COLD is the name of the game for the upcoming week.

After a nice mild weekend, almost too warm, forecast is pushing temps 20+d colder for the upcoming week. Things got warmer over the weekend and all the snow settled down well. We got the critical grooms done Friday and Sat night when it was warm, and the bases on all of our trails are hammered down hard and flat waiting for a great season to unfold on them.

The forecast is saying that today is the warm day, at 14d, and not over 10 for the rest of the week. Little snow here and there, with up to an inch on 3 of the 5 days should freshen things up just a very little bit. May have a mini-warmup next weekend.

We had some moderate traffic over the weekend, but with the snow all over the state, overall I would say it is fairly light. With the hard base, and small amounts of snow in the forecast, along with New Years, I think we will only have to run 2 at the most 3 days this week, and will be ready for the weekend. All of our trails are in very good, almost excellent condition. There is some plowed roads for a bout a 4 mile radius in the core of the system, we are doing our best on that, but they are not working with us much.

Notice: The flowing water problem got a little worse over the weekend, as it went from 4′ to 6′ deep, and got about 15′ wide. This are is about 5 miles South of Trout Lake on the RR Grade, a mile North of M-123. We have hazard signs up to mark the location, and you can easily drive to the side to get around if you don’t want to drive through, but I don’t want people to hit it at speed. Please be careful. If it doesn’t improve at all, we will put up stop signs in the next day or 2.

Get on those New Years trips, and get some sledding done! Head for the UP! Why drive when you can ride, all UP Trails start in St. Ignace!
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With the very cold temperatures we’ve had for the last 24 hours (and are expecting for most of this week) plus the snowfall we had for most of today, trail conditions should be looking very good. The highs are expected only in the single digits with night temps falling well below zero. This is great news for the trail conditions as it helps the groomers pack the trails solid, however, caution should be used while riding in these kinds of temps as frost bite can easily happen. Stay prepared; gas up often, cover any exposed skin completely, layer clothing, stay together and know where you are.

No problems to report on any trails other than a few wet areas that should freeze up well this week. Groomers are out on all trails, however if temperatures drop extremely low they will not be out to just to stay safe.

I’ve been requested by law enforcement to mention that it is not legal to ride on the railroad tracks that run through Merriweather and Bergland. Stay on marked trails only, for your safety as well as others.

Be mindful that a bridge on trail 8, just east of Bergland is out and it is marked. The trail will be rerouted over the dam at the north end of the lake where the trail was a couple years ago.

That’s all for now from Carolyn at the Hoop. I will keep you posted as often as conditions change. For additional information about the Lake Gogebic area we invite you to visit the only official website of the Lake Gogebic Area Chamber of Commerce at www.LakeGogebicArea.com or call us at 1-888-464-3242 (888-GOGEBIC). Looking forward to seeing you all up again soon!

Lake Gogebic Area Chamber of Commerce – 12/30/2013

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