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 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68Late Winter 2017 | 59 Why I Volunteer Why do you volunteer? Let us know by sending your stories and high resolution photo files by e-mail to vtsnowmobiler@outlook.com Jim Bogard,Treasurer Deerfield Valley Stump Jumpers I sat on a snowmobile for the first time at age 62. I had become increasingly irritated by the noise coming from the recently upgraded snowmobile trail behind my vacation home, but when I looked closely at the riders, they seemed to be having fun. A local snowmobile dealer gladly sold me an “age appropriate” sled with all the bells and whistles and I set off, guided by the friend who had pushed for the trail upgrade, to view the world of snowmobiling. Besides learning that I too enjoyed the sport, I was amazed at the extent of the then existing trail system which was pretty primitive by today’s standards. I, of course joined the local club, the Deerfield Valley Stump Jumpers, and quickly learned what it took to construct and maintain the trails. That year, the club purchased their first Tucker SnoCat and began to extend and rebuild the trails and bridges to accommodate this new wonderful machine. From my first time in the woods with a group of guys, gals and kids, I was hooked and worked on trails whenever I could. What a great way to spend my retirement! This has led to 21 years of volunteering with the club. I served for a time as the trailmaster for a portion of the system, carried a chainsaw on my sled for years to clear trails and was a volunteer groomer with a snowmobile pulling a small drag, then with the Tucker and then with a PistenBully. As a board member for the past 20 years, I have done whatever I felt the club needed doing to enhance this sport of ours, including corresponding with the local town to get permission for members to ride local roads when necessary to access the trail system. I have been the club treasurer for the last 17 years. My wife continues to encourage me to keep active, but when I accidentally wear my FitBit on a ride, it tells me I’m an “overachiever” and should take time to celebrate. At 83, I’m no longer as active doing trail work but still try to contribute in “age appropriate” ways, including riding as many miles as my old body will tolerate. At 83 years young, Jim has been volunteering for 21 years. The difference he has made along the way is greatly appreciated. Volunteers make it all possible!