to view the Spring 2016 version of "The Link".

Spring 2016
Your Link to the Missing Link Snowmobile Club
SPECIAL POINTS OF
INTEREST:
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE: PASSING OF THE GAVEL…
 Come on out for the Spring ATV
rally on May 7th...the trail conditions should be quite interesting.
The year comes, the year goes, and another
new year comes… and with it a new president for the Missing Link S.C. So time to
reflect for past president Doug!
 We achieved a new record in
2016—four flat tires on the
groomer in less than a week!
 New inductees into the lifetime
achievement category are announced inside
 Special thanks to landowners for
allowing our trails to pass on
their property once again.
 Have you seen our website—visit
www.missinglinksc.ca for club
news and events.
 ‘Like’ us on Facebook to get the
latest event and trail information.
 Got a fun picture from club
events? Please forward it to
[email protected]
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
FALL TRAIL PREP
2
A NEWBIE EXPERIENCE
3
OPEN SESAME 2016
4
BOW-TIE & SILENT AUCTION
5
BEWARE OF LOGGING
6
WELCOME TO OUR
TRAILS
7
THE TRAILS REPORT
7
OOWATANITE
8
IN APPRECIATION
9
‘OBITUARY’
10
Where would the enjoyment of winter and
snowmobiling be without involvement in
the Missing Link? It certainly keeps one
from “sitting on the couch and watching
the Tele”, and if you think you have challenges then just step outside and help fix a
groomer, groom a trail, put up a poster or
two, or deal with a few disgruntled phone
calls. It makes one’s life seem a whole lot
easier and problems insignificant in the big
picture.
Want winter to be really short? Just attend
a few meetings, look at a fresh groomed
trail behind the drag, be congratulated for
doing a great job, and definitely attend “all
the functions” we are so fortunate to have
courtesy of the Missing Link Snowmobile
Club.
All this made possible by a great bunch on
the executive, especially someone that
made life easy for me “Marlene Gibson”…
THANK YOU MARLENE! The rest fill
in the spaces as needed… it was always
sheer amazement how quickly Chris
Dowser anchored the role of “TRAILS &
EQUIPMENT”… totally amusing for me
the intensity of snowmobile life that was
Brent Allen and then he always came out
of the cloud with a smile and a chuckle…
and the “calm in the stormy weather” was
Todd Dowser! And if you think “you” are
Doug Antler
not missed around the merry table of
“ladies and gents”… “you are”!
If we had not started the Missing Link,
what fun would winters have been? Would
we ever have enjoyed the company of people like Wayne, Jim, Andy, Rod, David,
Mac & Eunice, Tommy, Terry, Peter, Albert, John, Richard & Lee-Anne, Les…
and multiply this by many more times as
they all have family and friends… WOW!
What an opportunity to have been a part
of! And without the Missing Link… fellow
landowners and neighbors many miles
away would have only been unknown faces
to names.
Do enjoy the ride of life that winter snowmobiling offers for the taking!
Doug
Thank you Doug for your many, many years serving
and leading the snowmobile club as its president!
FYI: you can run, but you can’t hide…..
THE “LINK” NEWSLETTER
PAGE 2
FALL TRAIL PREP
The new mechanical brusher acquired in the fall of 2010 has saved
countless hours of effort, bruises, and
back & muscle pain. It has proven to
be the mainstay in keeping our trails
trimmed and those dreaded faceslappers cut back off our trails.
Aside from working thru it’s mechanical design woes, the big challenge with brushing the trails was
that of scheduling. We need enough
snow to pack and groom the trails so
they harden. The groomer configuration is then switched to pull the
brushing unit. A pass thru all the
trails is completed in both directions.
Then the grooming equipment is
switched back and all trails smoothed
out. All this to be done before the
Open Sesame Poker Run on the third
Saturday of January.
In response to the scheduling chal-
lenge, Brent suggested we hire a tractor in the fall and complete the brushing activity then — ahead of the
snow, and ahead of the cold!
Marvellous idea! The steering cylinders were removed from the brusher
to make it towable, and the snow pan
was removed to make it much lighter.
