The weather has cooled the last few days and the area received an inch to an inch and a half of new snow. The groomed trails held up well during the warm rainy period of the last week and a half. The area was groomed today, but just the inner core trails and Skateaway were groomed and no track was set. The surface is currently too hard to effectively set track. The rest of the area was not groomed, because packing of the new snow on the surface below hardened by rain only made the runs faster. In addition, there was a incursion into the core area by a wood cutter. He drove just beyond the Panhandle Hut and turned around causing quite a mess and deep groves in the surface. A good deal of Pulaski and shovel work and grooming passes with the scarifying equipment corrected most of the problem, but it took many passes by the groomers. This took time from other trails they could have visited. In response to this incursion, we have turned closed the big green front gate. We apologize for this measure that makes the trail head less than welcoming, but with the hard undersurface and an open lane in, it is the only means to terminate any further incursions. Depending on snow conditions we may need to operate in this mode for the rest of the season or until deep soft snow again removes this treat to the trails. We will have a solution to this problem next season. Even though the gate is closed the trails beyond are groomed. We are expecting snow on the trails late Saturday so Sunday may provide great cross country ski conditions.
Snowshoeing on the area was little affected by the thaw. Those visiting the upper snowshoe trails report them in good snow depth condition with a few obstructions but none impassible

Hi, all!
On the schedule we have an outing to Farragut State Park next weekend. A short synopsis for your perusing:
Meet at Hayden Super One parking lot, east side, at 8:45am, if you wish to carpool out to the Park. We will leave at 9:00am to drive the short 20 minutes out to the Visitors Center parking lot in the park. If you do not want to carpool, just meet us there. You will need a parking pass; if you did not buy the annual pass, you can buy one at the Visitor Center that day($7 Idaho resident, $14 non-resident). This is NOT the Park and Ski pass, but a State Park Pass.
Depending on the conditions, we will break into groups and decide what we want to do. It is always best to go into the Visitors center and buy a current trail map ($1-2) as the trail system is tricky,and get a winter activity map. Often on the weekends the trails from the Visitor Center are crowded. I myself prefer the North Side Fat Bike trails that start from Thimbleberry parking lot, just a short half mile up the highway from  the Visitors Center. Those trails are multiple use for skis, snowshoes, bikes and dogs. Often there is not a groomed track at Thimbleberry; if that is important to your skiing, you will need to use the Visitor Center trails.
Now, about the conditions......Right now there is not enough snow for skiing, but the forecast holds out a little hope for fresh snow this week. So we will just have to wait and see. I usually bring my skis, snowshoes and walking cables, just so I'm ready for whatever. 
We will recreate for 2-3 hours and then, for those who are inclined, we can go down to Bayview and have a nice meal at the Captain's Table restaurant.
​
Anyone else who would like to join, please contact me at: Nancy Lewis gnranc@gmail.com 208-451-4649

Thanks all,
See you out on the trail!!
Nancy L

When: February 17 - 19th Where: Palouse Divide Lodge off Highway 6 between Potlatch and St. Maries (milepost 23) Directions to the Palouse Divide Lodge, take 95 south turn left onto Hwy 6 go through Potlatch and stay on 6 for about 23 miles the lodge is on the right at the top of the pass. The Palouse Divide Nordic ski area borders the lodges property you do not need a Ski Park Permit when you park at the lodge. Cost: $95 per person per night for lodging, breakfast and dinner. Lunch is on your own in large activity room with a kitchen What to do: 20 miles of groomed xc- ski trails, snowshoe routes, just sitting around the lodge admiring the realistic animal mounts, quilts and historic winter transportation devices
​Sign up by Feb 7th

Pine Street woods is part of the Kanisku Land Trust project and is located 3.5 miles west of downtown Sandpoint. There are about 7 kilometers of trails the offer both snowshoe and groomed cross country ski trials. There about 4 K of ski trails that are mostly easy skiing.

I would rate the snowshoe trails as moderate to moderately hard. The area is fairly low elevation and snow conditions can deteriorate with warmer temperatures. I will provide snow conditions the week of the outing

We will meet at Super One parking lot in Hayden near the east side of the parking lot at 9AM. There will be a sign up sheet at the January club meeting.

