Throughout the winter season, the team at TART Trails livens up the Bartlett Road Trailhead with Vasa Pathway open houses featuring a campfire, hot cocoa, and the beloved baker-volunteers (are they really just angels?) who supply the most crucial component: the cookies.
These trail-side celebrations can be the extra boost cross-country skiers, hikers, and snowshoers need to get out on the trail while the proverbial “gettin’ is good.”
We usually begin the open houses in January and run through March. Last winter, we scheduled three solid dates to be at the trailhead, yet the weather forecast did not deliver — no snow led to no open houses. To avoid a similar fate this season, we threw together a somewhat last-minute Vasa open house in December, responding to the already present snow. Winter recreators of all sorts came out on Saturday, Dec. 14, and relished in the winter magic. I asked nearly 100 trail enjoyers how their adventure was. Everyone responded with similar gusto, “The trail is perfect today.” And I agreed. I snuck in a cross-country ski on the 10-kilometer loop before the open house started and knew each visitor was in for a special treat.
I recognize some of you reading this may have never visited the Vasa Pathway before. I encourage you to take this article as a sign, a permission slip to try something new. The Vasa Pathway is a uniquely lovely place to explore in our region. I learned to cross-country ski on these trails with my family, two incredibly patient and winter-oriented parents and one convincing older sister. My parents would ski ahead of my sister and me, sticking individually wrapped Starbursts in the trail for us to discover and to keep us moving in a forward direction. The Starbursts trick clearly worked on us. I joined the middle school and high school ski teams and learned to love skiing for my own reasons, beyond the candy-motivated reasons. Only a handful of times did I wonder where the Starbursts went. I enjoyed the sense of adventure and accomplishment and the friendships forged through time together on the trail.
I went on to ski at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, near Minneapolis and St. Paul. Through college cross-country skiing competitions, I tested out different ski trails across the northern regions of the US. I tried trails in New York, Wisconsin, Colorado, and New Hampshire. These trails bring you to new places with views of cityscapes, mountains, and lakes. Yet no other trail can quite compare to our region’s Vasa Pathway. There is a certain sense of returning home when I ski out from the Bartlett Trailhead. I recognize the trees along the way like they are ushering me along. I am familiar enough with the twists and turns to allow my mind to wander without the concern of getting lost. This snowy December has already reminded me of exactly why the Vasa Pathway is such a special place. The open house only bolstered that sensation. Hot cocoa and cookies don’t hurt either. I’m sensing a theme.
A changing climate has our region in its grasp, contributing to these unpredictable weather patterns and extreme temperatures. I anticipate that impromptu Vasa open houses will start to be the norm. Rapid shifts, as we have already experienced this year, will require us to adapt quickly and be nimble. A year with no consistent winter made me a bit more aware of when winter does arrive. I find myself moving with a bit more urgency when snow falls. I hurry to gather my skis, boots, and poles and hit the trail when I can. While this phenomenon is by no means a “silver lining” of climate change, perhaps we will reflect a bit more before skipping a perfect trail day.
TART Trails hosts a few events in the new year to ensure you don’t miss a chance for some winter magic. Visit us at the next tentative open house on Jan. 11, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Bartlett Road Trailhead. Better yet, join in on Winter Day Trails on Jan. 18 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Timber Ridge Resort and try out all different sorts of winter activities for free! Happiest of trails.