Volunteer crews fix boardwalks, bridges along Hemlock Creek trail

Tents were staked along the grounds of Murphy Flowage County Park near the line of Barron and Rusk counties as volunteers from across the state joined in a multi-day trailbuilding event of the Ice Age Trail.

From Wednesday through Sunday around 70 volunteers each day worked on the construction and installation of boardwalks and bridges along the trail segment. During the work days, 446 feet across six structures were to be constructed, said Patrick Gleissner, trail operations coordinator for the Ice Age Trail Alliance.

An additional 300-400 feet for six more structures will be completed by the end of year, Gleissner said. For the entire project in the Hemlock Creek segment 1,700 deck boards were cut and 110 frames were assembled.

While another multi-day trailbuilding event will be held in October, from now until then the local Superior Lobe and Blue Hills chapters will continue work on the project.

“Local chapters will pick away at it,” Gleissner said.

Work completed for this project included removing the previous structures, leveling the ground and securing the banks of the creeks and rivers. Crews carried in heavy beams for the bridges and boardwalks across the inclines, declines and corners along the trail. Frame sectionals and deck boards also had to be carried in by hand. Both the deck boards and frame sections were cut and the 8-foot frame pieces assembled prior to being carried into the woods.

Safety is also a big priority in the updates along the trail. The main reason the boardwalks and bridges needed to be replaced is because of frost heave creating an uneven surface on the about 15-year-old structures. The new boardwalks were placed on wetland pans that can adjust slightly with the shifting of the ground. Crews also installed longer and more gradual inclines up the bridges.

Other work done during the trailbuilding event were clearing of the trail corridor, tread maintenance and marking of trail blazes.

All of this work couldn’t be done without countless hours of work from volunteers. To maintain the 1,200-mile trail that traverses from St. Croix Falls in the west to Sturgeon Bay in the east, the Ice Age Trail relies on dedicated volunteers.

“It’s everything,” Miranda Murphy, IAT operations assistant, said of the volunteers. “This trail wouldn’t exist without them. They are the ones who come out and build the trail. It’s the chapters that maintain it.”

Another trailbuilding event will be held locally in October with the start of the Blue Hills segment reroute, which has also been called the Dreamer Route. Those who are interested in finding out more about work on the Ice Age Trail can visit iceagetrail.org and selected the Get Involved menu.

For more information on getting involved locally, chapters can be reached by contacting Superior Lobe coordinator Sue Greenway at smgreenway1@gmail.com or Blue Hills coordinator Corey Wiese at bluehillschapter@iceagetrail.org.