MADAWASKA, Maine Whether you've been riding all your life, or you're just a beginner. Safety comes first when operating a snow mobile. The Madawaska snow mobile club knows how important it is, and marks the trails to keep riders aware.
Ken Theriault, Vice President of the club, says "So basically we mark our trails so that when people come in at night, they're going to be safe. The reflectors are on the sign markers, where the curves are at, where there's bumps or where it's unsafe. We mark those trails."
The Club says the warmer winter weather pushed the marking back until now.
"Probably one of the latest times," Theriault says.
The club President, Mike Guerrette says, "It's been one of the latest years because of the frost, but we're expecting a deep deep frost this weekend. The cold weather's going to help."
Guerrette says the crews covered around 50 miles. And it's not an easy task. It takes plenty of willing volunteers and coordinated teamwork to make sure the signs are displayed properly.
"We have to make sure we have enough snow to hold those signs because we will be dropping signs, we've got riders that will be coming up from behind making sure the signs stay up and so that's the important part is that people know where they're going and be safe," Theriault added.
Another important part to operating a successful trail system is an agreement between the club and the 107 nearby land owners. If any problems arise, the club says it will handle it immediately.
"And we want them to come to us first. And we will try to work out the situation, whatever it is."
The volunteers set up over one thousand signs, which will make sure any person who rides their trails are fully aware of their surroundings.
