History

Sno-Park History

Nestled among the ridges and draws on the northern flank of Phoebe Mountain and stretching east to Antoine Creek at the base of Bonaparte Mountain, is the Okanogan Highlands Sno-Park. This area offers the cross-country skier 30 kilometers of groomed and maintained trails running up and across remote timbered hillsides and down through beautiful open meadows. The trails are groomed for the classic track skier, as well as the skate skier. Signage and posted maps prevent individuals from getting lost, or going on trails that may be too difficult. Sanitary facilities are provided. There is even a ski hut with a wood stove that provides a place to warm up and make some hot chocolate.

The Sno-Park is enjoyed by hundreds of visitors each winter. How did it come into being? Whose idea was it to establish a Sno-Park? What was the process needed to accomplish this task? How were the trails conceived and created? Who pays for the grooming and maintenance? What is the history of the park?

To learn the history of how the Highlands Sno-Park got started, I interviewed Dr. Walter Henze. Walter was there when the trails were first skied. The following is from our conversation and from his collection of documents pertaining to the 31 year history of the Park.

Walter, who was born in Arkansas, started skiing when he moved to Washington. "I began cross-country skiing when I came to Seattle in 1973 to begin my Residency in Family Practice at the U of W. My first ski experience was to Mt Rainer National Park - the woods at the base of the mountain - with several of my fellow residents who were all experienced skiers. One of them was upgrading their equipment and sold me their used skis, boots and poles for $35." He quickly became an avid cross-country skier.

The abundant snowfall and gentle terrain in the Okanogan Highlands made it ideal for cross-country skiing. This was a significant factor in Walter choosing Tonasket as a place to live and practice medicine.

Walter and his wife Sarah bought an old farmhouse near Havillah, and once the snow fell were able to ski out their front door. "We collected a bunch of used equipment, and lots of friends came to our place to try out the sport."

During a disappointingly low snow year, when they could no longer ski out the front door, Walter started exploring old Forest Service roads on Phoebe Mountain. In his search of better skiing conditions, he noticed, as he moved around the north side of the mountain that the snow quantity and quality improved. This soon became the area where he, Sarah, neighbors George and Patti Baumgardner, and other friends, would go skiing. They continued to explore and ski that area for several years.

While laying out a Forest Service timber sale, forester and silviculturalist Bill Terrill noticed the ski tracks. Being a cross-country skier, Bill started asking around: who was skiing out here? Upon meeting Walter he asked: "if Walter and his friends would be interested in forming a ski club, and setting up groomed trails as a cooperative venture between the club, the USFS, the Washington State Parks Winter Recreation Program, and local landowners." In short, create a Sno-Park.

The Washington State "Sno-Park" program was the result of a law passed in 1975, at the request of cross-country skiers, to establish a special winter recreation area parking permit system. This program was designed to enable better access to remote areas for winter recreational activities. The funds, collected from the sale of annual Sno-Park parking permits, are administered by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, and are granted to the Sno-Parks to pay for snow plowing roads and ski trail grooming.

Although it was a Forest Service employee who first had the idea, it was up to Walter and his group of skiing friends to conceptualize and plan the Sno-Park.

Knowing very little about the process of becoming a Sno-Park, Walter went to meet and talk with Jim Devlin who was developing and maintaining the Loop-Loop South Summit Sno-Park. Devlin provided information for writing the grant and getting the process started. Walter began by having a meeting of local residents who were also avid cross-country skiers. They formed the Highlands Nordic Ski Club and held their first meeting April 16, 1985. Twenty people were in attendance including a local musician (Steve Kinzie) who sang an original song about cross-country skiing. They formed committees to address the main concerns of creating a Sno-Park: parking lot construction, trail planning and development, and trail grooming. A committee was also formed to plan Club events and fund raisers.

Thus they began the process of applying for a state grant, and planning a trail system. Most of the trails followed old Forest Service roads, however they were creating some new trails, so they had to do an Environmental Analysis and address cultural concerns. A Special Use Permit from the Forest Service had to be obtained.

