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On the Wolf Run at Tsalteshi Trails early Friday evening, Jeff Fox and 12-year-old daughter Sadie were certain they were close. They were trying to find marker No. 3 during the annual Tsalteshi Winter Kickoff race.

The Foxes said they ski the trails almost every day in the winter -- they can ski to them from their house, so why not? But they don't usually hike the snow covered paths attempting to find hole punchers dangling from trees. During Friday's race, that's precisely what the Foxes found themselves doing.

"It will be at the end of this little loop," Jeff said, certain marker No. 3 was right around the corner.

But it wasn't.

"OK. What the heck?" Jeff said with a slight hint of exasperation.

The only thing nailed to a tree was a trail map, so the Foxes studied it intently, trying to plot their course.

Earlier, near the Moose Trail section, Lucas Thein had a much less deliberate strategy for finding marker No. 9. He glanced casually at the map in his hand as he sprinted by, but Thein appeared to be relying predominantly on a strategy of pure speed and luck to find the markers.

The goal of the race was to comb the trails for markers -- hole punchers that allowed teams to make marks on their score sheets -- within the allotted hour. Whichever team found the most markers, or whichever team found all of them the fastest, won.

Two minutes later, Thein whizzed past once more.

"I'm definitely still lost," the high school student took the time to say, still in pursuit of marker No. 9.

Thein and the Foxes were three of about 100 people participating in the winter kickoff race on the trail system behind Skyview High School in Soldotna, which marked the beginning of a new season of cross-country skiing on the trails.

This year's celebration was extra special because it concluded with the city of Soldotna awarding the trail association a $10,000 check.

Alan Boraas, who is the chairman of the association, said the money received Friday evening was the first public funding from the city, the borough or the state Tsalteshi has ever received. He said the $10,000 will be put toward gas for grooming equipment, track repairs, lights and any other expenses required to keep the trails open and free to the public.

"It should be free because cross-country skiing is a very accessible sport," Boraas said.

Boraas also said he wants to put the money toward youth programs.

"We have a 'no kid left inside' policy," Boraas said. "I want to get kids who grow up here to embrace the winter. We want people to say, 'Cool, it's snowing.'"

Boraas said the funding was the result of going before the Soldotna City Council and asking for help.

"I went to the city and said we have a need," Boraas said. "They created a funding proposal and voted in favor of the appropriations."

Boraas said the trails are widely used, often attracting as many as 200 visitors per day in the peak of the season. One frequenter is Soldotna Mayor Peter Micciche.

"The only time I get away in the winter is when once in a while, late at night when the moon is full, I go out on the trails to ski," Micciche said when awarding the $10,000 to the Tsalteshi.

Josiah Martin, 15, sister D. Anne Martin, 17, and friend Rachel Dwyer Wyatt, 15, also enjoy the trail system. As members of Soldotna High School's cross-country ski team, they rely on the winding paths for practice.

"I like the flat parts because if you go down, that also means you have to come up," Josiah said.

But exercise is all part of cross-country skiing. Just ask Char Harvey.

"It keeps your butt small on those long weekends," Harvey said while jogging with her teammates to try to find the next marker.

Elsewhere and a little later, Thein had found marker No. 9, but the Foxes were still trying to figure out how they missed marker No. 3.

"We must have walked right by it," Jeff said. They decided to backtrack even though it would cost them valuable time in the treasure hunt of a race.

"When it starts to double back you better start looking," Jeff instructed Sadie. They walked a ways and suddenly there was the hole puncher dangling from a tree on a stretch of the trail the team had already walked.

Sometimes it is easy to miss the treasure you're seeking. But if you're like the Foxes and you live near the Tsalteshi trails, the treasure doesn't stay hidden for long.