50-60 years ago, Jean Replinger and her friends enjoyed skiing the trails that eventually became the Blue Hills Trail. Recently the Blue Hills Trail Association received a generous donation from the Jean Sanford Replinger Foundation in her memory.

Jean passed away in November 2024 at the age of 96. Her decades-long connection to the Blue Hills Trail was just one of her many outdoor passions – her memory serves as a tremendous inspiration to her numerous friends and family, and anyone who knew of her.

Read the following message (in italics) from the Jean Sanford Replinger Trust:‍

Jean was a lifelong outdoor enthusiast and educator. Born in Ladysmith, WI, and a graduate of UW Madison, Jean was committed to using the outdoor experience to spark curiosity, discovery, learning and stewardship of the natural world, of human relationships, and the care of our communities through the values of diversity, equity and inclusion.

It was while teaching at Antioch College in Ohio (1950-67) that Jean began the tradition of an annual weeklong ski trip to the Blue Hills in northwest Wisconsin. Students, coworkers and friends were invited, experienced skiers and novices alike. This tradition continued after Jean and her husband, Randy, and son, Eric, moved to Marshall MN, where Jean was a professor of outdoor education (1969-96).

We are pleased to be able to make this contribution to the Blue Hills Trail Association knowing that it will go toward helping to keep trails accessible and in good condition so that all who are interested are able to experience the delight and rejuvenation that a good ski experience provides.

To learn more of Jean’s background, her love of silent sports, and to appreciate one person’s ability to favorably impact their world, visit this link to her beautiful obituary: https://www.hamiltonfh.com/obituaries/jean-replinger

December 21st is the solstice: it's winter in northwest Wisconsin. And this year (unlike the previous two winters) we have snow!

Since Thanksgiving, temps remained below freezing until just the past few days. As a result, weather systems have deposited snow instead of rain. And for a change, we've been able to ski in early December. That's a welcome contrast to those of us that look forward to traveling on skis.

Following is a series of photos showing cross country skiing conditions on the Blue Hills Trail (northwest Wisconsin) in the past few weeks. Come join the fun :-)

After two winters (2023-24 & 2024-25) that were oh so disappointing, we now have the polar opposite - an early start to winter. With 6+ inches of fairly dense snow the past week, grooming was initiated the afternoon of Sunday, November 30th. More grooming was performed the evening of Monday, December 1st; and again midday on Tuesday, December 2nd. This early season grooming has been limited to the use of a roller/comb to produce a corduroy surface. The goal is to knock the air out of the snow, allow cold temps to penetrate and freeze the underlying trail surface, and create a skiable corduroy surface.

Points worth noting...

• The heat's on in the warming house. Enjoy :-)
• With 6-7 inches of workable snow, a roller was used to groom (pack) the snow and create a corduroy surface on all the East Side trails the past few days. The Core Loop is the firmest, the other side trails on the East Side are softer but certainly skiable. Beginning with 6-7 inches of workable snow, the grooming created pretty good cover of the grasses, rocks, etc. The groomed trails have a 1"-2" thick base. Use your ''rock skis' or 'B skis' until there's a deeper base.
• There's not enough snow to set a classic track. But there's decent striding without a formal track. Typical of early season skiing, the surface is irregular and you need to approach downhills with extra caution.
• During the past 6 months, we've spent a lot of money (~ $60,000!) upgrading our equipment. And a lot of time prepping the trails for skiing. Please support us by taking out a membership and/or donating. If unsure of your current status, click here for a list of our current members.
• Remember to wear blaze orange during the remaining December deer hunts (muzzleloader season is December 1-10; antlerless hunt is December 11-14). There usually aren't a lot of hunters in the woods during the next 2 weeks, but please play it safe.
• Our snowshoe trails await you. Folks have been out stomping the snow already.

Winter. Welcome Back, Don't Be A Stranger.

At last -- a few days of fantastic skiing! This winter (2024-25) started late, was far too dry, and now is ending early. Hurry back my friend, but try to be on time.

