Trail Tails

If you have a snowmobile related article, an article about a trip you have taken on your snowmobile, or anything you think would be of interest to fellow club members or other snowmobilers, send it to us via E-mail and we will put it on this page, space permitting, for all to enjoy.

Here is a short tale of our trip to Gorham, NH
March 27 & 28, 2008

Imagine, we're already one week into spring and the trails are still great for riding to all parts of the Great North Woods and surrounding areas! We wanted to take advantage of at least one overnight by sled and decided that since snow conditions were so good, we would go down to the Town and Country Motor Inn in Shelburne. Just the day before leaving, one sled bit the dust and thanks to a loaner from Al and Jane Romanow, we were able to go. We met up with Pauline and Bill Weir at the Swift Diamond Riders' Warming Hut and so six members of the "Over the Hill Gang", led by Doug Lyons, headed out last Thursday. Signing sometimes was a bit vague, but Doug ably got us close to our destination.

The sun shone and it was a pleasant ride over mostly well groomed trails. Some of the scenery was breathtaking. At one point, Mt. Washington stood before us. Wow! Doug took us about 90 % of the trip and then turned around and headed back to Pittsburg alone. The last part of the trip was through town, but most of the one sled trail was in good shape. Doug called later to let us know that he had arrived back in Pittsburg probably in a lot less time!

We arrived at the T&C shortly after 3 PM and greeted by Randy Labnon. He had been contacted that we would be arriving with a party of 6 that afternoon. It is a snowmobile friendly establishment and we were immediately given downstairs rooms so that we could be close to our machines. We arrived after not having had lunch and headed for the bar after settling in. Snacks were available at a vending machine. After a round or two, several of us headed for the pool area and enjoyed a swim, the steam room, sauna, and jacuzzi. It was relaxing after the 100 mile ride! We met back at the bar and enjoyed a couple of their appetizers before going in to dinner. Everyone enjoyed their menu choice.

You really got value for your money with a comfortable room and 2 great meals (their prime rib is awesome). Everyone in the group enjoyed themselves and decided that next year we would make it a 2 day affair so that we could ride the local trails and see more of the sights.

The breakfast menu offered nice choices for everyone's taste. We had awakened to a new blanket of snow making our ride back through town even easier. It continued to snow for much of the trip changing from damp to dry flakes as we got further north. Once we got to the main trail, we found a newly groomed trail. Following the groomer tracks made it easier to see where the trail was since the signing was at some points sparse.

None of our trips are ever without some little incident. This time, it was my turn! Part of the trail followed a main road. I advanced the banking, proceeded, and ended up burying part of the sled in the soft snow. Both sled and driver came away unscathed!

Mark was our leader this time. Except for a few wrong turns, we were able to find our way on this new trail. Riding the trail along the east side of the Androscoggin River was wonderful until we arrived in Berlin. There, we found that we had to go through downtown on sidewalks. It was only a few blocks, but we missed the sign and had to retrace our tracks until we got to a very small opening in a fence. That was a connecting trail with all sorts of bumps which are to be expected this late in the season.

We arrived in Errol just around lunch time and enjoyed the food and rest and met up with several acquaintances. The rest of the trail was a breeze.

Helga Ziegler

Here are some pictures I snapped during my trail patrol ride Tuesday morning. It was a great day and conditions were just about perfect. Enjoy and if you click on the picture you

The first is of Trail 139 behind Ramblewood Cabins. The second is Trail 140 just North of the second bridge on Perry Stream road

The third is of Trail 141 just as you start up Deer Mountain from Perry Stream. The fourth is at the junction of Corridor 5 and Trail 141 looking toward the Canadian border.

The fifth is of the First Connecticut Lake from Diamond Ridge. The sixth is of Mt. Washington in the distance and Magalloway Mountain on the right. Mt. Washington is 63 miles South of Magalloway Mountain.

The seventh is of Trail 143 South of Stub Hill. Those bridge railing tops are four feet above the bridge deck. That is a lot of packed snow. The eighth is of Trail 141 along Indian Stream.

