Path to a parks plan — Soldotna issues draft parks, trails master plan

File photo by Jenny Neyman, Redoubt Reporter. A runner in the Kenai River Marathon heads down Bridge Access Road with the mountains flanking Cook Inlet behind her.

By Jenny Neyman

Redoubt Reporter

If you live in the Soldotna area and are recreation- or activity-minded, chances are you’ve thought at least one of the following:

It’d sure be nice to have longer stretches to walk along the Kenai River.

It’s too bad the Unity Trail doesn’t continue through Soldotna, so we don’t have to walk, run or ride a bike right alongside the Sterling Highway.

I wish there were an indoor place to walk, or some turf on which to practice soccer before the snow melts.

It’d be great if teens had more maintained, supervised places to hang out and recreate.

Can’t someone do something to make the Sterling-Kenai Spur highways “Y” intersection less of a pain for pedestrians and bicyclists?

Or the big one — it would be so great to get back and forth from Kenai Peninsula College and downtown Soldotna without having to go all the way around Kalifornsky Beach Road to the Sterling Highway to the David Douthit Memorial Bridge over the Kenai River.

Well, Soldotna, that wishful thinking is on a path to being granted, with the Soldotna Parks and Trails planning process nearing completion. After reviewing past planning efforts, meeting with stakeholder and user groups, conferring with partner agencies and organizations, and soliciting input through a public survey, Casey Planning and Design has released a semifinal, 75 percent-complete draft Soldotna Parks and Trails Master Plan.

An open house will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Soldotna Sports Center, where the public can view the draft plan and its recommendations, ask questions and provide feedback. The draft plan, map and associated documents also will be available on the city of Soldotna’s website. The plan is open for review and public comment through May 10. Planners will contact season-specific recreational user groups over the summer — which might not have been thoroughly represented in the survey conducted this winter — for more input, then submit the plan to the city council for approval next fall.

“We want to keep it at a level of ‘What about?’ As opposed to, ‘Why didn’t they?’ At this point it’s still dynamic,” said Andrew Carmichael, city of Soldotna Parks and Recreation director.

Sights set on spooky

Photos by Jenny Neyman, Redoubt Reporter

Costumed treat-seekers of all stripes took to Tsalteshi Trails on Sunday for its annual Spook Night event, including a trick-or-treat trail through the woods and a 5-kilometer Zombie Run.

Zombie 5-kilometer

Sunday, Oct. 29, Tsalteshi Trails

Men — Jordan Theisen, first place, 20:03.7; Sean Goff, 21:13.3; Ryder Galic, 25:24.9; Jeremy Kupferschmid, 27:00.1; Tanner Best, 28:21.9; Rick Proffitt, 30:51.2; John Solem, 30:53.5; Joseph Briggs, 31:55.4; Todd Pollock, 35:27.5; Van Grainge, 36:40.2; Billy Morrow, 39:14.9; Will Morrow, 39:15.2; Rick Kraxberger, 46:59.8; Drake Thomas, 53:44.6; Phil Pijahn, 58:48.6.

Women — Emily Colton, first place, 24:18.3; Anna Berington, 27:19.8, Kristy Berington, 27:20.1; Hadassah Udelhoven, 27:53.4; Regina Theisen, 29:36.2; Nimi Pollock, 31:01.6; Melody Nichol, 32:09.9; Patty Moran, 32:37.0; Janice Habermann, 33:22.2; Jenny Olendorff, 33:22.5; Susan Pfaffe, 33:22.8; Marian Werth, 33:23.1; Madeline Brennan, 35:47.9; Angie Brennan, 35:52.5; Danielle Caswell, 36:02.5; Markie Shiflen, 36:24.8; Amy Adcox, 37:08; Kristin Morrow, 39:15.5; Diane Pollock, 43:10.2; Thi Pijahn, 46:07.8; Amber Kraxberger, 47:00.1; Shelby Dykstra, 48:43.8; Kathy Hahmel, 48:46.7; Joni Dykstra, 48:47.0; Yvonne Oren, 50:08.5; Kristen Mitchell, 53:48.6; Lauri Langafelt, 53:51.2; Jennifer Jackson, 55:12.2; Heather Christian, 58:48.3; Laura McIndoe, 1:03:55.1; Becky Hutchinson, 1:04:12.5.

