snowmaster2112

Landed in Pikogan at 6 pm 260 miles today i have to say I would pic the west side 396 trail if I could only ride one. Much faster in the power lines Kenny’s uncle wasn’t home up near Joutel so I went to his house in Pikogan and had dinner and hung out catching up. It’s only been 7-8 weeks since I saw him and Peanuts gone. Neil Peart’s gone. Kobe is gone. And the poor souls in the LSG tragedy. Goes to show many things in life can happen suddenly. Looking at a 300+ day tomorrow with possible destination 100 Lacs

In Matagami here is a couple pics from today think I’m going to Joutel to spend the night with my native friend either that or Kenny in Pikogan

No and no amd somehow I manage just fine

I will be getting and using this will update later this season

Yesterday at ......well....you know where

To be clear for everyone....Haltaparache is NOT open to the public anymore in the winter and has not been for 13 years Jean-Guy is there all winter alone or with his son. He’s a GREAT guy and if your in a pinch up there don’t be shy. He’ll help you in anyway he can. He has a radio/phone that works great as I called my wife and buddy from there. Don’t go there looking for gas as he only has what he needs for his side X side and snowmobile

An interesting pic Jean-Guy keeps track of the temperature every morning here a calendar showing this January and last January. Obviously a lot warmer this year. He also told me there was a total of 20ft of snow up there last year and him and his son had to shovel the roof 4 times. And get a load of this.......told me this past May 14th he went sledding on 18 inches of snow there.

Jean-guy and “Gypsy”

A beautiful sunset

And the owner of 33 years Jean-Guy

Here is a pic of the inside of the main building at Haltaparache

Heading to matagami today for lunch via Le Bel-Sur and then coming down the west side 396 trail. Will either be staying with my native friend near Joutel or heading down to Pikogan for the night. sumday and Monday are going to be spent making a mad dash back to St Zenon area.

Yes I know and years of practice and timing

Trail out of Parent to Clova today was heavenly and then some. Saw two guys shortly after leaving Parent heading in as they obviously stayed in Clova last night. Saw no one else to Clova. Trail was perfect as was the 3rd day in a row of “blue sky zero wind” day. trail from Clova to Balbuzzard was downright INSANE as was the weather and day. Saw only to guys from Ontario while I was pulled over out front of the buzzard taking a break.From there to Faillon was just insane too and I was the only one in there having very late 3:30 lunch. Saw a group of 5-7 heading east after Faillon and that was it all the way into Lac Tiblemont via Senneterre. Saw two groomers today and a Lynx too. If I would have seen a moose today it would have been the trifecta as I already saw the wolf and Lynx. im gonna just throw up,a bunch of trail pics from today and head to sleepy sleep. As said before ....285 miles of pure heavenly smackdown Heading to Matagami for lunch tomorrow..........

I left there this morning shortly before 8 and had breakfast at the Central in Parent saw no one on the trail but my second wolf of the year. He was broadside just like the one in Matagami earlier this season. He ran down the trail almost a quarter mile before he bolted into the bush but not before leaving me a present. Couldn’t get the camera out fast enough to get a pic of him

Ok .....so I guess I gotta backup to yesterday later afternoon. Last week my biding partner of the week “Dave” from Vermont and I were on the 83 heading west to Parent for the night and we stopped along the trail where Haltapatache is. The elderly gentleman who owns the place “Jean-Guy” is 77 years old and has owned the place for 33 yrs. He is the second owner and the place was built around 1962. He has 20 Lacs and all have trout only fish. His area is about 10square kilometers in size. My friend André from Sherbrooke and I stayed there once about 18 yrs ago and have not been back since....well....because he has been closed for snowmobiles for about 13 yrs now. He lives there all winter with his beautiful dog “Gypsy” while his wife stays in Terrabone in an apartment. She comes back and just the two run the fishing/hunting thing when the white stuff is not inundateing the area. He tells me he has to stay there or he will get robbed. Sad.....but probably true. I stopped by yesterday afternoon and he surely remembered me from last week. I thought it would be cool to stay there and he has 2 full buildings heated and runs the generator 4 hrs in the evening (we watched The Montreal/Buffalo hockey game and spoke “Franglish” to each other all night. His son “Patrick” works in Montreal and comes up for a week every month (takes train to Wemotaci where Jean-Guy goes 1 hr by snowmobile to pick him up. Jean-Guy cuts and uses about 40 face cords of wood to heat the two buildings all winter. He’s a great guy and it was awesome to spend the night there with him. The place is “rough “ and hasn’t had a damn thing done to it since 1970 or so. I had a half sub leftover that I brought from NY and he cooked us each two great Canadian hot dogs with all the fixings.

Some mind blowing trail pics coming up around 9:30 or so

Landed awhile ago at Lac Tiblemont 285 miles of pure bliss.........