4th Quarter 2016
Our web site: www.northcountrytrail.org/cnd
CHAPTER MEETINGS - Meetings are at 7:00 PM at the Barry
Township Hall, behind the fire station at 155 East Orchard Street
in Delton, the second Wednesday of each month, and are open
to the public. Meetings through the 4th Quarter of 2016 are
October 12, November 9, and December 14. Prior to the
meetings in Delton, join us for dinner at 5:45 PM, at the Grove
Street Café on the north side of Delton, located at 370 N. Grove
Street (just across from intersection of Delton Road and M-43).
To get on the distribution list for our meeting agenda and
minutes, please email: [email protected].
Upcoming Events – all open to the public
Trail Town Events We want to help support and promote our Trail Towns, as they help to promote our
Trail. Here are links to events calendars for each of our Trail Towns:
Marshall: http://thechambermarshall.com/community-calendar/
Middleville: http://gomiddleville.com/EventCalendar.aspx
October 1: Hike Maher Sanctuary to Middleville (or less); north Barry County; short hike 4.8
miles; long hike 9.5 miles
We are hiking the north Barry County section of our Trail from the Maher Sanctuary south to Middleville,
including the new 0.9 mile section of trail on the north side of Middleville. We will meet for breakfast at
7:30 AM at the Thornapple Kitchen, 499 Arlington Street, Middleville. We will be joined by some Scouts
from that area, working on their hiking badge.
Our hike will begin at about 9:00 AM (once cars are positioned), from the Maher Audubon Sanctuary at
108th St SE at Woodschool Road (Freeport, MI), then heading south. The short hike (4.8 miles) will end at
Johnson Road at W. Garbow. The long hike (9.5 to 10 miles) will continue to Stagecoach Park by the
Gazebo, at 100 E Main Street, in Middleville. Call 269-341-5964 (Larry), or 269-808-7334 (Jane), if you
need day-of-the-hike assistance.
October 7 (Friday): Work Day – Puncheon Building at Fort Custer
We are continuing our puncheon building project in Fort Custer National Cemetery, beginning at 9:00 AM,
entering the property about ½ mile west of the maintenance building driveway on Fort Custer Drive. (Turn
north after crossing the river, heading east out of Augusta. The road then curves east.) Breakfast will be at
the Dig-In Café; 111 W. Michigan Avenue; Augusta at 8:00 AM. We will be joined by a large group of
volunteers from the Battle Creek Academy, between 9:15 and 1:45. Your help in leading this group
is needed.
October 12: Chapter Meeting Speaker: Dr. Aaron Lane-Davies –
Hiking the Michigan NCNST to Benefit Bronson Children’s Hospital
In 2014, Dr. Davies began a 4-year mission to hike the Michigan segment of the
NCNST. Each summer, he hikes multiple 100-200 mile segments of the Trail for
4-7 days each trip. The purpose of his hikes is to raise awareness and financial
aid for Bronson Children’s Hospital and its patients. Dr Davies also desires to
highlight this long journey that is accomplished one step at a time - much like
philanthropy to support Bronson’s Children’s Hospital requires long term vision
and planning. He hiked 224 miles in 2014, 235 miles in 2015, and at least 138
so far in 2016. You can follow his progress, or make a donation, at:
https://www.bronsonhealth.com/bronson-health-foundation/news-andevents/bronson-children-s-hospital-north-country-trail-hike/ A video with some
of his 2016 scenes can be seen at: https://youtu.be/W1tF-ezwml8
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October 16 (Sunday): Moonlight Hike, Kalamazoo County, about 2.5 miles
Our 2nd October hike will be in the evening, as we hike with the moon. The hike begins at 7 PM at the
Kellogg Forest parking lot (7060 42nd Street, Augusta, MI), and ends at the Augusta Drive trail head in
Augusta. Full disclosure: the moon rise will be at 7:43 PM. Dinner will be at the Players Bar & Grill, 506 E.
Michigan Ave, Augusta.
October 18 (Tuesday): Workday: Puncheon Building at Fort Custer National Cemetery
This will be our last group effort in Fort Custer National Cemetery on our puncheon project for the year, and
we will be getting within shouting distance of finishing, with just the center corner yet to do next spring. We
will begin at 9:00, with breakfast at the Dig-In Café; 111 W. Michigan Avenue; Augusta at 8:00 AM.