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‘Fore’ Frisbee fun — New disc golf course opens in Soldotna

By Joseph Robertia

Photo courtesy of River City Rotaract. Members of River City Rotaract gather around a basket of a new disc golf course on Tsalteshi Trails behind Skyview High School. The course, installed this summer, can be accessed behind the football field at Skyview.

Redoubt Reporter

Being young in this day and age generally conjures up the reputation of being somewhat self-absorbed, what with all the technological options available for entertainment and social networking. But with youth also can come new ideas and the energy to make them happen.

A small group of young professionals from Soldotna have taken the latter approach and are now watching their endeavor soar — literally and figuratively. River City Rotaract, a division of the Rotary Club of Soldotna specifically for 18- to 35-year-olds, devotes itself to developing community projects, such as the recently completed addition of a disc golf course at Tsalteshi Trails.

“It ended up being a much bigger project than we anticipated,” said Stephanie Musgrove, of Rotaract.

Tsalteshi Trails, accessed from behind Skyview High School or from the trailhead on Kalifornsky Beach Road across the street from the Soldotna Sports Center, offers miles of trails for hiking, jogging and biking in summer, and skiing in winter. Adding to this now is a 20-basket disc golf course, located on the Squirrel Loop of the trails, accessed behind the football and soccer fields at Skyview.

“We thought it would be a great idea because while Kenai has two courses, Soldotna doesn’t have anything like this. It seemed like something people in our age group would want to do, and hopefully it will be a push in the right direction for other people in the community to stay active and be healthy,” Musgrove said.

The concept of disc golf, also known as Frisbee golf, or “frolfing,” is simple. Like the regular game, where clubs are used to drive a white ball down a fairway and eventually into a hole, in disc golf a disc is thrown down the course and eventually into a hanging basket, which also is sometimes called a hole.

“It’s pretty windy and a bit longer than the Kenai courses. Over two kilometers there are 20 baskets, which is a pretty long course. Nineteen of those are course holes. The other one is a putting hole, for people to practice on or warm up while waiting for friends,” Musgrove said.

Slip slidin’ success — Ski day targets youth with special needs

By Jenny Neyman

Photos by Clark Fair, Redoubt Reporter. Owen Swaby gets two hands from mom, Kate Swaby, left, and volunteer Denise Harrow during a learn-to-ski event for kids with special needs Saturday at Tsalteshi Trails.

Redoubt Reporter

Being a physical therapist, Angela Beplat could rattle off the skills the kids were working on as they participated in a learn-to-ski event for kids with special needs Saturday afternoon at Tsalteshi Trails behind Skyview High School in Soldotna.

“You’re always trying to

Xander Kinslow takes a load off in between skis during the event.

work on core strength and bilateral coordination and all these different types of skills, but skiing is so cool because it’s an activity that naturally has all those kinds of things. It’s all there,” she said.

The parents — watching their kids laugh and play, concentrate on staying upright and tackle the difficulty of shuffling up a slope only to launch fearlessly back down it — could attest to the social and educational aspects of the event.

“They get to see kids from therapy or school, and it’s also good for them to be around older kids who are skiing,” said

Sophie Lathrop sports a stylish unicorn helmet as part of her warm-weather garb during a learn-to-ski event Saturday.

Angela Lathrop, who brought her four adopted kids, ages 6 to 9, to the event. “It’s good to see them get out and do stuff, and it also raises their confidence. So many times with our kiddos with special needs you have to be so careful with safety and they don’t always understand the inherent danger in things.

Almanac: Local names reign on Tsalteshi Trails

Editor’s note: This is the third of a three-part story about the history of Tsalteshi Trails, the main training ground for three central peninsula high schools and the local centerpiece for skiing and running competitions. The first article discussed how the land was acquired and how the trail-making was planned. The second article showed how a confluence of motivated individuals opened up the ridge line for skiing, running and mountain biking. This week’s article demonstrates the unqualified success of the trail system and its continuing growth and refinement.

Photos courtesy of Bill Holt. In early autumn 2009, Bill Holt creates a wire trench for the lighting systems on the Beaver and Raven loops at Tsalteshi Trails.

