b'TRAILS REPORTBy Matt Tetreault, VAST Trails AdministratorAs we all know, Halloween can befurther analysis and longer-term repairs scary. The Halloween of 2019 wasthat will take us into next summer and scarier than most! Instead of a treat, webeyond. The reality is that some trails got a trick as Mother Nature unleashedmay not be re-opened this season. her ghoulish side, haunting us withAffected trails will be shown on our heavy rain and damaging winds.interactive map as the season opens, so To add to the evening festivities, anplease stay tuned into our website. iconic piece of Vermont and a popularWhen you go to purchase your TMA pancake stop for many snowmobilersthis year and are thinking about that riding through the Central Vermontadditional $5 you have to pay in order area, Eatons Sugarhouse, burned toto legally ride, please remember what the ground. It was a hell of a night!that sticker stands for. Remember the After that main course, the followingphotos contained in this article, and week much of the state experiencedthen remember to multiply this by 10 to a decent snowfall for dessert, wellget just a few of the problems that needjob done and trails will be ready for the before equipment, time and volunteerto be solved through the purchase ofsnow. We encourage you to get out and effort could be mustered to get thingsthat sticker. Again, all of these repairsvolunteer and become a volunt-hero repaired. are on the backs of volunteers. Fiveyourself for a few hours trimming The hardest hit areas were alongdollars times 22,000 members equatesbrush or helping to deck a damaged the Lamoille and Missisquoi Riverto $110,000. The cost of repairing onebridge. Clubs need your help if you drainage areas. For those of youof these bridges may eat up 25 percentwant to ride the great trail system. unfamiliar with Vermonts geographicor more of that $110,000, and that onlyGet out and volunteer, get out and ride, DNA, this area includes the townsgets us across one river. There are manyget out and enjoy Vermonts glorious of Lamoille-Milton, Fairfax, Fletcher,rivers and woods to go through inwinter! Be sure to look for a plump, Westford, Essex, Jericho, Underhill,order to get to grandmas house on ajolly rider on the machine shown in the Cambridge, Waterville (how ironic),snowmobile. photo above. That will be me, with a Johnson, Belvidere, Eden, Hyde Park,The VAST volunt-heros will get thebig smile all the while. See you on the Morristown, Wolcott, Elmore, Stowetrails!and Craftsbury.Missisquoi-Sheldon, Swanton, Highgate, Richford, East Berkshire, Enosburg, Lowell, Troy and Westfield. Other towns were also affected, so if I am leaving your area out, I apologize in advance. Vermont Emergency Management personnel were busy in the weeks following the storm, assessing damage in hope of obtaining FEMA funding for some of the repairs to public infrastructure. Vermont Emergency Management made initial estimates of upwards of $3,000,000 in damages. By the time you are reading this. a final tally will be official.Snowmobile trails in these areas were significantly impacted as well. Unfortunately, our trails areWalts Sales & Service not considered part of the public infrastructure, so the repair effortWhere Service is Part of our Namefalls onto our volunteers. We have weathered the storm before, and we(802) 766-5583 will do so once again. You cant keep1972 US Route 5, Derby, VTus snowmobilers down! Temporary fixes will be made where possible, andwaltsvt.comevery effort will be made to keep all trail corridors open. However some of the larger problem areas will need Early Winter 2019 | 11'