December 2007 President's Message

 (written on Sunday - but due to technical difficulties..... you get it now)

The weatherman tells us it is the eve of the first significant snowfall in the lower elevations.  We will cross our fingers and hope, but he has disappointed twice since mid-November.  We are ready for the snow. 

Many of you know that two new bridges were installed this fall to cross the ravines on the Janet's Jaunt snowshoe trail. 

A heavy Franklin stove was installed in the warming hut last week.  It will take some work to seal this piece of iron, but the metal thieves who seem to target the area have surprised us in the past. 

We have also prepared two new maps of the area.  You will see these hung on the entryway kiosk, the two warming huts and at strategic points along the trails.  The two maps will also appear soon in a map brochure.  The last map was put out over seven years ago. We have been in need of new maps because the whole nature of the Fourth of July Area has evolved in a couple of ways.  The old map detailed the Fourth of July Ski Area. 

As you all know, we are operating a non-motorized winter sports area with the advent of more snowshoe use and the development of additional trails dedicated to snowshoe and ski users. The area has also expanded greatly in recent years.  With the addition of the 614-905 Loop and the Ten Mile Loop complete with Ian's Eagle Cabin, the old map was sorely out of date.  The expansion explains the need for two maps in the brochure.  The first map shows the extent of the ski and snowshoe opportunities at Fourth of July all the way to Rose Creek Saddle with some of its backcountry opportunities.  This large-scale map does not permit much detail of the core area so the second map shows this detail. With the advent of Google Earth satellite photos taken yearly and software that allows us to draw on those images and then remove the base image, the trails are traced exactly on their locations.  Given this rather simple technology, we will be able to update the maps yearly, if necessary.  We hope to have the new map brochure in your hands by early in the season.

 Our next meeting is 7:00 PM, Tuesday, December 4th at the Fernan Ranger District Office, 2502 E. Sherman Avenue.  We park in the back parking lot and walk down the steps to use the lower floor conference room.  The December meeting is the annual cookie exchange. We will also be exchanging ski and snowshoe gear, so bring along any you might want to trade or donate. If you are looking for gear, you may find a deal with a fellow club member.

We will have Park & Ski Stickers for sale. 

One item of business will be the naming of some new and old trails. 

Since we are typically obsessed with snow in early December, a program on snow is quite appropriate.  Ed Gately, an expert on snow and snow pack, will be speaking on the fantastic solid phase of water in its many forms that make our winter sports possible.  He will be discussing snow in its varied array from the single flake, each distinct, to that collection of flakes, the snow pack on which we glide.  I am looking forward to this more detailed look at snow, the medium on which we play. I hope to see you at our December meeting.

 Geoff Harvey

PS  This should be posted on the web page by tomorrow.  www.panhandlenordicclub.com