NCTA Chief Noonday Chapter

NCTA Chief Noonday Chapter Chief Noonday NCT volunteers manage the trail in Barry, Kalamazoo, & Calhoun, Michigan Counties.

The North Country National Scenic Trail extends from west central North Dakota to the west edge of Vermont. Our Chapter of volunteers provides support for the trail in SW Michigan, although occasionally we venture out to help in other areas.

Workday Volunteers made a difference!!Saturday provided perfect weather for another successful Chief Noonday Workday. M...
06/20/2026

Workday Volunteers made a difference!!
Saturday provided perfect weather for another successful Chief Noonday Workday. Mosquitoes were almost non-existent, thanks to a nice breeze and 12 volunteers were able to mow/trim the trail through the Ft. Custer National Cemetery property. Work also resolved some issues with muddy trail sections.

Breakfast at Dig In Café – Augusta was enjoyed by Ken Baker, Cindy Ackerson, John Pitale, Brian Geerlings, Robin & Bob Sharkey, Carol Latowski, Bruce Houghtby & Eric Longman

Elizabeth Stout and Earl Hall joined us at the trailhead and contributed their efforts.

If you are looking for a very pleasant hike – Ft. Custer National Cemetery would be a great place to start! Photos by Eric

Thursday afternoon heard lots of laughs and shouts from the home of our Chapter’s president – Eric Longman – as he hoste...
06/19/2026

Thursday afternoon heard lots of laughs and shouts from the home of our Chapter’s president – Eric Longman – as he hosted the Euchre Fun Afternoon.

Most players groused about their cards around the 3 tables.

One, Shelby Burton, just kept smiling as she racked up 40 points to win the floating “Knocked it out of the Park” award – with honest to goodness ‘brass knuckles’ attached.

This event is open to all, free, and honestly, it's just a chance to kick back & relax with others who like to hike and have fun. Our next afternoon will be in July – date TBD – so watch for details, or email [email protected] to be added to the email list. Photo by Eric

06/19/2026

FOUND.
A woman’s black jacket was recently found on the North
Country Trail section just a short distance north from
the kiosk in Kimball Pines, Battle Creek.
If you think it’s yours, please do the following:
• Email us at [email protected]
• Describe the jacket you lost, and tell us whatever
you can about when and where you lost it.
• Provide your postal address.
We will mail it back to you.
Chief Noonday Chapter
North Country Trail Association. June 18, 2026

The Chief Noonday (CND) Chapter was represented at the PRIDE Hike by the West Michigan Chapter in Fallsaburg Park on Su...
06/17/2026

The Chief Noonday (CND) Chapter was represented at the PRIDE Hike by the West Michigan Chapter in Fallsaburg Park on Sunday.
The rain stopped just in time!

On Friday, June 12th, Pierce Cedar Creek Institute, located at 701 W. Cloverdale Road in Hastings, hosted Fun Fridays in...
06/17/2026

On Friday, June 12th, Pierce Cedar Creek Institute, located at 701 W. Cloverdale Road in Hastings, hosted Fun Fridays in the Playspace!

Parents and children came from all over the area, including those from Y Time Childcare and the Hastings Saxons Childcare Center, to have fun with invited guests. The children engaged in activities from the following groups:

➡️ Chief Noonday Chapter, North Country Trail was there and taught how to “Follow the Blue Blazes” and gave away compasses.

➡️ Battle Creek Outdoor Education Center was there doing nature journals.

➡️ Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy was there with macroinvertebrates.

➡️ Barry Conservation District was there doing an invasive species scavenger hunt.

➡️ Department of Health and Human Services was there talking about fish consumption advice and toxic algal blooms.

➡️ Michigan Geological Survey talked about "Weird Rocks and Weird Water". They had lots of cool specimens.

Be sure to gather the kids, grandkids and or the neighbors’ kids (with permission) for more Fun Fridays in the Playspace that Pierce Cedar Creek Institute has planned for this summer!

Family events - https://www.cedarcreekinstitute.org/event-directory/

Here are the dates and times of Fun Fridays in the Playspace:

Friday, June 26 th , 2026 from 10 am – 12 pm
Friday, July 10 th , 2026 from 10 am – 12 pm
Friday, July 17 th , 2026 from 10 am – 12 pm
Friday, July 24 th , 2026 from 10 am – 12 pm

I’m not sure if this is totally accurate, but it feels like we are getting blowdown reports EVERY HOUR!!!Yesterday new ...
06/16/2026

I’m not sure if this is totally accurate, but it feels like we are getting blowdown reports EVERY HOUR!!!

