Clubs are preparing the trails...Good news...and Bad news

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Attak man

New member
I noticed the local club...had panned the Hiawatha (the rail rode grade that connects Tomahawk to the Bearskin)...I love it...when they have done this in the past...it helped the base set-up, and the base lasts far longer, with less rock coming through....the snow here has settle to between 8-11 inches (we received just shy of 15 inches last Monday)....AND it's been COLD....below zero the last couple of mornings...so this is going to make an excellent base, if everything hold together for the opener....There will probably be some bushing that will need to be done after the heavy snow last week (the area clubs had brushed most of the trails by the end of october).

That's the good news

The Bad news is the swamps, and wet areas are full, and now insulated with a bunch of snow...they will never freeze up, unless guys can get into them and pack them with their sleds (so the groomer can get through, and pan)...it sounds like this may be a common problem with many clubs this year in Northern Wisconsin...while the high water is nice for the lakes...like nokomis (not a bog in site on the east end)...it's bad for the low areas and swamps...and...unfortunately...we can not go pack swamps until after hunting season...which runs this saturday through the 30th....then muzzle loader starts and runs through December 7th....the trails will not offical open until after that (I was told un offically..December 16th is the target date FOR northern wisconsin)
 
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groomerdriver

New member
Attak man said:
..the trails will not offical open until after that (I was told un offically..December 16th is the target date FOR northern wisconsin)
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Not true. Opening date varies by county. Iron is opening December 1st. Sawyer says they're open 365 as long as there is snow. Was told that there were riders out in the Hayward area over the weekend. Maybe hemi_newman can chime in regarding Sawyer.
 
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Deleted member 10829

Guest
As a groomer, I prefer to have some sleds pack it down before panning the first time, it just seems to work better. The exception may be a rail grade due to the rock issue.

I agree on the swamps! They are always an issue around here and we have to turn around at the swamps and don't go over them until January 1st on a typical year. It's a real pain in the arse. Spread out in the swamps and pack them down double wide as it only will freeze where it's been packed down. At our snowmobile club meeting Saturday I thought I heard our club President say we could go out on sleds and pack down swamps before deer season. If that's the case, I may just do that. Trails open here December 1st.
 
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jr37

Well-known member
Check out Mercer Area Sno-Goers facebook page to see what they are going through trying to pack swamps with sleds now.:(
 
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hemi_newman

Active member
I rode this past Saturday and Sunday and as long as the trail does not cross Private property or has a gate up, it is legal to ride. We did find a few wet spots along the way.
 
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groomerdriver

New member
And this year in our area, it's not just the swamps that have water issues, it's many areas that one would call "lowland". Bowls in the terrain, etc. When I was marking trails west of Spooner last weekend I was in awe of how much water is EVERYWHERE, not just marshy, swampy areas!

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hemi_newman said:
I rode this past Saturday and Sunday and as long as the trail does not cross Private property or has a gate up, it is legal to ride.
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Thanks for calling me! <wink>

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snowdance said:
You mean these photos?

View attachment 48712 View attachment 48713 View attachment 48714 View attachment 48715 View attachment 48716
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And I can hear some sledders now: "these trails are garbage, where's the groomer?" WAH! WAH! WAH!
 
A

Attak man

New member
groomerdriver said:
Not true. Opening date varies by county. Iron is opening December 1st. Sawyer says they're open 365 as long as there is snow. Was told that there were riders out in the Hayward area over the weekend. Maybe hemi_newman can chime in regarding Sawyer.
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I meant to specify...Northern Lincoln/southern Oneida (Tomahawk Area).....not all of northern wisconsin....I can only speak for this area.

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snowdance said:
You mean these photos?

View attachment 48712 View attachment 48713 View attachment 48714 View attachment 48715 View attachment 48716
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Yeah...we are wet here too...not that bad...but not good either
 
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Attak man

New member
That certainly was NOT the intension of my post (cry, cry, cry)
I...just like alot of u..am very excited for the up coming season...this early snow and cold is a good thing...it was groomer driver who pointed out the high water in a previous post...something I had completely over looked in my excitement. ..so I went and checked some of the wet areas...they are bad this year...and they will require a lot of work...some of you don't realize what it's like to pack wet areas...the pictures above...show it clearly...it's messy, it's wet and it's cold...and it must be done...so everything freezes up tight, and the groomers can get through..sometimes....it's too wet and there isn't much you can do...it can refreeze and be very rough, or it can be wet all season...and as groomer driver pointed out...people will then bitch that the trails suck....the problem this year is that we can't just go pack trails...it's private land...and hunting starts Saturday. ..so we must wait until hunting is over...I will get out and pack the swamps that I can...when the clubs say it's ok to do so...I don't get paid for...no gas ...nothing...I do it to help out..and because I want to, because I love to ride...just like many of the other volunteers...they do it..because they love the sport...brushing, and marking lakes isn't fun people....and neither is packing wet areas...but it needs to be done....I swear...some of you are clueless. ..you think.."hey there's snow up north...let's go"...it's just not that simple...we have to wait until hunting is over..hopefully it stays cold...the swamps freeze up tight, and we continue with the current weather pattern..if we do...this could be a record year....sorry for my rant...but in a nutshell...we have the snow and the cold...but it's wet out there.
 
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pinestump

Member
In our area we want sleds to pack and when necessary the groomer has to break ice so that it will freeze later...
Also the ground never freezes much up here on un-plowed areas as we get too much snow
 
A

Attak man

New member
brad460 said:
Today is November 17th...Is the bad news REALLY that bad?!
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and yes BRAD...take a good look at those pictures...does that look like fun to you?? Good riding?? Yes..it's good we have snow and early cold weather...but...at least in my neck of the woods...there is quite a bit of work to be done to get everything ready.
 
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bladeguy

Member
Let's all play nice. If someone is groomer or helping with the trails we should be kissing their hienies - not giving them grief. Thanks to all who are working and work all year to make the trails as nice as they can be. Thank you thank you THANK YOU!
 
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jr37

Well-known member
bladeguy said:
Let's all play nice. If someone is groomer or helping with the trails we should be kissing their hienies - not giving them grief. Thanks to all who are working and work all year to make the trails as nice as they can be. Thank you thank you THANK YOU!
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Very well said. I wish more thought the way you do.
 
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snobuilder

Well-known member
this is an unusual weather year to say the least...right now I think a good meltdown is needed to compress the early snow to where it can transfer the cold into terra firma.
I doubt many can point to a year where having a ton a snow before the usual opening dates has happened.

Best news so far to me is the cold and snowy pattern is looking like it is picking up where it left off last season
which should mean another stellar sleddin year!
 
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