Not going to get into much specifics on yesterday’s ride because the conditions have changed dramatically since then:
I banged out 160 miles yesterday including: Indian Lake, Newcomb, Long Lake, Raquette Lake, Uncas Road, Eagle Bay, Big Moose, Old Forge, Inlet loop trails and Moose River Plains back to Indian Lake.
Most of what I rode was in good to excellent shape. Even C7B from Newcomb to Long Lake and the Powerlines trail to North Point Road were in pretty good shape.
Raquette Lake and Long Lake had some areas of slush. I even gripped it and ripped it across Forked Lake, but there were some pretty big slush areas around the vicinity of the inlet on both sides of the snowmobile path. Was a bit scary, quite honestly…
Old Forge was a mixed bag of treats, but Trail 10 was a pretty good ride. Trail 5 was about as rough and haggard as Lindsay Lohan after a 3 day coke binge. Eagle Bay into Inlet was snirt city, but at least I wasn’t clanking carbide through it. The Inlet loop trails were great!
The Gold Star for best riding was the freshly groomed piece of magic performed by the Indian Lake Snowarriors on the 538/Newcomb trail:
Honorable mention goes to Browns Tract Road, which was amazing. Moose River Plains was also a great ride all the way across once I left the Limekiln Road snirt behind.
Thursday’s Conditions:
Last night’s heavy rain left the snowmobile trails very soft, but as you can see by the Trail C8 Cam, the trails probably hold good snow in most places yet:
But that’s only a part of the story. We’ve also got some flooding in the usual low-lying places like Bear Trap Swamp:
Snow pack is still deep, upwards of 2+ feet in the woods. So it’s just a matter of waiting for the freeze, draining the swamps (a la Donald Trump) and waiting for the next snow to cover it back up.
C8/Sabael Trail Update
Still closed as of 1/24/19. I have talked to some people “on the inside” and believe the trail will re-open soon. This is taking longer than we’d all like. But hopefully, once the proper agreements have been hashed out, we can put this situation in the rear view mirror and enjoy use of this trail into the far future.
As long as this trail remains closed, there is no legal snowmobiling connection between Indian Lake village and Speculator.
“Should I come up and ride this weekend?”
That’s a decision you need to make for yourself. We’ll probably get some snow lake-effect snow into the western Adirondacks prior to the weekend. But the guns appear to be pointed toward the Stillwater Reservoir area, especially Friday afternoon into early Saturday under a west-southwesterly wind regime.
Outside of lake-effect snow, there isn’t a whole lot to hang your hat on until a cold frontal passage brings another pulse of snow here on Sunday.
Lakes are very much “at your own risk riding” after the amount of rain we’ve had. If your gut tells you to stay off, trust that instinct. They probably won’t be that much fun to ride anyway with glare ice and frozen slush.
Next opportunity?
Tuesday, January 29th looks interesting with a developing storm system over the Ohio Valley interacting with a piece of the Polar Vortex (PV) expected to dive toward the Great Lakes:
No need to write ilsnow land off for dead yet. Still a whole lot of snow on the ground and a lot of winter left in the tank….
For the ilsnow nation,
Darrin
This report is brought to you by Prospect Point Cottages on Blue Mountain Lake. If you are looking for a quiet and scenic winter getaway, this place is for you with fireplaces, free hot brunch and snowshoes provided. The wintry view of Blue Mountain from across the lake is nothing short of amazing with a fresh mantle of snow!
