Early to bed, early to rise, puts me first on the trails and oh what a surprise!
After a good nights sleep I was out riding by 6am that Friday morning on freshly
groomed trails with heavy snow just starting to fall. I headed out Airport Road
about a mile from the cabin where it turns into trail 8 and headed west to
Trail 443
south where I took the photo right at the Sucker River Bridge. The trails were heaven!
Flat as can be and set up stiff. The new dual 6" carbide runners hugged the corners
like riding a rail. No traffic, except for the wildlife scurrying about the trail side,
and plenty of fresh snow to brake in my new track.
I had just changed the suspension, front and rear,
with heavier shocks, different springs and an 1¼ inch
paddle long track. It raised the front end about 4 more inches
and stiffened the the ride for better off trail and deep snow performance.
This was my first ride with the new tweaks and I was eager to check it out.
Headed south on 443 just past Klondike Creek I hooked left onto a two track called
McCloud Grade and followed east through the heavy snow on Cr784 until it ended at
the North Branch Two Hearted River. Here it turned into a narrow unpacked hiking trail.
I crossed the little bridge with both skis hanging in the air and
floated through the deep powder as I followed it keeping one eye on the GPS.
The sled handled well and the extra front ground clearance help me splash in and
out of the drifts like a boat on the waves. The deeper track made a big difference
also as even slow speeds were a breeze in the heavy snow. I had a blast playing in the woods
until I made trail 9 for a bit before hitting another two track to Lake Superior just north
of the Blind Sucker Flooding. I sat and listened to nothing but the wind for a while
and soaked in the hypnotic scene. Feeling relaxed and a bit hungry after a nap I headed back
for brunch!
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