OCONTO COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — It’s hard to ride on the more than 420 miles of snowmobiling trails in Oconto County this winter.
“A good six inches of the heavy wet stuff would be ideal,” says Wayne St. Louis, president of the Lena Snow Drifters snowmobiling club.
St. Louis’ club takes care of around 60 miles of trails, mostly through farmland in the area. Just like the other snowmobiling clubs in Oconto County and across the state, so far this year, they haven’t been able to open any of their trails.
Last year, the trails were open for just seven days.
“We’ve had maybe one to two weeks for the last five years,” St. Louis says. “When we get to go, we go.”
“I’m getting used to it,” he says with a laugh. “That’s why I don’t have a new one, my newest sled is a 2016.”
The story is much of the same a little farther north in the town of Mountain.
Deb Uhlenbrauk is the director of Oconto County’s chapter of the Association of Wisconsin Snowmobile Clubs (AWSC). She’s also with the Chute Pond Snowmobile Club in Mountain, and says they’re also hoping for more than seven days of riding like they had last year.
We all saw snow in the first part of December, and we were all hopeful we were going to have a very good season. Unfortunately, Mother Nature didn’t feel that way, so we’re still struggling trying to get our trails open.
Uhlenbrauk and her club are still hopeful for a good season. The ground and local wetlands have frozen, which didn’t happen last year. Uhlenbrauk says she lives on nearby Anderson Lake, and she and her grandkids have been able to ride on the frozen water but so far, that’s it.
“It’s not like you’re riding through the woods and seeing the beautiful sparking snow off to your side, you’re not seeing the deer and all the wildlife, and the beauty of the winter in the forest. It’s awesome and that’s something that you miss when you love snowmobiling and you’re not able to go out there,” she says.
It’s not only disappointing for those who love the sport, either.
“This is one of our main winter tourist attractions is snowmobiling, so without that, everyone is hurting,” she adds.
Every year, the Chute Pond club plays a game of “hide the penguin” where they hide their mascot, Sprocket the penguin, somewhere along the more than 120 miles of trails they maintain. Those who find Sprocket win a $25 gift card.
Last year’s snowless winter meant Sprocket was instead hidden inside local businesses, as a way to continue to draw people inside and continue to support them without the large snowmobiling crowds.
“If it’s a gas station, if it’s an eating establishment, if it’s a recreational establishment, we’re being depressed right now because of the lack of snow,” Uhlenbrauk says.
Should this winter continue without snow, Sprocket may be inside local businesses again this year. Unfortunately, only one person is in charge.
“We’re just waiting for Mother Nature to give us that white gold!” she says.
Otherwise, those looking to snowmobile may have to venture to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to experience trails.
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