Pippi's Pass Connects Offield to NCT

Peter Curran and granddaugher Pippi (photo from Little Traverse Conservancy)

compiled from several sources

Near Harbor Springs, Michigan, the North Country Trail is now connected to the mountain bike trails at Offield Family Viewlands Working Forest Reserve. The connector is under a mile in length, but this connecting trail will increase the options for hiking and cycling in the local area.

Although the NCT is primarily a hiking trail, it is open to bicycles in some land management areas.

The new connector is called Pippi's Pass. The trail was made possible by Peter Curran, and Pippi is his granddaughter.

The Offield Family Viewlands was formerly the Little Traverse Bay Golf Club. The land is now host to approximately 10 miles of mountain bike and hiking trails.

See Offield Family Viewlands


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Hundred-Acre Wood Will Make 180 Acres Public

Hundred Acre Wood (photo from Little Traverse Conservancy)

from an article by M-Live

A 160-acre tract of land near Harbor Springs, Michigan, will be purchased by the Little Traverse Conservancy. They are currently raising the $3 million to make this a reality. An additional 20 acres will be donated by the Jeff Ford family, who has always called the property the "Hundred-Acre Wood," as in Winnie the Pooh.

The fundraising is already approaching $2.5 million, and if all goes well, the property could be open for skiing and snowshoeing this winter.

The West Traverse Township public trails abut the property on the west. All together, this will be 260 connected acres that will be available for public recreation and for wildlife. The ecosystem is primarily upland hardwoods.

Future plans could include a parking area, signage, and additional trails.

See maps of West Traverse Township Trails


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Birchwood Inn Harbor Springs Cycling Classic

cycling the tunnel of trees (photo by Birchwood Inn)

from the Birchwood Inn

Enjoy a leisurely bike ride along some of the most scenic roads of northern Michigan, on your choice of a 20 mile, 42 mile, or 62 mile route. Each route includes scenic M-119, better known as the "Tunnel of Trees." There are refreshment stops along the way and support vehicles out patrolling. After your ride, join us for the barbecue lunch in the courtyard.

The Harbor Springs Cycling Classic is September 19, Saturday. You can register for just the ride or a full weekend package. The weekend package is only $129 per person, plus tax, based on double occupancy. Includes two night's lodging, a hearty breakfast Saturday, a continental breakfast Sunday and the tour registration fee.

To register in advance for the ride only: Adults $20, children 6-12 $10, age 5 and under free. If you register at the pre-ride check ins, add $5 per person.

See Harbor Springs Cycling Classic
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Grooming Ski Trails Near Harbor Springs

Josh Baker of The Outfitter in Harbor Springs

from Josh Baker's Blog

For about twenty-five years, The Outfitter has groomed the cross country ski trails at Birchwood - a large, wooded subdivision north of Harbor Springs. Our good family friends, owners of The Outfitter for twenty-three years, began the ritual and we continue it. With the same snowmobiles. Grooming trails truly is a labor of love - an exercise that emphasises the reward at the end of the tunnel. The end result is awesome for skiers: pefectly laid-out tracks that ribbon around through the trees over a golf course and through the woods. One of the fascinating aspects of the grooming is the lack of residue left from the process. If you ski the trail right after the machines have puttered by, you smell the fumes of exhaust. If you wait 30 minutes, you have corduroy and cold, crisp air. And the craters... more
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Mandy Anderson - Conquerer of Mountains

Mandy Anderson photo by Marci Singer

from the Petoskey News Review, "Harbor Springs native conquers mountains," by Marci Singer, Nov 17, 2008

“Don’t make assumptions about what you think someone else can or cannot do just based on what you see,” Mandy told reporter Marci Singer.

Mandy Anderson has had but one leg for the past 25 years. Since then she has completed more than 10 mini triathlons. She loves to ski, hike, swim, sail, kayak, and ride her bike. She helped carry the Olympic Torch to Juno in 2002.

Most recently, she finished a mini-triathlon in Anchorage, Alaska in May of this year.

With her husband and two children, Anderson moved back to her home town of Harbor Springs, Michigan this year after living in Alaska. She is the director of Cross Village Rugworks.

She has expressed her delight that there are so many hiking and biking opportunities in northern Michigan.

When asked about her greatest athletic accomplishment she responded "riding up a little mountain pass” in Dutch Harbor (Port Alexander, Alaska) on her bicycle without stopping. “I’d ridden the same pass in triathlons but had to stop and walk. In the fall, right before we left, right before the road closed for the winter, I made it over the pass without stopping,” she said smiling.

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Little Traverse Wheelway Section Drawings Complete

Danna Widmar, executive director of HARBOR, Inc. reported that the drawings for the next section of the Little Traverse Wheelway should be in the hands of MDOT soon.

HARBOR, Inc. has led the way in a renewed effort to complete the trail into Harbor Springs from the intersection of Pleasantview Road and M-119. The trail will run along the north side of the highway.

Surveys were completed last fall. MDOT says that work could begin in the fall of 2008, but Widmar believes that 2009 is more realistic.

from Harbor Light News, "Drawings for M-119 trail route expected soon", Jan 25, 2008
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