October 21: “Picture This” Exhibit open as part of the Battle Creek “Fall Into the Arts”
The W. K. Kellogg Foundation building continues to exhibit the photos from this summer’s “Picture This”
outings. You can see them as part of Battle Creek’s “Fall Into the Arts” event on the evening of October 21.
November 5: “Fall” Hike Brady Road to Emmett: Calhoun County; 8.2 miles, or 3 miles
We will begin our November hike at the intersection of Dickman Road (M-96) and Brady Road, west of
Battle Creek. Our short hike (3 miles) will end at the corner of Bedford Road and Jackson Street. Our long
hike will continue to the beginning of the Emmett Street bridge, on the corner of Wagner Dr. and Emmett
Street. Our hike begins at 9:30 AM. Breakfast will be at the Core Bistro, 3111 W. Michigan Avenue, Battle
Creek (the old Apple Core) at 8:00 AM.
November 9: Chapter Meeting, with Presentation by Lee’s Adventure Sports
We know Christmas will be right around the corner, and a representative from Lee’s Adventure Sports will
have some great ideas for gifts for others (or maybe for yourself).
November 12: Workday building kiosks
We have scheduled our workday in November to be building kiosks. Stay tuned to our web site, our
Facebook page, or our Yahoo Group emails for more details.
November 19 and November 28: Christmas Parades
Last year we had a great time participating in some of the local Christmas Parades. So far we know of two
of the Christmas parades: Saturday November 19 at 5:30 PM in Battle Creek; Monday November 28 at
7:00 PM in Marshall. If you are interested in participating, let us know, and we will keep you informed as to
our location to meet.
December 3: “Holiday” Hike Marshall to Albion; Calhoun County; 6.1 or 10.5 miles
Our “Holiday” hike will begin on the east side of Marshall, at B Drive N and 20 Mile Road, at about 9:30 AM.
The short hike will end at 25 ½ Mile Road at Division Road west of Albion, about 6.1 miles. The long hike
will end in Victory Park in Albion, about 10.5 miles. Breakfast will be at the Country Kitchen, at exit 110 off
of I-94, (15421 US 27), on the north side of Marshall, at 8:00 AM. Hope you can join us.
January 1: Shoe Year’s Day Hike – Yankee Springs Recreation Area
Start the year with a little exercise and fresh air at the Shoe Year’s Day Hike, sponsored by the Yankee
Springs Recreation Area DNR, and with the Chief Noonday Chapter partnering as hike leaders for the 6th
year. The hiking route has not yet been determined, but we will meet at the Long Lake Outdoor Center off
of Gun Lake Road, with hiking to begin at 1:00 PM. Not to worry this year, there are no college bowl games
that day.
Everyone is welcome to join us at meetings, hikes, or workday events sponsored by the
Chief Noonday Chapter. For more information, please contact Larry Pio at 269-327-3589 or
[email protected], or see our web site for other contacts.
4th Quarter 2016
Our web site: www.northcountrytrail.org/cnd
Event Recaps – Workday and Event Volunteers –
Thanks for an outstanding job.
Other Dates not mentioned below: I know many other of our volunteers have been mowing, cleaning the
trail as part of adopter tasks, working on promoting the trail, working on the puncheon project, and working
on extending our Trail; and are not mentioned below. Trust me, we greatly appreciate all those efforts, and
hope we can recognize everyone eventually.
June 29: Our second “Picture This” outing was held at Woodland Park in Battle Creek, and I missed
mentioning Laura Clingenpeel in our last issue of the newsletter.
July 8: We had a workday at Fort Custer National Cemetery, with our crew of: Ron Sootsman, Bob
Cooley, Eric Longman, and Jeff Fleming. Larry Pio installed some of our “confidence posts” in Marshall.
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July 9: We had a large turnout of 32 hikers for our hike from Homer to Albion, with hike leaders Mike
Wilkey, Linda Wilkey, Mary Rebert, David Green, Bobbi Jo Gamache, and Eunice Jennings.
July 13: Our third “Picture This” outing was held at Kimball Pines, with volunteers: Kingery Clingenpeel,
Laura Clingenpeel, Mary Rebert, Bob Cooley, Justice Meister, Andrea Case, Tiffany Case, and Larry
Pio, and our NPS coordinator, Ben Giese.