How the Ski Club decided on trail names is interesting. As Sarah Kaiser recalls: "To name the trails, the ski club held a drawing. Members who worked on clearing trails wrote their name on a slip of paper and dropped it into a jar. One of the kids got to draw the lucky slip and that person won the privilege of naming a specific trail. Trails were named after wildlife sightings, inspiring phrases or even old girlfriends. One trail, 'Stinger' is particularly steep and tricky. Most people think that inspired the name. Actually, during the work party to clear that trail, one of the volunteers moved a log, uncovering a ground wasp nest. She quickly ran off, tearing off her shirt as the wasps swarmed. It was a memorable event for all concerned, and the trail was named 'Stinger' in respect to the fast moving volunteer."

Impact on wildlife and wildlife habitat had to be considered. Approval from the Game Department was required. Because portions of the trails lay on private land the owner's written permission was necessary. Planning and decisions on a parking lot had to be made. In order to get a spot leveled for the parking lot, the club approached Herb Wandler who had heavy equipment. They knew that Herb's wife Bertha had grown up in a house in the lower meadow of the trail system. Herb agreed to level out the parking lot area, and in exchange Bertha would get to name the loop trail in that meadow. She named the loop Straight Edge, which was the nickname that the Forest Service personnel had given to her father Rollie Shaver for his straight arrow ways.

Providing sanitary facilities (outhouses) were mandated and had to be arranged. The first outhouse was donated by John Oaks from one of his orchards. It was an old "pit" type with a couple of bullet holes in the door. Now the Sno-Park has two "vault" type outhouses.

No one in the group had any formal Sno-Park development training, but they had skied at other Parks and on the trail systems in the Methow Valley. Walter recalls that one individual, George LaMaggie, was very helpful, possibly because he had prior experience with Sno-Parks in Colorado.

The applied group effort produced a grant request that Walter could take to Olympia and present to the State Parks and Recreation Commission. This was not such a simple task for Dr. Henze had to cover the local Emergency Room the night before the afternoon of the scheduled presentation. Fortunately there was another local doctor who had an airplane, and Walter was able to talk him into flying to the coast in the morning.

The people in the State Parks Department were very receptive to the Highlands grant request. It had been a couple of good snow years, and the State had sold a lot of parking permits. Also, the Highlands grant wasn't requesting a lot of money, and they were not asking for any funds for administrative or equipment needs. Trail construction, parking lot development, the outhouse, and signage were all provided by volunteer labor from the ski club. The grant request was for money to pay the groomer(s) and for money to pay the county to plow the parking lot and the access road.

With the grant request approved, Highlands Sno-Park was on the map and funded. Now they had to find a way to groom the trails. Mel Kuhlmann, who was involved with the Sitzmark Ski Hill, had been setting tracks for cross country skiers around the base of the ski hill. Mel was interested in increasing the skiing possibilities in the Okanogan and was talked into setting tracks for the Sno-Park. Mel had an ancient snowmobile and he came up with the idea of nailing 2x4's to a large sawed off stump to drag behind his machine. Walter recalls this worked surprisingly well. The following year Mel experimented with a 6 foot long piece of irrigation pipe to which he attached two large rubber rings. This device would roll behind the snowmobile setting a track. Unfortunately this groomer only worked well when the snow conditions were just right.

And so the winter of 1985-1986 saw the beginnings of the Highlands Sno-Park. Over the years, the Park has increased from 12 kilometers to its present size of 30 kilometers. It also has increased in skier visits, some winters topping 1000 sign-ins. The increase in trails and visitation has not occurred without some issues.

First were problems and concerns from other uses of the forest, namely logging. The Park occupies some prime timber land. Timber sales on both private and federal land would present challenges for shared use. During several winters major sections of the Park had to be shut down. Likewise, some logging contracts stipulated that no truck hauling could be done on the weekends to minimize accidents and mishaps on the access roads. The actual tree removal could offer both benefits and losses for the skiing. In a couple cases new trails were formed from new logging roads, or down slopes that were newly opened up. However, sometimes the removal of tree cover would cause a section of trail to melt out early in the spring. Walter recalls that the Forest Service listened to the skiers' concerns and took them into consideration in planning timber sales. "They were very supportive of the Sno-Park." It helped the Forest Service fulfill their mandate to enable winter recreation opportunities on their lands.

