About an inch of fluffy new white snow fell on yesterday's newly set tracks. But the going was good. The previous set tracks worked to keep the skis tracking well.

Photos:

(Nancy Schultz, Friends of Flathorn Gegoka Trails)

Yahoo, the trails are now tracked and in good condition. The sections of trails that are part of wetlands/bogs have vegetation poking through the 11 inches of fluffy snow, but other than that, it was such an enjoyable ski due to tracks being set for the first time this year.

Photos:

(Nancy Schultz, Friends of Flathorn Gegoka Trails)

Skied on 3 inches of fluffy new snow over packed trails (not regroomed). It was a stunning day to be out in the forest. Grooming plans: We plan to set tracks tomorrow.

Photos:

(Nancy Schultz, Friends of Flathorn Gegoka Trails)

Packed trails, but no track set yet. Most of the wetland areas are frozen now so can be skied without likelihood of icing up one's skis. (Wetland areas and the trail segments that go through them can be seen on map - blue hatched). The exception is #15 to #5, with some very wet areas. I snowshoe packed them, expect them to freeze up in cold weather. Till then, best to avoid that trail.

Photos:

(Mary Shedd)

I skied out to Junction 19 to install the trail map. Snow coverage was excellent, though the trail was a bit undulating due to the underlying bog and the fact that we haven't set tracks yet. I skied over fresh moose tracks and enjoyed every moment of being able to ski this early in the season, even if it was on human-set tracks. Return Route: I came back via Junction 18 ? 17 ? 3 ? 2 and back to the trailhead. This section had been nicely packed. Some debris was present on the trail when skiing adjacent to the lake.

(Nancy Schultz, Friends of Flathorn Gegoka Trails)

Skied from Jensen Trailhead to Junction 11 and back. Fresh snow with no rocks or debris. Packed Trails: Other trails that have been packed are highlighted in yellow on the map. Additional trails have been broken and set with human tracks, making them easy to ski. Warning - Wet Areas: Sections between Junctions 15 and 5, as well as from 18 to 19, have wet areas due to insulation from the 14 inches of accumulated snow. We plan to pack these trails tomorrow, which should help them harden up this weekend.

Photos:

(Nancy Schultz, Friends of Flathorn Gegoka Trails)

The blue trail past 19 needs to be cleared with a chainsaw. The trail has not been groomed out this far. I hit some rocks while breaking trail. If you want solitude- go.

(Paul Peterson)

We skied from Jensen Trailhead to junction 14 ? 21 ? 13 ? 17 ? 3 ? 2 and back to the trailhead. The section from Jensen Trailhead to junction 10 was packed but not tracked on Friday (packed on both sides). A more even pack has now been established between the trailhead and junction 17. Fresh snow with no rocks or debris. Yesterday, an extra inch of fresh, fluffy snow covered the packed trail. We broke trail from junction 14 ? 21 ? 13. Once back on 13, we opted to head to junction 3 from 17, then returned to the trailhead via 3 ? 2 ? 1. This section wasn't packed, but now has a human-tracked trail that's easy to ski through. Fantastic day out in the fresh winter wonderland these trails provide! Grooming plans: The plan is to pack all trails on Tuesday.

Photos:

(Nancy Schultz, Friends of Flathorn Gegoka Trails)

From the trailhead skied the 6.5 K out to past Junction 10 and back. This is a two track road with a hump in the middle and both sides had been packed. Since packing another few inches of snow has fallen and skier tracks were faint on one side and well set on the other. Great to be on natural snow for first time this year! Blue wax was perfect. No rocks or debris in the trail although pole plants hit the ground underneath.

(Tim Nelson)

The trails received 10-12"of light cold good snow. We packed two tracks on the Jensen Trail segment (1 to 18 and then 18-10) with snowmobile and reports are that it is a great 6 mile out and back ski. No rocks or debris peeking through. All other trails have more than enough snow to ski untracked (and unpacked) segments but one would want to 1) avoid the wetland trails since they are likely still unfrozen and possibly wet (see trail map with wetlands marked for those segments) and 2) wear gaiters!

Photos:

(Mary Shedd)