Hey everyone! We’re all well into spring and summer mode now....
At Onion Lake Ski Trails, we've traded in our skis for hammers and chain saws and work gloves! Come on down! At least, read the following:
1. We have such great ski trails, with a variety of landscapes and terrain. That’s a bonus for cross country skiing. Then we also have Dean, our head groomer, lying awake at night planning out the summer activities that need to get done before the snow flies. We ski in a forest, and in a forest, trees grow and trees fall down. This year’s trail work is this: we’ve had so many blow downs over the last few winters, and the groomers will trim the fallen trees enough to get the machines through, but Dean wants to widen up these areas of blow downs, to clear the trail way back so there is no chance of the groomer’s wings catching the branches and logs still sticking out into the trail. (See the photos showing the kind of clearing that Dean wants.) This work involves chain saws and manual labor. The branches need to be moved off the roads and trails, and the larger logs can be piled on the side of the trail and we’ll pick them up later in the summer for firewood for the lodge.
Plan: Trail blitz work party on Saturday, June 11. We’ll start at 10a.m. Teams will be sent out onto the trails system with maps and some tools, but if anyone has chain saws, please bring them. (The club will supply the gas.) Lunch will be provided.
2. More good news: we are replacing older outhouses at the lodge and on the trails, and building a new one on the Doggy Trail. (Do I hear rejoicing?) Our friend Doug, who does a lot of the building maintenance and most of the odd jobs at the ski trails, is taking on this construction project, but he needs a few helpers. These helpers need to be flexible with scheduling (working with Doug’s schedule and weather, etc.) and handy and strong, and take direction from Doug. And we will arrange for cookies for all helpers on work days, we promise! If you can assist with this work, even a couple of times over the summer, please let me know (email snowvalleynordic@gmail.com) and I’ll get you in touch with Doug and Dean.
Thanks, everyone! See you on the trails! (And don’t forget that the trails are a great destination over the summer months for hiking and biking. Use the parking lot closest to the highway.)
