More than just a ski club, Central Oregon Nordic Club (CONC) invites members to maintain friendships throughout the year with hikes & work parties.
While Mount Bachelor clings tenaciously to her snowy cap despite the advance of Spring, the Nordic ski season is winding down for most members of the Central Oregon Nordic Club. After an especially stellar snow year, many are ready to move on to other activities. Fortunately, this well-organized club (one of 13 chapters of the Oregon Nordic Club) provides lots of ways for members to continue gathering together throughout the year.
According to Nordic Club Co-President James Cagney, “Skiing is a minor thing for us. We organize work parties to maintain trails and shelters, as well as hikes throughout the summer.”
As trails open up, hikes are offered every Sunday in a variety of lengths. Hikes range from shorter, dog-friendly outings to longer (10 to 15-mile) one-way hikes involving member-organized shuttles. Recent hikes have included Horse Ridge, Lava Butte, and Smith Rock.
Eileen Woodward has been a club member since 1978 and is an experienced hike leader. While she joked that “I try to bring everybody back alive,” Eileen takes her responsibilities seriously. Wilderness hikes are limited to no more than 12 hikers and hikers are expected to be fit and prepared enough to go up to 20 miles.
For those who can’t join the Sunday hikes, CONC offers shorter, more social hikes via their Meetup group. “Anybody can go,” Eileen said. This group meets at 9:30 a.m. at a local Starbucks, encouraging car-pooling. With these, more spontaneous outings, the hikers make shared decisions about the destination and length of the outing.
The club’s modest membership fee helps to pay for shelter maintenance (including last year’s building of the new Swampy Lakes shelter), trail markers, signage, insurance, and keeping the club’s power saw in good order. The saw is invaluable for trail clearing as well as cutting firewood for the five of the trail-system’s shelters.
“We have about 200 members,” Cagney said, “mainly between the ages of 40 to 86. They are really nice people. Very accepting and inclusive. Nobody gets left behind on a hike or ski outing.” For less athletic endeavors, CONC even offers a book club.
My own outings with the CONC have been nothing but positive, with more experienced members generously offering me help with my novice ski skills. I’m looking forward to spending more time with this group throughout the year. Their enthusiasm will help me to stay motivated — and I’m likely to learn a few new trails. And when the snow starts falling again, I’ll have a new band of buddies to help celebrate the change of season.