Betty Schneider
​208-659-7426

Found on Fourth of July Ski Trails
A pair of Head Ski Gloves. These appear to be for a small hands perhaps a woman’s hands. Contact Geoff Harvey 208-762-1246

Round Lake State Park snow shoe hike Jan 14, 2023 1.8 mile loop considered easy level terrain. Meet @ Hayden Super One Parking lot 8:30 am Leader/Contact Don Garringer (donaldgarringer@gmail.com) phone 208-819-2778

Merry Christmas! Hope everyone will have a Happy New Year as well.
Last month I mentioned that it may be possible that we would have a white Christmas. Well, that came true. But we also had the makings of an ice storm to go along with it. So far, the observations made at 4th of July suggest that the effects of the ice, rain and wind did not make a big mess of the trail grooming and clearing accomplished so far. But stay tuned for Goeff’s grooming reports, so you know what to expect if you are heading up to use the trails. The grooming crews are out this week trying to get things back into shape before the weekend, so I am fairly sure we will see a report very soon.
For those readers who may not have previously attended a club meeting. The club meets on the first Tuesday of every month from November thru April. The meetings are held at the “Community United Methodist Church” located at the intersection of Hanley and Ramsey in Coeur d’Alene (Address: 1470 W Hanley). Our next meeting will be on January 3rd at 7:00 PM.
This month, Nancy and Greg Lewis are going to give us a travel presentation. They do get around in the summer, so they graciously agreed to show us where and what they have been up too!
Also, at the club meeting we will go over the plans for the “Best Hand Fun Ski n’ Shoe”. As a reminder, January 7th. is a free ski day. Which means for 4th of July, parking stickers are not needed to park in the ski area parking lot. Registration and getting your first card will start at 10:30 AM, and prizes will be awarded at 1:30 PM.
FYI - There is still one vacancy for a volunteer to help distribute cards on the snowshoe route. Mike Zagar will be asking at the next club meeting to see if he can find a volunteer who wants to help.
We have been successful at getting donations for prizes from local stores. But we can always use more to help entice more people to participate in the club’s event in the future. If anyone wants to make a last-minute donation, please give it to Glenn Truscott at the warming hut on Saturday (Jan. 7th) morning. Donations do not need to be from stores. They can consist of home cooked dinners, outings on boats, rides on snowmobiles, fishing trips, or things you have made (like pies, cookies, hats, gloves, scarves). So, think about it. The more folks that get a prize that happier the crowd could be!
There will be hot chocolate and oranges available at the warming hut. But everyone is welcome to contribute snacks if they wish. If you want to bring along your own liquid refreshment that’s alright with us.
Lastly, I want to thank everyone in advance for helping make this year’s event happen. Since we always have fun doing it, this event is always successful no matter how many folks participate. I hope everyone will be there to enjoy a day of skiing and snowshoeing and hopefully leave with a prize.
See you at the club meeting January 3th. 7PM, Community United Methodist Church.

PS – Keep in mind “Rock Soup” event is also coming up in January. Mark your calendars for January 28th.
If you are not familiar with this event. It is when participants bring their favorite ingredient to the warming hut on Saturday morning, to be added to one of two pots to make soups. One pot contains only
vegetables. Then they go skiing or shoeing while the soups cook then return later to hot soup for lunch or brunch.

Greetings! Hope all had a great Thanksgiving, and we can all look forward to Christmas.
A white Christmas looks like it has a fair chance of happening, at least for the moment. Snow has certainly arrived, and based on the prediction more is on the way this week. As such, Goeff and Skip are going to be looking for help to finish getting the shelters covered and grooming equipment in place. Not to mention getting gates closed, signs up and snow packing started. In addition, yesterdays wind storm probably brought down a few new trees across the trails. But at least we can thank Scott for his solo efforts at cutting some out a couple of weeks ago. It will definitely make it a little easier on the grooming crew the first time out this season.
To reiterate last month’s message regarding the club meeting location. It will be held at the “Community United Methodist Church”. Which is located at the intersection of Hanley and Ramsey in Coeur d’Alene (Address: 1470 W Hanley). To show our appreciation for free use of the facility, the club has made a $100 donation.
Also, as a remainder, the meeting will be held on the first Tuesday of the December (12/6/2022). We will start at 7:00 PM. Goeff and Skip plan to give us a presentation about the book they recently completed and had published about the 4th of July recreation area history. It should be informative, and might even be inspirational enough to convince some to add it to their libraries. So, be ready to get a history lesson.
This meeting is also the annual cookie exchange event. Otherwise, don’t forget to BRING COOKIES to the meeting. Any that are not eaten will be donated to the IDT folks to thank them for keeping the ski area access and parking area open.
At the last meeting we did a pretty good job of creating a list of activities for the winter, but we still have some work to do. For starters, we still need to get some of the dates finalized. It would be great if the activity leaders that volunteered at the last meeting would be prepared to establish the dates for their activity. Dates are needed for Methow Valley/Winthrop, Palouse Divide, Pine street Woods and the Nordman activities (See the attached list).
We also need to talk about an alternative for Fernan Saddle (Ski/Shoe). Due to a recent development, the road to Fernan Saddle may not be plowed this season. If this occurs we certainly will not be able to reach the route of the proposed activity, by vehicle anyway. The alternative being considered is at Newman Lake, “Mckenzie Conservation Area”. So, if there are any other ideas feel free to share them next Tuesday.
At the last meeting the idea of having a public relations person join the board was raised. In short we are looking for someone who would like to take on the role of coordinating the clubs’ promotional activities for the purpose of recruiting new members. If anyone has thought about it, and would be interested please let one of the board members, or me know. We can give you more details about what we’re looking for.
FYI-The board has started working on preparations for the “Best Hand Ski/Shoe” event. Sign-up sheets will be available for volunteers to help out with registering, handing out cards and/or logistical support. Mike Zagar has graciously taken on the role of trying to get volunteers signed up. Especially for the card
hand out stations and registration. If you can’t find the sign-up sheets, let Mike know you’re interested. He will be able to get you on a sign-up sheet.
If you’ve already signed in to the WEB site and renewed your membership the board wants to thank you. If you haven’t got around to it yet, as a reminder, you are encouraged to do so as soon as you can! The sooner your renewals are taken care of, the earlier a membership list for the year can be completed.
Remember, trying to renew at club meetings is not a good option. Please renew and pay dues via the WEB site. Using the WEB site is much more efficient and it makes it a lot easier to enter information into the membership list.
See you at the club meeting December 6th. 7PM, Community Untied Methodist Church.

