Time to think about skiing. Are you ready to buy your pass again, or are you ready to commit to the season for the first time. Having a pass can lower your stress level. Leave the skis in the car, drive out any old time and ski a loop, or many, and not worry about it. One long time season pass holder compares buying his season pass to belonging to a  CSA, commit and support. 

Out on the Lower Blue Jay, now part of the new trail. Maisie and I walked the trail picking up sticks. Ian and Gretchen walked the trail and tried to dig enough ditches to get the water running off the trail and anywhere else. The water in the woods is unbelievable. Anyone wants to walk trails, let me know and I will get you a good water diversion tool.

This year will be the year of the new trail, more on that soon. But also, the year of new culverts. Whew, Ian has put in so many culverts. Hashtag, too much rain, too much water.

Work meeting on the new trail, Sunday, September 23rd, at 9am. Ian and Bill have some wood to move. The buncher left a little wood in the way. Needs to be moved before the excavator comes in. The buncher, did you notice I did not say “feller-buncher”, if you are in the “know” it is “buncher”. Bring work gloves and water and wear study boots.

He was at the neighbors last Sunday. At our closest neighbor, Jenny. She snapped a picture of him. Shadow was scared, and barked like crazy.

The larger of the two piles of coyote scat in the driveway. They came thru in the middle of the night. I am hoping they ate a few squirrels and mice on their way through.

Maple leaf cutter action. The holes in the leaf are from the caterpillar. The little holes that fall out and onto the ground are the larvae. A little worm in in each little leaf hole litter. The larvae in the leaf hole then over winters in the leaf litter on the ground and emerge in the spring to turn into the maple leafcutter moth. If you want more info click here for a link.

We have 2 grey squirrels, and a black squirrel, this year, in addition to the naughty red squirrels. I have seen them carrying away entire sunflowers. They are also destroying and taking away toilet paper. I envision a hole in a tree. A squirrel condo. Lined with toilet paper and the heads of sunflowers. A pretty little place.

It is happening. It is a work in progress. There are a few details that will only work themselves out once we have snow and we are skiing.

This is a trail designed by Bill Koch and Ian Black. It is wide enough to skate on, but not limited to  skating. It is all on our land “out back”. It leaves the barn/field area and winds up and around, about 3.33 km. Three laps will make 10 km. This ski will have hills – both up and down. You will be working. It will tax your abilities, your stamina and your ability to ski well, as it is mainly designed for aspiring racers to train on. Bill and Ian laid the trail out in the spring while there was still snow on the ground, measuring the length and steepness of the hills. They went over it again and again, trying to perfect the design. Then they marked the way, mostly to guide the feller/buncher and to tell him which trees to cut. Then they went back with the help of many friends and cut the small stuff out of the way and drug it off to the sides of the trail. As of this writing, the feller/buncher is coming in to cut the big trees, and after that the excavator is coming in. Wow, what exciting times!

Next scheduled work day is September 23rd at 9am.  Wear boots, bring work gloves and some water!

Ian and Bill are building a trail. They are offering you all a chance to help. The first “trail building” is Saturday, the 8th, 8am start time. Meet in the parking lot. Wear boots, bring gloves. The new trail will be an intermediate trail, designed for a good ski. I know this is not much notice for a work meeting, and you probably really want to pitch in. I will keep posting opportunities to help.

In other news, I have started using the weed eater to mow the Middle Blue Jay. I have a couple days left on the Middle and then I will be moving to the Upper. Chuck will start with the tractor on Sunday and get the Turkey, Grouse, Woodcock and Snow Goose mowed. There are a few trees across the trails and we clean those up as we mow. Once we start going around in September, Chuck figures we go around each trail 3 or 4 times before the snow flies and we are skiing on them.