It was a great day of beautiful weather and great trails. I rode 116 miles and only 2.7 miles were bumpy. Our grooming crew has done a wonderful job this season and we all should give them our thanks for a job well done. There still should be at least another month of riding this season. Come on up and enjoy the best riding in New England.

It is 11 AM, April 21. The sun is shining with 57 degree temperature. It is one of the first nice days after days of heavy rain, sleet and snow. Certainly spring is just around the corner, but snowmobilers are still out there getting that last great ride.

A quick trip up Route 3 to Deer Mt. Campground showed that there were people not ready to give up. The smart ones went out early while the trails may still have been hard after below freezing temperatures during the night Lined up at Deer Mt., East Inlet Rd, and Magalloway Rd. were 21 vehicles with trailers. Two more passed me heading up toward East Inlet.

These ungroomed trails, while looking almost bare near the roads, are probably still intact in many of the wooded areas where the sun doesn’t shine. Looking at the mountains, one can still see quite a bit of white. It’s the time for some of the wildlife to come out of their sheltered areas. Rumor has it that bears are starting to come out. Moose prints are seen close to the road, but the only wildlife seen today was a hen turkey. I almost had a turkey dinner!

The Over the Hill Gang does it again! We had talked about going to Greenville, Maine for the past couple of years. This time, snow conditions and trail reports were perfect and everyone was available. It was agreed that we would all assemble on Sunday, March 4 at 12:30 PM on the trail at River Road. Several of us met at Ramblewood where Mark was told that he left the garage door open. After Mark’s quick detour, we were quickly on our way to meet the others.

Waiting for us at the designated place were Bill and Pauline Weir, Paul Schwalbe and Judy Kamon. Soon , with Paul in the lead, Al and Jane Romanow, John and Trudy Huff, and Mark and Helga Ziegler followed. The first leg of our trip would take us to the Rangeley Inn. We bumped over the week end worn trails and made several snack and “necessary” stops on the way and arrived in Rangeley around 4 and gassed up. After quickly settling in, we made our way to the bar where John was already waiting! A nice dinner followed. With a brisk walk to our motel room, we soon said our “Good Nights”.

The next morning we would have to walk to the nearest, local restaurant for breakfast. Several others were already on their way back from having eaten. Our planned time to leave for Rockwood was 10 AM, the men checked the maps and all were ready to go. We were elated to find that the trails had been groomed during the night. We found only one VERY wet area and sloshed through it quickly. At one point Mark thought we were on the wrong trail and headed Paul off. They turned around only to find that Mark was mistaken!

The trails led us through some very remote and beautifully scenic areas. There were open stretches where we could see for long distances and open up with a bit more speed. Others were well marked twisty, turny woods trails. While on one of those nice woodsy trails, we suddenly spied a young bull moose.

Paul tried to nudge him slowly forward hoping he would get off the trail. It would give Paul a perfect opportunity for a picture shoot. After some time, the moose went off into the deep snow allowing us all to pass safely. We came upon another couple of moose just off the trail ahead.

We arrived at our destination, The Birches on Moosehead Lake in Rockwood, Maine around 4 where we immediately got our gas to be ready for the next day’s ride. This would be our headquarters for the next 3 days. We checked in, unpacked and made ourselves comfortable for the evening. Jane and Al and Mark and I opted to stay in the lodge-wise choice! The others stayed in self contained cabins and would have to bundle up to come to meals.

Early arrivals, Mark and I talked to several men who often ride in Pittsburg. One even wore a Lopstick Lodge sweatshirt! Once they left and the rest of our group arrived, we took over the small bar area and laughed the whole evening. The dining room was a large room with a stone fireplace with a wood burning stove attached.

A long table was set for all 10 of us. We were pleasantly surprised by the wonderful meal that awaited us. Our cook, Paul and waitress, Peaches served us well.

After dinner, some of us assembled around the TV in the main lobby. Others sat in another room near the fireplace, but we soon went our separate ways to get our well needed rest for the trip in the morning.