4th Quarter 2016
Our web site: www.northcountrytrail.org/cnd
Photo by Mary Rebert
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July 13: After our Chapter meeting, we had a small group of hikers from the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary to the
robotic milking barn, led by Jim Bronson.
Photo by unknown, maybe staff.
July 19: Ben Giese, and Kingery Clingenpeel led a hike with some Urban League program coordinators.
4th Quarter 2016
Our web site: www.northcountrytrail.org/cnd
July 20: Our fourth “Picture This” outing was held at the Ott Preserve, with volunteers: Kingery
Clingenpeel, Laura Clingenpeel, Mary Rebert, Eric Longman, Justice Meister, Andrea Case, Tiffany
Case, and Eunice Jennings, with our NPS coordinator, Ben Giese, and our volunteer naturalist, Fischer.
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July 26: At our “No Family Left Indoors” event, we talked about preparing raw water for drinking on your
hike. We then hiked along the new section of the North Country Trail, north of downtown Middleville, with
about 13 participants. Thanks to our volunteers: Jean Lamoreaux, Cal Lamoreaux, Larry Pio, Mary
Rebert, and Jane Norton.
July 30: Our workday was called off due to lightning, but Larry Pio, Darrel Burke, Mick Hawkins, and
Jeff Fleming were there waiting until it was obvious it wasn’t ending.
4th Quarter 2016
Our web site: www.northcountrytrail.org/cnd
August 6: Mike Wilkey and Linda Wilkey hosted our booth at the Homer is Home Festival. In the mean
time we had 6 hikers heading from Homer to the south edge of Calhoun County, led by Susan Craw, John
Bennett, Jane Norton, Mary Rebert, and Bobbi Jo Gamache.
Photo by Mary Rebert
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August 10: Our final “Picture This” outing was held at Fort Custer Recreation Area with assistance by Bob
Cooley, and Jane Norton. Mark Weaver and Ben Giese represented the National Park Service.
Photo by unknown.
4th Quarter 2016
Our web site: www.northcountrytrail.org/cnd
August 20: We unloaded lumber, did some chain saw clearing, and worked on puncheons at our work day
at Fort Custer National Cemetery. Our volunteers: Bob Cooley, Larry Pio, Mick Hawkins, Jeff Fleming,
Ron Sootsman, Jim Bronson, and Darrell Burke.
Photo by Jeff Fleming
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August 20: Middleville held a ribbon cutting on the new section of the Paul Henry Thornapple Trail shared
by our North Country Trail. I know Jean Lamoreaux and Cal Lamoreaux were there. Anyone else?
August 24: Ben Giese and Kingery Clingenpeel led a hike with Urban league coordinators, teenage
volunteers, and youth.
Photo by unknown
August 24: The exhibit of photos by the participants of the “Picture This” events opened at the W.K.
Kellogg Foundation, and was attended by Jane Norton, Tom Norton, Ben Giese, Tiffany Case, Kingery
Clingenpeel, Laura Clingenpeel, Bob Cooley, Andrea Case, and Mark Weaver.
Photo by
unknown
4th Quarter 2016
Our web site: www.northcountrytrail.org/cnd
August 25: Congressman Fred Upton joined us for a celebration of the 100th birthday of the National Park
Service. Bruce Matthews, Tom Norton, Larry Pio, Jane Norton, Ron Sootsman, Linda Sootsman,
Luke Jordan, Kingery Clingenpeel, and Eric Longman participated from the North Country Trail.
September 6: Richard Burton and Larry Pio hosted a table at Western Michigan University.
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September 10: We worked on the puncheons, including hauling lumber, at Fort Custer National Cemetery.
Our volunteers: Mike Wilkey, Jim Bronson, Bob Cooley, Eric Longman, Larry Pio, and Mick Hawkins.
4th Quarter 2016
Our web site: www.northcountrytrail.org/cnd
September 10: Mike Purcell and Larry Pio hosted a booth at the Barry County Youth Day at Historic
Charlton Park.
September 17: Mike Wilkey and Linda Wilkey hosted a booth at the Albion “Festival of the Forks”. They
have worked hard over the past few years to increase our exposure in Calhoun County, and it is much
appreciated.
