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The Izaak Walton Inn will be closed from March 31st 2023 until tentatively Winter 2023 or Spring 2024 (exact reopening date TBD).

Frequently Asked Questions during this time:

• Will gift cards be valid upon reopening? Yes, the new owners will vouch previously purchased Costco Gift Cards (these gift cards have a winter or summer scene of the Izaak Walton Inn on the front).
• Will the restaurant & bar remain open during renovations? No, all facilities related to the inn and our sister hotel the Halfway Hotel will be unavailable during the construction period.
• Will the train still stop in Essex? Yes, Amtrak will still service to Essex but be advised there is no cell service, wifi, stores, food services, taxi/uber, or amenities in Essex. If you were to take the train here you could potentially be stranded in a remote location without assistance.
• Will the trails remain open for hiking? – Yes, the Marion Lake Trail and Dickey Lake Trail will remain open as they are on forest service land. Do keep in mind these are backcountry trails off of a rough, unmaintained forest service road (4WD and a raised vehicle recommended), and the trails involve bushwhacking into bear and moose territory. If hiking in these areas, consider bringing a Spot/Beacon/InReach in case of emergency. ATVs are not permitted on the roads per the forest service. Backcountry camping may require a permit, call the Hungry Horse Ranger Station for more information.

 

9 am GROOMED:

• Starlight
• Caboose and Cabin Lanes
• Essex Road
• Upper Dickey Loop
• Spring Hill Down
• Highline Up
• Essex Creek Down
• Pileated

6:30am – That’s right folks. After the groomer finishes doing a little snow removal, he will be heading to the trails to create one more day of lovely corduroy. We received about 4 inches of snow in the last 24 hours.  It is going to be beautiful for our final day. Fresh, bright white snow! It is currently 29* at 6:45am. We are forecast a high of 38* and a 60% chance of snow.

Ski Passes with be free today! The restaurant and bar will close after breakfast service, around 11am. Bathrooms are available in the downstairs of the Annex building if the Inn door is locked.

The website will be updated after the grooming is complete.

Ski Passes with be free today! Thank you to each and every one of you who supported the Izaak this season!  We look forward to seeing you all in December of 2023.

I realize some of you may not be as excited as I am about the April snowstorm. One of the worst April storms on record was in the spring of 1969. There was record snowfall, up to 32 inches, and 20 ft deep drifts. This was in southeast Montana in late April. This storm came with below 0 wind chills and blizzard conditions. So, I feel like we got off easy with just 4 inches. Check out https://www.distinctlymontana.com/montanas-5-worst-winters for more info on Montana’s “worst” winters.

Good Morning! It’s snowing and we are forecast to receive 2-4 inches of snow thru the day and more tonight….no foolin! It thought the NWS was pulling an April Fools joke when I looked at the forecast and we saw that are in a Winter Weather Advisory.  Today is the last day the Inn will be fully open for the season. Come on down to the Flagstop after a ski and Cheers your friends one last time. The Inn will shut down Sunday after checkouts. Trails signs will come down Monday or Tuesday.

Conditions were excellent for grooming last evening. Trails will be firm and fast this morning and we shall see what happens this afternoon. With a high of 42* predicted, it could get real interesting. Bring your glide wax and rain poncho just in case. The trails have excellent coverage!

GROOMED:

• Starlight
• Caboose and Cabin Lanes
• Spring Hill
• Upper and Lower Dickey Loop
• Dickey Road from Upper D to Essex Rd
• Essex Rd
• River Trail and River Loop
• Highline
• Essex Creek
• Towering Pines
• Pileated

Why is everyone so tired on April 1?

Because they just finished a 31 day March!

Good Morning! Happy Friday! The trails were groomed last evening. Expect them to be firm and fast in the morning and to soften up by early afternoon. The photo below was taken at 7:30pm last evening. Long days and excellent skiing!

GROOMED:

• Starlight
• Caboose and Cabin Lanes
• Essex Road
• Spring Hill
• Pileated
• Towering Pines
• Kendi’s Crossing
• Highline
• Essex Creek
• Junction Circle

Friday, the beginning of our last weekend of corduroy on our lovely trails. Spring is such a lovely time. While it is tough seeing the snow melting away, it is fun seeing spring sights. Yesterday, in front of the Inn, I watched a robin taking a bath in a puddle. It looked so darn happy, I was almost tempted to head up to Marion Creek can take one myself. While there is not any solid proof as to why birds bath, it is thought they do so to keep their feathers in good shape and to rid themselves of parasites. It has been found that an bird who has bathed, has more agility when flying.

According to askanaturalist.com, “Feathers are amazing adaptations for both flight and insulation, but they don’t come without cost. In fact, one study found that across a wide range of species, birds averaged over 9% of their time preening. Some species spend a full quarter of their life cleaning and rearranging their feathers. A bird feather is constructed of a central shaft with lattice-like branches. Coming off the branches are short shafts with rows of barbs which interlock, something like hundreds of tiny zippers. Any time a bird’s feathers are contacted, some of the tiny zippers may shift and come undone. It probably even happens just when the bird is flying. Unless the bird rezips the feather structures several times a day, it would grow more and more ragged and the feathers would become less and less sturdy. Eventually, the bird would find it pretty hard to fly well. This could mean the difference between life and death to a bird trying to escape a predator.”

Good Morning People! Wow, this season has flown by….just 4 days left and we then close for renovations. We are currently hoping to be open December 2023. SOOOOO….get out here and enjoy it while you can. Our trails continue to have excellent coverage. There are a few (very few) small areas where there is grass showing on the edge of the trail and the creeks on Dickey Loop are beginning to show up.

