Hiking the Slate River Canyon
To punctuate the grandsons’ visit with a final adventure, we hiked the Slate River Canyon! There are many interesting ways to do this hike, but we opted to explore the upper reaches by hiking the canyon’s rim to Kukuck’s Falls.
We worked our way back downstream to Slate Slide Falls where we climbed on the falls and enjoyed a snack. I will insert a word of caution here about the pothole in the falls with the massive log sticking in it.
The last time Julie and I were here I slipped into it on the downstream side of the log and went in over my head without touching bottom! That said, this is an awesome place to hang out and it has a nice swimming hole at its base!
We made a stop at Upper Ecstasy Falls on our way back out!
We drove upstream to make the short hikes to Black Slate Falls and Quartzite Falls.
The swimming hole below Quartzite Falls is definitely a favorite, but we took a pass on it on this day!
We had a nice discussion at our Chassell Township Master Planning meeting with our consultant Pat Coleman who had provided us a draft introduction to the document. A data element we were particularly excited to learn about was the high level of adult educational attainment in the township. 99% of adults have the equivalent of a high school diploma or greater and 40% of adults have at least a bachelors degree. Both figures substantially exceed the statewide rates.
After the subsequent Planning Commission meeting, Daniel Niemela, Steve Spahn, and I carried the 4 x 4 posts for our fitness trail’s signage out to the ten fitness trail stations located on the lower portion of the cross country ski trail. The following day, Steve Spahn and I installed the signage developed by Dr. John Durocher’s students at Purdue Northwest University. Steve and I met up at the Chassell Heritage Center where we noted the awesome progress being made on the exterior repair and painting of the Chassell Heritage Center by DP Construction.
I secured a grant in 2021 from the Keweenaw National Historical Park Advisory Commission for the Heritage Center project which our Chassell Historical Organization board coupled with funding from a patron’s bequest.
It took Steve and me a little over four hours to install the signage on the trail, but now trail users will have on trail side instruction about how to use the equipment and will know what muscle groups are impacted. This information augments the videos found on the Chassell.net website.
I spent the rest of my free time putting together tri-fold presentations in preparation for the Portage Health Foundation’s Community BBQ last Sunday at Chassell’s Centennial Park. The tri-folds present projects we completed here in Chassell with the help of PHF Recreation Grants, a PHF small grant, and a Keweenaw Community Foundation grant with PHF recreation funding. These projects include the 10-station fitness trail (2019), the Sturgeon River Canoe/Kayak Launch (2020), the Chassell Trails Signage (2020), the Centennial Park Playground (2021), and the Disc Golf Course (2021). Although I wrote all the letters of inquiry, wrote the grant proposals, and did all the grant reporting, these projects would not have been possible without the vision created with the help of Chassell Township residents through their responses to the Planning Commission survey done in preparation for our MDNR 5-Year Recreation Plan as well as their passing a 1/2 mil recreation millage which has served as important match funding for our projects which have received the approval of our Township Board. Additionally, Chassell Lions Club funding and volunteers, as well as hundreds of hours of volunteer effort by community members, Chassell Township Schools students, and Michigan Technological University students and student athletes, and the efforts of the Chassell Department of Public Works staff and Chassell Planning Commission members have played a critical role in the success of these projects. I also prepared a tri-fold presentation for the Chassell Bark Park which was the first fenced off-leash dog park in the Upper Peninsula. That project was funded substantially by the recreation millage along with funding from the Western Upper Peninsula Planning & Development Region through a Regional Prosperity Initiative Community Marketing Mini-Grant that I secured.
The PHF Community BBQ was an excellent opportunity to talk with both local and area residents about our projects. It also provided me the opportunity to share information about the Remote Workforce Keweenaw initiative. I met two remote workers who recently came to Tapiola from the Washington D.C. area and learned about another that has come to the area from California. It also gave me the opportunity to share information about Office by EBS here at 42021 Willson Memorial Drive here in Chassell where Electric Brewing Supply is providing office space to remote workers as well as renting time with their industrial grade laser engraver and the high power, plasma CNC table. You can learn more about Office by EBS at https://www.officebyebs.com/
Do you embrace winter and have the ability to work remotely? Would you value living in a place with ubiquitous natural beauty that has NO congestion? Consider locating in the Keweenaw where you will be surrounded by amazing places! Learn more by visiting Remote Workforce Keweenaw at https://remoteworkforcekeweenaw.com and learn about those making the decision to locate here by following the Remote Workforce Keweenaw Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RemoteWorkforceKeweenaw.