By Clark Fair

Redoubt Reporter

Bill Holt, the primary groomer and caretaker for Tsalteshi Trails, remembers how his role with the trail system intensified in the mid-1990s:

“Back in the dark ages, Alan Boraas was digging out one of the old Ski-Do Alpine snowmachines, and I was rubbernecking nearby and asked if he needed some help,” Holt said. “We got it dug out, and he asked if I wanted to help him groom. I said, ‘Sure.’ Alan took off, made it to the top of the hill and got stuck. Lots of blue smoke and blue language. I went up to help, and the next thing I knew I was spending more and more time on a snowmachine following him around.

“Alan puts a lot of thought into everything he does, and he instilled that scientific approach into grooming the trails. I think I have inherited that. We have gone through lots of equipment modifications, but it still comes down to having a certain amount of snow sense — when to groom, when to wait, how to make things better and not worse.”

Almanac: Many hands hew new paths — Tsalteshi Trails system took group push to get started

Editor’s note: This is the second of a three-part story about the history of the Tsalteshi Trails, which are the main training ground for three central peninsula high schools and the local centerpiece for skiing and running competitions. Last week’s article discussed how the land was acquired and the trail-making was planned. This week’s article will show how a confluence of motivated individuals opened up the ridge line for skiing, running and mountain biking. The next article will demonstrate the unqualified success of the trail system and its continuing growth and refinement.

By Clark Fair

Photos courtesy of Alan Boraas. Don Jones, a Kasilof-based volunteer, operates his John Deere 450c bulldozer as he works in 1990 on what would later be known as the Tsalteshi Trails.

Redoubt Reporter

The film “Field of Dreams” starred Kevin Costner as a man who, despite the consternation of his wife and the incredulity of his friends and neighbors, becomes obsessed with the idea of building a baseball diamond where a cornfield stands behind his house. The film premiered April 23, 1989, and popularized the line, “If you build it, he will come.”

Two years earlier, members of the Kenai Peninsula Nordic Ski Club had had a similar notion: On May 19, 1987, the club presented to the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly an ambitious plan to build a trail system in the wooded hills north of Skyview High School. Alan Boraas, one of the key members of the ski club, recalled, “The assembly grudgingly OK’d it for us to put trails in, but they were very clear that these were not dedicated trails. (But) I knew that once we got them built — if we did it right — it was going to accelerate. And that’s what happened.”

Over the next quarter of a century, the ski club’s vision evolved into a top-level facility called Tsalteshi Trails, which is used year-round by runners and skiers, walkers and snowshoeing enthusiasts, mountain bikers and a host of organizations seeking a training ground. It is a major draw for all of Southcentral Alaska, it is considered one of the state’s best trail systems, and it has hosted triathlons, state events, qualifying races for the Junior Olympics, Besh Cup series races, and the Arctic Winter Games.

But it started rather inconspicuously, and very much on the cheap.

Almanac: On the trail to recreational infrastructure —Vision, support converge to create Tsalteshi Trails

Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part story about the history of the Tsalteshi Trails, which are the main training ground for three central peninsula high schools and the local centerpiece for skiing and running competitions. This week’s article discusses how the land was acquired and the trail-making was begun. Next week’s article will demonstrate the unqualified success of the trail system and its continuing growth and refinement.

By Clark Fair

Photo courtesy of the Fair Family Collection. Will Troyer glides on his wooden backcountry skis in a more remote section of the Kenai National Moose Range. Before the Tsalteshi Trails were constructed, many people routinely skied in the backcountry.

Redoubt Reporter

During a bicycle ride in the spring of 1987, the fate of cross-country skiing on the central Kenai Peninsula began to shift upward.

Prior to 1980, Nordic skiing on the peninsula had been mostly a backcountry affair, although the Kenai National Moose Range offered a few miles of groomed trails near Soldotna and allowed for some racing to occur in the area of Headquarters Lake. Kenai Central High School had a cross-country ski team, as did Homer High School, and the chance to compete gave the sport focus and energy.

With the passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act in 1980, however, the moose range became the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, and the management plan there no longer supported racing or related events. As a consequence, enthusiasm for the sport began to wane.

