Trail Notes

Notes from the Trail

Nov 17, 2008

We had a successful trail clearing session on Saturday, making a path around Overflow Lake to insure a safer groomed route on the East West Express. We also did a recon of the EWE all the way to the Parks Highway. It’s bumpy and narrow in spots, with some alders sticking out but it’s ridable and will get you to the west. Grooming won’t start for a few weeks, when we get more snow.

The snow in the swamps varies from a foot of packed snow to two feet of loose powder. Sunday was not as successful, as we had an engine failure, causing a slow, bumpy tow back to the parking lot. We did have time to clear a large deadfall from the main trail path near Bunco Creek so it wasn’t a total loss. Keep checking for updates and the latest information-it won’t be long.

Nov 7, 2008

Conditions in the South Denali area are getting more like winter every day.
A considerable amount of snow has fallen to the west and many riders are
reporting damage-free trips to the Peters and Dutch hills. Creeks and
swamps are freezing but as always, be cautious of any wet areas, as in some
places the snow has insulated them from the cold temps. We're planning a
trail cleanup and recon for November 15th and 16th, to clear a path around
Overflow Lake, east of the Reflector Tree, on the East West Express Trail.
We'll leave from the parking area at MP11.5 of the Petersville Road at 10 am,
proceed to the Reflector Tree, then turn east, to Overflow Lake. This is
the small lake a few miles from the Reflector Tree that never really freezes
hard and is one of the most difficult and dangerous locations to groom.
We'll cut a path around it on firm ground, which will allow the groomer to
get through much earlier. This can be a good time for an early run on your
snogo, with lots of help if an early season glitch occurs. If you have any
questions, e-mail us at curryridgeriders@hotmail.com or leave a message on
the hotline. 689-7669 in Anchorage and 352-3669 in the Valley.

July 15, 2008

We had a heck of a good season and we’re already looking toward another.

The trail committee met with the Mat-Su State Parks staff and other valley trail users this spring, to discuss trail issues, such as the proposed Wasilla-Big Lake—to—Denali State Park backbone trail, signing and marking questions and other grooming and trail development subjects. We like the idea of a continuous main north—south route than can be accessed from many locations along its length, expanding the opportunities for you to enjoy the country without having to drive so far. Let us know your thoughts about what you’d like to see in this vein.

The effort to widen, smooth and improve the existing trails in the South Denali area continues and we’ll be letting you know when and where you can help out. You can look forward to a few more of the large format trail maps on the red and white posts this coming season, due to the generosity of Shell Ewing, one of our newest members and an avid supporter of safe and well-marked trails. Thanks, Shell. With the thought of well-marked trails, tell us what signage would help you when you’re out there and we’ll see what we can do.

We had a late spring ride with James King, the Director of State Parks and Outdoor Recreation and some staffers and he was extremely impressed (his words) with the accomplishments of our band of volunteers, especially the North Loop trail, which was conceived, cleared and groomed in literally a few weeks of us getting the go—ahead. We had a great day of good weather, mild temps and nice snow to cruise and we made the most of it. We expect he’ll be out to visit again as soon as ol’ man winter rolls back in.

We’re considering the establishment of a safety and search committee for the coming season, to enhance our informal efforts in assisting the troopers and local groups when search efforts are needed. If you’re interested in helping out and being “on tap”, let us know. The search (and rescue) of the young man in the South Denali area this year is a good example of why we need an organized group ready to help.

Please send us your pictures and tracks from your rides so that we may post them and share them with others—they’re appreciated and enjoyed by all. Most of all, let us know what you want and expect from your club. Send us an e-mail-we like to hear from you.

last updated 11/17/08