We all know it was a disappointing snowmobile season overall for Ontario but we do have some positive stories that we want to highlight, rather than reflect on the negatives.

First off, we had many successful brushing days getting our trails ready and would like to thank all those volunteers that worked many days prepping our trails.  

The rail trail bridge on 606 was successfully installed by Highlands East and we were able to once again reopen the rail trail from Tory Hill into Wilberforce.

Our project to fix part of TOP E from Highway 28 north of Apsley to 617 (Saunders) was a great help as it smoothed the trail and eliminated a wet area through which groomers could not run when the ground was not frozen (a more frequent problem in recent years).  We are hoping to do a trail project in the future to fix the balance of that trail up to the Clubhouse.

We were under the assumption that we were losing a part of the E110 but due to a very supportive landowner we were able to keep the trail open.  Another landowner also gave us permission and we were able reopen part of the Sauders (#617) to connect to the E110.

The trail work on Baptiste Lake trail and other work on TOP E made meaningful differences.

We also invested significant time in re-developing a club trail (616) from Glen Alda to Chandos Lake. Due to weather and the work involved in getting landowners back on board, we didn't get that trail open this winter but it's fully ready for next season and we know that this restored link will make a big difference to the riders in that area.

Our cookout was the most successful we've held in turns of attendance and from a fundraising perspective.

We launched our new merchandise at the cookout, which was a big hit and it is still available at Wally's Pub, Cardiff Country Store, and Harcourt General Store.

We did have several groomer breakdowns but our excellent groomer staff were able to get them up and running in quick order.  All-in-all, we had very few mechanical issues this season compared to last.

We received our first real dump of snow in mid-January and our first day of grooming was January 12.  At that point, we had all three groomers running every day, packing all 310 kilometers of trails.  Our trails and those of Old Hastings and Maple Leaf were among the first to open in the province and, in southern Ontario, the last to close.

It was a measure of the variability of the winter weather we experienced that from the first day of grooming to the last (January 12th to February 20th, 39 days),the groomers had to sit 13 days due to either rain or such warm weather, grooming would have done more harm than good.

We closed the entire system a couple of times to try to preserve what little base we had and that may have helped prolong the season. Our final trail closed on February 26 so a very short season indeed.

Normally, we track how well the grooming meets our targets for frequency. We set targets for each trail and track how close we are to meeting them as a measure of the general quality of those trails.  With the frequent interruptions due to weather, it was too difficult to see how well we did.  We heard from many riders that our trail quality was pretty good considering the limited snow and frequent warm-ups, so we were feeling about as good as we could expect.

We are already deep into planning for next year.  We have two bridges (Fishtail Lake on E trail north of Harcourt, and near Mason Hill on E109) that need to be replaced but require grants which we are applying for.  We have many trail improvements we want to undertake and are hoping we can raise the funds to complete them.

A special thanks for our landowners as without their support many of our trails would cease to be.

We are always looking for volunteers or donations and encourage persons to contact us through Facebook page or info@paudashtrailblazers.on.ca

Thanks for your support and wish you and your families a safe and happy 2024.