The KCHS team disbanded in the early 1980s, and when Soldotna High School opened in 1980 it did not include skiing in its sports repertoire.

Meanwhile, the Kalifonsky Nordic Ski Club, which had begun in the late 1960s, also faded in popularity and was in need of new members and fresh ideas. The last president of the club, Alan Boraas, and club member Charlotte Ischi went into the bank and closed out the club account. They then created the Kenai Peninsula Nordic Ski Club, and in the mid-1980s attempted to create a new trail system near Centennial Park along the Kenai River. But the new trails were not of the caliber necessary to attract a large following, and so widespread interest in Nordic skiing remained tepid.

Then came the fateful bicycle ride.

Go with the snow — She Can Ski event celebrates winter recreation

By Joseph Robertia

Photo by Clark Fair, Redoubt Reporter. A winged Brenda Ahlberg leads black widows Mary King, left, and SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/jennyneyman/Desktop/Tsalteshi%20She%20Can%20Ski%20Feb2011.doc Patti Berkhahn in the classic race portion of the annual She Can Ski event at Tsalteshi Trails on Sunday.

Redoubt Reporter

Darth Vader is known for heavy breathing, but the Sith lord’s inhales and exhales were sounding downright labored Sunday. Adding to the situation, Vader’s light saber wasn’t quite long enough to use as a ski pole.

“I can see well, though. I popped the eye pieces out,” said Joy Wannamaker, of Kenai, who dressed as the iconic Star Wars villain as part of the eighth annual She Can Ski event at Tsalteshi Trails on Sunday morning.

Wannamaker’s family hummed the “Imperial March” theme as she crossed the finish line of the classic ski event, while moments later several of her friends — Eve Ferguson dressed as a Jedi, Olivia Fair as Darth Maul and Chelsea Springer as Princess Amidala  crossed the finish line of the simultaneously occurring snowshoe event.

If the snowshoe fits … Ski trails find room for snowshoers

By Jenny Neyman

Photo by Clark Fair, Redoubt Reporter. Fox Michaud climbs a hill during a ski race at Tsalteshi Trails last year. The Tsalteshi Trails Association’ s primary function is to provide a venue for school district-sanctioned ski events, but also is trying to accommodate use by community snowshoers.

Redoubt Reporter

There are many reasons why cross-country skiers love Tsalteshi Trials in the winter — nine miles of well-maintained, groomed trails; lighted loops for night skiing; two parking lots offering easy access; and a centralized location behind Skyview High School. Those same qualities make the trails attractive to snowshoers, as well, but earlier this month the board of directors for the Tsalteshi Trails Association decided that skiing and snowshoeing at Tsalteshi don’t mix.

In the spring, summer and fall, the trails are frequented by many different users — runners, stroller-pushers, dog walkers and bicyclists — which made snowshoers all the more confused that once snow falls, the trails are off limits to everything but skis.

After a community meeting Nov. 14 to discuss snowshoe use on the trails, the Tsalteshi board on Friday decided to loosen the ban by allowing snowshoes on the Wolverine Loop at the base of the trails system, accessed by a parking lot and trailhead off of Kalifornsky Beach Road across from the Soldotna Sports Center. The board also is asking for volunteers to serve on a committee to discuss further ideas for facilitating snowshoe usage on the trails.

Laura McIndoe, of Soldotna, went to the Nov. 14 meeting and subsequently volunteered for the committee after she heard about the ban.

“I was dismayed, I was saddened and I didn’t know why (snowshoes were banned), so I did appreciate that they had a meeting to talk about it. I told them I would be on this committee because I can see both sides,” she said.

Zombies on the run — Fundraiser promises spooky good fun

By Joseph Robertia

Redoubt Reporter

Braaaaains, braaaaains, and Gatorade.

Walking in the woods at night can be unnerving. On Friday, being in the forest will be a downright frightening experience, as the living dead will be walking and running during the Tsalteshi Trails Association’s Spook Night.

“This will make it different than just putting on your running gear,” said Carly Reimer, one of the organizers of the event, which will feature a five-kilometer Zombie Run for adults and a one-kilometer Trick or Treat Trail for boys and ghouls.

