Trails Update – 06 Jan 2023
Hello folks,
Well, I don’t want to be a downer but Mother Nature has sure given us cause for concern. As I write this update we are into the 7th day of a weeklong warm up with more unsettled weather to come. Our hope was that you were able to get out and enjoy the limited trails we had available for a couple days last week and hopefully things freeze up sooner than later so we can salvage the rest of the season.
Going forward, the club would like to update you on our operational status.
The clubs trails have been compromised to some extent from the summer storms and the snow, rain, ice and snow storms we’ve seen over the past month. After 1,000+ hours of brushing and sign work this fall we have done as much as we could do to get the trails in good shape. However, the mild weather of this past week has taken any frost out of the ground and melted any ice in swamps. We cannot know the extent of the total damage to our trail system until we get a good freeze. This means a continuous cold snap for at least a week to be able to access these wet areas. This is only for access. We still need continuous cold beyond to thicken the ice before we even think of passing a groomer over it. If you as a passholder of the BEAST want to help clear a section of trail please speak with your sector Trail Director to proceed. All of our trail work requires landowner approval for access and work. This work must be coordinated with the sector Trail Director. We cannot allow volunteers to be on private land with chainsaws etc. without club permission. The club has many decades invested in relationships with landowners to have it jeopardized by volunteers, with good intentions, but no permission to be there. Another email and Facebook post will be forthcoming when your help will be required.
One of our 3 groomers has been out working on our rail trails this past week. There has also been a few new operators trained. This past summer the club was fortunate to be granted a new groomer and drag assembly from the OFSC. A Prinoth Husky groomer and Mogul Master drag is expected to be received by the club during the week of Jan. 9th. We will have pictures and a post about that in due time.
In conclusion we hope you had a good Holiday season and look forward to a better season going forward.
Ian Edwards, President
Sector Trail Directors
Southwest Sector: East of Mississippi Lake, Carleton Place South to Smiths Falls to Ashton
SW Trail Director: Brent Phifer, 613-222-9506, brentphifer@yahoo.ca
Northwest Sector: West of Mississippi Lake, Innisville to Lanark to Clayton, Carleton Place North to Almonte
NW Trail Director: Mario Tremblay, 613-880-6400, nwdirector@thebeast.ca
Southeast Sector: Munster to Richmond area.
SE Trail Director: Shaun Cunningham, 613-227-9445, cpl1@bell.net
Northeast Sector: Almonte to Stittsville to Munster.
NE Trail Director: Jason McKay, 613-227-9522, nedirector@thebeast.ca
Please email info@thebeast.ca if any questions.