Skier Concerned About Car Towed From Trailhead
To the Editor,

My purpose for writing this letter is to make everyone aware of what I went through so the same thing doesn't happen to them. On February 27, I cross-country skied on the North Country Trail, east side of Brevort Lake Road. Because of the excellent snow conditions, I decided to ski farther than usual, taking three hours to complete the route.

Upon returning to the starting point, I was shocked to discover my vehicle missing.

I was feeling tired, hungry, and cold from the falling temperatures. I'm 75 years old, and had been out skiing for three hours, and now I faced an additional four-mile hike home in the middle of winter.

Luckily, a friend happened by to give me a ride and call the police to report a stolen vehicle.

Turned out the police had ordered it towed away for obstructing traffic. To the best of my recollection, I parked the truck in the same place as always and as close to the snowbank as usual, without a complaint from anyone.

If in the officer's opinion my truck needed to be moved, he or she should first have made very certain that I wasn't going to be left stranded out there. My ski tracks on the snow heading up the North Country Trail should have been a pretty good clue as to where I was. Honking the horn to get my attention would have worked only if I was near enough to hear it.

If there was any doubt of my whereabouts and if the vehicle didn't pose a serious safety hazard, the officer should have opted to leave a warning ticket on the windshield, instead.

To reduce the likelihood of something like this happening again, I was advised by the police to park as far back from the road as possible next time, and leave a note on the dashboard stating why the vehicle was left there.

Donald Savela

Moran