“We’ve always had a kickoff event around this time. Usually it’s an orienteering event, which can be challenging and a bit daunting for some people, so we wanted this to be more of a community membership drive separate from that. We’ll still have the orienteering event, but it will be closer to Thanksgiving,” she said.

She Can Ski

Photos by Clark Fair, Redoubt Reporter

Team Swine Flew take to Tsalteshi Trails, behind Skyview High School, during the annual She Can Ski event Sunday. The little piggies involved in Team Swine Flew are, Kristine Moerlein, No. 13; Colleen Sinnott, No. 15; Jane Handy, No. 16; Carol Marsh, No. 7; Marina Bosick, No. 8; Katie Blossom, No. 14; JoEllen Fowler, No. 17; Amanda Painter, No. 18; and Shonia Werner.

Annalise Theisen swoops around a loop in her bat costume.

Charlotte Harvey revealed her alter-ego, Nacho Libre, just before the freestyle race on Sunday.

Tony Oliver indulges his inner princess.

Getting in touch with their feminine sides just prior to the “Drag Race” at She Can Ski are, from left, Soldotna High School head ski coach Dan Harbison, SoHi varsity skier Intimayo Harbison, and SoHi assistant coach Mike Penland.

Carmen Stephl, a local dental hygienist, advertises her professional mantra on the back of a giant-molar costume.

Carly Reimer and Maranda Merkes are in sync on the second lap of the freestyle race.

Sarah “The Cowardly Lion” Bressler receives her whiskers from Kenai Central High School teammate, Carolyn Knackstedt.

Off to see the Wizard during the classic race are KCHS teammates — with support from Carey Updike in a red team jacket — from left, Carolyn “Tin Woodsman” Knackstedt, Sarah “Cowardly Lion” Bressler, Chelsea “Scarecrow” Springer, Olivia “Dorothy” Fair, and Michelle “Toto” Klaben.

Gigi Banas juggles her coconuts as she skis.

Michelle Klaben as Toto from “The Wizard of Oz.”

Connie Ferguson, in her tropical regalia, skates along a ridge line.

Skiers get groovy during the classic race.

Isn’t “she” lovely? Bud Sparks got prettied up for the She Can Ski “Drag Race.”

Soldotna Middle School ski coach, John Harro, donned the school mascot costume and his skate skis to motivate his girls team.

Several members of the Soldotna Middle School girls team pose prior to the freesyle race. From left to right they are: Annalise Sayman (87), Emily Werner (39), Sadie Fox (58), Hannah Pothast (48), Moira Pyhala (62), Ali Dusek (95), Megan English (89) and Haley Ames (61).

Kaitlyn “Princess Elbow-Elbow-Wrist-Wrist” Louthan steps out of her skis after completing the classic ski race.

There’s no china shop in sight, but Sue Seggerman is all bull.

Eve Ferguson goes retro.

A little too late, Haley Ames (61) tries to duck in between her SMS teammates, Moira Pyhala (62) and Annalise Sayman (87), in order to avoid having her photograph taken.

To the dogs — Ski event shines on skijorers

By Joseph Robertia

Photos by Joseph Robertia, Redoubt Reporter. Joe Mooney, of Sterling, leaves the starting chute with his dog, Nika, Saturday during the five-kilometer skijor race of the T-200 Winter Solstice Cross Country Ski Event.

Redoubt Reporter

Being tethered to a dog may sound like an easy way to get around on skis — especially up hills — but it’s not as low-energy for the skier as it may seem.

“You actively work, too. It’s a joint effort,” said Robyn Sullens, of Soldotna, who competed in the T-200 Winter Solstice Cross Country Ski Event at Tsalteshi Trails on Saturday with her boxer, named Chivo.

The event features a five-kilometer ski race, as well as five-kilometer and 10-kilometer skijor races on the trails system behind Skyview High School, which is usually off limits to dogs during the winter.

“It’s a special day,” said Tami Murray, T-200 executive director and the organizer of the skiing and skijoring event, which raises money to be split between the T-200 and the Tsalteshi Trails Association. “Dogs normally aren’t allowed on these trails in winter, so this gives Tsalteshi members a chance to come out with their dogs. This also serves as an opportunity to introduce people to what skijoring is and how to do it.”