ROCKS for everyone

by Garry Swain

President ROCKS

While it may seem like winter is never going to end for us here in the snow belt of Seeley Lake, the ROCKS crew is looking ahead to the next set of springtime duties. With all the recreational opportunities available to us in this area, we are never at a loss for things to keep the team occupied.

The warmer afternoons have made a puddle of the ice rink, so our tasks there are now about cleaning up the shed, organizing the skates and figuring out a good time to take down the boards for another season. This was the longest and best skating we’ve had since the rink began. After a rocky weather start, where getting the ice to set up for winter was challenging, the weather began to cooperate and we’ve had smooth ice surfaces for many months now.

The ski area is still going strong with the spectacular trail grooming by the Nordic Ski Club, so we’ll postpone winterizing and shutting down the yurt until the last bit of snow and weather recedes. Once the skiing is done, we’ll restock the wood supply, clean up the yurt, and call it another successful Nordic skiing season in Seeley Lake. With the abundance of skiing opportunities and events, ROCKS is happy to do our small part to make sure this is a welcoming, safe and warm environment for all who choose to visit the trails.

We longingly look forward to starting our spring work on the Lakeview Hiking Trails at Placid Lake. Our new signage will help more summer visitors to find and navigate the trails. ROCKS does ongoing weed spraying and trail maintenance throughout the spring, summer and fall season, and with the completion of the all abilities trail, we have expanded the hiking and walking opportunities to include a much wider group of outdoor enthusiasts.

The ROCKS mission to expand access to safe, fun and varied outdoor activities for Seeley Lake families and area guests is very focused on these three areas: the rink, the yurt at the ski trails, and the hiking trails, and we are always looking for and thinking about ways to improve free access to outdoor recreation. If you love the outdoors and you’d like to help with our planning and working efforts, there are many volunteer opportunities available. We’d love to hear from you and to invite you to join our hardworking, outdoor-loving crew.

Garry Swain

Cell: 406-499-2966

garryswain@gmail.com