Update 1/15/18 PM
Indian Lake Parks and Rec are just about done with restoring the Nicholas Brook bridge on Trail C8 between Former Arctic Cat dealership and Mountain Fitness Gym. People are making it into town from all directions now, but remain cautious.
Parks and Rec will make their rounds on the trails to make sure all bridges are set and perform repairs as necessary. But this will take some time…
Update 1/13/18 AM
BREAKING NEWS! Indian Lake Parks and Rec have informed me that Trail C8 from Indian Lake Village enroute to Cedar River Headquarters and S84 out to Blue Mountain Lake have been closed due to flooding and ice jams. Some bridges have been dislodged. Cedar River is extremely high…
Indian Lake ended up with 4+ inches of snow. Got a report of 8+ inches of snow in Inlet. Struggled to hit 3 inches in Speculator.
We ended up wasting too much time with freezing rain last night. Lots of blowing and drifting snow out there with the strong winds.
Be careful out there! Rainfall over 2.5 inches plus 50*F equals big mess. Snowpack around Indian Lake has deflated from 12-18 inches down to several inches before we picked up the new snow.
Darrin
Report 1/12/18
If this was a prize fight, the referee would stop the fight because we have suffered an old-fashioned beat-down.
Crazy Cal and I were able to rip off a 200-mile ride to Brantingham and back on Thursday. It was good going out, but falling to pieces in places on the way back.
In particular, Trail C8 from Cedar River Headquarters back to Indian Lake village was getting really bony and thin and I’m sure it has gotten even worse. Moose River Plains was holding up well enough, but the inner Indian Lake trails were getting skanky.
Weekend Outlook
Yes, we’ll probably get a significant dump of snow late Friday night and Saturday morning. But that by no means fully reverses the damage that we’ve endured over the past 2 days. Temperatures into the 50s with heavy rainfall will do major damage every time.
The swamps and low-lying areas will not get a chance to drain and freeze back up before we get this snow. So the narrow woods trails will have slushy areas this weekend. Compounding the problem will be heavily ice and snow-laden trees.
Your safest bet would be to stick to the seasonal road networks like Speculator Tree Farm, Perkins Clearing and Moose River Plains. Whether clubs or towns groom trails this weekend will be on a case-by-case basis.
Lakes?
I know people have to make their own decisions as to whether they use the lakes. But I wouldn’t touch them.
This picture was taken on Route 28 at the Daiker’s crossing between Eagle Bay and Old Forge on Friday:
All the water from places like that eventually end up in lakes. So you’re talking about dangerously thin ice near inlets and outlets, with potentially bottomless slush on the lakes. Yeah, it’s going to get really cold Saturday night. But water will continue to flow under the new snowfall into the lakes.
Bottom line?
We’re all adults here, so you can decide what you want to do this weekend. If particular trails have been closed, respect that decision by the governing club or municipality. Otherwise, use your best discretion to ensure a safe ride.
For the ilsnow nation,
Darrin
This report is brought to you by Pilot Knob Marina in Lake George. Just get off Northway I-87 Exit 20, then follow NY Route 149 East until you hit the junction of NY Route 149 and Bay Road. Pilot Knob Marina features a wide selection of new and pre-owned Arctic Cat snowmobiles & ATVs. If you see Nick Barber, tell him that Darrin @ ilsnow.com sent ya!