The lodge room was comfortable and despite a shared bathroom, there were no long waits.

The downstairs was cold the next morning. Mark went down early and helped keep the fire going and get his first cup of coffee. We sat next to the stove during breakfast that morning! With temperatures quite a bit in the minuses, we contemplated if we really wanted to head to Greenville. None of us wanted to wimp out, so we decided to go , but if it got too much, we could always head back.

We wanted to be sure to dress warmly. Sometimes too much is really too much! With multi layers of clothing we went out to our sleds. Paul’s sled had a minor problem which would need to be fixed. Judy and he stayed behind saying they would catch up with us if they could. Trail 66 lead right through The Birches onto Moosehead Lake. No one really wanted to lead, so Mark took off with us in tow. Near land fall, one could see what looked like open water where we were told the river comes in. We reached a little spit of land with a one sled trail. It was wind blown with hills of drifted snow coming from both sides. From then on, the trail was like a washboard. The wind was whipping and with the low temperatures, wind chill factor, and speed factor, it was a mighty cold ride! I could feel one of my layers making me cold. We arrived in a small town called Kokadjo and stopped off in the first restaurant we saw. The owners also run Kokadjo Camps and can be found on the Internet. It was nice to be in a warm place. As I removed my snowmobile gear, I saw that my head was completely wet. I dried it off with a paper towel and proceeded to strip off the wettest layer of clothing! Now dry, I felt more comfortable. No one else was complaining.

We found out that the groomer was down with major problems and that the groomers in Greenville also were not running. So, we decided to go back the way we came. Not far from Kokadjo, we met up with Paul and Judy whose sled problems had been solved and they turned to go back with us. Now, we had some heated helmet problems and needed to make stops regularly. Again, we bumped along the rough trail, but this would not be our worst problem.

We found our way easily back to Moosehead Lake. The wind was whipping and suddenly we were in a complete white out. With possible open water to our right we approached what we thought was the trail with apprehension. Mark led the way and sometimes we could see no further than the front of our sled! I heard Mark say, “I see sled marks”, or “I see a post”. I knew that John and Trudy could also hear him. I repeated each time I saw a marker. We had no idea what was happening to the rest of our group and just hoped that all were with us. We all sighed with relief when the last of our group came within sight of the Lodge. Pauline said she tried to follow my red jacket. At some point, they rode three abreast!

Several of the men went on to try to solve the heated helmet problems before the next trip. With that trip a success, we again assembled in the bar and enjoyed sharing our experiences. We invited a couple who had been sitting at the bar for some time to join us. They had a camp a short distance away and knew the area well. When the dining room was open, we played musical chairs and sat in different places. Again the meal was outstanding. Paul came out to check if all was ok and proceeded to go down the line and give the girls a neck massage! Afterwards, we again huddled around the TV for a short time and decided we would go to Pittston Farm the following day.

Temperatures were more in our favor the following day. I looked out the window and saw the beginning of a wonderful sunrise.

We watched as Paul got his huge plate of pancakes and wondered if he could finish them all! We started out afterwards and found the trails to be wonderful. The sky was clear and the sun shining. The ride was pleasant. As you can see from the following picture, the trails were absolutely gorgeous.

We were among the first to arrive at Historic Pittston Farm. It’s located in a remote area about 20 miles from the nearest town. It is still a working farm, but more of a resort and can be found on the Internet.

The interior of the farm house is decorated with many pictures of logging, hunting, fishing and wildlife mounts of moose, deer, bear, etc., etc..

After a quick lunch, we headed back using a different loop to get back to The Birches. After the last picture, my camera became useless. The cold had zapped the power from my battery.

