We got the got the goods from this storm, ranging from 8+ inches at Indian Lake to around a foot in Speculator.
Total snow cover is a foot-plus around Indian Lake and Speculator and increases towards 18 inches to 2+ feet across Moose River Plains enroute to Inlet and Old Forge.
As with most early season weekends, especially with Snodeo, most of the action was Moose River Plains to Inlet and Old Forge.
People have been riding Perkins Clearing as well. D.R.A.G of Speculator has started to work their trails. At this time last year, we had essentially NO snow on the ground, so we should be pleased with our early season bounty!
Around Indian Lake, the locals have been packing the trails down. But the groomers haven’t come out just yet.
The snowstorm inspired me to fire up the Ole Formula S and spin off my first miles of the season on some of the back roads near the ilsnow.com storm center. I’ll be getting the Rev-XP back from the Lemon Tree this week, ready for winter.
MIDWEEK OUTLOOK:
Snow conditions will be great for mid-December with temperatures more than cold enough to keep what we have through Thursday. I’m a bit worried about Friday’s warm-up. Keeping the rain to a minimum would greatly help our cause.
The best places to go will be the usual early season hangouts: Perkins Clearing, Moose River Plains to Inlet and Old Forge, and Powley Road.
There should be enough snow for the groomers to start working the Indian Lake and Speculator trails, cleaning up blow-down and packing/grooming. But the base is not deep enough to fully cover rocks and other hazards. Take it easy on these trails.
As for lakes, the best policy would be to stay off them this early in the season.
FATAL ACCIDENT IN INDIAN LAKE:
On Thursday night, there was a fatal snowmobiling accident on Crow Hill Road in Indian Lake. I know little other than what was reported on the new outlets. I heard of a couple of bad accidents in Old Forge on Snodeo weekend. Regardless of what caused these accidents, keep in mind that snowmobiles can be dangerous if misused. Our generation of snowmobiles have insane power to weight ratios. Ride safely, so you can make it home and live to ride tomorrow.
AND FINALLY. . .
Here’s a little spot video from my first miles of the season. The first big snow of the season gets the monkey off your back. After seeing all of the snow in Old Forge at Snodeo, I needed a shot of snow here as well:
