Traverse City Record-Eagle

Archive: Friday

June 19, 2009

Dedication of new hiking trail Saturday

MESICK -- Consumers Energy, the Grand Traverse Hiking Club and the Hodenpyl Northern Exposure Campground will celebrate the dedication of a new hiking trail through the utility's Hodenpyl hydroelectric dam property on Saturday.

The public is invited.

The celebration starts at 6 a.m. with a free fishing tournament at the campground boat launch on the Manistee River near North Hodenpyl Road. Next will be the dedication of a new six-mile segment of the North Country National Scenic Trail on the west side of the river. A ribbon-cutting ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m.

Public tours of Consumers Energy's Hodenpyl Dam, completed in 1925, will be offered from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Tickets are required for the tour and will be issued upon entry to the campground. Although the tours are free, parking is required at the campground at a cost of $4 per vehicle. Transportation from the campground to Hodenpyl Dam is required for those with tour tickets and will be provided by Wexford Transit Authority. Security checks will be required for visitors touring the dam.

There will be a presentation on the history of Consumers Energy and Hodenpyl Dam at Mesick High School from noon to 1 p.m. The Mesick Historic Museum also will be open. Transportation to the high school and museum by bus will be provided from the campground.

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