Hike up to Mt Ashwabay

  

On a cool and beautiful morning, June 3, 2026, Birchlegger Ted May led a trip from the Bayfield (or Les Voigt State) Fish Hatchery up the Pileated Woodpecker Trail to Mt Ashwabay / Big Top Chautauqua and back.

 

Two Birchleggers (Connie Meek and Jeff Commisford) joined Ted on the 6-mile hike, enjoying the wide variety of wildflowers, trees and birds along the trail. This 50-ft crosses the creek to access the Boardwalk through the rich Ostrich Ferns and other lush growth adjacent to the creek.trail up to Mt Ashwabay.

 

The trail was put in two years ago to provide additional hiking opportunities for people living 
or visiting the Bayfield area. The three of us reflected on the active lifestyle that allows us to continue enjoying such activities (along with the Birkebeiner) into our 70s and beyond. Helping with trails is a nice volunteer opportunity for Birchleggers wherever they live.

The Big Top Chautauqua lies at the jumping off point for a network of close to 50-km of trails in the Mt Ashwabay trail system.

  

 

Cable Community Farm Grant Update

This is an update from Le Sedlacek, the Cable Community Farm Liaison thanking the Birchleggings Club for our $1,000 grant.

I am writing to again say thank you to the Birchleggings Club for supporting our project. As we have done spring clean up, we have seen a number of places where rodents, mostly ground squirrels, have tunneled under the fence. Last year, trapping these guys was pretty time intensive. We are hopeful that the kestrels, hawks and owls will now have easier hunting with the project nearing completion.

I am happy to report that both nesting boxes have been installed. One is on the fence. The other is on a tree on the property line, designed more for small owls. The four hunting perches have been installed on the fence line.

We have some remaining funds that we will direct toward a long-lasting bird bath and some additional vegetation to support habitat. We have a bird bath on loan that is being used frequently as there is no water source close to the field. All labor for installation was done by garden volunteers.

The Tiaga Nomad Snowmobile Donated to the Birkie Being Used for Various Work

In 2023 the Birchleggings Club donated a Tiaga Nomad Electric Snowmobile to the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation! Our president, Paul Thompson, spent some time with the Birkie Crew on Birke Race Day on Saturday, February 21, 2026.

While talking to Jeff Tumbleson, part of the Trail Operations Staff talked about how valuable the Tiaga Nomad is to their team. Jeff told Paul the following:

"Erik Blow, Chief Groomer, and I both really enjoy the Taiga Nomad that our Birchlegger friends have graciously supplied to us for use/tasks on the Competition Trails up north and the Birkie Trails. It’s a

great “runner” and light towing machine. It’s the machine I always reach for. Thanks!!!"

 

 

 

 

Birchleggings Club 2026 Annual Awards Breakfast Wrap-Up

 

The annual gathering of veteran and new Birchleggers took place at the Hayward Steakhouse and Lodge the day after Birkie 52. The staff at the Steakhouse once again put on a great and welcoming feed that helped to refuel the energy and spirit of the racers after their marathons.

The silent auction for a 50th-anniversary Birkie quilt and ski bag, both made from repurposed race bibs by Julie Virkus and Nancy Bauer, continued from the Birkie expo.

BLC President Paul Thompson welcomed the Birchleggers, skiers, and guests. He introduced the members of the board of directors who each gave a quick description of his/her role and activities with the club. Several additional members were introduced and praised for their involvement and leadership that guided club activities over the past year and are in the planning stages for 2026.

Paul’s quick review of 2025 highlighted how the Birchleggings Club continues to work towards its mission of supporting the American Birkebeiner, the Birkie trail, youth skiing, healthy lifestyles, and a healthy climate. Over $14,000 was awarded in October to nine projects that corresponded with the club’s purpose and mission. Events planned for 2026 echo the priorities that members identified in a recently-emailed survey. Members said they wanted to have events that help the skiers of our age demographic to maintain and improve our active lifestyle. Topping the list is a June 5-7 weekend at Minocqua Winter Park that includes mountain biking, hiking, disc golf and fitness, strength and mobility sessions led by Dr. Jim Mullen, a long-time Birkie skier. More hiking, biking and disc golf events will happen over the summer including a return of the Dakota Trail bike ride. A flyer highlighting the events and dates was distributed and can also be seen at: https://www.birchleggings.com/2026/02/birchleggings-club-2026-activities.html

 

Lousie Dreossler, Development Director of the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation and Ben Pop, Executive Director of the ABSF. Gave an overview of the vision that the ABSF has for the future of the Birkie and related events. The foundation has a goal of 250,000 outdoor-enthusiast visits to the Telemark area per year by 2031.

