22 | Snowmobile VERMONT TRAILS REPORT By Matt Tetreault, VAST Trails Administrator Loss is always difficult to bear, but it is a part of life that is inevitable. Vermont has recently lost two pioneers in the recreation world who ironically shared the same first name, Dave. Although this issue is dedicated to one Dave, I want to mention the other Dave here as well out of the respect for what he has given to the recreation community here in Vermont. Dave Hardy The Green Mountain Club lost one of their truly amazing talents and trails program director, Dave Hardy in November. I had the honor of knowing Dave Hardy for much of my career here at VAST. I did not know him well, but I will say that when you were in a room with him you understood right off that he was a very intelligent and passionate man, especially when it came to The Long Trail and recreation. Dave was a true leader and was one of the few who, many years ago, was always willing to step outside the lines and work with other (motorized) user groups for the common good of recreation in Vermont. I am convinced that his willingness to work with other user groups for the best possible outcome has paved the way for the success that recreation in Vermont is experiencing today. I considered Dave Hardy a very valuable partner and valued his knowledge and intelligence. In October of 2016, Shane Prisby, Ellis O’Hear and other members of the Sterling Snow Riders Snowmobile Club, along with Dave Hardy and I, were scheduled to meet in Johnson to review a trail relocation on state land in the area. The proposed relocation would take the VAST trail out of a wet area and place it closer to the Long Trail in this area. We met with Dave and others in the Grand Union parking lot at the designated time. Dave Hardy noted to us that he would not be joining us as he was fighting pneumonia and feeling under the weather. I cannot say for sure if he was actually fighting pneumonia or if this was the beginning of his battle with cancer, but that was the last time I talked to Dave. Shortly after this, I heard he was battling cancer. Unfortunately, a year later, he lost that battle. We still need to find a suitable relocation for that trail, and while we are there I am sure Dave Hardy will pop into my thoughts along the way! Dave Hardy will live on. For those of you who wish to know more about Dave Hardy and his contributions to recreation in Vermont and notably the Green Mountain Club, you can read the latest issue of the Long Trail News: www.greenmountainclub.org/long- trail-news/. Dave Page It is difficult to shift from one Dave to another but there are a number of connections that make the transition easier, including but not limited to the name of these iconic individuals. VAST also lost a truly amazing Dave on Jan. 27. David K. Page of the Brighton Snowmobile Club passed away at the young age of 63. Dave served many roles during his more than 30 year tenure with VAST. Dave served as VAST vice president in the 1990 and early 2000s. Most recently, he was the grooming coordinator for the Brighton Snowmobile Club as well as the trailmaster. At the county level, he served as country trail coordinator and director for Essex county for nearly the entire 15 years I have been at VAST. His contributions to snowmobiling in Vermont are priceless. I cannot recall the first time I met Dave Page, but I can tell you that over the years Dave became a very good friend and someone I looked up to in a number of ways.  I had so much respect for what the man did. He worked countless hours on the road working for Vermont Aerospace out of Lyndonville, only to return from Connecticut or some other place at two in the morning just to get up and do it all again. In between the trips he would likely attend some sort of snowmobile related meeting, get a few hours of sleep and head off again to repeat the cycle. When he wasn’t doing that, he would be signing trails, riding or managing his handyman business that he also ran in addition to his other passions. I don’t believe the man ever slept much and he was always available whenever he was needed, which was often. I hardly ever left Dave a message. He typically answered his cell phone with an enthusiastic “Heellllo!” Those of you who talked to him know what I am talking about and why I tried to spell it the way he sounded when he said it! Dave was a valuable member on the many committees he was a part of and he always showed up prepared with great ideas to contribute. A couple of phrases that Dave had and repeated often to everyone were, “You are given a limited number of bullets in life and you need to figure out when the right time is to place the bullets in the gun and fight for something. When you are out of bullets, you are out of bullets, and you hopefully used them wisely.” He also taught me that “Sometimes being fair doesn’t mean that everyone gets the same thing.” Dave Hardy (Jocelyn Hebert photo) Dave Page and Matt took a nice ride together last year to check Essex country trail signs.