CLUB UPDATE by Bob Smith – Former TTF Vice President
Hi Snowmobile Friends,
My wife and I havebeen social distancing from our cabin at Tollgate. We pretty much have the mountain to ourselves and have been enjoying the bluebird weather and higher temps riding in our “heated” and tracked side x side on the trails. The snow is firm thanks to the higher daytime temps and cold overnight lows. The positives are it’s go anywhere snow whether you are boondocking with your snowmobile, snowbike or side x side and it’s a great time to go exploring off trail. With the firmer snow, boondocking is a blast finding those hidden sweet spots that deep powder makes more difficult and it’s a great time to hone your skills on less than perfect powder. We have a great snowpack here at Tollgate and it should last for quite some time even with the warmer afternoon temps. We have around 6’ of snow at our clubhouse and about 9.5’ in the upper elevations. It’s a great time to get out and enjoy our spring like conditions.
Snowmobiler of the Year 2020
At our Club meeting on March 7th Jeff Wagner was honored as the “Snowmobiler of the Year”. Jeff is very active in our club and serves as a board member and Groomer operator. In addition, he spearheaded overhauling our TTF Website, making it much more user friendly. Jeff also volunteered his time hauling and filling the Ruckel Warming shelter with firewood for the winter. Thank you, Jeff Wagner, for all you do for our club, it’s much appreciated! We encourage you all to check out our new website, Jeff is one of our webmasters and is working to keep the site current and up to date with current events, groomer reports, newsletter, election results, membership forms, upcoming events and much more. Also, check out the election results on the new website at www.tollgatetrailfinders.org
Steak Out BBQ – March 7th
We had a well-attended end of the year “Steak out” BBQ. We had a packed house and grills full of steak. Nobody left hungry. As our President, Brandon Christensen put it…. “It was a huge success as we didn’t burn the building down with multiple BBQ’s and even a fire pit running”.
Elections March 7th
We proudly present our newly elected set of officers and board members:
Officers Board Members
Brandon Christensen – President Cody Smith
Dewayne Harvill – Vice President Dottie Carrell
Shari Mueller – Secretary Cecil Berry
Tammy Christensen – Treasurer Dino Graham
Parliamentarian – Bob Carrell Donnie Hanso
Catrina Hanson
We also want to acknowledge our current Board Members:
Glenn Warren Jeff Wagner
Tammy Davenport Kolby Christensen
Gary Stratton Jess Thompson – Grooming Chair
Thank You
We want to thank all the volunteers who make the club a success. From the grooming department who work hard keeping our trails smooth and passable in a season that was most challenging. Our officers who lead our club and plan the events that make our club fun and keep the lights turned on. The board members who serve not only as part of the leadership team but are the core of the work parties during the snow season and summer months and preparing for the upcoming snow season. Also, those who aren’t club leaders but still volunteer their time to help with ongoing activities. We finished the season financially sound, with a great team of leaders and wood in the warming shelters and a brand-new Tucker Snow Cat to groom our trails with. All in all, it was a great season.
We sincerely wish to thank two of our officers that have given so much to the Tollgate Trailfinders for many years. Bob Smith has served on our Board of Directors and most recently as Vice President. He has spent a tremendous amount of time planning our adventures and events as well as putting together our newsletter. Connie Smith has also served on our Board of Directors, as membership clerk and most recently as Secretary. She has diligently filed paperwork with OSSA and our Insurance Carriers as well as kept excellent minutes at each of our meetings. Connie and Bob have both been an integral part of our leadership. They are usually at every work party willing to lend a hand. Without Bob and Connie our club would not be as great as it is. We wish them luck in their next adventure!
Kids Day
On February 15th we held our annual Kids Ride. This year it was led by Kolby Christensen. We had 19 participants of all ages. Even Deputy Hayes with the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Department joined in for the fun. The group headed to the Chapman Bone Springs Warming Shelter for Hot Chocolate provided by Bob and Dottie Carrell. Kolby led the group on a ride that lasted over 40 miles of varied terrain including meadows to play in. The group split up after lunch so some could head back to the clubhouse and the more advanced riders could test their skills in the backcountry.