Other issues pertained to the snowmobile’s use of the area. The State "Sno-Park" program was also planned to consider snowmobilers' access to winter recreation areas. But a snowmobile running up a cross-country track can completely destroy the skiing. The solution to this conflict was in communication with the snowmobile clubs and adequate signage. There is one Forest Service road in the Park that is shared use, skiing on one side and the snowmobiles ride up the other side. Walter reports that, for the most part, snowmobilers have been very cooperative and understanding. "Occasionally they get confused with which trails are for their use and which are for skiers only."

Continued grooming of the trails also presented problems for the new Highlands Park. As previously stated, grooming began with old, outdated equipment. And Mel Kuhlmann, the Park's first groomer, was getting up there in years. Grooming can be physically challenging. If one gets their snow machine stuck or one has a mechanical breakdown they have to hike out. Finding someone to groom was not always easy. A good groomer has to be somewhat committed. The job requires an early start, working sometimes in very cold temperatures, and dealing with occasional frustrating mechanical failure. At times the actual grooming can be challenging, requiring a special skill set. An inexperienced groomer can leave a high berm in the trail creating a hazard for the skier who is flying down the track. For the rest of the 1980's, the Ski Club had to contend with groomers who were only able to last a season, and sometimes not that long.

For the next two decades the Sno-Park went through a period of trail expansion. Fortunately for the Ski Club they were able to find and retain a groomer who was committed to the growth and maintenance of the Park. The winter of 91- saw the introduction of Jack Thurston as the Highlands main groomer. The following information was obtained from conversations with Jack.

Jack started skiing when he was in high school back in the 60's. This was back when skiers had to apply pine tar to the base of their wood skis. During his college days he couldn't afford to ski much. Likewise when he moved to the Okanogan, and became an orchard owner, he had little time or money for downhill skiing. When he transitioned into working for the Forest Service, he found himself with time off during the winters and in search of a winter activity. He took up cross-country skiing and became a frequent visitor to the Sno-Park. A skiing buddy of his, knowing the Ski Club was looking for a reliable groomer, suggested he take on the job. "You're up here skiing all the time. You could groom the trails, get paid for it, and then go skiing." Apparently the idea sounded appealing, for he took on the job. And apparently he enjoyed what he was doing for this year he will start his twenty eighth year of grooming the Highlands Sno-Park.

Jack started out grooming with an old hand-me-down snow machine, a gift from another State Park. He also was using Mel Kuhlmann's rolling groomer and an old track setter. In an attempt to improve the snow base, Jack tried pulling a fence panel to help flatten out the snow. This idea didn't work too well. The following year Bob and Jane Thompson built and donated a texturizer. This device was heavy, difficult to work with, and the snowmobile didn't pull it very well.

In time, largely due to a request Walter Henze made at a State Sno-Park meeting, the State gave the Highlands a new snowmobile. Later a new Tiddtech groomer from the State Parks was received. "The new equipment made all the difference. Everything was easier, faster, better," Jack remembers. The Tiddtech allowed for both grooming the skating lane and setting the parallel tracks. All the equipment used on the Highlands Sno-Park is owned by the State Parks Commission and is actually on loan to the Highlands Nordic Ski Club.

Jack attended a snow grooming training session and learned the "best" way to groom. If the Highlands have received a big dump of snow, Jack goes up and down the trail with just the snowmobile to "get the air out." Then he goes up and down again to groom half of the skating lane. Jack then goes up a third time to finish the skating lane. Coming down he sets the tracks for the classic skier. If there are two sets of tracks (like on "Whitetail") he goes on the trail one more time. Keep in mind that much of this work is done when the temperatures are in the teens, and there is barely enough light to see.

