NEK First Ride 1/3/21

[Vtsnogirl]

Finally was able to go for a ride from the house here in Island Pond. Took off from the Dale avenue area on trail 114c. Didn't take the pond but there was a shanty out there. Cut through town, there was lots of sleds filling up at the Irving who has changed hands by the way, Bob Dexter no longer owns it or the Lakefront though the new owners are expanding on the Irving to have a takeout window off the back.

I continue through the lumber yard decent coverage lots of whippies Maxwell pit area was frozen picked my way up to Dave Page Memorial. Took a right through the off Trail play area over to Trail 114 the one on McConnell Pond road, heading toward Trail 114a 4 Mile square road.

The trails that consist of Silvio's road system are awesome plenty of bays from the loggers packing down the trail prior to this last snowfall. Any of the cut trails need more snow there's really not a base and there's some running water still going up over Trail 2000 was gnarly in places but passable. Northeast Kingdom snow blasters groomed as well so you had a connecting trail system by the Poker Palace. Did about 50 MI went back through the lumberyard to my house. It's snowed a couple more inches today and I know that Canaan is out evaluating their trail system and Northeast Kingdom snow blasters along with my club the Brighton snowmobile club are continually working the trails. Drift dusters too have some open trails. They have an open Trail 2001 yet and the 1111s weren't groomed either maybe they are now but yesterday they weren't so that's my report. 

You can launch from Stone Dam, the State Beach, in town behind Kingdom Market. There's food available at Kingdom grill it replaced the poutine place, very good, and of course Essex House.