Backcountry Skills Day
On February 22nd we held a Backcountry Skills Day led by Brandon Christensen, Glenn Warren and Brent Mehlenbacher. We had a dozen riders attend. Brandon Christensen taught the group about proper rider position and Glenn Warren put on a clinic about side hilling on ice. Unfortunately, Glenn was not planning on the amount of ice on the sidehill he chose, his sled lost traction and rolled over pinning him under the machine with the throttle wide open. Quick thinking by Brent Mehlenbacher got help to Glenn and everything turned out ok. There were a few scary and tense moments as everyone sprang into action to assist Glenn. Just a lesson for everyone that snow conditions can vary greatly depending on sun, wind, precipitation and temperature variances. The group found some untracked canyons to drop into and climb out of. Definitely a great experience by all that attended.
Grooming Report
Our grooming chairman, Jess Thompson reported that the past couple weeks have been cold enough at night to tackle grooming the trails. Our grooming team has altered their schedule, coming in sometimes as early at 1am to ensure the temps are cold enough to properly setup the trails to ensure they are smooth. During the month of January the following was accomplished:
Miles groomed 667
Hours spent grooming 130
Gallons of diesel used 800
Trees removed from trail 50
Maintenance hours 18.5
Miles driven to/from Tollgate 1,072
Time spent driving to/from Tollgate 24.5
Thanks to the crew for all their hard work and being flexible with schedules to avoid bad weather and temperature changes.
Get Out There – Be Safe
We encourage all of you to get out and enjoy our beautiful mountain paradise during this spring season. We also encourage you to invite friends and family to be a part of the TTF family. (See the printable membership form at the bottom of the page)
Have a great rest of the snow season and we will keep you up to date on upcoming events for the summer months such as our wood cutting day to fill the warming shelters.
US Forest Service Communication Regarding COVID-19
The rapid spread of COVID-19 through our communities is requiring all of us to take unprecedented measures to protect our own safety as well as ensure the safety of our friends, neighbors, and families. The Umatilla National Forest is currently assessing all aspects of its operations with regard to keeping our public safe while continuing to provide quality recreational opportunities.
We are aware that snowmobilers will continue to gather in a number of warming shelters across the forest for the next few weeks. Due to the small size and generally poor ventilation in these shelters, it is essential that snowmobilers take proactive steps to protect themselves and others while visiting them. Therefore, the Umatilla National Forest strongly recommends that our local snowmobile community implements the following safety measures:
- Limit occupancy inside the shelters to no more than ten people at one time.
- Maintain appropriate social distancing within the shelters by keeping six feet between individuals.
- Bring Lysol wipes or other appropriate disinfecting materials to wipe down door handles, tabletops, and other surfaces in the common area.
- Stay home and self-quarantine if you exhibit any symptoms of COVID-19 (see attached document) or have knowingly interacted with another individual who could be infected.
Thank you for your attention to this urgent public health issue, and don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.
Best regards,
Andy
Andrew Steele
North Zone Recreation Staff Officer
Forest Service
Umatilla National Forest
ACSA Scholarship
The American Council of Snowmobile Associations (ACSA) Bill Townsend Memorial Access Scholarship is awarding a $5,000 Scholarship. Applicants must be enrolled as a 4th year/senior college undergraduate, graduate/master’s degree candidate or law student. Major Area of Study must be in the field of parks and recreation management, natural resources management, public administration, pre-law, or natural resources/public administration law. The applicant’s Area of Study must include a focus/emphasis that could potentially be beneficial for motorized recreation management/access that includes snowmobiling. Email Brandon Christensen at Brandon@christensenusa.com for more information.
Thank you
Your friends from the Tollgate Trail Finders Snowmobile Club.
Brandon Christensen TTF President
Bob Smith TTF Club Member