SEELEY LAKE - One of the best things about skiing in Seeley and being involved with the Nordic Club and the kids’ program is the people I get to meet. Those who are skiing have fun, are grateful for the Club keeping the trails in good shape and the parents and kids are appreciative of the time we spend helping their kids develop good skiing skills.
Unfortunately, we occasionally run in to people who think they are “special.”
A couple weeks ago, I encountered four showshoers who had three dogs with them at the trailhead. I told them in a diplomatic and friendly way that dogs weren’t allowed on the trails, but they were welcome to walk them on the adjacent snowmobile trails. Normally there are “no dog” signs displayed but they hadn’t been put up yet because the snowpack isn’t adequate to hold the signs up.
They wanted to argue with me, so let’s break it down line by line.
My dogs aren’t causing a problem. Maybe not at that moment but dogs do cause problems on the ski trails. I’ve spent 25 years skiing here. I’ve seen dogfights on the trails, I’ve heard of people being knocked down, I’ve seen dog crap on the trail. It’s Forest Service policy that dogs aren’t allowed on the winter ski trails.
These dogs are well behaved. The large brindle colored one barked at me aggressively from two feet away. Some people are deathly afraid of any aggressive dog and that kind of encounter is extremely traumatic for them. Even well-behaved dogs are difficult to control in a new environment because it’s exciting and they’re over-stimulated.
I’ll pick up his mess. Yeah and you said you’d walk them on the snowmobile trail, too but you didn’t.
They allow dogs at Lost Trail. Did you somehow think you were at Lost Trail? Dogs aren’t allowed at Seeley. Skiers come here with the expectation that they won’t have to deal with dogs.
They aren’t hurting anything. Conditions were firm yesterday so they weren’t tearing up the track. But when conditions are softer, dogs punch holes in the track. The Nordic club spends hundreds of man-hours and thousands of dollars in grooming every winter. We don’t appreciate having the surface torn up by dog feet, snowshoes or worse yet, by people walking on the trails.
The website says dogs are allowed. A quick search for “Seeley Lake ski trails dogs” turns up numerous sites stating that dogs are not allowed on the ski trails. The Seeley Lake Nordic Club site, the Missoula Nordic Club site and the Forest Service document “Seeley Lake Area Recreation” all clearly state that dogs are not allowed on our trails.
We’ll keep coming back. If you insist on being belligerent and choose to return with your dogs, it’s easy to call Forest Service law enforcement.
Those of us who are associated with the ski club consider ourselves ambassadors for skiing here in Seeley and go out of our way to be friendly, helpful and make others feel welcome. We put a tremendous amount of volunteer effort into providing a quality skiing experience and part of that is educating people who are uninformed about the few regulations associated with our area.
Sadly, we sometimes run into folks who choose not to be educated and think they are special.
Reader Comments(1)
abourne writes:
This is to help clarify the recent letter by Mike McGrew titled “No Dogs Allowed” concerning conflict with dog owners. The misinformation leading to the situation was an example of someone not familiar with the area recommending a recreation opportunity on a California national website. Confusion reigned about the dogs because the title of the trail shown on their website map was “Seeley Creek Nordic Ski Trails” which are EAST of Seeley Lake while the map location was for an incorrectly titled, ungroomed route, on the WEST side of Seeley Lake running from The Lodges to Boy Scout Bridge. Yes indeed, dogs, snowshoes, skis, boots, and yes even snowmobiles are allowed on the trail network on the WEST side of Seeley Lake. In addition to the segment marked on the map, there are about another five miles of trails on the WEST side of Seeley Lake where users of many sorts are welcomed year round. The snow trails are ungroomed except for the Archibald Snowmobile Trail. The west side trails are limited to non-motorized use during the snow-free season. Mike's information is correct for the outstanding Seeley Creek trails on the EAST side of Seeley Lake. Seeley Lake has a history of trail users being respectful and considerate of each other. It is important that local people be involved in managing and publicizing our excellent trail networks. Ron Cox
02/04/2019, 10:29 am