Yesterday new Sawyer, Larry, and new Swampers, Margie and Rosemary, cleared from Peets Road to Bowens Mill Road, which took about four hours, not including some unforeseen circumstances/repairs in the field. Thank you so much for your efforts!!!

Also reported just to the north of CND Chapter is a couple of step over blowdowns by the Dolan Nature Preserve. Within CND: between Yankee Springs Rd. and M-179, McDonald Lake to Hall Lake, several south of Norris to Sager Trail, south of Sager Trail, and a few behind Fort Custer National Cemetery near their maintenance facility.

Please be patient as we do our best to try to prioritize these and get these cleared efficiently!!!

Please report any blowdowns you see even if you think someone else has already.  It’s better to hear about it twice or three times than never! The more information we have before we go out, the better! Report blowdowns to [email protected]. Thank you all for being our eyes and ears on the trail!

Sawyer John and newly certified sawyer Larry covered a little more than a mile and handled at least 15 blockers. They lo...
06/14/2026

Sawyer John and newly certified sawyer Larry covered a little more than a mile and handled at least 15 blockers. They lost count and quit taking photos! Larry found 2 more bigger ones north of M-179 as it heads back to Yankee Springs Rd and they cleared those too. They cut for almost 5 hours. Both did an impressive job and were born to be Sawyer’s! Larry is even going back with his daughter to hike to see if they can find more and he lives an hour away!  Talk about dedication.

A handful of people have heard of other blowdowns after some significant storms both Wednesday and Thursday nights.  Even though Peet’s road got cleared by the sawyer team of Jim and Marcia, there may be more reports coming in. We have not received those reports yet, but we would appreciate any feedback.  Please email with a description, photos to help us determine the size and if possible screenshots or GPS coordinates to [email protected].

The weather was perfect at the Battle Creek CerealFest! Our CND volunteers had the opportunity to share NCT informatio...
06/14/2026

The weather was perfect at the Battle Creek CerealFest! Our CND volunteers had the opportunity to share NCT information with families, hikers, young and old! This annual event draws 1000,s to our CND trail town. We thank volunteers and leaders for their dedication to “outreach”.

Chief Noonday Hiker Challenge 2025 – Final ResultsThe CND Hiker Challenge began in 2009, and might be the first "Challen...
06/09/2026

Chief Noonday Hiker Challenge 2025 – Final Results
The CND Hiker Challenge began in 2009, and might be the first "Challenge" on the NCT. The Allegheny 100 began in 2012. Hike North Dakota began in 2014. Hike 100 began in 2016. CND's Hike the County began in 2021. (Hike the Buckeye Trail might be older?)

Our Challenge is intended to get you out to see more of the Trail beyond your local area. You can count each mile of the Trail you hike only once throughout the year (i.e. they must all be unique miles on the trail). You must be a Chapter member at some point during the year.

Skiing is allowed; being pushed in a wheelchair is allowed. Report your hours with some frequency, especially the leaders (recommend once per quarter). No sandbagging by only reporting at the end of the year. We recommend reporting quarterly to Larry at [email protected] with a Email titled 2026 CND Hiker Challenge.

Our Champion receives the CND Hiker Challenge Cup, and a REI gift card. Our next 3 finishers also receive a REI gift card.

Here are the final results for 2025 for the Chief Noonday Hiker Challenge:
Tanya Bromley: 741.5 miles
Beth McIntyre: 555 miles
Jane Norton: 524.9 miles
April Willbur: 335 miles

Many members “Hiked the Counties” at 119 miles
Now we start over for 2026. Let Larry know how you are doing by e-mailing him at [email protected]. Please put “Hiker Challenge” as the subject line.

Our past winners:
2009: Ron Sootsman: 287 miles
2010: Ron Sootsman: 310 miles
2011: Ron Sootsman: 341 miles
2012: Audrey Cantrell: 351 miles
2013: Audrey Cantrell: 301 miles
2014: Tom Ackerman: 600 miles
2015: Jane Norton: 295 miles
2016: Matt Smith: 608 miles
2017: Jane Norton: 665 miles
2018: Jane Norton: 332 miles
2019: Ron Sootsman: 320 miles*
2020: Carmen LaGuardia: 550 miles
2021: Cindy Ackerson: 459 miles**
2022: Tina McNeil: 505 miles
2023: Cynthia Clemens: 843 miles
2024: Cynthia Clemens: 815 miles
Note, the asterisks above indicate someone else had more miles, but did not receive the award for some reason.

Address

15928 Woodlawn B*h Drive
Hickory Corners, MI
49060

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