Due to generosity from the State Parks Department, the Highlands have received a succession of new snowmobiles. This was largely due to Walter, and then Jack, making a presentation at the annual State Sno-Park meeting and articulating the needs of the Highlands Park. During this expansion period both the length of the trails groomed and the amount of time needed for grooming increased. Thus the annual request for money from the State increased. It is interesting to note that the increase in trails was again the result of several years of low snow falls. During those years the lower trails couldn't be groomed due to lack of snow. So Jack and other members of the ski club started investigating higher elevation forest roads for better snow conditions. They also examined the possibilities of expanding the Park to the east. Once again they ran into issues with private ownership and Forest Service concerns. For the Forest Service the main issues were deer winter range and watershed management. The environmental impact had to be analyzed. Trail planning was further complicated by the Forest Service having a policy that no new trail could cross a creek.

Private land ownership provided a different set of issues. In one case, access was denied because the owners wanted to maintain their privacy. In contrast, another family, the Obergs, have graciously allowed access to skiers since the first day of the Sno-Park.

With the increase in trails during the expansion phase, the Park also saw the addition of a "ski hut". Requiring another special use permit, the original warming hut was a tarp and pole temporary structure. This shelter deteriorated over a few seasons, and has been replace by a much nicer and much warmer framed and insulated hut designed by George Baumgardner, and built by Rob Thompson, George, and a cadre of other volunteers. There is also a vault style outhouse next to the hut.

As one might suspect, Jack has had a couple of close calls in his years of grooming. Most dangerous was rolling the snowmobile over. Fortunately, he escaped without serious injury. He thinks he might have got the machine stuck on its' side a dozen times, requiring a hike back to the parking lot. He then has to find someone with another snowmobile to pull him out.

Jack has also had numerous wildlife sighting and encounters, including seeing the illusive Great Gray Owl. His most memorable wildlife encounter was with a moose. As he related, he was walking out to where he parked the snowmobile. It was early in the morning and still dark. When he came around the corner there was a moose standing in the middle of the trail where the machine was parked. "Hmm," he said, "this has never happened before." At first he just stood there waiting for the moose to leave. But the big cow didn’t move. It was cold and Jack didn't have much patience to wait around. He took a couple of steps towards the moose, thinking the moose would leave, but instead the moose took two steps towards Jack. Thinking "this isn't good," Jack backed up off the trail, and got a few trees between him and the moose. He then slowly worked his way around the moose. The moose just stood there. He got further round the moose and over to the snowmobile. There he slowly took the cover off the snowmobile and started the machine. The noises apparently frighten the moose for she moved on.

Jack also told the story of what he called a "cougar confrontation." This happened to another skier who was skiing up "Whitetail." He was nearing the end of the trail when he came to where a cougar was lying next to the trail chewing on a deer carcass. Thinking "I shouldn't be here," the skier immediately turned around and skied out of there.

This brief history of the Highlands Sno-Park would not be complete if the contributions of Patti Bumgardner were not included. Patti was a founding member of the ski club. She offers her house for the annual Club meeting and work day pot luck every year. She has spent countless hours in volunteer work with trail maintenance and Park improvement. Perhaps her greater service is provided to skiers by her Park condition reports.

Patti can't remember when she started (most likely early 2000's), but to quote her: "I do remember why I began writing them - I'd be out there, and it would be so beautiful, so invigorating, so breathtaking, and so fun, and there would be no one else skiing. I thought if people knew what an amazing winter experience they could have at the Sno-Park, they would venture outdoors. I started with a few email addresses and we now have about 135 contacts on our list."

Her prose often sounds poetic when she reports on the grooming status of different trails, road conditions, and the quality of the snow. The challenges of skating up hills as well as the thrills of flying down icy tracks are conveyed. She manages to capture the awesome views and the sensation of gliding across freshly groomed tracks under bluebird skies. Patti's reports make it difficult to stay in the valley, under gray gloomy skies, when she relates the exercise, excitement, and beauty to be had when skiing in the Okanogan Highlands Sno-Park.

This article was written by club member Phil Gleason for the "Heritage" publication of the Okanogan County Historical Society.