha to work with us on the Trails! I guess he felt his bike would be lonely without him so he also walked his bike all the way down to the WorkArea with us and kept it beside him while working on the Trail. Now THAT’S ‘Bicycle LOVE’!!!
Anyway,
Our plan of attack for THIS Saturday, March 21, will be:
Benching that New Section of ORANGE Trail that we cleared last week…. and Yes Butch, we WILL need to do some rock work!
And, if you should come late again, Mr. Ken Dretzka, you will find us at the bottom of the ORANGE Trail BIG hill [where it meets up at the RED/WHITE Trail] and follow the New Trail that you find there (Josh, ya need to get your father to move a little quicker!)
Soooo…..we be meetin’ in the John Muir Parking Lot at 8:30am. Will Gary will bringing the donuts?? Come to find out!
ALSO, if’n ya wanna get in a ride after this WorkDay, Bring your RODE bike! ‘Cuz the Trails are closed until April at the earliest. Some of OUR ‘cRaZY CrEw’ did ride the ROADS after this WorkDay, and probably will do it again this Saturday!
TrailBlazer Dave
And the rest of the eSpecially CrAzy Irregular TrailBuildin’ Crew