After a small test run, Brent ventured
off into the bush in the search of
brush.
The first day went relatively smooth.
After that, shall we simply say it was
a learning curve in proper belt tensioning and adjustment. After four
days, we had it figured out just in
time to wrap it up and park it before
Brent headed off on vacation. A big
thanks to Brent for taking this initiative and spending hours in the tractor
making the trails better for the rest of
us.
Our fall trail day happened on November 21st. Although we had fewer
hands available to help this time
around, we managed to make it thru
all of our east end trails. Thanks to
the brushing effort already completed, we were able to focus primarily on signage deficiencies, and most
importantly, enjoy that juicy dog over
an open campfire with great company.
Gone are the days of us tracking thru
the snow in a mid-January cold snap
to plant a sign in the frozen solid
ground. It is safe to say we have
come a long way and discovered it is
easier to pound signs in the ground in
November. Or perhaps we are now
simply older and wiser out of necessity!
Todd
SOCIAL MEDIA
Yes, even though the average age of a
Missing Link Snowmobile Club
member is over 60, we have entered
the 21st century. As you may know,
social media is the primary way that
most people keep in contact with others. It allows them to basically let
vast amounts of people know details
on what it going on in their lives by
the second.
The Missing Link Snowmobile Club
uses this great tool to allow members
and riders to know what is going on
in Missing Link Country. We update
Facebook on a regular basis and enjoy the feedback we get by riders who
let us know our specific trail conditions and level of rider enjoyment.
We remind riders of key dates for
events that we host throughout the
year. We also post videos of these
events and grooming activity to allow
riders to experience a certain level of
participation within the Missing Link
Snowmobile Club.
Feel free to “LIKE US” on Facebook
to join the ongoing community of
Missing Linkers.
THE “LINK” NEWSLETTER
PAGE 3
SNOWMOBILE TRAIL GROOMING: A NEWBIE’S EXPERIENCE……
“So, I get to operate that big blue rig parked at Yates …”
At the HCM Wild Game Supper and
Dance last fall my new friend Finney
Lee asks “Hey Pat, want to do
grooming?” Sorry I didn’t get that
Finn. “Do you want to do grooming
he says?” Hmmm… Ok, what’s
grooming, what is Finney talking
about?
I didn’t know he keeps
horses!
Fin explains snowmobile trail grooming, and I think, I don’t have a sled!
“Doesn’t matter says Fin.” So, I get
to operate that big blue rig parked at
Yates and learn snowmobile trail
grooming? I’m in!
And so it was , I attended my fist
Missing Link Snowmobile Club
meeting at Chris Dowser’s home, got
an overview of how the club functions and met some new friends. I
completed the OFSC online groomers operator course, passed the exam,
and took the due diligence training.
Before I knew it, I was on the
groomer training roster and in Big
Blues’ buddy seat for my first training
run with Rob Gervais at the controls
in the drivers seat. This is new to me:
skidoo trails, at night already?! I am
grateful to Rob Gervais for showing
me, among his many other skills,
how to get “unstuck”. I found this
skill a necessity on my solo run.
My second training run with Brent
Allen opened some doors to alterna-
tive methods which I am learning to
use as well. More practice required
for me here!
My third and fourth training runs
were with “temporarily out of retirement” Jim Gibson. Some different
methods here to work with next season. Besides steaming hydraulics,
Jim demonstrated the “be prepared to
dress for cold weather part”; 30 be-
low and we are locked out of his
truck at 03:00 hrs! Thank you Secretary and First Responder Marlene
Gibson!
I didn’t get a training session with
now retired Groomer Trainer Jim
Watters so I will have to figure out a
way to second him from retirement
for a training run next season.
The big night came for my solo run!
That will be a night to remember and
am glad to know I was being monitored on line with GPS by my observer. Suffice it to say I made it back
to the barn leaving behind trails done
to the best of this newbie’s skills, but
safely and a little late! Ok, a lot late!
Todd Neff informed me of an alternate way to fuel Big Blue. Thank you
Todd: much easier your way and
much easier than trying to pry open
my frozen truck hood.
