Electric hooked up to nordic trailhead

Seeley Lake skiers will notice a new blanket of light this winter, as the Seeley Lake Nordic Club successfully routed electricity up Morrell Creek Road to power three overhead lights at the trailhead and warming yurt.

Laurie Shammel, who wrote a grant application for the project, said the project is the farthest electricity has reached in that area of Seeley Lake. She said the process was not easy, as grant money, Forest Service approval and installation all took months to complete.

"It's been desired for a number of years to have new lights at the trailhead," Shammel said. "Obviously, there's not a lot of sun in the winter, so we thought this would be important for things like the after-school club and people out alone at night."

The light towers in the parking lot will be on at all hours but triggered by motion detectors. Shammel said the project is the first of two-phased upgrades to the trailhead. The other half of the project would be adding a new garage for snowmobiles and trail groomers.

Both were supposed to come from the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Trailhead Improvement Grant. Shammel said the Nordic Club won the grant, but only got a partial check to start the lighting part of the project.

The cost to run electric lines up Morrell Creek Road was well over $35,000, Shammel said. That estimate needed to be redone after months of waiting for the grant money. The Forest Service also needed to approve a Montana Environmental Policy Assessment of the electric lines.

With the electricity, the warming yurt has continuous power, and there are multiple exterior plugs-ins for events and ski track maintenance. Shammel said the power will let volunteers groom the area faster, as warming up equipment will be easier.

The timeline for the new building at the trailhead is not set, Shammel said. She said she is hoping to launch a capital campaign to help pay for the rest of the project, as the rest of the grant funding will likely not cover all costs.

Until then, she said the Nordic Club will celebrate the new lights, which are on and running as of Dec. 14.