As you may have noticed the weather is beginning to change. With any luck it is the beginning of a good skiing and snowshoeing season.
The board got together last week and start discussions regarding what the club should do this season. The major issues discussed included: 1. Meeting Location and frequency 2. Membership Recruitment 3. Club activities and events that should be pursued this season, and 4. Maintenance of the trail system and equipment.
To begin with it was agreed that our first meeting of the season will be held next week. Thanks to the efforts of Nancy and Greg Lewis, the club meetings will be held at the Community United Methodist Church and begin at 7:00 PM. We plan to continue meeting 0n the first Tuesday of each month, through April. COVID is still with us, but at least it is not considered to be as significant as it had been for the past couple of years. But I would encourage everyone to continue to use safe practices to avoid unnecessarily spreading it, or the flu, to others when we meet. I am not sure if the church is requiring masks any more. Nancy and Greg will probably fill us in at the meeting. But just in case, please bring your masks with you to this meeting.
Regarding recruitment of new members, two issues have been raised. First, what methods should the club be trying to use to promote a diverse membership of individuals and families ranging in ages of 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and greater. Second, how should the club get the word out about the Panhandle Nordic Club and its activities. Currently, the board feels that a person with skills in Public Relations is needed. So, if there are any members who possess these skills, or want to try to hone these types of skills, let one of the board members know. We would love to add you and your skills to assist the board.
The board also started talking about activities for the coming season. We have agreed that the “Best Hand” Poker Ski & Shoe, and the Rock Soup events will be held again. But to get things in the works for the future the main topic of next weeks meeting will be to review activities that have occurred in the past. The objective will be to assess level of interest, establish leaders for planning and coordination and to establish schedules if possible.
The board also discussed the trail conditions and status of the grooming equipment, gates, and facilities. Currently, everything is either ready or on track for being ready for the ski and shoe season. This being in part due to the efforts of member volunteers, members of the grooming crew, and the Panhandle National Forest Hotshot crew. The Hotshots volunteer to help us out by clearing over 100 trees from the two miles of the “Ski and Shoe” trail. A letter of thanks was sent to their superintendent via the Forest Supervisor and District Ranger.
As reminder, since it is the beginning of another season the need for folks to renew their membership or join the club is critical to supporting the maintenance of the trails and facilities at 4th of July recreation area. I want to thank everyone who stuck with the club in 2021 regardless of COVID and hope you will renew your membership in 2022.
Please keep in mind that when you are renewing, or joining for the first time, it can be done through the Nordic Club WEB site. When done through the WEB site your member information will be posted to the membership list. Also, the WEB site includes the ability to submit dues. If you have questions, forward them to Randy Brewer via pnc12@mail.com
Please sign up as soon as you can. It really helps to get the membership list for the year completed early. Thanks again for your support!
PS – Goeff Harvey may be looking for volunteers in the near future to get the grooming equipment sheds and snowshoe warming hut up. If you have the time to help when requests go out, please let Geoff know. The more the merrier!