Each of my trainers demonstrated to
me how they leave the job done correctly and most importantly, done
safely! The weather and snow conditions were a big part of the learning
curve for sure! Some operating and
control similarities with my previous
experience on the Jacobson 12 gang
turf tractor and the Zamboni, the
goals are the same. I love the challenge of learning to groom properly
and safely. The time/cost/efficiency
bit is a work in progress!
This season I had the opportunity to
work with many club members and
volunteers in fundraising events and I
look forward to more fun in the upcoming months to help with trail repairs, fundraisers and meeting more
new friends. I attended my first
AGM and am now working with
Doug Antler on two club committees.
Being the Newbie I had no idea of
the amount of organizational structure up front and behind the scenes to
provide this service to snowmobilers.
VOLUNTEERS, land owners, local
businesses, different provincial government sectors and community
groups form the team that make it
happen and I am happy to be a part
of it.
I am proud to be a new member of
the Missing Link Snowmobile Club
and very fortunate to work with volunteers who put incredible amounts
of their personal time, resources and
their personal work ethics into this
responsibility and still have fun!
I think I will get a sled!
Pat (newbie)
THE “LINK” NEWSLETTER
PAGE 4
OPEN SESAME 2016
Every year has its different challenges, especially at the start of the
season, and 2016 was certainly no
different in that regard.
The late arrival of snow and grooming equipment put the club behind
the eight ball from the get go. In past
years, we looked forward to having
the trails panned, and if luck held
out, a first grooming pass on all trails
was complete before the new year
rang in.
No such luck in 2016! Our first
groomer arrived on the door step on
New Year’s day to much applause
from the Deux Rivieres contingent
(who would rather have been fishing!). The week that followed tested
everybody’s resolve on whether we
really wanted snowmobiling in this
part of the province or not?
Every time the groomer ventured out
resulted in a flat tire: three flats in as
many starts. On the positive side, the
‘Track Team’ got extremely proficient at changing rear flat tires on the
groomer. What started as a three
hour job was down to less than 90
minutes by the time the third tire was
changed.
With a few successful outings and the
flat tire mystery now behind us, the
focus was now on trail prep for the
first rally of the season. Due to logging in the east end, the open sesame
rally route was modified this year to
Track off, tire off, ready for new one.
use our west end trails.
Although the trail conditions were
not optimal compared to past years,
we had 124 snowmobilers join us to
celebrate the start of another snowmobiling season in Missing Link
country. The back trails were in good
shape but I think we all slowed down
a bit for the trip back along the pipeline.
The morning coffee and donut stop
followed by trail dogs for lunch are
always a highlight at the checkpoints.
And we get to see all those familiar
faces back once again for another
fabulous wintery day in the bush.
Rod & Robert serving morning coffee and
donuts at Bissett Creek
Also different this year was our local
CWL stepped in to provide the dinner after the poker run. Our hats go
off to them for the delicious spaghetti
and pasta dinner options for all to
enjoy.
It takes many feet, hands, heads, and
plenty of determination to get ready
for this event each year. A big thank
you to all our volunteers for making
it happen and to all our sledding participants for making it worthwhile.
Richard, Trudy, and Finney making sure
people eat their share of hot dogs.
Starting every season has it’s trials
and tribulations. But yes, we really
DO want snowmobiling in this part
of the province!
Todd
Great turnout for dinner
Chris and Brent looking for the winner.
Oops, the casualty for the day!
THE “LINK” NEWSLETTER
PAGE 5
BOW-TIE & SILENT AUCTION
Great weather + Great trails =
Amazing Poker Run. That was the
formula on Saturday March 5th 2016.
a brand new Husqvarna Chain Saw
which was a big hit. Thank you to all
who bought a raffle ticket.
The trails were in great shape and
the sun was shining. The registration
desk was very busy having over a
record 185 participants. Our volunteers were very busy the week before
to ensure an excellent event and their
effort was well received.
The silent auction was a big success
this year as well. There were about
300 items that went up for auction,
and included anything from hats to
plane rides. It is always great to see
people bid on items for different
members of their families, especially
grandchildren.
