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Fall Weekend Trail Help ** Plan on every November sat/sun with bridge building, glade clearing, ditch digging, downfalls, brushing, and overall tuning of the trails. We will provide lunch and follow up snacks and goodies at days end. Please email us about your plans, a productive way to ease into winter.
November 29 2009 Evergreen Wreath Making Workshop - Join us for an afternoon of fun learning how to make your own holiday wreath. Bring a hand prunner and any decorations or adornments you'd like to add to your wreath. We'll have all the materials you'll need including a variety of firs to construct your very own piece of artwork. We'll get started at 1pm and be around all afternoon. Contact Dave Saville daves@labyrinth.net or 304-284-9548.
December 5-6 2009 28th Annual Jack Frost Celebration - Count on a big turn out as we open up the season in honor of one our favorite snowy characters. Trail work, the celebration, and Sunday brunch with adventure tours round out the weekend. Bring a dish to share Saturday eve and we will provide the refreshments. Music jams and the shot ski.
Dec. 27 Gateway To The Refuge - 1 PM A natural history snowshoe walk with Chip Chase as he shares his knowledge about the climate, forest type, and geology of the area. Ask technical tough questions and enjoy a short streamside jaunt.
Dec 31 2009 New Years Eve Carefree Snowshoe Tour - 1pm Your chance to appreciate the simple beauty of snowshoeing. Natural history and local lore are featured.
Jan 9 2010 Winter Trails Day - Free lessons/clinics and rentals to all first time interested skiers or snowshoers. XC lessons every hour and a 10 am and 2 pm clinic on types of snowshoes, clothing, basic techniques, and outdoor winter snow travel followed by a natural history tour on snowshoes into our neighboring National Wildlife Refuge.
Jan 9 Kids Clinic followed by BB Biathlon-Snow time 10-3 o'clock, Activities suited for beginner to experienced young skiers. A good mix of skill, games and trail skiing. For families renting gear, please come between 9-9:15 for gear outfitting. Lunch and snacks included.
Jan 10 Gateway To The Refuge - 10 am GPS mapping skills; Trek led by Dr. Rick Landenberger, Executive Director of a non-profit geospatial research and education network, and West Virginia University faculty member in Geology & Geography. Dr. Landenberger will provide an introduction to GPS technology including principles for mapping points and routes, with particular emphasis on central Appalachian forest ecology and wildlife applications. Bring your own GPS if you'd like, but Rick will have loaner units for first timers. All are welcome.
Jan 17 Carefree Snowshoe Tour - 1pm Learn about local history and ecology with Master Naturalists Andy and Bruce Dalton. Long-time residents of Canaan Valley, Andy and Bruce are volunteers for the Wildlife Refuge with the Friends of the 500th., the Refuge’s volunteer citizen’s support organization.
January 23-24 NATO Telemark Workshop - 8am Vermont's Dickie Hall and staff come to WG with down to earth telemark instruction. This course will likely leave you with a new bright direction in your skiing.
Jan 24 Gateway To The Refuge- Brook Trout, West Virginia’s Native Trout, 10 am - Explore the native habitat of this important bio-indicator of our headwater stream’s health. Outing leader, Gary Berti, is the Program Manager of Trout Unlimited’s Potomac River Headwaters Home River Program. Learn why this species is important and what Trout Unlimited is doing to protect and restore its habitat.
Jan 24 5 Km Snowshoe Walk/Run - 1 pm Well organized by Helvetia, WV distance runner Dan Lehmann this event features a rolling course full of prizes and fun. Snowshoe rentals available for $8.
Jan 30 Women's Winter Ski Day - Refresh or pick up some new ski techniques while having a blast. Instruction available for all types of skiers and experience levels from track and skate techniques to downhill control and telemark turns. This day is especially suited for those of us who never have enough time to ski as much as you'd like. Lunch included. 9am-3 pm. Please come between 9-9:15 if you need to rent or have a cup o' coffee or tea. Sue Haywood, a well known mountain biking pro will be running these this year.
Jan 31 Gateway To The Refuge - 10 am Living Legends, the History and Ecology of Red Spruce Forests: Trek led by Corey Bonasso and Nathan Beane. Before the logging era the red spruce ecosystem in these mountains was vast. Why didn’t it all come back after the logging? What animals are dependant on the red spruce ecosystem, and why have some become endangered? What is being done and what can we do to help? Presented by Environmnetal Educator Corey Bonasso, 2008 Forestry graduate from West Virginia University, and Nathan Beane, Doctoral student in Forestry at WVU.
Jan 31 25K Mountain State Marathon - 1 pm This rolling course never gives you a needed break or settle for a shortened version. Kid's classes, and great prizes. $15 entry fee. Fully groomed for classic or skate, sweet prizes, website splatter and personal glory.
February 2 Our Ground Hog's Day Ski - 9am Our annual trek in search for clues to the rest of winter never seems to end. Full day backcountry journeys usually have no route in mind and end up a little lost.
Feb 3-5 West Virginia Special Olympics Winter Games - Gathered are racers from three states, parents, coaches, volunteers, and helpers. This event will give back tenfold what is put in.
Feb 7 Gateway To The Refuge –Animal Tracking, 10 am This very popular event, led by Refuge Wildlife Biologist Ken Sturm, will give you information needed to figure out what critters make all those impressions in the snow.
February 13 Kids Clinic followed by BB Biathlon -Snow time 10-3 o'clock, Activities suited for beginner to experienced young skiers. A good mix of skill, games and trail skiing. For families renting gear, please come between 9-9:15 for gear outfitting. Lunch and snacks included.
February 13-14 NATO Telemark Adventure Tour - 8 am Join in guided instructional tours into the Dolly Sods with Vermont's well known Dick Hall. Plenty of technique secrets from the guy who has been on the job ski teaching for well over 2 decades.
February 14: Carefree Snowshoe Tour, 1pm at White Grass. Your chance to appreciate the simple beauty of snowshoeing. Natural history and local lore are featured. Led by naturalist Dave Saville.
Feb 21 Gateway To The Refuge- 10 am Geology of Canaan Valley and the West Virginia Highlands: Ski or Snowshoe trek led by Geologist Barnes Nugent of the West Virginia Geologic Survey. Barnes also teaches Geology at Fairmont State University and is a lifelong mountaineer and outdoorsman as well as White Grass skier. Barnes will discuss the unique geology of the area and how it affects the plants and animals that live there.
Feb 28 Women's Winter Ski Day -Refresh or pick up some new ski techniques throughout the day. Instruction available for all types of skiers and experience levels from track and skate techniques to downhill control and telemark turns. This day is especially suited for those of us who never have enough time to ski as much as you'd like. Lunch included. 9am - 3 pm. Sue Haywood, a well known mountain biking pro and familiar White Grasser will be running these.
March 6- 7 Winter Snow Camp Backcountry Ski Weekend - Tune up your skills and share your secrets as we set up at 4300' and ski tight trees, open glades, slopes, and tour red spruce heaven. Enjoy snow camping and winter adventure.
Wintery Poetry Reading - at White Grass. TBA
Full Moon Skiing Trips around each month's lunar glare Dec 2 and 31, Jan 30, Feb 28, Mar 29. We usually head out around 7:30 pm. There is a special magic to skiing at night.
Hash Harriers are scheduling their events as we go and will post on the daily report page