Walter Pernsky’s last day in the groomer!!

At the conclusion of the 2024/25 riding season, Sunset Trail Riders longtime volunteer Walter Pernsky will be retiring from trail grooming after 22 years. I sat down with Walter one afternoon to chat about his time as a volunteer, his experiences on the trail, where he has been on the network, and what led to his decision to retire and other tidbits of information he was able to share.

First, let me tell you a bit about Walter. A native of Kenora, Walter was born July 14, 1949. He worked for the City of Kenora for 33 years, and when the three townships of Keewatin, Jaffray Melick and Kenora merged into what we know today as the City of Kenora, Walter took an early retirement offer at the age of 50.

At that point, and only 50 years old, Walter became more active as a volunteer for Sunset Trail Riders, and the rest is history. Enjoy the read!

What year did you start volunteering with the Sunset Trail Riders?

I’m pretty sure it was 2003 when I started grooming the trails. Back in those days, we would groom all the way to the Manitoba border, through Umfreville Lake. If you look on a map, you will see how far that actually is. Needless to say, that grooming route took 2 days, and I would stay at Hally’s Camp for a couple of nights.

I would also at least once a year do the Nestor Falls trail, which is an 8 hr return trip from Sioux Narrows. I would leave the groomer at Crystal Harbor and come back the next day to head back north.

I guess we should also count the days before I started grooming where I volunteered to place/pick up trail stakes. I can’t remember how long I did that for or when I started.

Also, back when I started grooming, there really wasn’t any training, and I simply got in the machine and started grooming.

From an hourly perspective, the math is pretty simple. 22 years grooming, average 200 hours per season, 4,500 volunteer hours (not including time prior to grooming). If we add the hours where I wasn’t grooming, it is closer to 6,000 hours on the conservative side!

In those early years after retirement, did you do other things other than the snowmobile club?

I worked with a few local companies on various pipe projects over the years, but I have pretty much finished with that as well.

Were you a trail riding enthusiast in years past?

I was never a trail riding enthusiast, even though I did have sleds years ago, I really only used them for ice fishing. Funny thing is my kids are not avid snowmobilers either, even with all the hours I spent looking after the trails

What were some of the most important changes/improvements you experienced regarding grooming equipment over 22 years?

You know, there hasn’t been much change to the equipment since I started. You have a tracked machine, which weighs around 11,000 lbs, which pulls a drag which weighs around 4,500 lbs. One difference I guess would be some were steered with a joystick, while others had a steering wheel

Have you noticed a change in the length of the riding season since you started?

Typically, we have always started grooming around mid-January. What does change is the amount of snow we receive over the course of some winters. In fact, I have never seen that little amount of snow as there was during the winter of 2023/24. Outside of that, it has been fairly consistent

What is your favorite trail to groom?

The L102 is my favorite trail to groom. The scenery is amazing. You know, I have groomed every trail in the network, however over the past years I have been mostly on the east side of the network

What types of safeguards/emergency equipment are on the groomer with you if an unexpected breakdown occurs?

In the early days, we had a satellite phone, which you needed when you went up to Umfreviile for example as there was no cell service. You have a chainsaw, first aid kit, rescue kit if breakdown will be long, clothing, etc. Today, our INREACH MESSENGER system, which allows us to be tracked via GPS, also allows us to send a distress signal or text message.

Have you ever had to use some of the safety gear?

Occasionally, one that sticks out is a stick went through the fan one day. I went to raise the cab to check out the fan, and the switch which raises the cab shorted out, so the cab was stuck at about a 45’ angle. Because of where I was, it was going to be while before someone could get to me, so I had to use some of the clothes on that one!!

Have you seen lots of wildlife on the trails?

Surprisingly, not that much. The one thing I remember is I saw a wolf and a moose on the trail, both on the same day. I remember that because we had so much snow that year, and if you got off the groomed trail, you just sank.

I come around a corner and there is a wolf on the trail. I stopped, and he turned around and looked and me, and I could tell he was thinking you really want me to run off the trail into the woods?? He eventually scampered off the trail and was really struggling to get through the snow. He got a few yards off the trail and then stopped and looked at me. I started moving forward and went by him. I’m quite sure he got right back on the trail and carried on.

A little later, I ran into a moose. He on the other hand had no problem scampering off the trail through the deep snow with such long legs. I also see a ton of rabbits and partridges on the trail as they are attracted to the light.

Some of the club members were talking about a trail you groomed where you seemed to veer off the route by quite a few yards. What happened there?

I remember that trail. We were hosting a Poker Derby the next day, so I wanted to get the trails ready for the event. The visibility was pretty bad as we were grooming at night and the trail was snowed in. Because it was at night, the lighting off the groomer was not strong enough to hit the reflective tape on the next stake.

What had happened is the folks who had staked the trail must have been running out of stakes, and instead of having a stake every 100 metres, it was more like every 200 metres. So, I’m grooming, and remember thinking how come I don’t see the next stake?

Those days we could groom on the lakes, and it’s important that the stakes are positioned at every 100 metres to ensure you stay on track. The reason being is that groomed trails actually generate more ice thickness as the snow is compressed. However, if you go off the trail, ice thickness can change very, very quickly.

So, when I didn’t see any stakes, I had to circle back and retrace my route and get back on the trail. You can imagine the feeling when you are running 13,000 lbs of equipment across a lake that has not been ice tested!!

What is your longest shift on the groomer?

My longest shift was 22 hours, to get the trails ready for the riders. I had to have a snooze in the cab on that shift.

Has your wife ever joined you on the groomer?

No she hasn’t, plus we are to operate the groomers single for liability purposes.

Does it take a special skill-set to operate a groomer?

Not really, as you learn from many of the breakdowns. For example, about 10 years ago I was near Pines Road and stopped for supper. Once I finished, I went to carry-on, so I released the hydraulic brakes and the engine stalled. I could not figure out what the heck caused the problem, so I called for help and got the machine back to the shop.

I conversed with a mechanic who suggested I check for fuel and blown fuses. So, the next morning, I found the blown fuse (probably due to a surge) for the fuel shut-off which caused the engine to stall. We always carry spare fuses, however it never occurred to me to check. But now you know for next time.

Finally, what motivated you to finally say enough to 22 years of grooming?

You know, you get to spend a lot of time alone in remote places, and over the past couple of years you start to think about your health as you get older. Simply, I just thought it was time to not take the risk and call it a day.

Would I groom again, I think if they needed a hand, I might be persuaded to help out if they were in a fix!