A BIG THANK YOU to all those
volunteers who made sure things ran
smooth. The checkpoints on the
trails were well stocked with food,
drinks, and great games for a chance
to win extra tickets to our 50/50
draw.
Our grand prize of $1000.00 went to
the best poker hand, which was a full
house draw.
This year we had a separate draw for
We encourage everyone to shop at
the local businesses that have donated items to the auction. Without
their support we would not be able to
have an auction that enables us to put
money back onto the trails through
our trail development fund.
Again, a BIG THANK YOU to all
the participants, supporters, donators
and volunteers. Till 2017!
Brent
Bruce Farnel with the grand prize.
Thanks to Debbi and Diane for keeping
the numbers straight
Over 300 silent auction gifts on display
The BowTie ‘Classic’
The trails and weather could not have
been better.
Jen taking her new disco glitter ball out
for a ride….
The Five Star Checkpoint—always a
favourite!
THE “LINK” NEWSLETTER
PAGE 6
YOUR CLUB EXECUTIVE & VOLUNTEERS
Our Annual General Meeting was held
March 29th and it was that time once
again to elect our club representatives
for the next two year term.
Brent Allen has volunteered to the
lead the club while Doug Antler is
stepping into the VP role. Essentially
they have traded duties for the next
two years (now Brent gets to carry the
gavel!).
Pat McGurran and Doug Antler are
teaming up to tackle both the Volunteer and Landowner Coordinator duties. Many thanks to Marlene for her
many years in those roles.
As you can see, there are many names
serving multiple roles. Certainly contact any club member on the right if
you would like to have some fun and
get more involved.
President
District Representative
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
ORS Coordinator
Signage Coordinator
Trail Coordinator
Response Coordinator
Inspection Coordinator
Volunteer Coordinator
Permit Coordinator
Grooming Coordinator– West
Grooming Coordinator– East
Landowner Coordinator
Trail Patrol Coordinator
Trail Patrol Person
Trail Patrol Person
Brent Allen
Marlene Gibson
Doug Antler
Marlene Gibson
Todd Dowser
Chris Dowser
Chris Dowser
Chris Dowser
Chris Dowser
Doug Antler
Pat McGurran & Doug A.
Todd Dowser
Doug Antler
Chris Dowser
Doug Antler & Pat M.
Jim Watters
Jim Watters
Robert Gervais
613-586-2621
613-586-2761
705-747-0851
613-586-2761
613-586-1900
613-586-1900
613-586-1900
613-586-1900
613-586-1900
705-747-0851
613-253-0351
613-586-1900
705-747-0851
613-586-2621
705-747-0851
613-586-2691
613-586-2691
613-584-9756
BEWARE OF LOGGING OPERATIONS
The Missing Link Snowmobile Club is fortunate to
have access to many existing logging roads in its trail
network.
A close cooperative association with the local logging
companies has been developed and is essential to the
activities of the Club. As we are all aware, logging
trucks and snowmobiles do not make a good mix. On
occasion, we must encroach on an active logging
road. A great deal of time and effort are expended by
both the logging companies and the Club to minimize
any risks thru extensive signage.
The trail patrollers are well aware of the fact that most
users of our trail network are not particularly accustomed to sharing the road with logging trucks and the
Trail Patrollers make a concentrated effort to spend
time in any such areas to educate users.
Despite this we do have near serious situations. On
one occasion this past season while doing Trail Patrol,
I encountered a group of seven snowmobilers stopped
on the most hazardous area of an active logging road
parked three abreast, occupying the entire road surface. They were clustered around a sled with the hood
up and all were wearing their helmets. I urged them to
go to the nearby trail (approximately 200 yards) and wait
there while I towed the disabled sled to a safe spot off the
road. They very reluctantly complied. You guessed it. Not 5
minutes later a loaded logging truck came down the hill and
around the curve. Had the snowmobilers still been there , a
very serious collision resulting in deaths or at least serious
injury to most of the snowmobilers would have resulted. I
urge all snowmobilers to be aware of their surroundings and
to heed the warning signs.