The Tony Wise Spirit of the American Birkebeiner award was presented to two persons this year, Ernie St. Germain and Steve Carmazon. The Spirit Award is given for outstanding contributions to the growth and development of the American Birkebeiner and the sport of cross-country skiing. Ernie’s legendary completion of every one of the first 50 Birkebeiners, his dedication to the Birkie, and his devotion and service to the local Lac Courte Oreilles youth and community echo the spirit of Tony 

Wise. Steve Carmazon, with 49 Birkie finishes, has been an untiring advocate for the Birkebeiner. He has been involved as a board member of the Birchleggings Club since it was established in 1992. Steve has volunteered in many ways to promote the Birkie, improve the trail and preserve the legacy of the race. He is the go-to person when someone has a question about the history of the race.

Awarding the milestone recognition of skiers is always a highlight of the breakfast. This year was no exception. In addition to awarding 20, 30, and 40-year achievement plaques, the Birchleggings Club gave recognition awards to Combi Skiers, those racers who may not have Birchlegger or Skiløper status but nonetheless have completed a total of 20 Birkie+Korte finishes.

All during the event as skiers exchanged their stories of this year’s race and events from the past, it was clear that the socializing and camaraderie was the “frosting on the cake” that made the 2026 awards breakfast a good one from start to finish.

To see additional photographs from the breakfast as well as ones from Birkie 2026 go to the link below on Facebook. You do not have to be a Facebook member to view them.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set?set=a.1711595920291535&type=3 

 

Four Birchleggings Strietzel Brothers Skied the 2026 American Birkebeiner on Wood Skis!

Tom, Joe, Mike, & Mark

Four Strietzel brothers skied the 2026 Birkie on woodies to celebrate all four now having skied 20+ American Birkebeiners. During several of the 20+ Birkies the brothers and several friends and family have worn U.S. Navy Foul Weather Hats in honor of their father, a WWII Navy veteran, and as a way to easily find each other during and after the race. Dozens of fellow racers recognize the hats, say hi and visit before, during, and after the race each year.

 

The brothers started, skied the course, and finished the 2026 Birkie together. Before the race, there was concern that someone would break a more than 40 years old wooden ski. A repair kit with duct tape, plastic, and metal splice material was carried the entire way. Fortunately, the only mishap was early in the race when the tip on one of Tom’s bamboo poles broke. Since none of the aid stations had bamboo poles, he decided to ski almost the entire race with the damaged bamboo pole. There had also been concern that the lingering effects of Lyme disease would affect Mike’s ability to finish the race, but he set a comfortable pace and finished feeling well. Mark talked to dozens of fellow skiers as he leisurely cruised down the trail. Joe enjoyed and appreciated the beautiful Birkie trail surroundings in a way not possible when pushing hard towards Hayward. At one point an owl flew over all four, directly up the trail with a mouth full of twigs, something they probably would not have noticed when intensely skiing. A safe, fun ski and wonderful way to celebrate 20+ Birkies for all four.

Birchleggings Club 2026 Annual Awards Breakfast

 

Join Your Fellow Birchleggers (New & Veteran) at the Annual Breakfast Enjoy a celebration of dedicated skiers during Birkie 52 at the annual Birchleggings Club Awards Breakfast! RSVP up via RunSignup using the link below. All skiers and their families are invited. Pre-registration is encouraged so we can plan on the number of attendees.       Sunday, February 22, 2026      Doors open at 8:30 am, breakfast served at 9:00 am      Hayward Steakhouse & Lodge      Highway 27 South, in Hayward New 20-year Birchleggers, new 20-year Kortelopet Tuje Skiløpers, and new 20-year Birkie+Korte “Combi” race finishers will receive a free breakfast. Cost for others is $20.00 plus tax and the RunSignup processing fee. Children 5–10 years old are $10.00 plus tax and fees, and children under 5 are free. You may also attend and pay at the door, but preregistration is preferred. Register Here for the Breakfast At the breakfast we will: - Present 20-30-and 40-year Birchleggers their awards - Present the Tony Wise Birkie Spirit Award for 2026 - Hear race summaries from Ben Popp and others - Get updates on Birkie and Birchleggings Club events and developments - Provide opportunities to help support the Birkie, the Birkie Trail, youth skiing, healthy lifestyles, and winter climate health.   Come to the breakfast and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow Birchleggers and skiers. Get involved with club projects to promote and improve the Birkie and its events.

Birchleggings Club 2026 Activities Announced!

Download the Flyer  

Birkie Stats - New Website by Jim Coors Showing Stats from 1999-2025!

