Miles long
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Posts posted by Miles long
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9 minutes ago, actionjack said:
Great adventure. Glad you're safe. Gotta be tough to find a friend with such a strong sense of adventure but you need a riding partner or partners or at least a come-along or winch. Roll top dry bags or freezer zip locks.
I'm heading to the UP of Michigan early next week to meet up with 14 friends for an annual trip. I'm fairly certain I've 3 of them convinced to run the pedestrian class at Cains Quest next year if they have enough participation to have it. The event organizers need to drum up interest for this event to make it a reality which is one of the reasons I decided to start riding up in these parts to get a little feel for what hopefully the future holds. I've dry bags collecting dust in the closet they will be shaken off before the next trip. Thanks for the tips!
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The deep snow rendered this trail unpassable for me, the heavy wet snow made reading my GPS impossible as I had to steer with one hand while clearing my visor with the other , once I hesitated at the 3rd fork along trail that I came to my junk sunk. I walked 20 yards out and to see if there was room to turn around anywhere, no luck. 3 hours of shoveling later I was on my way back to Sept Illes to ride the local trails and take in the sights. I spent hours with a hairdryer at the hotel drying out my gear before heading back West to Baie Commeau the following afternoon in another heavy wet snowfall which made for an interesting ride through the hills and into town at 11:pm. Marcos Pizza is my new favorite hangout in Quebec!
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26 minutes ago, mikerider said:
Thanks for checking in. Lot of worried souls on here thinking about you.
Thank you for the kind thoughts!
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Sorry for the delay checking in. I'm currently in Forestville having a cocktail. The last 2 days have been late starts since turning back from attempting Havre St. Pierre due to water logged gear from the heavy wet snow! I'd love to post pics but keep being told there's a problem uploading the file, it might be my cellular service is only 2g here in Canada for data.
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11 hours ago, NSHM said:
Hard to tell from the last pic but it doesn't look like he even has spare gas and if he does it won't be enough breaking trail in deep heavy snow like that.And on an older 2 stroke that had a problem from the start.Never mind if a little trail miscalculation is made and the sled gets buried.I'm sweating just thinking about trying to dig that sled out by myself.Hopefully thats not the last pic we see from him and he got himself turned around and headed back. Good luck Miles!
15.9 gallons on board . My biggest mistake to much weight on ass end and the saddle bags do nothing but catch snow and they aren't waterproof all of my clothing was soaked.
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On 1/12/2017 at 6:58 PM, Jackstraw said:
When I read this thread only one word comes to mind. WHY?
On 1/12/2017 at 6:58 PM, Jackstraw said:When I read this thread only one word comes to mind. WHY?
The road less traveled!
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On 1/10/2017 at 8:47 PM, Scranton1 said:
Keep us posted on the trails and please post pics.
may try to hit sept ilies next week.
any insight is greatly appreciated!
BJ
I don't know why but I'm unable to upload photos. If your trying to get East of here bring a Mountain sled you'll need it! I'll try to post pictures but keep being told there's a problem wth downloading.
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3 hours ago, RoadRunner said:
After going over Early riders notes on this trip and talking with him on the phone this week, our plans are in late February, once we all ride into Port Cartier, we are to leave PC and ride to Havre St Pierre, the second day we plan to ride from Havre St Pierre to Chevery, 3 Rd day is Chevery to Blanc Sablon . This may be a long day according to Early rider. Than onto Mary's Harbor vicinity in Lab, than Cartwright, than potential up to Postville on the north Lab Sea, than back down to Goose Bay, than onto Churchill falls, than Lab city, than back to Port Carter or Beau Comeau depending on our route selection that day.
We have a large crew lined up for this trip, all coming in from different provinces and States, but we all know each other and have ridden together so that helps.
As everyone has mentioned on here, this is a trip that needs knowledge, safety considerations and team work. On top of that you have good old Mother Nature who likes to corporate sometimes and challenge you other times, and mechanical issues that pop up invariably.
Early rider sets the bar for trips like this , his knowledge, experience and capability make it more doable.
Everyone has given Miles long good feed back, so ride smart, ride safe and enjoy the journey, and share some pics!
Think Snow
RR
Mother Nature, hopefuly that nasty biotch hides her ugly head!
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On 1/10/2017 at 5:24 PM, Andyman said:
I am curious Miles Long if you are carrying a sat phone or a Spot? They call Labrador the Big Land for a reason it is a vast unforgiving beautiful place. The area you are headed toward is very isolated and there are no services or 911 service. You are on your own if anything happens. This is not a groomed trail ride this is non groomed, non marked wilderness. You need to review some posts from people like Early Rider and Road Runner and see what they have been through and the amount of preparation and gear they take with them. This winter marks 50 years that I have been sledding and I would love to do the ride you are contemplating but there is no way I would ever attempt that route by myself.
I have an aviation background and we have a saying "Learn from the mistakes of others you will never live long enough to make them all yourself."
"It's hard to make good time in such hilly terrain, also broke trail for probally 30 miles of the way through 6"-8" of fresh with no signs of recent tracks." This is just the beginning Miles Long.
