Phil 1 Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 Thank you RR was great to follow this loop. This is as close as most of us will ever get to such an adventure. RoadRunner 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florida Snowman Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 Awesome trip & reporting guys! That's an adventure! Safe travels home on the black trail. I'm heading north on Friday. RoadRunner 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revct1 Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 It was great reading the thread and riding along with you guys. Thanks for taking the precious time to post and pic. Everybody be safe on the ride home. Jack & Sandi RoadRunner 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoadRunner Posted March 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 This trip from Forestville, returning to Forestville was 2600 miles Miles long and Florida Snowman 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoadRunner Posted March 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 20 hours ago, suv1 said: It was awesome the guys took the time to chat with me a bit just before SA!! We were glad you came up and stoped to talk with us SUV, outside of SA , along the Blanch Rd we met lots a great people like yourself along the way suv1 and Early Rider 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowfarmer Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 (edited) Thank you for taking us along for the ride it was a great read! I may have missed this ,sorry about that ,what happen to the two guys from Montreal that you up picked up along the way? The other is sled reliability, any make ,any model doesn't matter and technology.I know this trip is a real hard one to make , tough conditions , deep snow ,conditions harder then anything most any of us ever ride. You guys are well prepared for most anything and the sleds are prepared to the nines. I understand anything can break at anytime new or old but looking at this I'm not sure whether or not I trust many sleds can make it through without any issues. The point is we spend a lot of money on these things , they are suppose to be built well are you a little surprised you had so many issues ? That's what would stop me from something like this is, do I trust my sled! Edited March 7, 2017 by snowfarmer Miles long 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikerider Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 Thank you so much for sharing this adventure with us. It was beyond great. mike RoadRunner 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailblazer Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 Superbe RR glad to hear you made it. I was under the impression you had lost the 1200 to the gremlins then Robs sled, what happened to the other three and who made it back outside of yourself? Those reservours must have been real sweet crossing them, sure does fill in the mileage gap quickly. I'm anxiously waiting to hear more on the revisited versions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccrea@twcny.rr.com Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 Nice to see Rob got to finish the whole trip. Still pulling the sleigh just with a different horse!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoadRunner Posted March 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 1 hour ago, snowfarmer said: Thank you for taking us along for the ride it was a great read! I may have missed this ,sorry about that ,what happen to the two guys from Montreal that you up picked up along the way? The other is sled reliability, any make ,any model doesn't matter and technology.I know this trip is a real hard one to make , tough conditions , deep snow ,conditions harder then anything most any of us ever ride. You guys are well prepared for most anything and the sleds are prepared to the nines. I understand anything can break at anytime new or old but looking at this I'm not sure whether or not I trust many sleds can make it through without any issues. The point is we spend a lot of money on these things , they are suppose to be built well are you a little surprised you had so many issues ? That's what would stop me from something like this is, do I trust my sled! Snow farmer, the boys from Montreal that we met in Cartwright, made it as far as Churchill with us. The tough ride from Goose bay to Church caused to realize they were not as prepared as they needed and had the wrong sled for that type of ride. They phoned home for a transport. Of the 8 sleds that left, we had 4 sleds that made the loop and we're ridden every day, albeit minor repairs. Those sleds were the 3 Freeride 154s and a 146 standard back country. Robs extreme is a beast and is probably the most capable sled, but Rob way over uses the sled for what it was probably designed for we suspect!!