Trail Patroller, Robert
THE “LINK” NEWSLETTER
PAGE 7
WELCOME TO OUR TRAILS
The title has a special meaning for us
members of the Missing Link Snowmobile Club! We take pride in providing the best possible snowmobiling “conditions that equipment can
provide”! We realize many of you
are not blessed with the same amount
of snow, the dedicated volunteers
necessary to maintain the trails, the
best of equipment dollars can afford,
or the ability to ride from ones back
door step on any given day!
The primary reason for groomed
trails is to establish a safe route for
your enjoyment, keeping you away
from our local knowledge of hazards,
private property, and don’t-go-there
places. Venturing up that “must
ride” hill near a house or camp may
now cause that resident to suffer
through winter with the loss of a septic tile bed due to the frozen ground
under your thoughtless off-trail side
trip.
We invite you to come ride our trails
on an ATV during one of our early
season “trail days” and you will be
awakened to what dangers lay beneath that oh so peaceful looking
pipeline of white stuff stretching from
tree line to tree line.
A single pass of the groomer will be
all that’s required to repair the damages to the trail you cause by your
criss-cross effect of off trail riding.
You or your sled may not be so easy
to repair!
In many of the Island Countries there
is a word used quite often
“RESPECT”! Let that word be an
influence on your snowmobile riding
life!
Welcome to our trails…
Groomer Coordinator, Doug
MLSC Permit Sales Hold Steady
A total of 158 riders supported the Missing Link Snowmobile Club when purchasing their
trail permits this past season (132 Season permits and 26 Classic permits).
Thank you to our permit vendors for supporting the club once again, and to all the snowmobilers who checked off ‘Missing Link’ as their club of choice!
THE TRAILS REPORT
Our grooming season started on January 2nd and the trail
‘Closed’ signs were put up on Tuesday March 22nd.
Our operators made 91 outings for a total of 639 hours on
the trails.
We would like to recognize all of our groomer operators
who kept our trails running smooth throughout the 20152016 snowmobile season:







Brent Allen
Robert Gervais
Finnie Lee
Doug Antler
Jarett Antler
Erin Kelly
Chris Dowser







Jim Gibson
Jim Watters
Todd Neff
Ernie Villeneuve
Pat McGurran
Randy Orr
Paul Sarrazin
Trail
A-East from Stonecliffe
A-West Stonecliffe to Bissett
A-West Bissett to Brent Rd
190 Mackey
191 Rat Lake
192 Mackey Bypass
193 Wilderness
195 Menet Lake
196 Stonecliffe Bypass
197 Waterloo
Double Passes
23
23
20
5
Closed
5
20
14
12
11
THE “LINK” NEWSLETTER
PAGE 8
VOLUNTEERS IN ACTION...
OOWATANITE!
What happens when a groomer gets
really stuck?
One night this past winter I was
called as groomer coordinator at approximately 7PM. The groomer operator on the phone explained that he
had attempted to groom the 197 trail
along Bissett road. The pressure was
on since this followed two heavy
snow falls and was just four days before our Bow-tie Classic poker run.
The lucky operator stated he got the
groomer stuck and in trying to free
himself, buried the one side and got
himself between two trees. I explained I could be there in 15 minutes
and then called Vice President Brent
to lend a hand.
We arrived and the first thought that
went through my head was “holy
s### this isn't coming out tonight!”
The right side of the groomer was on
two feet of hard packed snow plowed
off the road, while the left side of the
groomer was buried in three feet of
soft snow and wedged between two
trees.
The Vice President was more optimistic and started to dig out the side
that was buried. I in turn called the
secretary and explained that we
needed more man power and a back
hoe or something of that nature.
After thirty minutes of digging, help
started to show up, and within another fifteen minutes, there were
seven of us. We continued digging
for another hour and also cut down
some trees to prop up the left side
with logs for traction.
A triaxle truck and operator (who
shall remain nameless) attempted to
pull the groomer out, but with the
heavy drag now frozen in the snow, it
wasn’t moving anywhere. So off
came the drag, and with more help
from our unnamed truck operator,
both the groomer and drag were
pulled back on the road by 11:30PM.