All I am saying is you need to consider the risks you are about to take very very carefully!
Andy
Thank you for the kind words of wisdom! I've read every thread on Quebec Rider, Dootalk and Hardcore Sledder I could find repeatedly for the last 2 years. I definitely appreciate the words of wisdom, until 1 finds out for themselves to erase any doubts about exaggerations of just what kind of trip they're in for will 1 be able to say , Holy Shit ! They weren't kidding about this !
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6 hours ago, revct1 said:
Thanks for posting back Miles. It looks like a foot of snow out there today with blowing conditions and bad visibility.
Did you ride today and if so, how did you make out?
Jack & Sandi
That's putting it mildly! Heavy wet snow and blowing wind makes for an interesting ride! I was told later today that they've had 105 cm of snowfall in the last 9 days. I left his morning about 9:30 am as the storm was to pass by noon. I wore the squeegee on my glove off after 5 miles, everything the snow fell on stuck like glue , my GPS was useless with all the wet snow stuck to it. As soon as I passed through the clear cuts and hit the logging roads the signage disappeared beneath the snow. I can't believe this trail has been groomed anytime in the last 2 weeks. Hell I can't believe they're able to get groomers up 1/2 the hills on my he way to Sept Illes!
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2 hours ago, Andyman said:
I am curious Miles Long if you are carrying a sat phone or a Spot? They call Labrador the Big Land for a reason it is a vast unforgiving beautiful place. The area you are headed toward is very isolated and there are no services or 911 service. You are on your own if anything happens. This is not a groomed trail ride this is non groomed, non marked wilderness. You need to review some posts from people like Early Rider and Road Runner and see what they have been through and the amount of preparation and gear they take with them. This winter marks 50 years that I have been sledding and I would love to do the ride you are contemplating but there is no way I would ever attempt that route by myself.
I have an aviation background and we have a saying "Learn from the mistakes of others you will never live long enough to make them all yourself."
"It's hard to make good time in such hilly terrain, also broke trail for probally 30 miles of the way through 6"-8" of fresh with no signs of recent tracks." This is just the beginning Miles Long.
All I am saying is you need to consider the risks you are about to take very very carefully!
Andy
I'm carrying a satellite phone and a GPS with the ability to use. If it gets to the point where I'm not comfortable preceding forward I'd have no issues turning tale and heading back. Originally was hoping to make it to Blanc Sablon and possibly further East into Labrador but with a delayed start and less mileage per day than I had planned for it's not likely to happen but will give me insight into moving further along in future trips out this way.
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9 minutes ago, revct1 said:
Hi Miles Long. Welcome to QuebecRider. RoadRunner is the best source for info out there.
We have only been as far as Havre St Pierre. Baie Comeau to Sept Iles is usually a very nice ride. Well kept trails. The next leg to Havre St Pierre was a little less marked and not as many signs. Not many towns or services. After Havre St Pierre I have heard that it gets more remote with services further apart.
Give us a little background so we can follow you on the thread. How many people, what kind of sleds, has anyone in the group been out there before?
We love to read about the adventures we embark on. We all wish you the best.
Jack & Sandi
2015 Backcountry Etec started the trip with 6580 miles should click 7000 by end of day. 2 strokes are the only way ride! No lead sleds in my immediate future! Also riding solo on this trip . It's my first ride in Quebec and certainly won't be my last. The scenery and terrain are very much to my liking! Sitting in Port Cartier right now having a late lunch . I plan on arriving in Sept Illes this evening not nearly as far as I'd hoped. It's hard to make good time in such hilly terrain, also broke trail for probally 30 miles of the way through 6"-8" of fresh with no signs of recent tracks.
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Well the trip is off to a rough start, sled wouldn't fire up due to cold weather Sunday morning tried to jump start no luck and nothing's open here on a Sunday. I then decided to relocate to Les Coummins and stay at the Complexe Pelchat where services were located nearby. The owner drove me to a parts store where I purchased new battery went back to hotel and installed it yet still wouldn't fire. He was kind enough to help me offload into his heated garage where after 1 1/2,hours of jumper cables and heat gun on motor was finally able to get it stared. Hit the trail at 11:am arrived in Baie Comeau at 6:pm . Couldn't find lodging with a restaurant or bar that was open rather disappointing for a town of this size.
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I'm heading up to Tadoussac this week and plan on doing a 10-12 day backpack trip across to. Blanc Sablon and possibly into Labrador if time permits. Any info I can gather from first hand experience as far as clean lodging, good food, libations and precautionary measures would be greatly appreciated!
Looking for advice for trip to Cote Nord?
in General Discussion
Posted
I enjoyed this trip immensely! If it weren't for hip replacement surgery on the 25th of this month I would certainly venture back on up here this season much wiser and better prepared to travel further East than my first attempt. I appreciate all of the words of wisdom and encouragement , hopefully everyone here has a safe and enjoyable sledding season unfortunately I'll be watching from the sidelines, Rock on!