Summer* Activities
*The Loess Hills Nordic does non-winter activities at Hitchcock from Spring into the Fall
Trail patrols -
One of the missions that the patrol has in the warmer weather is to conduct courtesy patrols of the trails at Hitchcock, checking on trails, condition of campsites, and assisting nature center patrons. We are a second set of eyes for the Ranger and staff on the trails.
Rescue Training -
Training is always on-going for the Nordic Patrol. Warmer weather just brings opportunities for additional training to perform searches and rescues. Best practices using the stokes litter with a rescue wheel, the SKED stretcher, the UTV in daytime and nighttime conditions, and learning how to call in Life-Net are just a few of the training opportunities that the leadership creates for its patrollers in warmer weather.
Trail clearing, trash pickup, and repairs -
As part of its trail duties, the patrol clears trails of debris, picks up trash, and conducts minor repairs of signage and campsites or when directed by nature center staff. Some efforts require tools to be drawn from the maintenance building to take care of more substantial jobs.
Event support -
The patrol provides crowd control parking for events such as butterfly banding and hawk counting, as well as medical support for Wildland Firefighter testing. Record crowds during the pandemic called on the patrol to support Nature Center’s staff to a greater degree than ever before.