Snowmobiling club member bemoans lack of trails in Gilberts
Right around now, Gilberts residents who ride snowmobiles are probably wishing two things: they paid more attention to the Snow Hunters and their town wasn't so popular with residential and commercial developers.
If those wishes were to come true, they would not have to load their sleds on trailers and drive to neighboring towns to enjoy them.
But those wishes will not be granted - at least not this year. No trails have been marked, no permission from property owns has been obtained, and not enough members showed an interest in laying the groundwork for what is turning out to be the perfect winter, said Mark Woodbury.
As a result, Gilberts doesn't have organized snowmobiling this year.
Woodbury is the trail boss for the Gilbert's Snow Hunters Snowmobile Club. For years, he and nine other members prepared for the upcoming winter around Thanksgiving. They walked the five miles or so of paths used in previous years, checked bridges over creeks, cut brush, contacted private property owners and put up direction signs.
By the time the first snow fell, everything was in place so the dozens of sled drivers could enjoy their pastime and stay legal by not riding on streets or in parks.
"The club has been around since the 1970s," he said. "This is the first year no trails have been marked. There was no interest in doing it. The Snow Hunters is still together, but it's more of a social club now."
Some of the 25 members still meet once a month, and no doubt they talk about their rides in the neighboring towns of Elgin, Huntley and Hampshire. There they can ride in the open, but dwindling, spaces still untouched by construction crews.
There was a time when members of the Snow Hunters, the Elgin Cold Ducks, the Huntley Penguins and the Hampshire White Riders clubs talked about linking their trails. But progress got in the way.
"We can't blame all of our members. Too much property has changed hands. The new owners are not willing to let us ride on their land," Woodbury said. "Now, we have only a couple of miles of trails available because Gilberts is landlocked. Some day, the other towns are going to be the same."
But at least they have this winter and all its snow to enjoy their machines.
Gilberts police had depended on the trails club members markers to keep snowmobile drivers from other communities legal. With those trails, the enthusiasts kept out of trouble. And if they didn't, local members would tell them to behave or leave. Their reputation was on the line.
"I'm not saying the Snow Hunters will not mark trails again. We're not disbanding," Woodbury said. "Maybe someday we'll be active. And now, we'll give our trail signs to another club. This would have been the perfect winter to ride, though."