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September 21: Mike Moomey, Jennifer Moomey, Mike Wilkey, Larry Pio, and Jane Norton joined
Cheff Center’s Kendall Dyer to prepare trail for the Cheff Center “Ride-a-Thon” event. The Cheff Center
has been a great partner of our Trail for a very long time. Mike, Jennifer, and Larry then went to Fort Custer
National Cemetery and worked on Trail there for a couple hours afterwards.
September 24: Jeff Fleming, Larry Pio, and Eric Longman volunteered at our partner event at the Cheff
Center for their Ride-a-Thon event.
4th Quarter 2016
Our web site: www.northcountrytrail.org/cnd
September 25: Our hike to celebrate North Country National Scenic Trail Day had about 40 participants,
led by Jeff Fleming, Eric Longman, Mike Purcell, Lisa Purcell, David Carter, Bobbi Jo Gamache, and
Mary Rebert.
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September 25: Brian, Brandon, Aaron, and Connie from Troop 407 in Centreville worked on cutting
back thorns, weeds and branches on our Trail in Fort Custer Recreation Area, and Fort Custer National
Cemetery, along with Larry Pio.
NEWS
Trail Reroutes in Barry County
We have two reroutes in Barry County. The first is the new trail in Middleville heading north out of
Middleville from Stage Coach Park to Crane Road. The Trail then continues east to Crane Road to the
trailhead entering the Middleville State Game Area.
The second is north of the Middleville State Game Area, where from the Johnson Road intersection with
Garbow Road, we will head east on Garbow to Solomon, and then heading north on Solomon to 108th
Street, then heading east as before.
Trail Closures in Barry County
We have temporary closures in Barry County. The first is at the Circle Pines property at Mullen Road,
where there was disallowed horse use, despite signage. In the past we have had trail closed permanently
due to unauthorized horse traffic, and we do not want this again. We will be looking into measures to
prevent horse use.
As a reminder, the trail between the first bridge south of Middleville, and McCann Road is closed during
November. The November alternative route can be found on our web site, our Facebook page, and in our
North Barry County brochures
4th Quarter 2016
Our web site: www.northcountrytrail.org/cnd
NCTA Executive Director Bruce Matthews Announces Retirement at end of July 2017
Executive Director Bruce Matthews has led the NCTA for almost 9 ½ years, and has recently announced his
retirement effective at the end of next July. I’m sure the accolades will be coming for Bruce, but in the
meantime, the Board of Directors is working on a plan to fill his position, and keep the momentum going.
Ten months seems like a long time, but I’m sure it will go by in a flash.
Report from NCTA CELEBRATION in FARGO
More than 250 folks participated in the Celebration held in Fargo in mid-September. Many of them were on
hand to watch Dan and Ruth Dorrough complete the last segment of their 4600-mile North Country Trail
hike, completed over several years, and to join them in their celebration. They gave a great presentation of
their travels that evening, which you can see here:
https://www.facebook.com/northcountrytrail/videos/10154557677795816/ .
There was lots of hiking available, and other activities too. Jeff Fleming was honored with the NCTA “Trail
Builder of the Year” award. Jeff Fleming (1000 hours), Mike Wilkey (1000 hours), Mary Rebert (1000
hours), Jane Norton (400 hours), and Jim Bronson (200 hours and 100 hours), were given NPS awards for
service.
Reminder: For updated information on chapter events, especially toward the end of the quarter,
please visit our web site: www.northcountrytrail.org/cnd/index.htm at the “Events Calendar” link.
Hunting Seasons 2016-2017: Wear your Blaze Orange
I did not include bear, wolf, or elk seasons, since they are not hunted in this area. Waterfowl are hunted
most of the fall. Other small game can be hunted year around. As you can see, there is hunting going
on for half the year. Please wear blaze orange, especially during the deer firearm seasons (I’d stay
home). Always respect hunter’s rights. We are often guests on lands designated for hunting.
