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| This marker is just a short ways from the trail gate near Hwy 77. |
Monday, February 3, 2014
Birkie Trail outing
Part of the American Birkebeiner Ski Trail is a 10-minute ski/walk
from my house. Yesterday, it was -16F in the morning, so I waited until 2:30 in
the afternoon, when the temp had risen to 10F, to go skiing. I skied
the section of the trail that is about 7K from the finish on
Main Street in downtown Hayward, starting near Hayward Lake and
going to where the trail intersects Hwy 77 East and back. The trail was
freshly groomed for skating, but no classic tracks were set. It was
a beautiful, sunny, blue sky day and I'm glad I didn't let the cold
keep me inside. I'm working up to skiing the 23K Kortelopet later this month for the second year in a row.
Shortly after beginning my ski, I crossed this bridge over a small creek, with one side designated for skiers and the other snowmobiles, illustrative of a cooperative partnership.
The next section of trail brought me to the crossing of Wheeler Road, where one encounters a fairly steep climb.
At the top of this climb is a memorial sculpture and plaque dedicated to one of the Birkie Founders, Dave Landgraf.
The following three images are views from the top of this hill, looking toward Hayward and the finish.
The next three images are looking in the opposite direction. This hill is the last climb before heading down to Hayward Lake and the finish.
After rounding the corner in the distance that curves to the left, the trail climbs to the top of "Duffy Ski Hill," where one is rewarded by beautiful views of the Namekagon River Valley. There is a small cabin at the top of this hill. I'm assuming it's privately owned by the Duffy family.
After topping Duffy Ski Hill, I skied down to the gate that crosses the trail just short of Hwy 77. This was my turn-around point. The next four images are the trail as it winds its way back up to Duffy Ski Hill, a fairly continuous climb with a few dips. I saw just one lone skate skier on my outing.
The next three images are looking toward the climb that brings you to the top of the last hill, the one with the Dave Landgraf memorial.
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I quickly recognized the location of some pictures. If you familiar with the Geocaching world, very near the Dave Landgraf memorial post is a cache. Winter friendly I might add. Thanks for the narrative and pictures! Great post! Have great fun with the Kortelopet.
ReplyDeleteSome friends here in Hayward are avid Geocachers. I went out with them once this fall and then signed up on the Geocache website. Perhaps I will try to find the cache by the memorial. Thanks for the info. Looks like you've been getting in some good rides on the fat bike. If you come to Hayward before winter ends, you should check out the Seeley Hills trails off Old OO. The single-track trail is groomed for fat bikes.
DeleteFunny you mention the trail groomed for fat-bikes. I was on the CAMBA site last night trying to figure out which trails might be groomed. There is a cache in Cable called the "Bike Wall of Fat Tire Fame." I thought it would be cool to ride the fatty to the cache. I know most of the cachers from Hayward. I am going to throw out a guess Akorn, Full Monte, Jointeffort and then there's the Hayward Cheezehead. I have fun mixing geocaching and bicycling.
DeleteLooks like you had a fun ride in the recent warm weather. I bet I can guess where that "Bike Wall" cache is in Cable. The CFTF office has an outside wall with bikes hanging on it, so bet it is near that. Yes, I know AKorn, Full Monte, and Jointeffort. They are Ski&Tea buddies and the ones who took me geocaching last fall.
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