All trails south of the river were groomed today. The snow we received was a dry snow, so it doesn't pack well. Despite numerous passes with the snowmobile and groomer the skate deck is pretty soft. No classic track has been set yet. Once the snow settles we will try to set a classic track. It is thin and icy with gravel showing just west of the bridge in Evergreen Park, hence the recommendation for rock skis. Otherwise generally good coverage. We will see if we can get the trails north of the river groomed tomorrow.

(Jim Van Akkeren)

Because of ash tree removal the trails around Maywood have not been groomed. When we get fresh snow we will groom Maywood if they are done with tree removal. The City was going to take responsibility for grooming in Evergreen Park. When I looked a few days ago they had not done anything. Some people have broken their own trails but there has also been a lot of bicycle, hiking and snowshoeing on the trails.

(Jim Van Akkeren)

None of the trails have been groomed as of yet. People have been breaking their own trail. Because we use snowmobiles to groom we are cautious when grooming wet snow, like the type we received. The skis on the snowmobiles cause ruts on sharp turns in wet snow. Grooming plans: With colder temperatures anticipated tonight, which will help dry out the snow, we hope to do some grooming tomorrow. However, there are two other activities going on which will affect our grooming operations. First the Making Spirits Light Show is still in the Evergreen Park section of the trails. I don't know if anyone will attempt to groom there while the light show is still in there. Second, ash tree removal is occurring in the Maywood section of the trails. As the tree removal is completed we will assess what trails we can groom. Tree removal is occurring in two areas of the trails. It is anticipated that removal will be completed by the end of this week or early next week.

(Jim Van Akkeren)