A Northwoods Skiing and Snowshoeing Adventure

Activity note: Check-in from 3:00 p.m.

Afternoon: Program Registration: 3:00-4:30 p.m. After you have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table in the Education Hall to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing the up-to-date schedule that reflects any changes, other important information, and to confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in. Before dinner, we’ll have a social where participants can talk while enjoying wine, cheese and other snacks provided by Trees For Tomorrow (TFT).

Dinner: In the dining room, we’ll have a cafeteria-style meal with choice of entrée (vegetarian option available), sides, salad bar and dessert; coffee, tea, water, 1% milk available. Tonight, wine left over from the social may also be available to have with dinner.

Evening: Orientation. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. This is a Road Scholar Retreats program. Our programming at Retreat locations includes opportunities for light morning exercise, interaction with members of the local community, a farm-to-table or locally sourced meal, and evening entertainment. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Activity note: Snowshoeing in the morning. Afternoon ski training on groomed/tracked surface; flat terrain followed by possible hill activity depending on skill level of participants.

Breakfast: In the dining hall, we’ll enjoy a cafeteria-style breakfast with coffee, tea, water, 1% milk.

Morning: We will learn Northwoods animal track patterns and signs. By knowing if the animal is a walker, bounder, hopper, or waddler, a greater insight can be gained about animal identification. This information will be utilized on ski and snowshoe outings during the remainder of the week. Snowshoes will be distributed to participants. We will snowshoe near Trees For Tomorrow to get an idea of how to maneuver on snow. While snowshoeing, winter ecology will be discussed by trained Trees For Tomorrow professional staff. Examples may include how ruffed grouse dive-bomb into snow and use it to insulate themselves from the harsh winter environment, how deer survive the winter, and interpreting wildlife signs and tracks that we discover along the hike.

Lunch: In the dining hall, we’ll have a cafeteria-style meal with beverage choices of coffee, tea, water.

Afternoon: We'll get outfitted for skis and poles, then get out on the snow! We will begin instruction on a groomed/tracked flat surface on campus. Flatland instruction will include skills such as learning how to fall and get up, weight balance/transfer, movement on skis, kicking and gliding, poling, double poling, and kick-double poling. Depending on skill level and group needs, we may begin hill lessons this afternoon. Hill instruction will take place at Eagle River Golf Course. Hill skills to be taught include snowplowing, herringbone, snowplow turns, and step turns. Instruction will be based on participants' skills levels and will be adjusted accordingly. The Trees For Tomorrow ski instructors are comfortable with many levels of skier abilities and teach lessons on a regular basis to students ranging from 4th graders to adults.

Dinner: Dining hall cafeteria-style meal.

Evening: TFT staff will discuss local and state issues surrounding grey wolf conservation and management, and will also discuss the management of other large carnivores in the state.

Activity note: Stretching before breakfast. Getting on/off a small bus and a 15-passenger van. Morning hill training. Skiing 2-3 or 4-6 miles in the afternoon depending on activity level; periodic stops.

Breakfast: Dining hall cafeteria-style meal.

Morning: TFT staff will lead a short stretch session to familiarize everyone with effective stretches for cross-country skiing. Then, to give everyone the opportunity to feel comfortable and confident on hills, we will return to the Eagle River Golf Course and continue to work on hill maneuvers, especially turning on hills and snowplowing.

Lunch: Dining hall cafeteria-style meal.

Afternoon: We’ll board the vehicles and ride to the Anvil National Recreation Trail. Located in the Nicolet National Forest, this historic and popular trail system provides a nice diversity of trails in a beautiful area. This trail system was built with the help of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and is one of Wisconsin's first National Recreation Trails, trails that have local and regional significance. We typically offer two guided tours: a longer tour (4-6 miles) and a shorter tour (2-3 miles) depending on comfort level. One of the highlights of this trip is the opportunity to feed black-capped chickadees sunflower seeds by hand. As is the case with all of our ski tours, we will stop periodically to examine the variety of interesting things we may see (i.e. animal tracks, various trees, etc.).

