It wasn’t just homes, businesses and public infrastructure that felt the wrath of last Saturday’s rainstorm and heavy snowmelt in western Newfoundland.
The full picture is still not fully developed, but there are definitely some areas affected by flood damage that snowmobilers will need to be careful around, if not avoid altogether.
Snowmobile clubs have been busy trying to assess the condition of the trails. That effort, which largely hinges on snowmobilers reporting via social media what they are observing, is hampered by the fact the loss of snow has kept many riders from venturing out.
Bob Blundon, grooming co-ordinator with the Western Sno-Riders, said most trails between Corner Brook and Stephenville look to have withstood the nasty weather conditions fairly well.
Damage has been limited to rutting of the groomed trails that will make them difficult, if not impossible, to use until more snow falls. Blundon said at least 20 centimetres of new snow is needed to fix up the rutting.
There are some areas that will be off-limits for a while, if not the remainder of this snowmobiling season. One of the more serious problems is the loss of the bridge that crosses Goose Arm Brook north of Corner Brook and west of Deer Lake.
“It looks like that bridge won’t be repaired this winter, at this point,” Blundon said.
The loss of the bridge at Goose Arm effectively cuts off the groomed trail network’s link between the Hughes Brook area and Deer Lake. Snowmobilers would have to use the groomed trail from Marble Mountain to Deer Lake instead.
“We will groom to what we deem is a safe point before Goose Arm bridge and the Junction Trailblazers club will groom from Deer Lake into what they consider a safe point on the other side of the bridge,” said Blundon.
There is more serious snowmobile trail damage between Deer Lake and Gros Morne National Park, according to the Newfoundland and Labrador Snowmobiling Federation.
Executive director Ben Fitzgerald said there are a number of washouts along that stretch, including one on a part of the trial linking North Lake Road to Bottomless Pond that is about 50 feet wide and around 30 feet deep.
“You could hide a tractor trailer in that hole,” he said of the size of the gap in the compromised trail.
Fitzgerald said he has heard of more damage out around the Baie Verte Peninsula and is also awaiting more feedback from the Upper Humber River and Pollard’s Point areas. He urged anyone venturing out anywhere in western Newfoundland, especially areas not yet fully assessed for damage, to be careful.
“Don’t assume the trails are all intact,” he said. “Give us a chance to get everything assessed. Until then, use extreme caution and don’t travel alone.”
Blundon, who thanked everyone who has contributed information so the clubs can quickly get a better idea of what’s going on, also emphasized safety on the trails in light of the uncertain conditions.
“If we see anything while we are grooming, we will flag it as being not a safe area,” he noted. “Use caution until we get more snow and the trails are groomed.”
Fitzgerald, who said the federation has only just finished submitting claims for repairs to damage caused by Hurricane Matthew in the fall of 2016, noted that many parts of the trail network that received damage fall under the provincial government’s jurisdiction. It is likely, he said, both the federation and government will be seeking funding to carry out the necessary repairs on the snowmobile tail network.
