VACATION - Day 3

Riders: MB, Bill and Gregg
Miles: 60

POWDER!!! POWDER!!! POWDER!!!

We got dumped with snow last night. I think I prayed a little too hard for a snowy vacation. You really do have to be careful what you wish for. I wanted snow and I got it. I never thought I would say we got too much snow but we got too much snow (at one time).

We went down to the main house and had a quick Continental breakfast and then got right out on the trail. The plug for my visor was frozen over from being uncovered all night so Bill (a/k/a McGyver) heated up a fork with a lighter and stuck it in there to melt the ice. He's so good like that, you can give him a piece of bubble gum, a piece of string and a paper clip and he'll be able to fix something.

We had to break trail through 12-24 inches, powder flying right in our faces. Gregg had icicles stuck to his beard. We had to muscle the sleds everywhere just to stay out of the deep snow drifts. The snow drifts were so deep in the open fields - it was insane. It was a total white out.

I had my sled full throttle up some of the steep hills and it was just swaying in all the powder. I couldn't even see the tracks in front of me and I was right behind Bill and Gregg. I was ready to turn around after the 2nd time I got stuck in the powder but the guys convinced me to keep going after a group of 5 guys went by us breaking the trail.

We rode from the cabin to Island Pond (Rt. 58, Rt. 114) in the crazy deep snow. When we got out on the lake I didn't know which way to head, the wind was whipping the snow around and covering the deep tracks of the sled in front of me. We stopped to get gas and Bill went across the street to the snowmobile dealer to see if they could fix his visor cord. It kept fogging up on him and he couldn't see a thing. The powder getting up and under it didn't help but it doesn't work as good as mine. Gregg rides with his helmet open with sunglasses on. I don't think I could ride like that. By the time we got back our gloves were iced over on the tips and our pants were soaked through.

I lost count of how many times I got stuck today and I didn't even have to go off trail to do it. The road crossings were up to 4 feet high from the plows so you had to fly just to jump up and over the steep banks. I always hit it at a bad angle when it's that steep and I end up tipping it on its side.

I'm so happy we got this snow but I think I'm going to wait until the trails get beat down or groomed out. The conditions are so extreme. It looks like the storm is passing now. We can finally see the Lake from the cabin now. I'd hate to pay for the lake view without getting to see it.

Bill and Gregg were wringing out their pants and gloves in the sink before putting them in the dryer. They dried their gear and went back out. I'm hoping they stop at the store to get some provisions for tonight so we don't have to leave the cabin.

The snow is falling very lightly and the trails are probably beat down a little better now but I decided to skip the ride this afternoon. I'm still beat from breaking trail this morning and getting stuck about a 1/2 dozen times. I hope the groomers get out there and flatten the trail so I can ride without getting stuck tomorrow.

Getting stuck in all that powder wasn't fun but it was still better than a day at the office. I'm so happy I'm on vacation.

Update: Bill and Gregg got back to the cabin around 8:30. They said the trails got groomed and were so much better than they were this morning. They both got stuck in the deep powder and Bill hurt his knee when he tried to do his turn around spin maneuver and caught a small tree on the side of trail with his ski and flipped his slid on its side. Looks like he'll have a little bruise but otherwise they got back in one piece.