The Hall of the Mountain King

Iron County Forester Tyler Wicklund took time out from his busy schedule to take the ICF Gator and I out on the west loops of Uller. We bobtailed the main stem and the outer loop to knock the snow off of all the hemlocks and yellow birch that seem to droop over and on to the trail.

We got to talking during a break at the Scribner’s Meadow cabin. We figured he’d been helping me groom Uller since 2003. He certainly knows how to drive that Gator through the hills and hollers while pulling me and a heavy drag.

In the past 4 years, the Iron County Forestry and Parks Department have invested thousands of dollars and hundreds of man hours and heavy equipment time on Uller. Since the beginning, the Forest (as I call it) has supported cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the Penokee Range from Weber Lake to Hoyt Rd. Since 1974 the Forest has had 6 Forest Administrators. Some have been more helpful than others but Eric Peterson, the current Administrator, has really ensured that the best snow and terrain in Wisconsin also has the best outdoor winter recreation opportunities.

The Wisconsin County Forest system is unique in the world. Nowhere else do county governments manage such high quality public timber. The Iron County Forest is the 3rd largest county forest in Wisconsin. It has the most northern hardwood acreage (hardwoods require more hands-on labor to manage). ICF not only supports back country skiing, it administers over a million dollars of timber sales annually, almost 300 miles of motorized trails, numerous campsites from walk-in sites to full hook-ups. The Forest maintains many boat launches, 50+ miles of county forest roads, and Saxon Harbor (a safe-haven harbor on Lake Superior).

Go to ICF’s webpage sometime (www.ironcountyforest.org). Get out on the west end of Uller someday. Take a look at what the County has invested in the Uller Trail. This weekend should be good. The trail is 100% tracked, and all that timber out there is wearing formal attire.

-CZ