Who Needs A Shrink?

There are two types of people in this world: those who do all they can to escape cold weather and those who thrive in it. 

If you’re the latter, chances are you’ve discovered snowmobiling. And if you have, you know it’s impossible to avoid the forevermore lure that now confronts you as soon as the leaves start changing and the temp starts falling.

It’s inevitable. It catches you. You can’t resist the pull. Like a panda to bamboo, a pirate to rum, or a honeybee to a black-eyed Susan, snowmobiling is an addiction. An all-around obsession. And those who are afflicted are not ashamed to admit it.

Because they know something that winter shut-ins only wish they knew.

They know the feeling of adrenaline coursing through their veins as they fly across ‘white gold.’ The smell. The sound. And yes, even the cold wind in their face.  

Any problems they may have had a minute ago instantly disappear in a puff of powder and a tread mark tattooed behind them.

They know this is the best therapy money can buy. That’s right, snowmobiling is downright therapeutic.

“I jump on my sled and just like that I start to relax. I feel the tension escape through my fingertips as I squeeze the throttle.

I start to smile.

I ride along the perfectly groomed trail up and over the rolling hills. Slow at first just taking in the beauty of the winter-white landscape. The trail is flanked on both sides by Jack Pines arching with a couple inches of fresh fallen snow. Stoic as they watch me cruise by.

Outta the woods, I make it to the lake. Crack open my sled full and the adrenaline rush comes strong. I hang tight as the sled pulls at my arms. My smile is now from ear-to-ear and I start to laugh inside my helmet.

This is therapy!”

Good thing there is no shortage of ‘therapists’ in Wisconsin. Trails are everywhere. In Adams County, alone, there are over 230 miles of well-groomed trails weaving and twisting their way through the fields, farms, and forests giving you a multitude of exhilarating choices.

In northern Adams County and southern Wood County a group of snowmobiling enthusiasts - who call themselves Sno-Bandits - maintains 35 miles of trail. Their sole purpose: “create an environment that is safe and fun, with the finest trails for recreational family snowmobiling.”

The Sno-Bandits go to work well before the first snowflake falls, removing debris, brush, and branches to ensure a clear path and better opportunity for snow to reach the trail surface once it does start falling. They pay particular attention to the quality of the trail bed. If the ground is rough and rutted, then the snow-covered trail will be rough and rutted. And a rough and rutted trail is something only your chiropractor and your dentist will appreciate.

With a few inches of snow now on the ground, this is when the Sno-Bandits do their finest work – creating the most glorious playground for therapeutic relief. Expert at what they do, they understand the purpose and mechanics of grooming the snow. They don’t just drag a tiller behind a tractor.

No, they’re professionals. Professionals with a PHD in snow grooming. Well, maybe not, but they would if there was such a thing.

Sounds like a lot of work, because it is. But it’s a labor of love. Remember, they’re obsessed. Go ahead, ask them. They’ll tell you.

To find out more about the Sno-Bandits and where to ride, visit their website at romesnobandits.com. Who knows, you may just become a member.

Written by: Lydell Capritta