I hadn’t ridden in two weeks and was desperate to get in a bit of snowmobile riding Wednesday, even though I was expecting marginal conditions at best.
Fortunately, Mason Lake parking lot is a short haul from Indian Lake, so it was worth a shot. I unloaded my sled at the lot and was ready to roll by 1pm.
Not surprisingly, my truck was the only one there.
Heading in
There was very little fresh snow to work with. Calling it a half-inch would have been generous. The tunnel-mounted ice scratchers did toss up enough white matter to keep the slides and heat exchangers surprisingly happy.
The first mile of Perkins Clearing Road from the north end was thin, icy and scratchy in places. Even a few spots down to dirt. But as I worked my way down, things got better.
Decided to try LP9/Nichol Vly trail from the east, just for a look-see. I knew that I wasn’t likely to push my snowmobile all the way through it. The increasingly large swaths of grass eventually convinced me to turn around.
After rejoining Perkins Clearing Road, it got thinner enroute to the intersection with Mud Lake Road. Some spots were worn to dirt, and this wasn’t the worst of it.
For giggles, I strolled a very short distance onto the Southern bypass trail. Not shockingly, it was very threadbare. Shortly after I took this picture, a Town of Lake Pleasant UTV approached. The crew gave me a “what the f*#& are you thinking?” look.
Heading deeper
I doubled back to Perkins Clearing T and headed west onto Old Military Road. The first mile or so was icy and scratchy in places. I encountered a couple of shallow creek crossings before the Miami River Bridge. Here was one.
And further back, I encountered this large dry washout.
As I pressed into back bowels of Perkins Clearing, it tried to look like winter.
I played around back end of Perkins Clearing for a while and enjoyed the scenery. When there isn’t much other snowmobile riding to be done, it gives me great opportunity to explore side trails that I don’t usually notice.
On the way out
By late afternoon, I headed back to the truck. On my way I hit Carpenter Road, which offered some of the smoothest riding I encountered. But it was thin and scratchy. A few spots were even worn to dirt, with this being the worst one.
I didn’t bother crossing Mossy Vly because I knew Mud Lake Road was plowed and LP9/Nichol Vly trail wasn’t holding much snow. So I doubled back through Carpenter Hill Road.
After a bit of additional exploring on the way back, I returned to the truck shortly after 4:30pm with 48 miles clicked off. This has bumped my season total to 367 miles.
Snowpack was 3-6 inches AT BEST along Perkins Clearing Road, with southerly exposures very thin or even bare. In the back end of Perkins Clearing, snowpack improved to 6-12 inches, especially into the shady nooks and crannies.
Bottom line
I enjoyed the snowmobile ride for what it was: To scratch the itch and do some recon for the ilsnow nation. A “poor” day of snowmobiling beats the best day of summer, hands down! Bumps weren’t bad and I had the place to myself.
The ride was worthwhile FOR ME. But I can’t recommend that people truck it here from any real distance for the express purpose of snowmobiling, even if you are more desperate than I was.
For those who are here for the holiday weekend regardless and super hard-up to do ANY riding, Perkins Clearing may remain an option. But we will take yet another hit Thursday night into Friday morning. Colder weather Friday night and Saturday would staunch the bleeding. You probably wouldn’t have much competition for parking at Mason Lake parking lot. If worse comes to worse, you turn tail back to the truck if conditions totally suck.
I suppose you could try the same thing with Moose River Plains, if you’re gonna be here anyway. But riding the mile of plowed road from Brown’s Farm parking lot to the trailhead could prove painful on the slides and carbides. Those final 2 miles to Limeklin Road are probably nearly shot, so you’d have to utilize the Big-T and Red River-T deadenders to pad some miles.
Whatever you decide, I’m good with it. Only you can decide what’s worthwhile for you.
Looking ahead
I don’t see any good news into next week as storm after storm is expected to crash through the west coast of North America. No blocking would be available to prevent the storms from rolling through the Great Lakes and keeping us on the wrong side of the tracks.
But there may be a pattern flip the following week with ridging finally stopping the parade of storms out west. This would push the storm track further south and east.
I don’t foresee strong mid-winter cold with the Polar Vortex (PV) expected to remain fairly far north. But good things may happen before the end of January. It’s a far better look than what we’ve seen during the past couple of weeks, for sure.
For the ilsnow nation,
Darrin
This report is brought to you by The Oxbow Inn, where everyone is a local. Great pizza and a variety of wonderful appetizers, light fare and entrees. 91 octane ethanol free gasoline available for snowmobiles! #itsbetteratthebow