This would be our last night, so with bathing suit, towel, and hair dryer in hand, I proceeded to use the hot tub and sauna which was in a separate building across from the lodge. I got on my suit, wrapped myself in a towel, and proceeded to open the snow covered hot tub. It had apparently not been used since the last snow. It felt wonderful as the steam rose around me. Icicles formed on the wet hair around my neck, but that didn’t bother me. I stayed in for a while and enjoyed the quiet, serene setting. Now to get out! I had my all weather mocs which I didn’t want to get wet. I used them to sweep off some of the snow on the steps, put down the towel and stepped on that, then into the cold snow and into the sauna. I was hoping to dry off the towel while in the sauna, but found it was not hot enough for me. I stayed long enough to dry myself and my feet and scurried into the bath house. There, a nice hot shower greeted me with only one wet towel! Since it was a private bath, I was able to get completely dry with my hair dryer!

As for the past few days, we met at the bar before dinner and again everyone enjoyed their meal. The ribs were the best Mark and I have ever eaten. We found every meal to be delicious when we compared what we ate over the three days. There would be a good tip left for these guys!

Thursday morning after breakfast, we packed our gear, said our farewells to the staff, and headed out for our return trip to Rangeley. It would be one of the coldest days of our trip. To our delight, the trails were well groomed allowing us to travel along quickly. Mark and I were the only ones without heated shields. Icicles formed on our eye lashes and Mark’s mustache as we sped along.

We approached the same area of the trail where the moose had been on Monday. There, lying in the trail, was a moose. This was possible the same one that we had seen before. It didn’t appear to be moving. I asked Mark, “ Is it dead?” He just said to pass it slowly. As I passed, I could see his head moving slightly just looking at me with no other movement. We all passed by thinking that maybe he would not survive the day. We continued on our way, again making some “necessary” stops. The ladies, however, wanted to stop in warmer surroundings. To go back would take too much time, so we continued until we saw a sign for Bull Dog Camps (their web site is under construction), 8 miles. There, on a pristine trail, we continued into the wilderness! The trail had been finely groomed during the night with no other sleds over it.

We were greeted by the owner and her son and daughter. The small cabin just about accommodated all 10 of us and our gear. John and Jane tried on fur hats for sale. Upon seeing John, I said, “Hair at last, hair at last!”

We all had a great laugh! We all enjoyed a warm bit of lunch. During the winter, the facilities for guests is an outhouse. This would certainly be warmer than going outside! Mark and John decided we would go there for some nice fishing some time during the summer. While rustic, the cabins are equipped with private bath and hot water during the summer. They, too, can be found on the Internet, but their web page is under construction at this time. Back on the trail for those 8 miles and then on to Rangeley, we continued to find smooth trails with several icy and wet areas. We got gas in Eustis and continued on our way.

The Rangeley Inn was a welcome sight. It was time to warm up in the nice jacuzzi tub and then join the people in the bar and dining room. Our table for 10 was already waiting. Mark had his heart set on duck which was this week’s special. He was told that there were only 3 of those left and he hoped he was in time to get one. We all enjoyed the meal and then walked over to our rooms in the motel section. Mark and I were out like a light!

Same routine next morning, we walked to the restaurant and then packed up to leave for Pittsburg going by way of Rangeley Lake to Oquossuc. Pauline and Bill had never been to Bosebuck, so we headed there for lunch before getting on the trail home. Once in Pittsburg, we went to Dorman’s for gas and said our farewells. We all hope we can make another trip before the season ends. We were all tired having laughed all the while!

Hopefully more pictures will be posted if received from other members of the group.

This past Saturday, March 10, 2007, while manning the Warming Hut at Deer Mt. Campground, we had a visitor who was very obviously overwhelmed by his experience. He appeared at the door wearing his dog tags. On both of his legs were braces. I concluded after talking with him that he had served our country in the military. He spoke very quickly and quietly, and me without my hearing aids! I regret not having asked more, but also know that some people don't like to talk about their experiences. What piqued my interest, at first, was that he entered saying that a miracle had just happened. He wanted to let others know about it. Following is a short dissertation he wrote:

My name is Jeffrey Sheehan, and I hail from the Hamptons, Pittsburg bound on Fri. March 9, 2007 until March 11. Mr. Urban, from no other than Urban Way here in the respectable, absolutely most loveable little town in this Live Free or Die State, and I, we ride, we stop, we chat, we ride some more. We stopped at Deer Mountain Campground. The experience, from red button OFF to let's ride again, was enlightening, I swear.