 

Who did this and why?

 https://xcskistats.info/

I am a retired professor of agronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, who has skied the Birkie 36 times. I’d like to ski the Birkie at least 4 more times, but I’m 75 and nearing the point where every new year is more an act of serendipity than a planned event.

I have always enjoyed working with large datasets, and this comes from my UW years when I was a research geneticist/biostatistician/plant breeder. Most of my work involved field-based research evaluating extensive plant germplasm collections over multiple years and varied environments. I enjoy creating summaries from large datasets that capture performance potential in meaningful ways.

Only now, instead of plants, I want to focus on summarizing the performance of thousands of skiers over decades of the Birkie. The challenge is just as great given the tremendous variation in weather conditions, alterations in course/race management, and demographic shifts. I’ve started to do this in this website, but “started” is the operative word.

All statistics are bare bones at this point, but there is good potential for a more thorough undertaking. This project has benefitted greatly from the help of Dave Armstrong, Liam Johnston, and John Oman.

I would welcome additional help from anyone who is willing and qualified to move this effort to higher level.

I would also like to recommend the work of Paul Anderson and Ralph Bovard who compared the health and behavior of Birkie skiers to that of a representative swath of Americans. That data had been collected starting in 2014 as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

As a last note, I’m obviously enamored of the long tradition of the Birkie, and I want to make sure the long tradition becomes ever longer.

Support the Birkie Endowment!

Jim Coors

skilongtime@gmail.com

Birchleggings Club 2025 Fall Foliage Cornhole Classic Wrap-Up

 

The Fall Foliage Cornhole Classic, the final event on this year’s Birchleggings Club Year Round Activities calendar, was held on October 9, 2025, at Hyland Lake Park Reserve in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Ladder ball was added to Cornhole and all participants were pitching for pumpkin pies provided by organizers, Gus and Julie Virkus. A big thanks to both of them for this fun 2nd annual fall activity.

 

The Cornhole game was hotly contested with Bob, Steve, Adam, Larry, Paul, and Edward, and the Ladder Ball had fun matches with Gus, Adam, Paul, and Adam.

Sweet treats, warm sun, and good company made for a most pleasant, sunny afternoon. Now it’s time to start dryland training, hit the weights and think snow!

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Birchleggings Club Annual Meeting 2025 Wrap-Up

 

The Birchleggings Club Annual Meeting was held on September 26, 2025, from 11:00am - 02:00pm CDT, at the Samuel Johnson Family Outdoor Center at Double 00 on the American Birkebeiner Trail in Seeley, Wisconsin.

The meeting included music by the BLC Strummers, which included Edward Eroe, Tim Burke, Jim (JT) Tenorio, and Randy Lueth during lunch before the meeting started.

After lunch, Paul Thompson, Birchleggings Club President, called the meeting to order at 12:00pm. He introduced all Birchleggings Club Board Members and had all members and guests introduce themselves.

The financial report was provided by Tom Rowley, Treasurer, and the Membership and Communication Committee report was provided by JT, Secretary. Louise Dressler provided an update on the American Birkebeiner Foundation and the clubs' relationship. Bob Britz, Vice President and Fundraising Chair, provided an update on the very successful Birchleggings Golf Outing, and Edward Eroe, Webmaster, provided an update on the Birchleggings Club website and the 2nd Annual Dakota Trail Bicycle Ride.

Other reports included Disc Golf by Paul, the Grand Committee and Corn Hole Event by Gus Virkus, The Birchleggings Club Awards Breakfast and Tony Wise Award by Steve Carmazon, Membership Chair, and Connie Meek. Julie Virkus also talked about all the clothing and ski bags she is making with old Birkie Bibs! Nona Goertz provided an update on the revised Birchleggings Club Bylaws, which are found on the website. Additionally, Jim Anderson, BLC Member, introduced the attendees to his series of books that chronicle his quests to ski in races and run marathons around the world.

JT presented the results of the Board of Directors election results. Bob Britz and Steve Carmazon were re-elected, and Ken Schoville was elected for the first time.

The following day, on Saturday, was the Birkie Trail Run with over 800 runners and hikers. Paul staffed the Birkie Green Sustainability Booth with JT and Deb Tenorio. On Sunday, Gus, Connie, and Paul teamed up at the Team Birkie golf scramble at Lakewood's Forest Ridge Golf Course.

It was a full weekend for the Birchleggings Club, as we continue to grow our presence and impact with the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation, and the race that brought us all together.

The photographs from the annual meeting taken by Edward and Paul are on our Facebook Page at this link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1580989423352186&type=3