January 9th, 8AM Update: 2-3 inches of snow last night into this morning, still snowing lightly…
Base line condition this week was 6-9 inch crusty snow pack in the woods with a 1-2 inch skiff of powder on top. That’s sub-par for mid January, but it’s better than looking at green grass.
Bitterly cold air has frozen the water hazards and made lots of ice on the lakes. It was something else to hear Indian Lake make ice Wednesday night as temperatures crashed into the minus 20s: CRASH! BANG! BOOM!
Here’s a short video I made on January 6th:
Weekend Outlook:
Moose River Plains will get some freshening this weekend, but the brunt of the lake effect snow will be aimed toward Stillwater Reservoir area.
You can ride around here and have some fun this weekend, if you’re smart about it. Maximize places like Perkins Clearing and Moose River Plains. Keep in mind that trail conditions will get thin on Moose River Plains the final few miles to the Limekiln Gate. Also, the north end of Perkins Clearing Road is closed for logging this winter; use the S82C/Old Indian Lake Road to divert.
Use caution when you pick your way through the Indian Lake/Speculator local trails. Some blow down was reported this week.
Some places will be better than expected. Other places will need more fresh snow badly. Beware of icy conditions anywhere you ride.
People have been riding the lakes. But I can tell you that Piseco Lake was reported open in places last weekend, so you might want to avoid that for a while longer.
Of course, riding on lakes is entirely at your own risk.
And…
Be sure to check out trail reports from area riders on the ilsnow.com bulletin board. We have a mixture of local and visiting riders who will give you the honest scoop on what’s going on around here.
Next week:
No home runs to lock into next week, but at least no thaws. Best we can do for now…
For the ilsnow nation,
Darrin