A brief synopsis: 1. Stop sled. 2. Got off. 3. Felt my back pocket. 4. My one piece of hardware that I carry. 5. Al, I said, my book's gone. I started to ???? I didn't know what I was thinking, many emotions, and all at once too!!! 6. A voice from my right side dud said, Was it a Bible, I said yes it was. He immediately pulled it from his backpack on the sled and handed it to me. Elation, magnified by a huge chill up my spine. Sorry I can't really describe it, so I won't try. That man was Ken Cabral. He hails from Kingston, NH and I only wish that I can do something of the same caliber in my life. The book is new old (?). It was a recent gift. It is my faith.

I briefly told him that we were so lucky to have people like him serving our country. It touched my heart when, upon leaving, he asked if he could get a hug. He handed me another sheet of paper with, "God bless you all."

The Warming Hut has been a favorite stopping place for many snowmobilers and this year has been no exception. People have been coming to the rescue by bringing baked goods, soups, treats, and other essentials. Others have given their time and helped man the hut. All is appreciated.

Since everything is a take in/take out operation, volunteers are quite tired at the end of the day. So, as a special treat, it was decided that we go for an overnight to one of our club member’s camps in Maine, Bosebuck Camps. Bosebuck is a secluded camp located on Lake Aziscohos. By sled, it is about a 45 minute ride while by car over 2 hours! There is no electricity, but the generators now go for 24 hours. Although they have been beautifully refurbishing some of the cabins, most of them remain rustic.

We arrived some time around lunch and enjoyed their soup and beef stew. We met some that were staying for the night and several other people who had come in just for lunch. We checked in, dropped off our bags, stoked the fire, and took off toward Oquossuc . The trails, after all that snow and the pressure of many snowmobilers, were very bumpy despite the fact that they had been groomed. After bumping along for a couple of hours, we decided to go back to camp and relax before dinner. Dinner was a preordered meal of salad, ham, a wonderful veggie medley, baked potato, and rolls or chicken pie. There were several desserts also on the menu.

Afterwards, we met and chatted with several other guests. The discussion primarily was about sledding, grooming, the clubs and the web page. They were anxious to know more about the Pittsburg trails since the only other trails in that part of Maine were the one to Rangely or the one to Oquossuc while Pittsburg offers so many different loops.

Afterwards, we went back to our cabin and enjoyed the wood fire. The room was warm and cozy, the bed comfortable. Around 8:45 pm, we heard the Maine groomer coming through. Our ride home would be smoother!

At breakfast, we again met the folks we had talked to the night before. David Gouger and Valerie Chiang had something in common with us, they both hailed from New Jersey not too far from where Mark was raised. Now that they live in Bowdoinham, Maine , they come up to this area to ride more often. They agreed to ride with us to the Balsam’s for lunch and we would show them some of our trails.

Occasionally we stopped for photo shoots. We enjoyed the trails and suddenly saw a man waving his arms. There, in the middle of the trail was a moose. With a group coming in each direction, she appeared confused, but would not go off into the deep snow. Moose lose a lot of energy, so we didn’t want to upset her too much. As we approached her, she’d stop, rear one of her hind legs and stare you down! We didn’t want to close in on her remembering that moose are wild animals and very unpredictable. I took out my camera, the lens came out, but no picture. The battery died from the cold and the lens wouldn’t retract! Mark was the first to get by, then David. Chicken Helga told Valerie that if she dared to go ahead and try to pass by. Valerie, too, made it with the moose unsure of what was happening. Then the moose decided to come towards me. With my sled turned off, I hid behind it and prayed a lot. I heard myself saying, “ Mark, I’m scared!” My hair felt like it was standing up and hitting my helmet! I looked up and came eye to eye with the moose. With just the seat and windshield between us, I almost could have touched her! And me without a working camera. At that point Mark decided to turn around and try to chase her away from me. Success!

