Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56Summer 2016 | 45 The snowmobile club now holds its monthly meeting at York Coach Works on Route 30, just outside Poultney, and across from the VAST parking area. We are so thankful for the Munch family allowing us the use of their building for 12 meetings each year, along with special meetings. Thank you to Rich, Bob and family! TRAILS & EQUIPMENT Poultney, like many other clubs, started out with some unique grooming equipment. A lot of homemade drags were pulled by members’ personal sleds. Poultney made a big investment in a Yamaha VK540 and a Hatch drag and this setup did most of our corridor trails that were over four feet wide. With the hilly terrain here in Poultney, that was a challenge at times. Many people wanted to see more of our system groomed, so the club bought a couple of Frenchie drags and used their personal sleds to pull them. Some members even wanted their own Frenchie drags and boy did the trails look good! When the club saw the commitment of its members, it decided to buy a Ski-Doo Scandic Super Wide Track and a four-foot Mogul Master drag. Local riders thought they were in heaven riding our trails, and well, we all know what happens when word gets around about having groomed trails. Soon the club bought another Scandic and a few members, lead by Bob Chesnut Jr., built a great four-foot drag in his garage. One thing lead to another and some of you know the story. Yup, we wanted to move to Class 1. We bought a Ski-Dozer and an 18-08 Mogul Master drag and found a Ram Steer unit in New Hampshire. A lot of members pitched in one spring and widened trails. Things sure changed from the time there were a few guys out grooming at night with Frenchies to several out with large drags. After a couple years, the Ski-Dozer was getting old and it was pretty challenging for the type of terrain we were putting it though. The decision was made to put it on Corridor 4A, the Rail Trail, and get something more suitable for the hilly terrain. The club bought a 2001 Tucker 1000 from the Deerfield Valley Stump Jumpers. I won’t bore you with all the details, but Bob Chesnut’s garage wasn’t done yet. With help from some friends, Bob converted a Chevy Blazer to a quad track unit, dubbed the Draggin’ Wagon, and also built a seven-foot drag to pull behind it. The club members started calling Bob’s garage the “Monster Garage.” Myron White and Chris Higgins provided a lot of help with the fabrication. The Ski-Dozer (and its operator!) was getting old and tired, with a lot of repairs, so the club bought a 2000 Tucker Terra Track and Groomer Operator Barry was now comfortable and happy. This power unit is also pulling an 18-08 Mogul Master. Younger groomer operators are getting in the equipment and doing a great job. Zack Chesnut, Ransom Baker and Caleb Loomis and have lessened the burden on Barry and myself. We are very thankful for their hard work. TRAIL SYSTEM The Poultney trail system is unique in many ways. It leaves the town of Poultney at about 200 feet above sea level and take you to Herrick Mountain at 2,700 feet, with many trail options of getting there. You may want to start at Stewart’s in Poultney to fill up with gas right in town just off the Rail Trail, Corridor 4A. From there you can go in a number of directions to get to Herrick which is one of many scenic lookouts. Herrick will give you views of the Green Mountains and the Adirondacks. Off Corridor 133, in a large meadow, you can see West Mountain Ski Area in Queensbury, New York with the lights at night. Most locals love seeing the area they grew up in with the rolling York Coach Works on Route 30, just outside Poultney, and across from the VAST parking area. We are so thankful for the Munch family allowing us the use of their building for 12 meetings each year, along with special meetings. Thank bought a couple of Frenchie drags and used their personal sleds to pull them. Some members even wanted their own Tom Coloutti and Barry Bradley are groomer operators for the club.