What a beautiful day for my final ride of the season. Yup, I said final ride for the season, I know there is lots of snow on the ground still, but it's melting fast and the rivers and creeks are starting to show open leads.
We started this morning with a great breakfast at Chatanika Lodge (not a surprise there) and then headed up to 42 mile Steese Hwy, off loaded and headed out. This was not a scheduled FST club, but a "hey were not going to Arctic Man, lets go to the White Mountains" and so we did. When we left Chatanika Lodge the temp was around 25 above, the sun was up and already generating some heat, so we knew it would be a warm day, and we weren't disappointed.
We rode up the hill from the 42 mile parking lot to the information sign about 5 miles in. From here we 'pow wowed' as to just were to go. Our general direction was towards Cache Creek Cabin and Windy Gap, but we didn't make it <bg>. About 4 miles before the Cache Creek Cabin you connect with the trail that goes towards the Elliot Hwy, of course you go north to Mckay Creek, follow it for a bit to the turn off and then head back south, almost parallel to Mckay till you get to Crowberry Cabin, or maybe I should say what's left of Crowberry Cabin, about 2 burnt sticks and a big hole. Not a place I'd make plans to stay at, but the hole would make for a good bonfire pit. Now big holes aren't a problem for this group, one just goes around, all except those that one makes. By time we got to Crowberry we had had 2 sleds buried in the powder, you know, that fluffy white stuff sitting about 2 inches below the hard crust you've been riding. Anyway, to make a long story short, we dig them out and kept on going.
After a short break for a quick snack or two we decided to head towards Lee Cabin, and as things go on a carefree and gorgeous day like it was, we changed our minds, again. We got to Moose Creek and stopped to visit the folks staying there. Never meet them before and didn't get their names, but they were nice folks and didn't mind the company. After about 15-20 minutes of socializing, who should show up but Rick and his lady. They were just heading back to their place on Haystack, so a few more minutes of hi and how are you's, and off we went. But now, Lee's Cabin was out, the Wickersham Creek Trail Shelter was in. We did have a couple more submarine submissions at this point and one atmospheric rider ejection into the ice grips of overflow. And guess who did that wonderfully trick, you got it, me.
I, in all my wonder figured the best way to cross the over flow was to just it hard and fast, NOT.... This worked for about 10 feet, then out of the slush I popped and right on to some nice smooth and slick ice. That in itself would of been ok, but when my sled went sideways, crossed the icy overflow at 40 MPH (remember, sideways) and sank back into the slush on the other side and the hit that nice had pack, my sled bye-bye and off I went, not a simple "sled falls on side, get up and go again", but a full frontal attack as it were. If I didn't know better I'd swear that my seat had a spring loaded ejection system build in. Because fly I did and left a nice little imprint of my body in the bank, at least till it melts....
Well anyway, back to the 'riding', another mile or two and we made it to Wickersham, took another break and then headed back. All in all a great day to be outside soaking up the sun, wish I'd brought my cutoff jeans. But therein is the problem, the sun and warmth also have this adverse effect on the snow and trail, sort of like Alice in Wonderland, I'm melting..... and so, assuming that the weather reports of 50 above most of the week are correct, I'd say this boy is done till next winter. Course we will be looking for volunteers to help with some trail maintenance this summer, so get your ATV's and brush cutters ready.....
Trail Report, April 9, 2005
Moderator: john