After a short breather, we continued on our way. Lunch at the Balsam’s was very nice. We walked around the hotel and looked into each of the interesting rooms. The ride back was smoother in sections where the groomers had just been. We took a slight detour and went up to one of the scenic overlooks above Little and Big Diamond Ponds. In the sunlight, the view was awesome. We did a little more riding through Pittsburg’s trails and then headed for home.

The return trip was not without incident. Mark and I made it up the last part of Lopstick’s trail, but David, who was next in line, had no studs and got stuck halfway up. After some trying and towing, all sleds were safe in our driveway. We enjoyed a cup of tea and cookies before David and Valerie were on their way back to Bosebuck. On route, they met up with 7 more moose! Back at Bosebuck, they shared their experience with Rich and Jackie Frigon of Ludlow, MA. We got e-mail from them saying that they plan to join our club and come up to do some riding next year.

At a club meeting around April of 2005, Paul Bergeron asked if there was any interest in getting a group together for a trip to Yellowstone to go snowmobiling inside and outside Yellowstone National Park. About 10 members at the meeting indicated that they would definitely be interested. In the next couple of weeks, word got around and Paul soon had a list of 24 that wanted to go. It was decided to cut off the size of the group to 24 otherwise the logistics would get too much for Paul and Bev Lord to handle and still have it be fun for them. As it turned out, of the initial group, only one had to cancel so the final count was 23 Ridge Runner snowmobilers headed for Yellowstone in January 2006.

As the summer of 2005 progressed, Yellowstone Tour & Travel, the outfitter we chose, was contacted and final plans were agreed upon to go the last week of January 2006. Initial plans were changed to add one more day to take into account flight schedule changes made by Northwest Airlines. The day of departure from Manchester, NH airport was Saturday January 21, 2006 at 4:09 PM. Our return would be on Friday, January 27, 2006 at 7:05 PM. This would give us four full days of riding and plenty of time to get rested from the flight out to Montana.

I received the following account from fellow club member Russ Wood about an experience he had riding on the railroad bed between West Stewartstown and Colebrook, NH on February 19, 2005.

Here is what riding on railroad tracks can get you. We went riding from Stewartstown on Sat. the 19^th of February 2005. We went all the way to the Canadian border on ITS 5. Had a great ride. We got back to the house had something to eat and 3 of us decided to go out again for awhile. It was about 5 PM. The trail my son wanted to take was 35 that went down into Colebrook. I said that is railroad tracks. He said yes, but there is plenty of snow. I was leery though.

Two years ago I hit a bolt coming across a railroad bridge in Plymouth on ITS 11. It stopped the sled dead, and launched me through the air. I landed and bounced again and fell through one of the openings to the bottom of the bridge. Luckily it was the end opening and no water was there, and it was only about a six foot drop. It tore most of the suspension out of the sled. A 97 Skidoo. I was sore, but nothing broken. About $700 later it was fixed.

So, on Sat. we headed down Route 35. Railroad tracks. My son riding up front, then his girlfriend and then myself. We were running about 35 MPH. We had made it to Colebrook when my son's girlfriend riding on his sled (an 03 Rev) caught something on the track. It ripped the ski right off the sled, along with bending all the parts that attach it. I saw her brake lights come on and grabbed my brake. (an 04 GSX I just purchased in Aug.) I slid sideways a little, and my left front ski caught something. It launched the sled sideways and ejected me. I landed about 10 down the tracks on the rail. I landed on the rail, helmet first, and bounced over on my chest. I didn't get hurt, and neither did she. (maybe I'm learning how to do this flying through the air stuff?) It bent all the suspension on the left side plus the front tunnel extension. The only good part was we were only about 30 feet from an access to route 3. While my son went back for truck and trailer we waited. At least 15 sleds went by while we were there and not so much as a click was heard from whatever we hit. As it was dark we couldn't find anything anyway. I will never, ever ride on tracks again. No matter how much snow there is.

The Pittsburg Ridge Runners trails were fabulous. Great job! And the turkey soup at the warming hut was delicious.

