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| A beautiful afternoon was enjoyed by volunteers working to do final prep on St. Croix Falls’ new XC Ski Trails – to be groomed & maintained THIS WINTER. |
As announced last week on CyclovaXC.com, there will be a new professionally groomed XC ski trail in St. Croix Falls this winter – on the Wert Nature Preserve property. HERE is a preliminary GPS map of the trail system (thanks Ben!).
On Saturday afternoon, we had a trail work day to prepare this 5.5k trail system for the ski season – and we’re thrilled to announce that the trail work day was a resounding success!
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This crew of 15 means business – and got a ton of work done out on the trails (a number of folks aren’t in this photo)! Photo Credit: Bri Prahl
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The work day started at 2PM at Cyclova XC. We reviewed the specifics on the trail system (where, when, how, etc), reviewed the GPS map of the trail system, and talked about goals for the afternoon. After about a 20 minute preview & pep talk, we caravanned to the trail head (at the north end of Day Road in St. Croix Falls).
As we arrived at the trail head, volunteer superstar Steve Litzkow was wrapping up the mowing of the upper meadow field area (which will be the beginner loop). Huge thank you to Steve for volunteering his time, resources, and enthusiasm!
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Steve the trail working super hero donated over 8 hours of his time (and equipment) on Saturday, to ensure that minimal snow is required to have the trails in great shape – trimming back stubble in the upper meadow / field area.
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After chatting with Steve a bit, the group split into 2 groups, picking up sticks, trimming overhanging branches, and clearing debris which would inhibit grooming or damage skis. We met at the central 4 way intersection after cleaning the south and east spurs of the trail, and then went off to clean up the west & north spurs.
As we finished up the northern spur, we witnessed a spectacular view of the sunset, from a vantage point that towered over the majestic St. Croix River Valley.
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Closest to farthest: Micah trimming back some branches, Tyler & John removing some Buckthorn (invasive species), and Arne & Neal trimming overhanging branches in the far distance.
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As some on the Cyclova squad would say, some heavy duty “man work” was done! Photo credit: Bri Prahl
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Dr. Laugus came well prepared with his pole saw – thanks to him, overhanging branches weighted down with snow won’t be hitting your head as you ski through.
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Following the trail work, we enjoyed a celebratory beverage, and had dinner at The Vegetarian, a local world class Indian restaurant. After dinner, a great time was had viewing Salsa Cycles’s “Reveal The Path“.
The end result is a 10 + foot wide, beautifully prepared trail which will be groomable with minimal snow.
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| 2 days after the trail work day (on Monday), a blanket of snow covered our trails – we’ll be skiing out here soon! Photo credit: Steve Litzkow |
