The Good Spirit Cross Country Ski Club held its annual wood cutting and splitting bee on June 5.
The club planned to have this work completed in the fall of 2021, however early snowfall prevented vehicle access to the warm-up shelter, according to Darryl Stevenson, club president. Trees were gathered late in the fall by Good Spirit Provincial Park staff and by club members, then piled by the shelter's wood shed.
The club decided to have the wood splitting bee at this time in order to be able to season the wood in time for the 2022/23 skiing season,” said Stevenson. “Thirteen volunteers offered their services with welcomed enthusiasm, making a big task completed quickly. A couple of experienced chainsaw operators and two wood splitters helped to complete the job. The split wood was stacked in the woodshed and once it was filled, the excess firewood had to be stacked outside. The pesky ticks also joined the work bee, which although anticipated, still managed to irritate many.”
The ski club provided a hot dog lunch for the group of hungry workers.
“The Provincial Park staff have been extremely busy on cleaning up over 100 downed trees in the park following the recent wind storms,” reported Stevenson. “They are now focusing on clearing downed trees on the hiking trails to allow for grass cutting. The ski club thanks Park manager, Brian Dudar and his staff for all of their assistance and support provided to the ski club.”
Once the work was done, a social gathering led to discussions in planning upgrades around the shelter.
“Discussion included a possible expansion to cover the picnic table area located on the previous shelter's concrete floor, which has become a well-used patio,” shared Stevenson.
“Overall, another successful ski club work bee was held where hard work and fellowship promotes enthusiasm for the next ski season.”