We are forecast for a high of 43* and 60% chance of snow today. We will have the PistenBully grooming trails for Friday – Sunday. If temperatures permits, the hope is to get out on the snowmobile a little later this morning and get some fresh corduroy put down for today.

We have had a lot of dog traffic on the trails lately. It’s great to see the 4 leggers enjoying our dog friendly trails! It appears folks have been doing a great job cleaning up after their pooches. There are very few places where we are seeing turds. Thanks everyone!!!!

What do you call a dog with no legs?

It doesn’t matter, he still won’t come when you call.

Where do you find a dog with no legs?

Right where you left him!

 

 

 

It was a beautiful Cheshire Cat Moon last night. Hard to tell it’s a Waning Crescent Moon in the pic but that’s what it is! It takes 29.53 days for the moon to circle the Earth. We are 23.51 days into this lunar cycle.

Good Morning! We have one week left of the trails being open. It’s always a bittersweet time of year. We are getting excited for spring and new beginnings. There has been an influx of birds and warmer temps, the creeks are flowing with more oooomff. Soon there will be flowers, green grass, swimming, sunshine on more than my face and hands……Sunshine on My Shoulders Makes Me Happy….sing it John…BUT we got an inch of light fluffy snow last night and it is BEAUTIFUL right now! So I am putting my dreams of spring on hold for just a little longer.

At 6am, it is currently 28 degrees and snowing. We are forecast a high of 41 degrees and 60% chance of snow continuing throughout the day.

GROOMED:

• Starlight
• Caboose and Cabin Lanes
• Spring Hill
• Essex Road
• Towering Pines
• Highline Up
• Essex Creek Up

Every trail except Dickey Road above Upper Dickey loop has been groomed in the last 48 hours. Enjoy the smooth corduroy with a pretty skiff of fluff on top!

****Lower Dickey Loop is beginning to deteriorate due to the creek. It is still skiable but pay attention and ski with caution.

6:30 am – It continues to be favorable temps to groom in the evening. The trails are happily waiting for a visit from you! It is currently 30 degrees on the back porch. Our snow stake is reading 37 inches in the Cabin/Caboose area. The trails still have excellent coverage. My ski after work yesterday was fabulous. At 4:30, the trails were soft yet fast, very fast.

GROOMED:

• Starlight
• Caboose and Cabin Lanes
• Essex Road
• Spring Hill Down
• Lower Dickey Loop
• Dickey Rd from Lower Loop to Essex Rd
• River Trail
• River Loop
• Kendi’s Crossing
• Highline Down
• Essex Creek Down
• Pileated

Fun Fact: The fastest speed recorded by a male on skis is 158.4 mph and a female is 153.5 in the sport of speed skiing. This is where participants dress in aerodynamic apparel and ski straight down the course without turning. I could not find any information on the fastest speed recorded by a person on Classic or Skate ski gear. In general however, top xc ski racers hit speeds of 20-25 mph on flats and 35-40 mph on downhills. Top skate skiers are generally faster by 10%.

 

 

The weather guessers say our days of sunshine are over for a little bit. Hope you all got your Vitamin D fix yesterday! It is currently 31 degrees. We are forecast a high of 38* with a 60% chance of snow. The groomer put down some fantastic corduroy for you last evening while the snow was soft instead of fighting the hardpack this morning. Expect the trails to be a bit firm and to soften as the temps continue to warm.

GROOMED:

• Starlight
• Caboose and Cabin Lanes
• Essex Road
• Essex Creek Up
• Highline Up
• Spring Hill
• Upper Dickey Loop
• Dickey Rd from Upper Dickey to Essex Rd

A little history about the Izaak for you today….

• Built in 1939, it cost $40,000 to build and was considered “modern in every detail”
• It took 12 carpenters 3 months to build.
• Until 1995, there were only 10 bathrooms for 29 guest rooms. There are now 31 rooms, each with it’s own bathroom.

We have a few of the Izaak Walton Inn books left if the lobby. If you want to know more, come and buy one! It was published in 1995.

 

9am – The groomer is out. It is pretty firm but he will do what he can to coax the corduroy. Afternoons on the sunny trails will be the softest. Nice firm, fast mornings otherwise.

6:45 am – Including today, we have 11 days left in this season of our fabulous trails being coaxed into corduroy. Next weekend will be our last weekend of grooming and trail signs will come down on April 3rd/4th. We are forecast for a high of 44 degrees and mostly sunny. Don’t forget your sunscreen! The solar on the skin has felt fantastic AND it’s good for you so long as you don’t overdo it.

According to www.thehealthboard.com, “Vitamin D is made in the body when the sun’s ultraviolet B (UVB) rays hit the skin, setting off a reaction that triggers the synthesis of the sunshine vitamin. Vital for calcium absorption, nerve conduction, immune function and the reduction of inflammation, vitamin D is one of the body’s most essential nutrients.”

Get your Vitamin D fix today while scooching around the trails! It looks like we have some snowy, cloudy weather coming in over the weekend.

Oh My! Just realized that tomorrow is the FIRST DAY OF SPRING! What the heck?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

GROOMED:

• Caboose and Cabin Lanes
• Starlight
• Pileated
• Towering Pines
• Essex Road
• River Trail

6:30am – Good Morning! Another day of sunny skies is in our forecast. It is currently 17 degrees and our high today will be around 47 degrees. It always feels so crazy to start the day out feeling chilled in the brisk wee hours and end the day 30 degrees warmer basking in the sun. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the biggest temperature change in 24 hours was on January 14-15, 1972 in Loma, Montana. On January 14 at 9am it was negative 54 degrees. On January 15, at 8am it was 49 degrees. That makes for a 103 degree difference in the 24 hour period. This was due to a downslope chinook wind event. Prior to this event, the record was held by Browning, Montana with a 100 degree difference.