This season is offering up great trail conditions! Last Wednesday our National Weather Service
consultant reported a 12 snow base around the Marquette area and a 40 base in Grand
Marais. The trees look and sound like glass ornaments due to an ice storm early last week. The
ice was quickly followed by a snow layer at perfect temperatures to help fuse the snow to the
surface. Another 4 to 12 inches of snow fell across the region at the end of last week.
As gorgeous as it is, that weather sequence put the trail crew on overtime. In addition to
packing trails, they are methodically trimming trees and branches bent or broken when that
layer of ice weighted with snow proved too much for some trees to handle. Progress was made
over the weekend and our crews continue to work their way along the many trail miles.
We are expecting a snowstorm today that will blanket the region with new snow amounts
ranging from 5 to 16 inches, depending on exact location. While adding to an already solid base
the new snow will also add a bit of a challenge for the trail crew. Mike, Angela and their
dedicated crew are confident theyll have the trail prepped by race time. The race week
forecast indicates light snow Thursday with cloudy to partly cloudy skies Friday through Sunday.
Along with good trail conditions, temperatures are predicted to be very sled dog race friendly
this coming weekend. Daytime highs holding steady in the upper teens (about 18) and night
temperatures sitting around 6 will be perfect for dogs, mushers, volunteers, and spectators!