Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
THOSE TAKING part in a hike led by the Heritage Chapter of the North Country Trail Association and Iron County Outdoor Recreation Enthusiasts in Upson relax and take a breath at their destination, a vista overlooking Upson Lake, Saturday for National Trails Day.
UPSON, Wis. - A group of hikers had a chance to explore one of the newer sections of trail in Iron County this weekend as the Heritage Chapter of the North Country Trail Association and Iron County Outdoor Recreation Enthusiasts led a hike in Upson to celebrate Saturday as National Trails Day.
The hike started at Casey Sag Road and went roughly 1.5 miles to a vista overlooking Upson Lake before returning to the road.
The section of trail was built last fall with the help of an AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps team.
"The kids did the stump pulling, the rock pulling, the lopping to widen (the trail) four feet and all that hillside work - that was hard," said Bethany Thomas, the vice president of the Heritage Chapter.
She said roughly 19 people participated in the three-mile hike.
Given the newness of the trail, ICORE vice president John Bates said the day was a great opportunity for residents to explore a part of Iron County they may not have seen before.
"For instance, we've never hiked this section of the trail either - so it's exciting. That's a beautiful trail," Bates said. "From an ICORE standpoint, this is exactly the kind of stuff we want to do - which is take people to sites in Iron County most people don't know about that are beautiful."
Given the abundance of nature across the Gogebic Range, Bates said people usually don't have to go far to explore nature and it's easy to fall into the habit of staying close to home and the areas people are familiar with.
Bates said events such as the hike were a good opportunity for people to get out of their own backyards and see what else there is in the region.
Work continues building and improving the North Country National Scenic Trail in Iron County, according to Thomas, with a work weekend planned for June 16-17.
The weekend will involve preparing a site for a crew who will be building bridges in the area.
Thomas said those interested in volunteering can meet around 8:30 a.m. on Casey Sag Road, a couple miles off Wisconsin 77.
For more information on the work weekend, or the Iron County section of the North Country Trail in general, contact Thomas at sally65bones@gmail.com.