😉 Hence the drive train problems. There is no perfect sled, but for this trip a long track is your friend. Scranton1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoadRunner Posted March 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 5 minutes ago, dmccrea@twcny.rr.com said: Nice to see Rob got to finish the whole trip. Still pulling the sleigh just with a different horse!!! Yes DM , as you saw, the original sleigh horse had to be put down😔😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccrea@twcny.rr.com Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 Can't wait to chat. The ride from Lab to Gab has to be quite a story!!! RoadRunner 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momojohnny Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 Well, Off 2 all involved. Love all the pic's, totally spectacular stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoadRunner Posted March 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 9 minutes ago, Trailblazer said: Superbe RR glad to hear you made it. I was under the impression you had lost the 1200 to the gremlins then Robs sled, what happened to the other three and who made it back outside of yourself? Those reservours must have been real sweet crossing them, sure does fill in the mileage gap quickly. I'm anxiously waiting to hear more on the revisited versions. The 45 miles of the manicougan was awesome, the Outarde was rough, but a straight line is better at times and many of the logging roads can be hard going if unbroken, or troughed out if Sleds have been down them! One freeride has a bent tunnel but made the complete trip, 1 freeride changed brake pads, (he completed his loop in Lab City,) 1 freeride changed carbides, the standard back country still has front end issues (we did repairs in Lab city) but made the entire trip. The 1200 gremlins never did clear out making the sled untrustworthy for putting deep into the bush, was used for recovery work yesterday though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoadRunner Posted March 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 1 hour ago, mikerider said: Thank you so much for sharing this adventure with us. It was beyond great. mike Mike, it was a great way to keep track of the trip for us to, enjoyed sharing the journey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iceman Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 When I grow up, I would love to be able to do some adventuring like this. You guys along with the albeit minor adventure(when compared to this run) with Team Vermont has opened up my eyes as to what's next for Iceman. I see a Bombardier in my future for Adventuring and the Apex XTX for the Groom Trail trips. I've come to my senses on the "Sidewinder" sorry to get off track, Thanks for taking the time to share all this. I want in on a run with "Team Maine" I so respect the improvising and repairs on the go. I kinda like that. Yeah no one wants to break down but i live for the "Problem Solving" love it. I'm gonna get in touch with Rob to pick his brain for my run on the Route Blanche next season. fine job you guys. quebec bob, RoadRunner and Scranton1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoadRunner Posted March 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 8 minutes ago, iceman said: When I grow up, I would love to be able to do some adventuring like this. You guys along with the albeit minor adventure(when compared to this run) with Team Vermont has opened up my eyes as to what's next for Iceman. I see a Bombardier in my future for Adventuring and the Apex XTX for the Groom Trail trips. I've come to my senses on the "Sidewinder" sorry to get off track, Thanks for taking the time to share all this. I want in on a run with "Team Maine" I so respect the improvising and repairs on the go. I kinda like that. Yeah no one wants to break down but i live for the "Problem Solving" love it. I'm gonna get in touch with Rob to pick his brain for my run on the Route Blanche next season. fine job you guys. Iceman, glad to to hear you're appetite for this type of riding is active. You guys had a great trip with a good bunch of guys! Rob is the guy, and he will help you any way he can. Reach out to him when you wish, be lives to talk snowmobiling and flying! RR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoadRunner Posted March 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 (edited) Sunday started like any normal big day ride, we are heading out for Gabriel, the only outpost between lab city Fermont area and the manicougan reservoir. What should have been a 250 mile ride thru some of the most remote areas we had ridden in. Rob is at peace here, he loves remote explorable areas and he has worked this area hard. Many of us have also scoured the area east of Gab on our early Dec rides that we have shared in previous years. So a few more of us are familiar with the area on the last half of the ride today. (Key to how this story plays out😉) It was a cold, perfect blue sky morning as we drifted down the perfectly groomed trails out of lab city and Fermont. After the grooming ends, 30 miles or so, Finally we all get to run the river and lac systems of lab and Quebec and down onto the St Marguerite river and reservoir system that we have all watched Rob do from his spot beacon! Our missing link! Edited March 7, 2017 by RoadRunner dooright 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoadRunner Posted March 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 There were five us. 2 completed their loop in Lab city as that is where Rob started from when he met us to the first day. But Rob is our leader and he will guide us down thru, The 1200 gremlin is in Rob's trailer to head south and they plan to meet us in Gab. We roll down thru the river systems , portage trails and trap lines that Rob has pieced together, making great time on a blue sky day. Into the "Wildlife Camp" time to refuel from our sleigh and take a short break before we ride the "Falls" and down onto the reservoir. Things are going great, a few trail episodes of guys stuck ECT, but normal stuff. Rob winds us down the small , at this point, but flowing St Marguerite river. He takes one of his Portage's around the Falls and Wamo! We are on the very upper end of the reservoir, very cool! High fives, gorgeous scenario of a big winding river bed, laid out ahead of us ,surrounded by mountains. Another 50 miles down stream and we are "relatively" at home in the shadow of the