Et cetera : NCCC Oak 4 team contributes to the North Country Trail

Corps Members Rocky Saxton (front) and Willie Moore use pulaskis to make a trail.

By Forrest Maher

For almost three weeks, Oak 4 has been assisting the North Country Trail Association: Itasca-Moraine Chapter near Park Rapids, Minn.

The team is creating an extension on the section of the North Country Trail that loops around Lake 21. The work involves digging up topsoil from the ground and removing material that may make the trail uneven, such as roots and rocks. The team then levels the dirt out as much as possible. Oak 4 also maintains existing portions of the trail near Waloose Lake, which involves cutting the grass and removing brush that blocks the trail.

Oak 4 is appreciated and praised by the staff of the North County Trail Association. The team’s site supervisor, Bruce Johnson refers the team as a “trail-making machine.”

The North Country Trail Association is a volunteer organization whose mission is to build and maintain the North Country Scenic Trail, which is the longest scenic trail in the nation. The trail spans approximately 4600 miles and runs through seven states from New York to North Dakota. The trail was established by Congress in 1980 and is administered by the National Park Service. The team is contributing to the portion of the trail that runs through Minnesota.