Dinner: Dining hall cafeteria-style meal.

Evening: At TFT, we’ll learn about Wisconsin’s reptiles and amphibians. We’ll even have the chance to get up close with live snakes and a turtle.

Activity note: Getting on/off a small bus and 15-passenger vans. Skiing between 2-5 miles in the morning depending on skill level; periodic stops.

Breakfast: In the dining hall, we’ll have a farm-to-table breakfast featuring locally produced ingredients; coffee, tea, water available.

Morning: We’ll ride in the vehicles to Afterglow Lake Resort, home to some finely groomed trails. One of the trails follows Afterglow Lake and the others wind through beautiful stands of sugar maples, hemlocks, and more.

Lunch: At the resort’s warming area, we’ll have sack lunches.

Afternoon: Interested participants will learn how to identify trees in the winter. Using a dichotomous (two-way) key and other mnemonics, learn how to spot trees such as eastern hemlock, sugar maple, white pine, quaking aspen, along with many others.

Dinner: Dining hall cafeteria-style meal.

Evening: Tonight will be an experience to remember as Trees For Tomorrow staff accompany us on a half-mile snowshoe trail illuminated by candles. Candlelight snowshoe and ski outings are a popular activity in the Northwoods at various state parks and resorts. We will wrap up the evening with a s'mores get-together around the fireplace where we can test out some new campfire recipes!

Activity note: Getting in/out of vans. Snowshoe hiking approximately 2-3 miles in the morning; periodic stops.

Breakfast: Dining hall cafeteria-style meal.

Morning: We’ll board the vans and cross the state line into Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for a snowshoe hike in the Sylvania Wilderness. This gem escaped the heavy logging of the late 1800s and early 1900s and provides access to one of the few virgin timber Hemlock-Hardwood stands in this area. This 20,000-acre wilderness area contains 34 named lakes and many glacial pothole lakes that are unnamed. While there, we will snowshoe and talk about what makes these areas so special and what we can do to help them stay that way! During the trip, we’ll have some true quiet time during a “silent-sit.”

Lunch: At Ottawa Visitor's Center, we’ll have sack lunches and learn about the history of the Ottawa National Forest.

Afternoon: We’ll head out to one of the Upper Peninsula’s waterfall gems, Bond Falls. Bring your cameras, as this is one of the most photographed waterfalls around. While there, we’ll learn about the geology of the falls, their use for hydroelectricity, and how the Ontonagon River got its name.

Dinner: Dining hall cafeteria-style meal.

Evening: After learning how to “put red in the shed and follow fred,” participants will learn how to use a compass to get direction off a map and how far to walk. Each group will then pick a route and calculate all the bearings and distances to be walked. This classroom preparation will set us up well when we head into the field the next day!

Activity note: Getting on/off a small bus and 15-passenger vans. Skiing between 2-5 miles in the morning depending on skill level. Walking in Press Forest.

Breakfast: Dining hall cafeteria-style meal.

Morning: We’ll board the vehicles and ride to Razorback Ridges Trails for this morning’s ski. This trail system is one of the largest in the area with an excellent warming shelter. Located in the Northern Highland - American Legion State Forest, this ski area provides an opportunity to visit different forest types, including Jack Pine. We see a variety of tracks at Razorback nearly every time we ski, including fisher tracks!

Lunch: Dining hall cafeteria-style meal.

Afternoon: We’ll get back in the vehicles and head to the Press Forest for some orienteering. Using all the calculated routes from the previous night, groups will navigate through the woods to find target trees.

Dinner: Dining hall cafeteria-style meal.

Evening: The TFT Road Scholar Coordinator will present a slideshow containing pictures from the participants' experiences during the week. Passports will also be stamped. At some point during the week, Road Scholar participants will oftentimes have the opportunity to meet one of the TFT education birds of prey. We will talk about their story (why they are not releasable), adaptations that allow them to be efficient predators, life history, and ways we can help them.

Activity note: Check-out 9:00 a.m.

Breakfast: Dining hall cafeteria-style meal. This concludes our program.

Morning: If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!