Grouix mtns. Our back yard! Trailblazer, dooright and PLAYHARD 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoadRunner Posted March 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 (edited) Let's roll! So down the river we go, "Wows"and "Oh My's" galore. We arrive at our next stop, a cabin that has a retired gentlemen and his wife living in there during the winter and running trap lines. When you stop, the hospitality door opens wide, they love seeing and talking to Rob. Many of us have been here. It's all down hill now folks. We have a nice snack and Rob talks about a trap line that goes out near the old Port Cartier Fremont trail? Maybe we could just check this out? After all we are only 100 miles to Gab, in our "back yard" Woops. Did I mention that we forgot one SAT phone in Rob's truck this am and Rob's survival bag got left behind? Also that Rob had borrowed fuel here a time before so we dropped that can off as we should be fine into Gab, it's only 100 miles and particularly if the last 45 miles has been broken open? Nobody knows the answer to that question! Edited March 7, 2017 by RoadRunner dooright 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoadRunner Posted March 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 We are all feeling kind of giddy, Rob says let's go check out the trap line and punch that out. It may be a touch shorter, so we all head up the line with a brillant mid afternoon sunshine on our backs! The snow is deep, as we climb up one elevation, onto a lake, up another elevation on this perfectly smooth but very narrow trap line, over an open Brook, out onto a small bog, ah a little slob on this one, keep your sled going on this because you don't want to stop! This keeps going, obtain another pond, between a set of narrows and Robs sled nubs a "chunk of ice", near a real slobby area, I nub over that ice chunk as well and gas it up over the slob and into the woods on the other side. Kind of fun and this just may work thru? No sleds coming? Finally after a bit three other sleds catch up. The " ice" was a big rock, the third sled stopped hard and the rider got tossed into shallow but now open water! All is fine! We get to this next lake and the nice beat out trap line stops, no obvious trail off the lake as we completely circle the lake looking for a way out, Rob sees what looks like an unbroken trail and steams into the seem, and there he sits, bottomless snow and this needs to come out backwards! dooright, Trailblazer and PLAYHARD 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoadRunner Posted March 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 (edited) It's a touch later now, we are 15 Mile's into this trap line. I do some quick math, 100 plus 15 in 15 out, is trail broken from the siding to Gab? We are starting to get to the end of our fuel range. This has gone from 250 to 280 . Rob's says "We will bust this out and find our own way thru tonight if it's the last thing I do"😲 ...I have heard that determination before...... This could be a long night.😊 We tug, snow bungie, dig and pull his sled out backwards. Early in the day this is fun, at 4 pm, its time to talk. I do a silent look around the troops. I think we have a 4 to 1 vote to abort. You know who the hold out is! Rob , realizing We are not Cain's Quest Champion caliber, concedes, and back out we go. We just might make Gab for 6:30 or 7pm. Nice! Edited March 7, 2017 by RoadRunner PLAYHARD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iceman Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 Your narrative is awesome, I'm sad as it seems you don't need me to write for you guys afterall...LOL. Nice read. PLAYHARD and RoadRunner 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoadRunner Posted March 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 On the way out, we talk to Rob about reborrowing the 5 gallons we just paid back at the trappers camp.? If the last 45 miles in is not broken we will lap up the fuel. Rob says OK, good idea, he will stop, and a few of us know the way, so just go, he will catch up. The trapper loves company and he loves Rob, can he get the fuel and move on ,or do they talk about his trap line, flying, ECT. We suspect it will be a bit of both, but Rob will run us down like we are peddling tricycles, before we are half way to the siding, this is his and our back yard, we are home! PLAYHARD and Florida Snowman 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoadRunner Posted March 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 (edited) The first cardinal rule is never leave a guy to ride by himself, Even if he is your trip guide! We very seldom ever break that rule. Second one is, if you break rule one, don't run beyond your comfortable fuel range in case the guy that is going to catch you does not catch you. If the last 45 was not broke, well we probably just broke both rules! We were potentially beyond our range if we went back. But this is Gardner behind us, he is chatting with the trapper, his light will be on our backs soon for sure. We do a POW WoW half way to the siding near a set big drifts in the road, we go down into the ditch for 300 yards to get around them. Should we hang here or just get to the siding, maybe the locals camp there has someone in, we will call Tina on the SAT phone and she can tell us that Rob is just behind us.(Oh yeah our phone is in the truck)! Well, we have a back up " in reach " that will have to do. Note, Rob's Spot battery had died sometime during the day as we find out in a bit! Edited March 7, 2017 by RoadRunner PLAYHARD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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