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Page 7, News, Tuesday, March 31, 1992 Birchwood recycles tin cans Intrepid snowmobiler: trail grooming prone to many natural problems by Craig Nicholson Probably the most frequent snowmobiling complaint is: "Don't they ever groom this trail?" We've all suffered washboard trails that shake our bones better than Jerry Lee Lewis. Snowmobilers tend to assume that the Ontario Federation of Snow- mobile Clubs' (OFSC) trail permit buys a warranty of smooth sledding. And while it's true that the number one winter priority of local clubs is trail grooming, that only guarantees their best efforts and best results given numerous mitigating circum- stances beyond their control. Not the least of which is snow. And without plenty of that great white, it's impossi- ble to maintain trail quality. Yet even differences in snow composition have a huge impact on trail grooming. A foot of dry, light powder is full of insulating air and can remain unsubstantial for long periods--long enough to be Scattered by sled traffic whether it has been groomed or not. "Packing" snow con- tains heavy moisture content which freezes and holds much faster, but too much wet snow can foil even the largest grooming machines. So that large snow fall does not necessarily, or immediate- ly, translate into the groom highway of our dreams. Especially since fresh snow attracts traffic, next to rain, a snowmobile trail's worst enemy. Even under ideal conditions, a trail that has just been smoothed and packed by a grooming machine needs 2 to 4 hours to "set." This occurs when the insulating air is pushed out, or the moisture is compacted, allowing for (hopefully) cold temperatures to penetrate and freeze it. The most successful grooming occurs over a pre- viously compacted base. If Stanley cup continued from page 1 growth and development of the amateur hockey in Canada and the U.S, the International hockey scene and the All-Star games, including the stick used by Herbie Lewis in the first ever All-Star game held in 1934. The NHL Legends on Ice Tour was first held in 1991 and travelled through continued on page 9 this is absent due to melting, poor snow conditions or inad- equate grooming, or has been destroyed by rain or excess traffic or continual abuse of the trail before it can set, then the trail will never be good enough to withstand normal wear and tear. And there will "be nothing but bitching all winter long. Terrain also plays a critical role. Some clubs are fortunate enough to have forest access roads, old hunting trails, or abandoned railway lines. Oth- ers have comparatively flat or rolling landscapes with little undergrowth and/or have access to bulldozer equipment in the off-season. These clubs will generally have well- groomed, double width trails easily accessed by the larger grooming machines. But other clubs are located in hilly, rocky, rugged terrain, criss-crossed by swamp and creek. The resulting trails are tight, narrow, and twisty, with frequent dips and steep inclines. Aside from these 4 Leon Theriault, left, Dietary Supervisor at Birchwood Terrace, and Cook Lara Chess- man display the cans they have collected for recycling. The idea to save the cans was the brainstorm of 3rd cook Helen Amos. They have been collecting the cans for the past couple of months and plan to drop them off at the - Tourist Information Centre when the Environmental Awareness Group to Encourage Recycling (EAGER) holds its monthly metal can collection day. natural obstacles and the fact that snow has more difficulty penetrating dense tree cover- age (especially evergreens), the trails are also not accessi- ble to the best grooming equipment. So clubs in this kind of terrain always bear the brunt of grooming com- plaints for factors beyond their control. Gardens gearing up as outside gets warmer Serendipity Gardens Manager Cathy Gerow (right) and staff are gear- ing up for warmer weath- er. By mid-April, the restaurant will be open seven days a week. Improper sledding tech- niques aggravate the process of trail deterioration. High speeds throw machines into the corners, digging up the base and spraying it out to the side. Rapid accelerations cre- ate mounds called moguls which deepen and lengthen into washboarding--like con- secutive speed bumps and Jerry Lee is back again. Con- stant grooming can temporar- ily alleviate, but never elimi- nate these problems. Even the best trails can be continued on page 8 YOUR NEWSPAPER... FOOD FOR THOUGHT i ! \ (IT'S A BOY Denise & Joseph Kenney are pleased to announce the birth of their first child, JORDAN JOSEPHA -- _born on March 21, 1992 weighing 7 Ibs. ; fi) Proud first time grandparents are Paulette' & Murray Gordon and Dorothy & Joey A= i Kenney, all of Terrace Bay. i We We would like to thank Or. Wilkes, the 7. nurses and the entire staff. AT YOUR SERVICE/ A VOTRE SERVICE Gilles Pouliot, MPP Lake Nipigon Helping You is My Job! CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-268-7192 Monday to Friday during business hours Gilles Pouliot, Depute provincial, Lac Nipigon Mon Travail, C'est De Vous Aider TELEPHONEZ SANS FRAIS: 1-800-268-7192 Du Lundi au Vendredi durant les heures regularieres de travail SOCOHSEESOHSOSSSESOOHSHOOHOESOHEOEEOES FAX # 1-416-327-0968 "