Cote Nord Trip 🐳
Trail Day 3 Tuesday March 10
Leaving Baie Comeau this morning is ugly. We know we have run out of magic. Trail is frozen mashed up frozen hard and slippery as hell. Scratchers deployed from the jump. We are in denial but it doesn’t stop us yet.
Ugly through this section near the Ferry junction and to Ski Mountain. Trail is glistening with its layer of Ice. We are Icemobiling. Scratchers doing their job, zero hyfax issues or overheating. But hard to handle. Slow is not fast, or easy as with frozen ski ruts from days past traffic its darty as hell.
Fast is faster but razors edge. We push on to warming hut 23 miles or so from Baie Comeau at junction 445-TQ3. Take a break here and agree its unanimous we have never seen ice trail like this for this long ever. So what to do? Still in denial we push on. Roller coaster now over and to Franquelin then Godbout. Saw one local out with toboggan. Then no one. Stopped in Godbout ferry was loading, leaving 2pm. Last chance to change sides? It’s voted down. Trail is an Iceroad. Solid ice. Taking a toll on us. Very tiring this riding. But now we are committed to gas in Baie Trinitie. No choice but to continue up there.
76 miles of Ice trail. Frozen solid. Concrete.
Arrive at gas/market gas and red gatorade. Big Reese’s Cup time.
Up out trail back toward TQ3. We stop and face reality….this sucks. If we continue we can get there but at what cost? It will be great here with the new snow but that aint in time for us. We intend to turn and burn tomorrow back down, but it aint burning trail. Is tip toeing fast. On ice.
IF we go up, then we need to ride it all again tomorrow back down. As we run back to Baie Comeau.
Decision is made to abort. Sucks. But it’s part of the game. We been very blessed, so far each time out. Every at bat cannot be a hit. Today Sept Isles was not to be. Unfinished business for next time.
Back track through same icy conditions roller coaster back over and just near Baie Comeau trail is starting to just loosen up a bit. Its not pretty.
Back at Baie Comeau at Travel Lodge licking our wounds. Tomorrow we will try to run south and see where we get to.
Snow is supposed to be worst starting late afternoon, forecast to snow most of day, so should be interesting depending on weather.
Talk is circulating of just waiting out the grooming, as after this, it will be very awesome everywhere up here, when they groom.
Not sure that will happen.
Great experience anyway today. Icemobiling not like Snowmobiling. Not the same. Let it snow.
Let them Groom.
Stay Tuned.
By
iceman ·
