Plumbago Creek / Canyon Falls, Upper Michigan
June 24 – 28, 2010
This project is sponsored by the Peter Wolfe Chapter. It will take place on private lands and on Michigan Technological University lands in Baraga County in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan..
Canyon Falls
Plumbago Creek
Part of our project will involve completion of a section of the North Country Trail on and below a bluff above Plumbago Creek, where we will create tread in a level area and complete necessary sidehill tread work along a hillside. A considerable amount of trail work has already been done on this section of the trail. The area for this part of the project is a sandy glacial outwash plain with forests of pine, spruce, balsam, aspen, red maple, cherry, and various shrubs.
Plumbago Creek Bridge
We will also be working on trail between the Plumbago Creek Bridge and Canyon Falls. One section of this trail is essentially complete, and mostly follows an old logging road across flat terrain through a hardwood forest. Upstream from there, we will build new trail in the steep-sided valley of the Sturgeon River. This area is extremely scenic, and for part of the way the river runs through a spectacular rock canyon, with cliffs and several waterfalls. Expect lots of sidehill tread work in the lower part of this section, on a steep hillside well above the river. In the upper part, where the trail follows close to the river and the river is almost always in view, we will do a combination of new trail construction and upgrading of a user-developed trail. In some areas, where the terrain is very rough and rocky, we will be adding fill between rocks and roots to create a level surface. Bring your bathing suit when working in this area, as the trail will pass a great swimming hole below a small waterfall!
We may also upgrade a short access trail from a little-used logging road to the river, and haul in a 16-ft. bridge now in storage at the Michigan Tech Ford Forestry Center.
The nearest town is L’Anse MI, on Lake Superior. L’Anse has a grocery store, service stations, hardware store, and other basic amenities. We will camp at an as-yet-undetermined location nearby. High temperatures are usually in the 70s and lows around 50, with comfortable humidity. Expect the possibility of biting insects! You are expected to provide your own sleeping arrangements, work clothing, and whatever personal clothing and gear you desire. We provide food, dishes, tools, training, and safety equipment.
We will take a day off on the weekend, with numerous recreational opportunities detailed at the website link below.
For more details, including maps, contact info, photos, etc., cut and paste into your browser (if necessary) http://www.northcountrytrail.org/pwf/volunteeradventure2010.doc. Keep checking back; that page will be updated frequently.
This Volunteer Adventure is funded by the Peter Wolfe Chapter please fill in any other pertinent wording here.