Cross country ski conditions this morning (Sunday, February 23rd) were fantastic on the Blue Hills Trail in northwest Wisconsin. Temps started at 23 degrees F, rose above freezing for the first time in 3 weeks, and later in the day hit the low 40s. During the past week, timely grooming of the packed powder and sugar snow surfaces made for wonderful skate or classic skiing this morning before the predicted warmup moved in later in the day. Quite a contrast to the minus 30F windchills a few days earlier.

Enjoy the following photos showing the beauty of the Blue Hills Trail cross country ski trails in northwest Wisconsin -- taken February 21 - 23 (2025). As lovely as the pictures are, the skiing was even better. Right click the photos to open in a new window and enjoy the full size image.

If you'd like to help offset our expenses, follow this link for donations and annual memberships.

January 17th: it's been another very dry start to this winter of 2024-25. 4" of snow prior to Christmas 2024 before that disappeared during a rainy warmup; and only 3+ inches since. Here's a link to 25 years of local snowfall reports.

The 3+ inches of snow that fell January 12th made our groomers happy. They gave it a try, and rolled (packed) the East Side of the trail system, creating a corduroy surface. Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of moisture in that snow, and the resultant base is very thin. Most of the groomed trails have grasses showing, and underlying rocks or dirt spots that might catch your skis. But NOTE: we're lucky to have one short section of trail that is offering 'OK' skiing: the 'Gravel Road' has just enough base to conceal most of the rocks. On the East Side map, this is the section from 1-2-3-4 plus a 1/2 km beyond intersection #4. Be sure to use your rock skis on any of the trails, and use extra caution knowing that it's likely you'll find an occasional rock that can throw your balance.

The West Side trails are ungroomed and have about 3 inches of snow that you can explore. Once again, be aware that there is no underlying base -- so it's likely you'll discover some hidden rocks and dirt spots. Enjoy the little snow we have. And hope for a nice snowfall in the near future.

Last winter (2023-2024) really couldn't be called winter. Too warm, too dry, and almost no skiing in our part of northwest Wisconsin. My favorite time of year was trashed by climate change. Bah Humbug!

We've lately had a stretch of cold temps, the frost is freezing up the trails, and we're hoping to enjoy winter soon. Here's hoping we have more cold weather followed by enough snow to call our groomers into action.

Below are a couple photos show early December 2024 conditions at the trailhead, a tempting shallow cover of white.

Our 36th Annual Fundraising Banquet was held Saturday, November 2nd at Lehman's Supper Club in Rice Lake. While bidding on many silent auction items during the social hour, attendees shared the camaraderie of like-minded silent sports enthusiasts. After a fabulous buffet meal, our president (John Waldron) reviewed the 'State of the Trails'.

Then we were greatly entertained by guest speaker Sam Thayer as he educated us regarding responsible foraging in the Blue Hills, tempting us with his tasty descriptions of edible wild plants.

To close the evening we 1)selected the winner of our fall raffle (Bryn Rademaker won the $250 gift card for use at Spring Street Sports in Chippewa Falls), then 2)distributed the silent auction items among the winners.

Fun evening.

Many THANKS TO OUR MEMBERS, many THANKS TO OUR DONORS! And a big thank you to Butch and Trudy Lehman (Lehman's Supper Club).

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We're trying to make the best of a warm, dry winter (2023-24) at the Blue Hills Trail in northern Wisconsin.

November and December were disappointing months for those of us that enjoy winter. To top off the record high temps in December, Christmas was wet (1.5" rainfall) and the ground was bare. Finally in early January some cooler weather moved in, and by mid month we counted several snowfalls amounting to 6 inches. Just enough to groom our 20+ miles of ski trails -- and enough to entice folks to break out their snowshoes and their 'rock' skis.

The warming house has been quiet at a time of year it's usually overflowing with smiling faces. But at least for now we have a little taste of winter.

The following photos show conditions during a week of cold temps in the middle of January. Catch it while you can, the weatherman predicts another blast of hot air.