Now all we had to do was reconnect
the drag. Piece of cake; famous last
words. It was –30C and there was no
way the hydraulic lines were going to
cooperate. After numerous attempts
and everyone now getting chilly, we
accepted temporary defeat and called
it a night.
Some of the crew were joined by others the next morning with generators,
heat guns, etc. The hoses were reconnected in two hours and another two
hours spent warming up the groomer
before starting in the -30 cold
weather.
Thanks to all who assisted and a special thanks to that nameless person
with the large triaxle truck.
Chris
THE “LINK” NEWSLETTER
PAGE 9
IN APPRECIATION….
Sixty-four club volunteers and landowners came together
this year to wrap up the 2016 snowmobiling season with
great fanfare (not really, but a good time was had by all!).
Our local CWL was once again front and center serving the
most delicious dinner yet, while the Joe Lance Band provided plenty of party tunes to dance the night away.
The 2016 lifetime achievement award honored Albert Chartier and Noella LeBreton. Albert has donated over 25 years
of his time and plenty of smiles to snowmobiling efforts in
the region and was one of the original members of the club
(his signature is on the original incorporation papers from
1991). Thank you both for everything you have done to
make the Missing Link Snowmobile Club what it is today!
Our annual night of appreciation is a highlight for many of
us associated with the club. It provides the venue to share
memories from the past season, gives us the opportunity to
now laugh about things that didn’t seem funny at the time,
and most of all, allows us to spend a fabulous evening with
friends and family who support snowmobiling in our area.
Rookies of the Year
Randy Orr, Pat McGurran, and Todd Neff
Family of the Year
The Antler Family
Volunteers of the Year
Marlene Gibson, Chris Dowser, and Brent Allen
Thanks to both the landowners and volunteers who helped
make 2016 another snowmobiling success!
Rod Gervais accepting his club jacket.
Bruce and Penny Farnel and their new
club jackets.
The Antler Family with their
ACME Grooming Kit
Our dedicated groomer operators responsible for those beautiful trails!
The rest of the 2016 Track Team who
helped keep the tracks turning….
Thanks to our three rookies—Randy, Pat,
and Todd for getting involved this season!
THE “LINK” NEWSLETTER
PAGE 10
COMING EVENTS
7TH ANNUAL ATV "GEOCACHE" POKER RUN
Saturday May 7th
We provide the GPS coordinates, you find the hidden treasure and trade for poker cards.
Cash prizes and food available.
Registration starting at 10:00AM at Morning Mist Resort, Stonecliffe.
28TH ANNUAL DEUX RIVIERES SUMMER FISHING DERBY
August 12th—14th
Catch the Big Kahuna and win prizes, or simply come out for the fabulous fish fry (and other goodies).
Hosted at Antler’s Kingfisher Lodge, Deux Rivieres.
“OBITUARY”
PASSING ALONG HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES TO YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND THOSE WHO
“YOU” MAY KILL OR CRIPPLE!
The intent of the heading above was
to get your attention, and I guess it
did! On our “poker runs” this winter,
there were those who somehow confused “run” with “race”.
In particular the Bow-Tie Classic,
and more to particulars, the one riding an orange sled, another bearing
the ski-doo emblem on the back of a
black jacket, and a couple this time
riding two-up, with long brown hair
streaming out behind.
We were a group of ten sleds riding
at an “average” of 50 km (30 miles)
per hour, only to have you pass at
ridiculous speeds along limited trail
width with no warnings you were
there. And the pass was made with
no regard for line of sight at a corner
or at the crest of a hill. “You all were
lucky” and so were the other sledders
heading the opposite direction on
such a beautiful day!
Amen!
Stock photo, and hopefully we never see
this picture on our trail system!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Editor and Chief Whip: Todd Dowser
Thanks to our Contributing Writers:

Doug Antler

Chris Dowser

Brent Allen

Pat McGurran

Robert Gervais
If you have any stories or ideas for future editions of The Link,
please forward them to [email protected]