Cottontail Rabbit and Snowshoe Hare
Crow:
Deer, early antlerless firearm and Liberty
Deer, archery
Deer, Independence Hunt:
Deer, regular firearm
Deer, muzzleloading Zone 3
Deer, late antlerless firearm
Pheasant, Zone 3
Quail,
Ruffed Grouse,
Sharp Tailed Grouse
Squirrel, (Fox and Gray)
Wild Turkey
Woodcock
Sept 15 – Mar 31
Aug 1 – Sept 30 and Feb 1 – Mar 31
Sept 16-17, 2017 next year
Oct 1 - Nov 14, and Dec 1 - Jan 1
Oct 13 - Oct 16
Nov 15 - Nov 30
Dec 2 - Dec 18
Dec 19 – Jan 1
partial Dec 1 – Jan 1
Oct 20 – Nov 14
Sept 15 – Nov 14 and Dec 1 – Jan 1
Oct 10 – Oct 31
Sept 15 – Mar 1
Sept 15 – Nov 14, late April – end of May 2017
Sept 27 – Nov 7
Long Distance Hiker Update
We have recently learned long distance hiker Shane Peltonen has been long gone through our area (late
July). He does have an interesting web tool to show where he is currently (north Minnesota), when you
click on: trackleaders.com/nct
Now we also find out Ian, and Elaine, along with their rescue dog Dozer, have also passed through our area
before we knew they were here.
Al Learned, who was the 5th person to finish the North Country Trail in one year (2013), has just
completed all the 11 National Scenic Trails. By my calculations, he is now 77.
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Lightning Fatality on NCT
Earlier this month we were informed of the death of a 71 year old Texas man while hiking on the NCT in
Manistee County, due to a lightning strike. Apparently a fast moving storm came up, and they were seeking
shelter when he was struck. A reminder to all of us, to make sure we are working safely, and hiking safely.
Some information relative to lightning can be seen at: https://northcountrytrail.org/thunderstorm-safetywhile-on-the-trail/
Chief Noonday Hiker Challenge
Our Hiker Challenge promotes hiking different sections of North Country Trail, and you count each section only once
each year. It is a great excuse to get out of your area, and hike in new areas, plus you might win the Hiker Challenge
Cup. Check our web site for the rules. http://www.northcountrytrail.org/cnd/hikerchall.htm With a lot of folks doing
the NPS Hike 100 Challenge, we expect a lot of contenders, but very few have reported their miles. However, Jeff
Fleming has 185 miles, Allison Hart-Young has 154, we think Jane Norton has at least 150, Dr. Aaron Lane-Davies
has 139. A good battle shaping up for the 4th quarter. Regarding Hike 100, there have been about 700 finishers.
“Like” the North Country Trail Association, Chief Noonday Chapter on Facebook – we are up to 932
Likes. Keep up with the schedule, see what we are working on, and share items with your friends.
Receive the Chief Noonday Chapter newsletter via email only, and save mailing costs. OUR EMAIL
VERSION ALSO INCLUDES PHOTOS. To sign up for our secure email, go to
http://eepurl.com/bBn5aP. Then, forward your newsletter to a friend, and tell someone about Chief
Noonday Chapter and the North Country National Scenic Trail.
New Members
We welcome these new members to the Chief Noonday Chapter up to the end of the 3rd Quarter. Your membership
provides support that helps our Chapter, and the NCTA, to make progress toward our goals. Thank you. We hope
you quickly find ways to become involved on hikes, at meetings, or at work events:
Linda DeYoung – Kalamazoo
Brian Kirsch – Kalamazoo
Richard Knox – Pleasant Lake
Dave Salisbury – Shelbyville
Aaron Carlson – Elmhurst, IL
Janice Doyle – Freeport
Dana Nye – Martin
Kelly Litterini – Eaton Rapids
Carmen LaGuardia – Marshall
Max Sine - Portage
Danielle Raymond – Springfield
William Strong - Portage
Upcoming Events – more details on pages 1, 2 & 3, and on web site
October 1: Hike Maher Sanctuary to Middleville
October 7 (Friday): Work Day at Fort Custer National Cemetery
October 12: Speaker at our Chapter Meeting: Hiker Dr. Aaron Lane-Davies “Hiking to Benefit Children’s
Hospital”
October 16 (Sunday): Moonlight Hike: Kellogg Forest to Augusta
October 18 (Tuesday): Work Day at Fort Custer National Cemetery
October 21: Picture This exhibit during Battle Creek “Fall Into the Arts”
November 5: Hike Brady Road to Emmett Street Bridge
November 9: Chapter Meeting with presentation by Lee’s Adventure
Sports
November 12: Work Day to build kiosks
November 19: Christmas Parade Battle Creek
November 28: Christmas Parade Marshall
December 3: Hike Marshall to Albion
October 1: Shoe Year’s Day hike at Yankee Springs Recreation Area