Center#039;s skiing trails beckon enthusiasts

Published 12:00 am Friday, February 14, 2003

Another inch and a half of snow does not make a perfect cross country skiing trail.

But Larry Dolphin will take what the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center can get this winter.

Tuesday's snowfall and the strong winds that accompanied it have left most of the Nature Center's trails covered with snow.

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"There are a few bare spots, but for the most part, the trails are covered with snow all over the Nature Center," said Dolphin, the naturalist and director of the Nature Center.

That means there is cross country skiing at the Nature Center.

The rental fee is $5. All skiers 16 and older must have a ski pass, which are available at Black Bart's/Nemitz's, Kmart and Wagner True Value Hardware Store, all in Austin.

The Nature Center does not sell ski passes.

This marks the second consecutive winter that cross country skiing opportunities at the Nature Center have been limited.

The snow cover has not been deep enough to require the grooming machine's attention.

Dolphin advises all cross country skiers to be alert for the "rough spots" along the Nature Center's trail system.

"It's not as much as we would like to have, but it's enough to allow skiers to get outdoors and escape the winter blahs by experiencing nature's wonders," Dolphin said. "Usually by mid-February, we have already had six or eight weeks of good, old winter weather. But for the second year in a row, that hasn't happened."

For more information about cross country skiing and other opportunities at the Nature Center, call 437-7519.

Lee Bonorden can be contacted at 434-2232 or by e-mail at lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com