Indian Lake ended up with 5 inches of new snow while the Speculator/Route 8 corridor did a bit better with 6-8 inches. It was a bit frustrating to see places well to our south get multiple feet of snow, but I knew that was coming anyway. We had our biggie in the middle of March last year. 🙂
First things first
Moose River Plains is OPEN! Gates have been opened.
The Ride
After work, I took a ride that I desperately needed, after not riding since February 18th. No matter what the conditions may be. Inner village trails were fairly smooth in some places, studdery in most others along with some water spots. There was some carbide clank on the spots which where previously bare.
C8/Sabael trail started OK. But after crossing Pashley Road, I started encountering stream crossings and huge chuckholes in the trail. There was one partially fallen tree that I was able to easily drive under.
This was a flat out crater with water running through it and beneath the trail:
The swampy field before Furnells Field was an assortment of water hazards, until one jagged and deep one made me decide to turn back.
Back to Town
I ran S85/Ski Hut trail which was pretty good, aside from a shallow stream crossing. I topped off at Stewarts, just in case I found some riding worth keeping me out there. 🙂
After I tracked back through Bear Trap Swamp, which was a bit messy on both ends, I decided to run over Benton Road (which was unplowed and great riding – won’t be like that for long) to hit S87/42nd and Broadway, which was a pretty nice ride aside from some thin spots by the old landfill.
For a cheap thrill, I ran around Adirondack Lake for a while. There was a bit of slush under the new snow, but it was like riding white velvet. There was nowhere near enough snow to cover up the cement footing opposite to Binders Cabins, so I just decided to backtrack to 42nd and Broadway, instead of hitting Sawmill Road to hit S86/Little Canada.
NOTE: I can only comment on the lake that I rode. For what little I know, I could have done something stupid and got away with it. You need to think long and hard before you get on any lakes. There is dangerously thin ice near inlets and outlets. Shoreline ice has been weakened in places with no cold weather for the past week-and-a-half. If you have any doubts, stay OFF.
Out to Newcomb
I ran S84 out toward Blue Mountain Lake. It was bumpy and studdery, but the base was largely in good shape after I got over the top. There were a few decent sized chuckholes that I skirted around or over. Once I got past Rock Lake Marsh, the trail got icy in spots from where the snow got caught up in the deep evergreens.
It looked like the Town Crew had cut out some fallen trees on the way to Blue Mountain Lake.
538/Newcomb trail was a fairly good ride from bottom to top. Here I was, a short distance into it:
There were a few dried up water bars partially filled with snow and only one place where an active brook had melted the trail down to wet rock. For the most part, the base was solid, with only several scratchy stretches where I clanked carbide. The Newcomb side averaged a bit flatter than the Indian Lake side.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that Joseph Mountain wasn’t even close to being a complete mess. The worst part was at the very top where the wind had scalloped the fresh snow away and left pure ice to slide through. Fresh snow cover eventually dwindled to just over an inch by the time I had gotten to the Newcomb-T.
Turned right and headed into Trail C8B. Although icy with minimal fresh snow, it was a pretty nice ride for almost a mile. Then I encountered a nasty washout hazard, so I turned tail and headed back to home.
The home stretch
For kicks, I rode C8 toward Cedar River Headquarters. It was actually a pretty good ride until the Former Arctic Cat Dealership. There were some bumps past that, but nothing bad. Unfortunately, I was totally unaware of the sheet of ice under the new snow on that hill going by Deer Trail while I was lolly-gagging up the slope. Ended up only making it three-quarter way up the hill before spinning out. Probably could have made it if I had gotten a running start and momentum. But I was able to avoid sliding backwards down the hill.
So I turned tail and headed back to town.
On the way home, I took 42nd and Broadway to rip back and forth across Adirondack Lake several times. It was the most fun I had all evening. 🙂
Then I rolled back into the compound with 78 miles and a bunch of wet snow stuck to my running boards and a skid frame full of white stuff:
Bottom line:
It was certainly a desperation ride for me. Basically, I was riding on early-April diehard conditions with several inches of white paint applied to it (or less heading north of Indian Lake). You can see the baseline conditions from earlier this week here.
We’re at least one more significant snowfall, plus some cold weather and trail grooming away from having it near “good” again here in most places I rode. But the C8/Sabael trail would take some considerable work to make it safe for the average rider.
Any grooming will be strictly on a case-by-case (read: highly limited) basis. If you’re smart and pick your spots, you can spin off some miles here. But there will be some highly tedious riding for sure. Attacking Perkins Clearing from the Mason Lake parking lot is probably your safest strategy, although Moose River Plains is certainly ride-able too.
Wish I had better for ya all, but this is what we’re rolling with and time is running out on winter…
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!
