b'Trails Reporthim. You cant fix poor decisions. it goes back to the fact that the seasonWe need a snowmobile hall of shame. By Matt Tetreault, VAST Trails Administrator Story number three. As many of usis barely open and there are alreadySomeone should start a Facebook know, there was a major trail closurethese egregious acts taking place. But itgroup, Hardcore Shamer. Put their on Corridor 100 in Wilmington thismakes me really wonder about society.names, faces and hey, even peel off fall. The club and the neighboring clubDo these same people drive by a store,their TMA and stick it on a Facebook each spent hundreds of dollars onsee that the sign says CLOSED, butpage that discredits these morons. large signs that state the trail is closedbecause they want a gallon of milk andOn a more positive note, we could and explain that trespassing aroundsome bread, break through a windowprovide them with some positive the sign will only lead to additionalor door and just take the bread andreinforcement. Instead of shaming landowners closing the trail off andmilk? The CLOSED sign does notthem, we could contribute to a future problems down the road.apply to them. That is for people whoHooked-on-Phonics course for them Relations with these landowners aredo not really need milk and breadthat they could listen to on earbuds already strained. There is snow fence,badly like they do. I suppose thewhile they ride their snowmobile trees, wood and lumber used as a gatelocked door and security system isand learn how to effectively read to clearly cordon off the trail. Whatwhat keeps them from going aroundand interpret a sign that says TRAIL does this mean for a small percentagethe CLOSED sign and in to do as theyCLOSED. We could put an end to of our riders? Go around the signsplease at a store. How is a trail, a pieceanalphabetic snowmobiling.and down onto Route 100 and headof private property owned by someoneIn all seriousness, I hope people right up Route 100 trying to make akind enough to say, yeah, go aheadsmarten up a bit and use common connection to the other side where theand use it for free, any different thanwisdom and think about their trail is still open to a business locatedthe store? Other than the lock on theactions as well as the consequences there. To do this they had to ride adoor, I see no difference. At least thebeforehand. The TRAIL CLOSED significant distance on closed trailsstore is making some profit off thesign is applicable to you, so please and along the pavement of Route 100.bread and milk, unlike the landownerSTAY OUT. The STAY ON TRAIL Luckily, these riders were apprehendedallowing the trail. If there were only asign is applicable to you, so please by law enforcement right there. Thatrope and a CLOSED sign at the store,STAY ON THE TRAIL. The NO is not the point, though. It leads rightI guess most of these same individualsSNOWMOBILING sign is applicable to back to why do they feel they have thewould go under the rope and takeyou, so please DONT SNOWMOBILE right to act in this way when this entirewhat they need. Are TRAIL CLOSEDthere. Please dont act like Hugo the activity is based on privileges grantedsigns only there for honest riders? abominable snowman from Looney by landowners who have said NO,This is how we are our own worstTunes. Who remembers this character? WE DONT WANT THE TRAIL OPENenemy and how we ruin our ownDuh, gee George, do these signs THIS YEAR. recreational activity that we haveapply to me?The three examples above may seemspent thousands of dollars on to enjoy.Do better, folks.harmless, but they are far from it.All because we are selfish, simple-It is one of the many issues thatminded fools and cannot understand impacts snowmobiling, and really allthat a TRAIL CLOSED sign means recreation for that matter. There areSTAY OUT. A little snarky side of me consequences for these actions, buthopes that someone disrespects their unfortunately the riders creating theseproperty just like they disrespect the issues are not thinking clearly andlandowners property they trespassed cannot see the forest for the trees. Theon.consequences for these actions are asWho remembers when checks were follows. The riders make themselvesa thing and you would see the look like complete ignoramuses, givebounced checks posted up at the snowmobiling a bad name, irritatelocal general store on the wall of landowners and the public, and getshame near the register? If you wrote trails closed. These closures may nota bad check, the consequence was that happen in the area where the trespasseveryone in town knew you were a was committed or even immediately,dirtbag, because if you had made an but over time landowners talk withhonest mistake and made it right with one another and negative impactsthe store, your dirty laundry wasnt happen. The attitude for some ridersusually posted out there for everyone is, I will just trailer somewhere else toto see. I am unsure of the legality of ride then. That works well until thereit, but I remember it as a kid and as is nowhere else to go to because peoplea young adult even, standing there like them have closed all the doorsreading the names on the checks as elsewhere too. my parents paid for our purchases and This frustrates me, clearly, and some ofthinking to myself, hey, that ones my uncle.Winter 2026 | 9'