Winter Edition 2008/09 is here.

Trails Condition Report

Thursday, March 5, 2009 9:00 AM

Poor (0-0-----------------------------10)Great

The trails are closed.

THINK SNOW!!!! And lots of it.

The trail conditions report will be updated every Thursday by 8:00 AM, and more often if condition require

Did You Know ???

TMA's are available for sale at Mart's Sporting Goods, 85 Main St., Janet DeMatties, 85 Windywood Acres Rd. and Bonnie Bradley, York St. Ext.

Trail Beaters by Tom Coloutti

It's been a busy 3 months since my last newsletter update. We had 7 work days scheduled over the past couple month's and a lot of work was accomplished in those 7 days. Most of the work was done on the D & H Rail Trail. Much needed de-brushing and limb work was completed along with the removal and replacement of 3 bridges. Two of the bridges were done by the state and the third, the overpass on South Street Extension in Castleton, was replaced by the club.
The only way we managed to get all this work done in a short amount of time was because we had some great help and a lot of members showed up this year to volunteer. On one of the scheduled days, we had 11 members show up and it was really good to see that many people willing to help. Kudos to everyone who helped out! Not only will you see an improvement in the Rail Trail but the club also utilized some treasury funds and picked up the cost of 9 culverts. The culverts were installed in various locations were we have had a lot of problems over the years with water in the trail. This should greatly improve these potentially dangerous areas.
The club recently purchased a Bush Hog Side Mount Rotary Cutter. This will be a big help with keeping the brush in check on the Rail Trail and help keep other trails accessible. With the large amount of time focused on the Rail Trail this year, I was not able to de-brush a number of areas I usually do - for example Corridor 133. With that said, I have no doubt that riders will see the importance of de-brushing.
There are a couple trail re-routes this year so be sure to take notice of trail markers and signs. We have upgraded the trail to the Golf Course and Dayton Meadows. It will be a Class 1 trail and will be Route 30 on the map. Another upgrade is the trail that leaves the Rail Trail onto Smith's property, through Saltis's and back on to the Rail Trail at Walker Road. This is now a Class 2 trail and will be Route 31 on the map.
Trail work being completed is not the only thing we should be thankful for. As most of you know, we had a major breakdown last season with the SkiDozer. Many thanks go out to Phil Nietupski for bringing our groomer back to live. As many people know, we all need to do our part to volunteer. Whether it's a number of man hours on saws or hours on equipment, it all goes a long way to make our sport enjoyable. Thanks to all who make our club work! A special thanks to our landowners, for their generosity in allowing us to access the trails across their property. I hope everyone has a great season and we'll see you on the trails. We wish all a safe, healthy, and happy holiday.

Because there have been some additional trails added to our grooming contract this year and some new Junction #'s, I'll bring you up to date on the changes. These changes are on our new club map, thanks to Janet DeMatties's map making skills, and will be on the new VAST map, when it becomes available.
There will be parking and trail access just off Route 30, one mile north of the traffic light in Poultney. This parking area is on Quality Cooling property and will have access to the Route 314 snowmobile trail.
Additional miles have been added to Corr. 31 in North Poultney off the (Rail Trail), Corr. 4A. New Junction #'s are RD522 which is at the southern end of Corr. 31 and RD521 which is at the northern end. This trail has been in our system for years and has some great views. It also breaks up the monotony of the Rail Trail.
There is a short section at the East Poultney Bridge which connects Corr. 4 to Corr. 313. The Junction # at the bridge is RD41. If you go north to the East Poultney Green, you'll find a great country store where you can get grinders, snacks, or coffee. If you head west from the store, you'll find a Bed & Breakfast, The Birdhouse Inn (802-287-2405) about ¼ miles west. If you go north from the East Poultney General Store, you'll come to RD39 at Corr. 313.
If you're traveling east on Corr. 4, you'll come to Junction # RD101. If you go straight, you'll be on Corr. 30. After couple hundred feet, the trail will split. If you take the right, it will take you to the Lake St. Catherine Golf Course. Continuing on will take you to Junction # RD100. Going straight from here will take you to Lake St. Catherine. Taking a left will bring you full circle with options to the right for Middletown and scenic lookouts. Although it might be tempting to go off the trail, DON'T do it. STAY ON THE MARKED TRAIL. For that matter, stay on ALL marked trails if you want to have them available next year. The Corr. 30 trail has also been in our trail system for years but some changes have been made over the years at landowner's request and for safety reasons.
Some additional junctions have been added to last years map. These numbers are RD62, RD63, & RD64. These are points where Corr. 31 intersects with Corr. 4A (Rail Trail). Also, what was RD59 is no longer used. It has been replaced with RD97 at the intersection of Route 313 & 314.

The Prez.Sez !!!

First, I would like to introduce myself Huey Cadieux the new president of the Poultney Snowmobile Club and my home phone is 287-9562.
Next, I would like to send an apology to all of our landowners for our lack of communication since the beginning of the year. It seems that every organization has transition periods where there isn't someone ready to pick up the ball and run with it. However, we are thrilled that one of our junior members, Kim Rupe, has answered our need for a newsletter "editor" and we are really excited to welcome her on board. We know she will do a great job! Our out-going editors, Jerry and Joyce Scanlon, have devoted many years to the Snow Scoops newsletter and many, many thanks to them for their hard work and dedication to the club.
Though we may have lapsed in communication, we have been busy. You may have seen us in East Poultney for the East Poultney Days… or at the Town Wide yard sale where many of our members helped to make our fund raisers a success. You may have seen our top notch crews out on the trails keeping everything clear or closing gates. We have a great bunch and there is always room for more. We meet the second Wednesday of each month, all twelve months of the year. We start at 6:30 pm with a pot luck supper and I am happy to say that we have some of the best cooks around, and at 7:00 pm. we have our meeting. The meetings are held at York Coach Works auto body shop at 1075 Vermont Route 30 north and we would love to see some new faces and welcome new ideas.
On an exciting note the TMA's are in, and this year can be purchased at Bonnie Bradley's on York Street Extension, Janet DeMatties on Windy Wood Acres Road, and Mart's Sporting Goods on Main Street. Please remember how busy these volunteers can be and try to stop during the week if possible as things get very busy on the weekends for these dedicated souls. Again this year VAST is offering an "Early Bird" special price if you purchase before December 15th. It is a savings of about 30%. Each location will also have a sheet asking the members how they would like to receive Snow Scoops. We can offer either by email or good old fashion snail mail.
We are looking forward to a snowy winter to enjoy all the activities that the club has planned. We hope to see you out there and remember to give a wave to all the landowners as you pass, as without them we would be in our own backyards.
Have safe and Happy Holidays and if you need me call….

Thoughts by Harry Drum