 Well, a portion of the North Country Trail is being rerouted for hikers. Our owner, Cheryl Moore, tells us the reason for the new look. For the past few weeks, crews have been working on the behalf of hikers everywhere on a reroute project for our section of the North Country Trail. This particular project is part of a recreational trails program grant that the Laurentian Lakes chapter received. And there are actually two projects associated with it. The first one, where we're rerouting about a two-and-a-half-mile section of trail, and another one where we're putting in boardwalks in Itasca State Park. In the past two-and-a-half weeks, we completed the eastern portion of this two-and-a-half-mile segment. Much of our work includes just using basic hand tools. A majority of the crews are part of the Conservation Corps Brainer chapter, but a select few of the workers are volunteering their time. It's just something you can give back, give it to the public, and it's something you can do that you aren't being paid for anymore, and it's a good exercise, a very good exercise. The reason for the reroute is to make sure that it's only used for hiking. That means no ATVs, bikes, or snowmobiles. The current trail is on some forest roads that are used by motorized vehicles. And in order for the National Park Service to certify this section of trail, there can't be any motorized activity on it. Right now, you're getting a glimpse of what the trail will look like in a few weeks. The ground is smooth and hikers don't have to worry about tripping over any branches or big rocks. Another really satisfying part about it is just being able to really see the progress that we've made. Like, it started off as sort of a grassy, root-filled pathway, and now it's a trail. The crew still has two more weeks of work to go before they're done. And when the project is complete, they say they just hope to see people getting out and using it. It's kind of a way just to disconnect, you know? I mean, we're just surrounded by so much, like, electronics and media, and it's just a really four days out in the wilderness just to kind of, like, do work. Reporting near Prok Rapids, Shromor, Lakeland News. The crew still has about a mile of the reroute project to finish. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.