So here I'll try to paint you a picture of an evening of pristine conditions, great weather, and the perfect ride. But before we go, we have to get dressed in our warm snowmobiling outfits. Boots, Bib style snowmobile pants, warm jacket, the important Balaclava, safety helmet, and gloves. Once this is done, it's time to check out the sled. Just like a pilot checks out his air plane before take off, you too should check out the snowmobile before departing. Not a good idea to get stranded out in the middle of nowhere because you ran out of gas, or broke a drive belt. So, gas tank is full, spare belt is secured in it's place and a complete set of tools are tucked neatly in their carrying case. Now for additional safety, I also carry a survival kit. This is a small bag containing many essentials that might be required should the snowmobile break down and I am stranded in the middle of nowhere. What do I put into this kit? Well for starters, I have the following, survival knife, waterproof matches, Bic lighter, tow strap, hand warmers body warmers, survival blanket, small fire starter kindling, trail maps, compass, fishing kit, sewing kit, dry socks, extra gloves and a flashlight. These are just a few of the basic items you should carry. Now my sled also has a large storage rack, so I also carry extra gas, large flashlight, jump starter battery, and funnel.
When you are on the trails, gas stations are not as prevalent as there are when you are in a car, so check your trail map, plan your route, and know your sled. In other words if you only get 10 miles to the gallon, and you only have a 10 gallon tank, you better have planned on locating a gas station somewhere along the trail BEFORE you run out of gas. It's also a good idea to plan other areas along the way to stop, such as where to eat, scenic areas to stop and rest. Something to always keep in mind. If point A to point B by car is ten miles, it is, in a lot of cases, much farther by snowmobile because of the winding trails and the right of ways that the trails must traverse.
Also, there can be opportunities for overnight rides. Such as riding a hundred miles or so, staying overnight, enjoying the local area, and returning to your place of origin the next day.
So now that we're all suited up, made our safety check, fired up the sled, we're ready to go. Now in my opinion there are three kinds of snowmobile trails. A) The ones that ARE NOT on any publicy traveled roadway or trail, meaning you do not have to worry about automobile traffic. B) There are snowmobile routes that use public streets, which ARE traveled by automobiles. C) There are trails out in the woods that have logging activities going on, so there might be large trucks crossing the trails. You need to be aware of all of these.
Leaving our home at about 4:30PM the temperature is about 33 degrees. The sky is clear with a few clouds spattered about, and we are now driving on one of the local roads to pick up our companions for this trip. The road is snow covered. The previous day we had about four inches of fresh fallen snow drop on us. Dry snow, not wet. A good base of fresh powder. Now one thing that you must be very careful of when traveling on public roads is the intersections. Snowmobiles cannot stop as easily as a car can, but under snow covered conditions both are just as unsure when it comes to an emergency stop. So when you approach an intersection, slow down, look both ways, before you proceed. Also, when crossing a road way that is paved and there is no snow on it, presents an additional problem as your steering is impaired and you do not have the same control because the skis cannot bite into the pavement.
So here we are moving, gently along the winding and twisting trails, as the sun goes down and our head lights illuminate the forest floor. We're the second sled in the caravan of two, and we constantly make sure we are a safe distance behind our leader. The passenger has some driving responsibilities too. There are times when you are not alone on the trails, and other parties will approach you as oncoming traffic. In some cases the trails are very narrow. So you have to slow down. The passenger on the first sled holds up their hand with one finger to indicate to oncoming traffic that there is one sled behind them. The passenger on the last sled will hold up their fist, indicating that they are the last sled in the caravan. This is another example of practiced safety on the part of the snowmobiler.
We have been traveling for about ten miles now, and the lighting has turned from daylight to dusk. This is always an eerie time as the shadows from the forest take on additional shapes, casting doubt as to what you are looking at. It take a reactionary second to decipher what it really is. Such as is that a piece of snow on the trail, or a large rock. Are those snowmobile tracks or branches that have fallen? This slows your progress, because you have to be careful and make sure you see what you think you see.
The driver on the other hand is watching other things as well. Speed, fuel consumption, trail conditions, and most importantly, the sled in front of them. Occasionally, there will be deer in the forest, this particular night we saw a huge Buck, running through the forest, parallel to our path. Was it going to cross our path at some point? Yup, that's what happened! Fortunately, it was far enough in front of us that it was more of a beautiful sight that presenting a dangerous situation. Continuing on, there are instances of slippage on the trails. This is where you are rounding a corner, and you lose traction and control, because you have hit a patch of ice. You have to back off on the throttle and re-grab the trail and continue your turn.
Upon entering town we realized our fuel was down to a quarter of a tank, so we'll have to fill up after having our dinner. Now there are some riders who like to have a few libations with their meal, by as for myself, I prefer to wait so that my driving abilities are not impaired. There are those riders who will disagree with this position, but that is the choice they have to make for themselves. I prefer an alternate choice.
One of the great things about going to places that are frequented by other riders is the camaraderie that is developed. There are stories that are shared, current trail condition reports, and many other things that riders have in common. After dinner it was time to wam up the sleds. Did you know that today's modern sleds have such luxuries as heated hand grips for passenger and driver, heated seats, remote starters. Yup, today it is possible to be completely comfortable with your ride. Some sleds such as mine get around 20 miles per gallon, while others get much less. What this means is you'll need to make more frequent stops to refuel between destinations. After filling the tanks with gas though, it was time to start heading back. We were going to take a different route though, and we also were going to avoid crossing any of the many lakes at night. This was for a couple of reasons. 1. The trails across the lakes are not groomed. 2. During the night time you cannot necessarily tell the difference between black ice and open water. 3. Sometimes there are permanent ice fishing shacks on the ice that DO NOT have proper reflectors on their shacks to warn you they are there, and you don't see them until you are right on top of them. 4. Although there are some markers placed on the ice to indicate a safe path, they are NOT put there by the State or any reputable organization, so you travel at your own risk. This is why we avoid the lakes at night.
But tonight the conditions for travel were perfect. We were lucky enough on the way back to have had a groomer travel the same trails before us. Again we were the first to travel these newly groomed trails. We did see a herd of deer in the woods on the way back. They are quite a spectacle to see, with their winter, dark colored, coats. The moon was shining, and there was a slight cloud cover. The ride home was much quicker, mainly because it was also a lot shorter. But overall, a great ride, and a great night with great friends. We did get to put on about forty miles or so, and we all got home safe, had no problems with equipment, and stayed warm the entire way.
Want to try this experience for yourself? There are many hotels, and motels that cater to the winter visitor. Some places have packages that include a snowmobile rental in your package rate, complete with helmets. You'll have to provide your own outer clothing though. So come on up to the Northwoods of Wisconsin, try your hand at the sport of snowmobiling.......I'm sure you'll never regret it!!!
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