MOUNTAIN, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Snowmobiles took to the trails Friday in Oconto County, for the annual Vintage Ride, but the scenery was very different than in years past.
The storm that raced through the Northwoods last summer caused damage throughout the area.
Most of the trails were open for business, but experts say the clean up will take years.
It took more than a couple tugs of the rope, before a 1969 Bobcat snowmobile would chug to life. The sled is one of about a dozen vintage machines taking part in the annual Chute Pond Snowmobile Club Blast from the Past ride.
“It’s definitely a unique community, the vintage guys. They love fixing them, they love pulling the rope. They love the big smoke scene that happens when they leave,” said Dan Guendert, Oconto County Snowmobile Alliance President.
“Yes, you’ll probably get cold, and yes you will probably get sore. The springs and shocks aren’t as new. It’s fun seeing the old vintage, because it’s a little piece of your memory,” said Deb Uhlenbrauck, Chute Pond Snowmobile Club President.
Uhlenbrauck tells FOX 11 touring the trails this year near Mountain, will stay in her memory.
“It used to be a beautiful scenic ride, and the snow would fall and be tinted with snow, and now all you see is devastation.”
High winds raced through the area on July 19, 2019, toppling trees and causing widespread damage.
Guendert tells FOX 11 it took months of work to get most the ATV, and then the snowmobile trails open.
“The contrast in the summer time, when the storm happened, we saw the green, the tipped over green trees, and the brown trunks and it all kind of blended together. Once the snow fell, and it’s a white back drop, you see the trees against the white back drop. It’s very stark.”
Guendert says it will take years to fully clear the trail systems, but scenes of damaged trails will be hard to forget.
The snowmobile season in Oconto County officially closes Sunday.
