February 12, 2010

The storms have been few and far between this year.   During the last storm 
which was Monday January 25th I drove to my camp in Stratton.  It was 40 degrees and raining.  I stayed the week to improve the signing on the trails. 
My wife Cindy and I have been doing this for the past 4-5 years.  This week was an eye-opener for me. On Tuesday I did a little work around the town trails, as the snow was still sloppy from the rain.  I went to Claude’s garage and borrowed his big dog sled to haul behind my ski-doo. On Wednesday the snow had set up and I loaded the sled full of signs, nails, screws and the chain saw and set off on the rerouted Canadian Trail around 9:00 AM.  My goal was to improve the bridge markings and signage on the reroute.  Cindy and I had started putting up signs 3 weeks earlier, but as my sled box will only hold so many signs, we ran out.  With the big sled loaded this time I thought I would make it to the border.  Cutting alders and attaching them to the bridges, took more time than anticipated.  It was nice being out there by myself enjoying the woods, scenery and solidity.  When I got to the reroute, I couldn’t believe the amount of work John Morris, Darren and Roger did, apparently in mid December.  I amazed me how they know where they were going to get to the Wahl road.  Then there was another reroute off the Wahl road I made it to Rte. 27 and knew where I was then.  I crossed over the North Branch bridge, reached the top of Bag Mtn. And put up 1 more arrow.  It was 3:00PM and I decided it was time to head back.  I finally got home around 5:30, mixed a cocktail and soaked in the hot tub.  Life is Good!
Cindy drove up that night and on Thursday, we proceeded to the Nash Stream Trail around to East Kennebago Mtn. And back to Eustis.  Friday, we went to 
Grand Falls and stopped and had a hot dog with Darren and his 2 daughters.  
The conversation was all about the trails, conditions and signage, as he had been quite busy himself signing this trail.  On Saturday, we returned to Canada and went all the way to the border, the riding was quite good, and only a few more signs were needed to improve the trail.  For the first time in 4 years I have a confident feeling that the trails are all well marked.  I also realized for the first time the amount of mileage that these trails encompass.
For those who administer and run the Arnold Trail Club, we owe them a big thank you for keeping us the largest snowmobile club in Maine.  Another thank you must go out to Claude, Willey, and Tom of T & L, who take care of the South Trail System.
A huge thank you must go out to John Morris and crew who maintain the many miles of the Northern Trail System from Rangeley to Canada and back to Eustis.  It’s a lot of time, money and effort and I for one really appreciate it.  Thank You.