This message contains:

 

  *  President's Summer Message.
  
  *  Trail Cleanup Day May 30
  
  *  Summer Schedule Notes.
  
  *  Found Pair of x-c skis.
  
  *  Help the club prepare for the Best Hand Fun Ski now.

 

 

The snow is melting away from the Fourth of July Winter Sports
Area as April progresses.  By mid-May the area will be ready for
summer use.  Yes, Fourth of July receives considerable summer
use.  It offers a signed trail system for hiking, mountain
biking, and equestrian use.

 

Except for Forest Service Road 614 the area has an "A"
designation in the Ranger District's travel plan.  Motorized
vehicles are prohibited except for administrative use.  This
means you can hike, mountain bike or ride your horse without the
nuisance of meeting motorized traffic.  Added benefits are the
two warming huts, picnic and restroom facilities found along the
trails.

 

When gasoline prices spiked last spring and summer, many hikers,
mountain bikers, and horse riders found Fourth of July a cost
saving alternative to more distant destinations, where motorized
vehicles are prohibited.  This use has increased in recent years,
but the over twenty-five miles of trails spreads out the users.

 

There are also a diversity of trails ranging from essentially
single track trails to forest roads.  You can ride along side by
side on the forest roads, if you wish.  Once a summer my wife and
I ride our mountain bikes into the Peaceful View shelter on a
warm evening carrying our dinner with us.  A fire is kindled in
the fire ring and hot dogs are cooked on  peeled window branches
over the coals.  We enjoy dinner and then the ride back to the
truck as the sun sets on a long summer day.

 

I urge you to try the area in the summer.  It is a completely
different experience with wildlife viewing and the ever changing

 

 

To make the area more useable this coming spring, summer and
fall, we are conducting a cleanup day May 30th.  Meet 10 AM at
the Fourth of July Parking Lot.

 

We will be clearing trails of any obstructions and doing a little
maintenance on the groomer shelter and Ian's Hut.  The trails
should be dry by then and the area at its best. Plan on coming
out to help us with the work or just to enjoy the area.  Have a
great spring, summer and fall.  We will be back in active
communication when the snow clouds gather in late October.

 

Summer Schedule has been made but NOT yet on the website.

 

Here are the first two events.  The rest to be posted.

 

April 25, Saturday, Rock of Sharon hike (Dishman Hills area). 

Geoff Harvey Leader ... 762-1246,
Meet 8 AM.  Near Jack-In-The-Box - Ironwood Plaza -  Ironwood Dr.
& Government Way.

 

May 2, Saturday, Gold Hill hike (near Sandpoint). 

Judy Waring leader ...765-5378.
Meet 8 AM.  Hayden Super 1 near Goodwill truck (or is it a
trailer?)

 

Found Skis.

 

A pair of x-c ski's were found at 4th ski area.  To identify call
Brenda 769-3000.

 

 The Best Hand Fun Ski.

 

This past year Janice Purdy, Vera Ewing and Betty Schneider
bravely "volunteered" to chair the Best Hand Fun Ski and they did
a wonderful job.  However, we didn't get the press coverage we
usually get, due to cuts in staff at both newspapers.

 

Since this is one of our main ways to generate funds, we thought
maybe if we got a chairman very early and everyone in the club
thought about the Best Hand Ski all year AND that we either
called the press and asked them to do a story (they used to call
us) or took out a couple of paid ads, maybe we could generate
even more money.

 

If, when people are going about their business, they see
something on sale that would be a good prize--a ski hat, some
gloves, a scarf, ski wax, or--even re-gifting.  Yes, if you
aren't really going to use that $10 gift certificate that your
brother in law got for you at Perkins, please donate it to the
Poker Ski.  If you get a really cool tee shirt from an outdoor
store and you really don't need another tee shirt, save it for
the Poker Ski.

 

 And lastly, we need a chairperson or people to pull everyone
together very early.  In past days, the chair used to have to go
to the vendors to get donations by himself or herself.  Under Jim
McMillen's presidency, the club decided that  all the members
should work to collect prizes from vendors or from private
persons wanting to donate or even from club members.  If members
thought about the Best Hand Fun Ski all year, perhaps there would
be several unwanted gifts or gift certificates that members could
save for the Poker Ski.  With that in mind,  it would be really
good to have someone step forward to chair this fund raising
event for us.  Thank you.

 

 

 

 

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