Abitibi Trip⛏️🌲
Friday March 27
As always great stay at Hotel Forestal. This place has come a long ways over the years. Restaurant has always been solid here with Natalie and Valerie doing awesome work here. The Breakfast buffet is easy and fast.
Dinner was great. We met Lee sorry did not catch his last name and his wife Kelly. Lee is quite a character and has been all over Quebec. Great conversation.
Definitely an ambassador for the sport. Great guy.
Love the loft rooms here they are very well done.
Today is it. The end of a terrific season.
Time to “put on our snowmobiles for one last day this season.”
We are out early and on sleds before 8am.
Pretty hilarious i think the last day is probably my earliest start all year as at 7:51 am, I start inreach track.
Cold this morning out here -18c. Crisp. Snow is crunchy. Can’t be fooling around with no gloves on for very long. Good amount of guys outside loading sleds and gear to leave. That will soon be us in Amos.
Let’s get this over with.
Local trail right in front of hotel is not fresh groom but fine and dandy. We run to junction and head West on TQ83. Beautiful trail here as well. All real nice in this town no complaints. We take 313 now and its another beautiful ride. Wow really a nice mix of everything out here. Minus the big mountains of course. The terrain varies and is a nice mix.
Part way up and well if it isn’t another one of those mechanical wonders I love so much. Ski Dozer, groomer or surfacer, call it what you like.
He is grooming perfect trail. Now as discussed in an earlier episode it’s simple really.
For trail to be perfect it needs to be groomed
Grooming a perfect trail is how it stays perfect
All temperature dependent of course.
Now he is heading south usually so tempting to want to ride on that white ribbon. But is perfect over here no need to even put one ski over there.
Arriving at 309/313 here is where dozer came from we continue un groomed perfect trail north 313 direction TQ93 Barraute region. Before arriving to TQ93 I hear Playhard very excitedly on radio.
Moose Moose Moose 🫎 🫎🫎
3 moose must be real
Playhard has a tendency to read all the signs and now this being his first season mic’d up he kinda narrates as he leads let’s say.
It’s all individual styles. He really probably doesn’t realize it even, he is just riding along loving every minute of it.
This week have heard him say moose alot before but usually only once each time. So without asking i just back down a bit and each time the 🫎 well it was a trail warning sign for moose.
Same thing for Bambi, then sign for Deer. Too funny.
This time though is real. Not a large one very young,
He crested one of the famous Abitibi rollers and moose was sleeping at bottom of other side on trail.
He was not going fast and both were just as surprised to see each other, I am certain. Feel bad for this poor creature the snow is close to 4 feet in most places I would not want to have to try to walk in that either.
Closer look at the beautiful beast showing some blood 🩸 around its mouth area and i saw some blood on trail where was laying, not alot but some. Its hind left leg seems injured too. Using it to move but seems to be favoring the other quite a bit.
Moves up trail stops and looks at us. Hate to see any animal injured. Now what? This moose is not going to jump off into that deep snow. We waited a bit just let it relax. It slowly kept moving north and finally was like a small bush trail off to left it moved over and partway off big trail and we snuck by. Saw three guys just up ahead taking photos so I made sure to give tgem heads up for moose ahead.
Onward to TQ93
Left turn we are on final stretch now. We are closing in on Truck. Here trail is amazing and stays that way all the way to the Trailer in Amos, finished up on fresh groomed trail from outside Amos right to hotel. Great cherry on top for an awesome season. 10 am
We now get sleds unloaded then loaded on trailer. Slip into area near restaurant and get changed out in the coatroom. Was great. Then its time to hit black trail.
Playhard has the com and does just friggin awesome
One oversized truck with escorts trucks gave us a bit of a slow down on 117 but we eventually get by. Lots of police on road too. Friday, sunny day and end of the month. Not reallly worried about police. We truck on.
Playhard doesn’t want to give up the wheel. Little bit of traffic by 64O near Montreal. Then 40 east and hammer time. Left Amos 10:40. Dropped trailer at shop 6:30.
Finished up the week together with a loss.
We trucked it up to Shawinigan to join Mrs Ice at Centre Gervais Auto. First playoff match for the Shawinigan Cataractes (LHJMQ) (CHL) it’s the First Cat’s hockey for David with us here.
Playhard did his first “tomahawk chop” well at least he got to do one as we lost 4-1. Phoenix of Sherbrooke take game 1.
Playhard stayed the night at Chez Ice and this morning he is inbound USA.
Spectacular season
With the return of Playhard in the saddle again after a year off the band was back together again.
The team is solid all great assets on and off the trail.
Snohorse,NHmoose and Mrs Ice as well. We covered a good bit of the province with our trips this year.
Rode nothing in January
Finished up with just over 5kmiles.
It not about the miles.
Looking forward to next season. Lots of riding still left for those wanting to go for it. Quality trails with ongoing grooming. Abitibi is full on winter still. But It changes quick.
We shall see what the snow gods have in store next season for us. You Can plan all you want. Where and if and when the snow falls will determine the rest.
Thanks to everyone who reads along.
Thanks to all the snowmobile clubs for making beautiful trail and especially thanks to all the land owners, without them this would not be possible.
Another season in the books, it was a great one.
Until next time…..
VIDEO-2026-03-28-12-17-32.mp4
VIDEO-2026-03-28-12-17-57.mp4
VIDEO-2026-03-28-12-16-46.mp4
By
iceman ·
