Snowing at Post + Update 6.30 AM + Update 1.30 PM

06:00 AM - March 24, 2024

Our third winter is upon us. Will update later.

UPDATE 1.30 PM: -2 and sunny at post. Well Ron made it to Rogers Lake and is now on the groomer to Nepisiguit. Given the amount of snow, I figure he may be there by 5 PM.

UPDATE 6,30 AM: Here we are in our third winter of this weird snowmobile season. At 6.30 this morning it is -5 and still snowing and I’m guesstimating there is a minimum of 40 CMs down here in Bathurst and how much in the high ground is a good guess as well, but reports will eventually roll in. I’m hearing you all saying “Where was this snow back in January or even December?”. I’m sure there is as much at Nepisiguit Falls, Rogers Lake, Popple Depot and Serpentine, as well as on the Chaleur trails side towards Island Lake and the Sugar Shack.

We may have a bit of a dilemma here with getting to our groomer at Rogers Lake as the road may not be plowed as was the case this week when we had that 30 cm snowfall. Having said this, Ron’s first trail to be groomed is Trail 23 from Rogers Lake to Nepisiguit Falls, then push back west of there on all other major trails. With the previous spring like weather, it is noted that most of the frost is gone from the boggy sections of the trail system and jeopardizing getting a groomer stuck at this stage is not an option. We are down to one groomer so bear with us and we’ll see how all this bears out. Looking at the weather going forward, the temps are all on the plus side during the day and with most nights hovering just below zero, so we’ll see what takes place once we have all the said trails groomed up.

I’m hearing various comments about our lodge being closed. Here is the situation on this. As in past years we’ve always closed when we got zero traffic as was the case this year as well when we do not get any traffic from the Miramichi Trail 52, Bathurst Trail 19 and the Peninsula Trails 19 and 23. We’ve always maintained that we can’t be running a business with no income and the lodge has maintain its existence on its own revenue and not come out of income from our grooming end with trail permit and fund raising. Then you hear the comment “Well you should reopen”, well that is not as easy as some might think, with all the staff laid off and all our food being dispensed of and then open for a few days. NO that is not going to happen.