New Vision Wilderness Participants Paying Back
Written By: Adam Eader, Educational Director
During this past August, myself and four
boys from a NVW Quest Trip took part in an Ice Age Trail Alliance trail
building event. The event spanned four
days and took place near the town of Rib Lake, WI.
The Ice Age Trail, which meanders through
Wisconsin, is roughly 1,000 miles in length. It follows the terminal moraine of
Wisconsin’s last glacier, which began receding out of Wisconsin over 10,000
years ago.
All New Vision Wilderness participants hike
along some portion of the Ice Age Trail during their time in the wilderness,
and all participants help work on the trail to make it more accessible for
future users. What made this event so special was four boys from NVW’s program
were able to meet up with hundreds of Ice Age Trail volunteers for a couple days
of work.
On our first morning, the IATA met with us
and introduced Mark, our crew leader. Mark went to school for entomology, and after
explaining to our guys what entomology was, they asked him about every bug they
came across. One of the best parts of the day was during a break, when Mark
took out a water bottle full of Tootsie Rolls and handed them out to the group.
They raved about the candy all the way back to camp. Thanks Mark!
Mark also taught our guys how to safely
carry and work with tools while widening the corridor on an existing trail.
Corridor is the width of the trail and five feet past it on both sides. We cut
back any tree or branches that were impeding on the trail, and properly discarded
the vegetation. We also stopped along the trail to dig out any rocks or tree stumps.
These obstacles are called “trippers,” and were one of the boy’s favorite
activities, since it allowed them to safely swing the Pulaski, a tool with an
axe head.
The
event was very beneficial for the boys. Not only did they gain some community
service experience while “leaving the woods” for a bit, but they also enjoyed
positively interacting with the other volunteers