Now comes the most unbelievable part of our trip! Everyone was asleep. Suddenly, we heard the door bell ring. When no one responded, there was pounding on the door. One person was already coming out of their door room perhaps much too quickly and fell down part of way, skinning the whole length of his lower arm. Searching for any kind of bandage went to no avail, so paper towels would be next best thing. The rest of us scrambled to find out what was happening. Was it the police? Did someone steal our sleds? These were the thoughts that flashed to my mind. Now, who would have thought that a Canadian citizen from Poland, not able to speak English, would stop and knock on our door?? With liquor on his breath, he tried to tell us his dilemma. He showed us his license, his credit card, his dual passports, even his pictures. We were a bit suspicious because they all looked much too new. We tried several languages on him.

We parted ways as we approached our individual trails happy to be close to home where we could strip off the wet duds and warm up with a nice shower and little bit of spirits. A health check this morning, showed that all but one of our group was no worse from wear. Once the leading behind him, Mark went down with a cold and fever but not with dampened spirits. Hopefully, this will not be the last of our trips this winter.

From letf to right, back row: Helga Ziegler, Paul Schwalbe, Al Romanow, Judy Kamon, Trudy Huff, and John Huff; front row: Mark Ziegler and Jane Romanow.

To earn credit towards his Tiger Cub badge, 6 year old Michael DelGenio of Marlborough Massachusetts Pack 31, chose to erect an American flag at the very top of the tree on Diamond Ridge off trail 143 in Pittsburg, NH.

Michael got a little help from his parents and a generous donation of the American flag by Pittsburg's Powder Horn Lodge and Cabins.

Despite -15°F temperatures and 30 mile per hour winds, Michael set the flag on Sunday, January 23, 2005.

By shear coincidence as the flag reached the top of the tree bearing the memorial plaque for Christopher James Myotte his father Jim Arrived by snowmobile.

This year there may be as many as eight dog sled teams using the club trails at various times during this season in the Pittsburg area. They train most often during the week, but could be out almost anytime. The well trained teams are quite a sight to see on the trails.

As you can see from the picture above, it takes quite a bit of preparation to get these sled "engines" ready for the trails. And you thought snowmobiles required a lot of maintenance.

You can see the two teams in this picture. The team in the foreground is Peter Duncan's Siberian huskies who are here this season from Scotland. Peter is a sprint racer over here enjoying distance racing for the first time in the U.S.A. He brought over all his gear and dogs from across the Atlantic. I hope to get a chance to talk with him later in the season and find out how that was accomplished. The team in the background and in the next picture is Lidia Dale-Mesaros's Alaskan Malamutes.

If you look closely you can see they are moving at a pretty good clip as one of the dogs has all four feet off the ground.

When you are riding in the Pittsburg area this season be on the lookout for them on the trails. If you encounter them slow down to between 20 to 25 mph and pass cautiously. Wait until you are well past before you accelerate to cruising speed.

They will be bringing up signs later in the season, that will be put on the trails to remind snowmobilers that they are also using the trails.

Get your cameras ready. They really make good subjects for action shots and video.

This year we decided to make Mark's dream come true. Several years ago, after helping Todd Kent of Labrador City, Newfoundland set up the web page for the White Wolf Snowmobile Club, Mark was invited to come up to see the trail system for himself. It has taken us a while (about 7 years), but we decided that this was the year. Via the Internet, we found a web cam located at the Smart Labrador Office (no longer available) located in the College of the North Atlantic Building to show us snow conditions, a web page about the area, and Transports Quebec for reports on the conditions of the route we would be taking. We accessed these for the next few weeks.
Truck&Trailer.jpg (18816 bytes)

Reports on the Internet of Route 389 were primarily about summer conditions, so we decided to be prepared for any contingency. We packed everything but the kitchen sink! We loaded sleeping bags, candles, water, light snacks, etc. in case of an emergency. Mark hitched the trailer and when he picked up the spare tire to tuck it in with the sleds, he found that he had gotten the wrong one. So, our trip had to be delayed for a couple of days and on Wednesday, March 24, we were on our way.