Earth
I’m humbled by what I saw this weekend. It started out on Thursday night with the Ranger’s 47th Annual Meeting. Most of the previous meetings had been no more than a couple of guys calling each other and making sure we had some money in the bank and that the equipment was operational. This year saw more than a dozen people show up around a camp fire and elect 4 new board members, retain the Chief of Trails and the Treasurer. They discussed plans for this coming summer (get ready you young folks, there’s going to be some action out on the trails!) and things we need to do for next winter. All of us old, crotchety Rangers are pumped at the level of energy we saw.
Then, on Friday night one of the Montreal Trails landowners invited all those from NICER and the Rangers for burgers and brats and a huge bonfire because he wanted to show his appreciation for the awesome Hygge Hike we had at the end of February. I, personally, stuffed myself.
We all quietly endured a foggy, sleety, snowy Saturday and then the real impressive action started. This community turned out on a sunny Sunday and cleaned up this place. I saw moms with their 11 year old daughters hiking a bag through Pence. Folks on bikes cleaned up 77 from Pence to Montreal. I saw 7 year olds and big, bruising Hurley football players coming in from their routes. We talked curveballs with Hurley baseball players after they filled more than 4 bags of trash.
We may not outnumber those who feel OK about throwing their Busche Lattes out the car window yet; but we’re getting there. They are the same folks we see biking, hiking, skiing and snowshoeing around our hills. We’re more each year.
It didn’t quite stop there.
After NICER graciously provided all the clean-up people with lunch, 4 Rangers went out for a previously planned trail day on the Pence-Connection (Uller) to work on improving the trail bed. They lopped, pole-sawed overheads, cut stumps, brush-whacked and even moved some dirt off a high spot into a low spot for 3 hours. Ha! No bugs!
It’ll snow again tomorrow. It’ll sleet and rain; but this country got some tender loving care from a group of wonderful people who live up here between the tourist seasons.
The Rangers salute you! Ski Freely! Z
