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		Points of View Sam Raymond June 16, 2005 Text © 2005 Sam Raymond. Trail building photos © 2005 Tony Schwenn. Published with Permission. Photo of Sam Raymond © 2005 Michele Anderson.

Copper Harbor and National Trails Day

By Sam Raymond, owner, Keweenaw Adventure Company

COPPER HARBOR -- National Trails Day is a nationwide event, traditionally occurring on the first Saturday in June each year. 2005 marked the third consecutive year that volunteers in Copper Harbor have participated on the local level, helping to bring the mountain bike and hiking trails to life after their winter hibernation. The staff at Keweenaw Adventure Company worked as crew leaders to organize over 30 volunteers who donated their day to work on the tasks at hand, which included clearing deadfall and debris, raking the trails so the path is clearly defined and obstacles are exposed, posting new trail signs and building several new bridges and boardwalks.

Guest author Sam Raymond, far left, with National Trails Day volunteer work crew near Copper Harbor. (Photo © 2005 Tony Schwenn. Reprinted with permission.)

This event attracted volunteers from all over the Keweenaw, including a good showing of local mountain bikers from Houghton north to Copper Harbor, although some folks just showed up to help the cause. Additionally, a handful of Copper Harborites worked to build a new bridge and boardwalk on Hunter's Point as a part of the festivities. Copper Harbor currently has about 20 miles of designated, marked and mapped non-motorized trails that are used for mountain biking and hiking. These trails are all maintained by volunteers and are supported by the Keweenaw Convention and Visitors Bureau (KCVB) and the Copper Harbor Improvement Association (CHIA) in cooperation with the neighboring property owners. Having an event of this magnitude is a big shot in the arm to get things going for the season as there are always hundreds of hours of work to be done just to get the existing trails up and going.

On the Red Trail, volunteers Bill Marlor (background), Dan Wissman in red and Nelson Sommerfeldt  work on benching (making level) an off-camber slope. Dirt and rocks are pulled away from the high side and brought down to the low side, essentially making a "bench" and a flat surface to ride/hike on. Drainage is also created to help minimize erosion and enhance sustainable trails. (Photo © 2005 Tony Schwenn)

The day was really just beginning after the trail work was done. Those who still had energy either went for a ride or a hike to "test" the new trail improvements. Volunteers were treated to a free pasta feed at the Mariner North sponsored by CHIA, while the Harbor Hide-Away Motel and Sauna donated free showers to the sweaty volunteers and riders. 

Bridge work on lower Paul's Plunge. (Photo © 2005 Tony Schwenn)

Volunteers were then given free admission to see the Erik Kosikinen (folk/rock) Band perform at Zik's Bar and Grill, where many folks again worked up a sweat on the dance floor. The National Trails Day event has become the second biggest event in the Harbor as far as combining mountain biking, music and a good time.

Two upcoming trail events 

Two important events will be happening on these Keweenaw Trails: the Keweenaw Trail Running Festival, on July 9 and 10, based at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, and the Fat Tire Festival mountain bike race on Sept. 4, the Sunday of Labor Day Weekend.

The Trail Running Festival is expected to draw about 300 racers and to bring over 800 people to the area while the Fat Tire Festival is estimated to attract over 200 racers and another 350-400 people. These events will have a significant economic impact in the area when friends, families and spouses are figured into the equation.

The annual Copper Harbor Fat Tire Festival mountain bike race has gradually gained a reputation among mountain bikers for having one of the most challenging, scenic and diverse race courses in all of the Midwest. It's a full-on festival by the definition of the word, including a cookout, awards and prizes and live music this year with Chasin' Steel (Bluegrass) and Mojo Perry (Blues/Rock). Riders travel in a radius from Detroit, Grand Rapids, Chicago, Wisconsin, the Twin Cites and everywhere in between to participate. Last year it attracted over 200 racers. 2005 will mark the 12th annual Fat Tire Festival. While it is a great race and a good time, it is also the largest fundraiser to benefit the trails in Copper Harbor. Funds from this event are used to buy tools and equipment, maps and signs, insurance and promotion of the mountain biking opportunities in the Keweenaw.

A new 130-ft. bridge made through a cedar swamp on Paul's Plunge. (Photo © 2005 Tony Schwenn)

CHIA has hired two workers this spring to complete a new "singletrack" trail that was started by volunteers last fall with the aid of some of these funds. Once finished, the new trail will link Copper Harbor to the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge on the west side of US 41, into the Brockway Valley, along the Garden Brook. The entire route will represent three miles of new trail and will give users an easier alternative to the Red Trail to connect these locations.

The Mountain Lodge has become a nucleus for several trailheads, and silent sport enthusiasts are optimistic about more possible future trail development on the County property, especially if the winterization project is approved and ski trails are to be created.*

Temporary moratorium on logging to protect trails

A rider crosses a bridge on the Red Trail, between the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge and Lake Manganese. Chicken wire is attached to the slab wood to give better traction when wet conditions are encountered. (Photo © 2005 Tony Schwenn)

MNA to protect land adjacent to Estivant Pines

One final note regarding trail/land conservation: The Michigan Nature Association (MNA) has an agreement with the current land owner (International Paper) to purchase an additional 128 acres of land neighboring the Estivant Pines Wilderness Sanctuary. Today the Estivant Pines are one of the main attractions in Copper Harbor, and thousands of people visit them each year. As Copper Harbor and Grant Township grow, speculators are buying outlying lands for future development. This threat to the Estivant Pines Wilderness Sanctuary has forced the MNA to examine how they should protect this special place in the future.

The purchase would include the property on the northern boundary of the preserve and would neighbor the State land surrounding Lake Manganese. It includes some nice groves of large northern white cedar and wetlands along Lake Manganese. It also is home to an existing mountain bike and hiking trail which is a segment of a seven-mile loop to the Mountain Lodge and around Lake Manganese. The MNA sees this as a must for future protection and for handling increased visitation. The parcel would also serve as a guaranteed easement/trailhead to the public land purchased by the State of Michigan to the south. The location of the Estivant Pines and their proximity to roads in the area make this potential purchase important to the future management and design of the network of trails.

To date the MNA has raised over half of the $98,000 needed to purchase the 128 acres. Your financial support is needed by July 1 to ensure that this happens. As a special gift to donors who contribute over $100, the MNA has designed a pretty, green Estivant Pines mug. Upper Peninsula residents wishing to donate may contact Charlie Eshbach at 110 Quincy St. Hancock or phone him at (906) 482-1860 at work or 482-6616 at home. The downstate MNA office is 326 E. Grand River, Williamston, MI 48895. Donations should be made to the attention of the Estivant Pines Land Acquisition. 

Editor's Notes:  * Read more about the expansion/renovation project for the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge. Guest author Sam Raymond is the owner of the Keweenaw Adventure Company in Copper Harbor. Visit their Web site for more information on the Fat Tire Festival and other opportunities for Keweenaw mountain biking and kayaking. For more information on the Keweenaw Trail Running Festival visit Keweenaw Trails. This is the second in a series of articles on volunteer trail building and improvement in the local area. See also B.R.I.D.G.E. Alternative High School students build Hancock trail.

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Note: Views expressed by our guest columnists are not necessarily the views of Keweenaw Now.