MECCA trails to hold virtual Winterfest

By CHARITY SMITH

csmith@yourdailyglobe.com

MERCER, Wis. — Officials with MECCA Trails have announced they will host their first Winterfest fundraising event in collaboration with the Gogebic Range Health Foundation from Dec. 18 to Feb. 21, 2021.

While the skiing will be real, the event will be virtual, as participants will have the better part of two months to complete races. Winterfest will include the third annual Turtle River Pursuit — made up of 11K classic and 11K freestyle races — as well as three other events on the trail system.

“We are expecting a great turn-out because people need to get out and get fresh air,” Shouldice said. “So come out in small groups. Keep socially distant. Ski the course or hike the snowshoe trail and have fun.”

According to Mike Shouldice president of MECCA Trails Association, participants in the the Turtle River Pursuit will ski one 11k in a classic diagonal fashion and the other 11K in a skate ski format.

The pursuit has solo and team divisions.

The festival will also feature two additional ski races and a snowshoe tour. The 5K Claire de Loon Classic Fun Race — always popular with children, according to Shouldice — will return this year, along with two new events — the Flowage 15K Freestyle, which organizers say will showcase the beauty of the MECCA trails system; and the Mercer Springs Snowshoe Tour, which has 1-, 2-, and 3-mile options.

“We have tripled our snowshoe trails this year and the snowshoe tour is looped trails totaling three miles,” Shouldice said. “It”s not a timed event. People can come out and snowshoe to their hearts content.”

He said that MECCA has added an additional 2-mile trail to the original Klondike Trail. The additional 2 miles is known as the Mercer Springs Trail.

“(Klondike trail) is very beautiful through a variety of forest conditions wetlands, upland hardwoods, and hemlocks and cedars, and tamaracks and likewise,” Shouldice said. “The new 2-mile Mercer Springs Trail goes through a wetland with a beaver pond. You actually cross the beaver pond on part of the trail and it has a variety of forest conditions, too.”

He said that the snowshoe trails are un-groomed, so participants might be breaking trail depending on how much snow accumulates.

“If we get a foot of snow, it”s a workout. But you can come out with three or four of your friends or family, and you just take turns breaking trail,” Shouldice said.

Ski event participants will be timing themselves on the course and then reporting their time to MECCA. The trail organization is also offering a discounted membership to registrants. Participants who opt to pay for the membership are able to ski the trails as many times as they would like during the event time frame and then report their best time to MECCA. They may choose to race or tour alone or with a group of their family or friends.

MECCA is following the guidance of the Iron County Health Department and has implemented some restrictions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The log chalet will be open with limited capacity this year for warming up and changing into ski or snowshoeing gear. Only six people at a time will be allowed to enter the chalet and masks must be worn inside. No food will be available to guests. It will be cleaned once a day and sanitizer wipes will be available to guests.

“In years past we have had cookies and granola bars and hot chocolate, and a coffee pot; so there is no food service and we”re encouraging people not to linger in the chalet,” Shouldice said.

The monies raised from the fundraiser, will be matched up to $8,000 by GRHF according to executive director Andrea Newby. Last year the event raised $10,000 in profits before the match. This year Shouldice said he does not expect as much revenue as many event sponsors are unable to participate this year because of the impact of COVID-19 on small businesses.

Shouldice said the profits from this year”s fundraiser will be used to “continually improve the trails” and provide funding for the MECCA Experience program. The program is a community outreach program that was founded two years ago. It has provided numerous ski lessons for area youth as well as adults, provided programing through the North Lakeland Discovery Center, and paid for Hurley High School kids to have a field biology class at MECCA.

“Our primary priority is getting kids on skis,” Shouldice said. “Basketball and football programs are great, but you probably won”t be playing football when you are 40 years old. Whereas, we frequently see people in their 80s or 90s on skis. It”s our belief that you shouldn”t grow up around here without learning how to ski.”

For more information, visit MECCAtrails.com or email Shouldice at info@meccatrails.com.