Matt, Cal and I all had the day off and Cal got a friend of his, Justin, to head out with us.
C8 out to Cedar River Headquarters was probably the first clue this ride wasn’t going to place on my top-10 list. Lots of studders and some rollers through there.
Cedar River Headquarters out to Silver Run didn’t have 3 foot rollers, but the remnants of weekend bumps were still stamped into the trail.
Silver Run to Limekiln Gate was mainly flat and fast riding. But those final 2 miles to the Limekiln Gate were snirty and carbide-clanking.
Ole Barn through Gilbert Road into Inlet was just a snirt trail through the woods:
We dropped onto 4th Lake and ran it to Daikers. Fast and flat run across. But the strong west wind was trying to rip the helmets off our heads!
Old Forge into Brantingham
We caught a nice break from Daikers to Rondaxe Road in which the groomer had just groomed Trail 5. It was a plush snirt carpet that probably only stayed smooth for the first dozen or so sleds to pass through. But we hit it perfect!
Trail 9 was great. Trail 2 was snirty but pretty decent. Trail 1 and BT – trail heading north of Old Forge was bumpy and rough with a number of corners and hills worn down to ice.
10 Mile Crossing/C7B was a much flatter ride, but thin in places and some icy corners along with a few loose rocks to bang if you’re into doing that. Of course, 5 miles of that trail is plowed for logging and we did encounter 2 trucks stopping to put their tire chains on. The couple miles before Kovach’s was a rush to rip through.
Partridgeville Road had enough wet, slushy material to make it into Brantingham, but it looked sandy and ugly on the snowbanks.
Going back
We ate lunch at the Pine Tree Inn. And there were a pretty good number of sleds there for a weekday.
On the way back, we scooted over to Van Arnam Road and hit C8A to run Confusion Flats, Stoney Lake and Mount Tom. Great riding through there, but also some thin and icy spots.
We encountered the groomer at Mount Tom and Justin wanted to inspect the work close-up:
Once we rejoined 10 Mile Crossing/C7B we just went back home the way we came with a stop over at Screamen Eagle for wings.
After the pit-stop, it was just a good ole-fashioned country hard-ball bump and grind back to Indian Lake. Matt and Justin split off, leaving Cal and I to bang out a Victory Lap, which hit the spot to end the ride on a positive note. Here’s a gratuitous picture of S85/Ski Hut trail:
Rolled back to the compound with 185 miles. Certainly not an instant classic. Quite honestly, some of the riding sucked badly. But we had a great crew and laughed our heads off over some of the silly stuff we saw out there today.
Here was the crew hanging out at an intersection in Old Forge:
And here’s me with a thumbs up on a good section of the ride:
Weekend Outlook
Between high tempertures well into the 30s on Saturday and heavy weekend traffic, I think the groomers have a tall task in keeping the snowmobile trails enjoyable. But at least the rain will hold off until Sunday.
Hard to believe that we’re close to the end of February but this winter is zipping by. Get up here and grab it, if this is the last weekend you can do it.
As for me, time to step aside and see what develops for the middle of next week. 😉
Central Adirondack Fishing Derby on Indian Lake – Saturday, February 23, 2019
The annual ice fishing derby will be held on Indian Lake on Saturday, February 23, 2019 starting around 5AM. Indian Lake/Blue Mountain Fish and Game Association urges ALL snowmobilers to reduce their speed and use increased caution when riding on Indian Lake ALL day for safety of derby participants.
If you are curious about participating in the ice fishing derby, click here for more information.
Indian Lake Snowarriors Meet & Greet on the Trail – Saturday, February 23, 2019
Snowarriors will be displaying our awesome “new to us” groomer: 2013 Tucker Terra 2000 at the intersection of 538/Newcomb Trail and S84/Blue Mountain Trail from 11am until 3pm on Saturday, February 23, 2019.
Stop by and check it out!
For the ilsnow nation,
Darrin
This report is brought to you by Steet Ponte Auto Group. Many of the vehicles here in Indian Lake are bought from the Steet Ponte. Co-owner Joe Steet is a huge fan and booster of ilsnow.com. If you’re looking for a new truck, give Steet Ponte a good look.
