Dan-Senior

December 31, 1971. My father had purchased a brand new Ski-Doo Olympic 335 and tonight was the the 1st ride of the season. We joined the Poynters and Kirkhams for a midnight ride. Elliot Lake itself still wasn't safely frozen over, so we took the shoreline bush trail instead. Those are my memories of the introduction to January 1st 1972. Happy New Years fellow OCrs'.

Thanks for the snow update and New Year's wishes, Tricky. Wishing you a wonderful 2020 and hopefully some good snowmobiling your way.

Sault Ste. Marie The region received another 20 cms of fresh powder overnight. Winter is looking good for skiers, snowshoers and snowmobilers. I was in the bush today and snapped this photo.

Years ago, when I was living away from the snow-belt, I would haul my snowmobile at the beginning of season and store it in a snow-belt region (friends were very accommodating). I would then travel on weekends or when possible to ride. Because the snowmobile was older, my investment was low, while still allowing to scratch the itch. Those were the days when passes were considerable cheaper. Mind you, the Classic Pass in recent years on the Earlybird has been very attractive for older sleds. Just my 2 cents on cost savings while still having the opportunity to ride for those with limited time or funds.

We are hovering at 0 today in the Sault. I just came out of the bush. Forecast is calling for rain over the next few days. Points northward will be mixed rain-snow.

Sault Ste. Marie A few photos from yesterday's hike in Hiawatha Park in Sault Ste. Marie. It was a white christmas for us.

Greetings from Sault Ste. Marie. Wishing fellow OCrs' a very Merry Christmas and hopefully some enjoyable sledding during the holidays. I'm back on the sled on the 29th north of Sault Ste. Marie .

I was in Iron Bridge yesterday. 10" of snow on the ground.

Searchmont The Searchmont Community Hall this morning.

Sault Ste. Marie Fresh powder in the Sault today. Points northward are closer to blizzard conditions. Highway 17 is shut down north of Batchawana. Frank from the Voyageur Cookhouse at Batchawana Bay, took these timed photos 15 minutes apart.

Black Creek Outfitters An enjoyable day outdoors. Don, Chad and I clearing trees along the snowmobile trail in the Aubrey Falls area.

SNOWMOBILE TRIP - LIVE TRACKER - TODAY - Sunday December 8th Today's snowmobile trip to Aubrey Falls Ontario. The live map tracker starts at 9 a.m. It's 2 hours of trailering, then Staging at Black Creek Outfitters on highway 129. https://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0tWdb23mkceDjFNmauq9XNzfVfRchrj9X

Meanwhile in Sault Ste. Marie Quite a crowd at the Water Tower Inn last night. The place was Rockin'. Looked like a few sledders waiting for more snow in the crowd as well. Short 2 mb Video Attached. water tower inn.avi

Weekend Snowmobiling ─────────────── Chad is loaded up and my sled is next. The fresh powder from last night is going to make for an awesome weekend.

Aubrey Falls Snowmobiling - Last Sunday The Aubrey Falls area is an amazing, picturesque destination for snowmobiling in Northern Ontario and Black Creek Outfitters on highway 129 is at the center of it. Snowmobilers have access to 4 directions of snowmobiling: North, East, South and West. On this venture this past Sunday, I took the south route, which is cross-country leading to Wakomata Lake.

Black Creek Outfitters - Part II I prepared this video as a dedication to our dearest friends Susan and Mike. Thoughts are with you during this very difficult time. Wishing peace and tranquility for Mom. During my trip on Sunday, I branched off in 3 directions to scope out the area. This is my video of the left side of highway 129 on the D106 Trail heading south towards the Rapid River Bridge. There was no one up there except me and the moose. A great day to be away from city life and enjoy the remote beauty.

Black Creek Outfitters While up at Black Creek Outfitters yesterday, I ran part way down the Wakomata Wilderness route, scoping this out as a potential winter challenge. Came to a swamp that is only partially frozen. Hope to re-visit this winter with Chad and Ray and their long-track sleds.

Sunday Snowmobiling Today, It was an enjoyable day visiting Black Creek Outfitters on highway 129, then snowmobiling the Kindiogami Road. The sun came out at about 4 pm.

LIVE TRACKER - Aubrey Falls, ON Today, I am trailering to Aubrey Falls, Ontario and staging at Black Creek Outfitters. Attached is the Map Tracker which goes live at 11 a.m. https://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0m4jlplhMNL91uK5ASSCdvdXL6KW3eoSm Dan

Wakomata Wilderness - 26 Miles of Hell Weekend-after-weekend of riding the same OFSC trail system, my buddy Brent said why don't we try something different. How about we do a cross-country trip. On that Saturday morning, we staged in Elliot Lake and shot up to Aubrey Falls via sleds, filled up at Aubrey Falls Trading Post, then back-tracked until we came to the powerline. From there it was straight south for 26 miles of hell. We eventually exited at Wakomata Lake. The pictures explain the rest. We only did this trip once and it was the year I transitioned out the XLT into the XCR. It was a long day, especially, when our vehicles were over in Elliot Lake.

Yours must be Smithsonian. Lol. Can't wait to see some when you have a chance someday.

Black Creek Outfitters on Highway 129 - Nov. 29th Updates Fresh photos from Jean at Black Creek this morning. Majestic! I'm trailering up on Sunday to Black Creek. The plan is to sled down the Kindiogami to the Elliot Lake 546 / 639 junction.

North of Aubrey Falls - Vintage Trip This trip was a rescue mission. My friend and his wife had gone snowmobiling a week earlier and they got into some bad slush on a remote lake north of Aubrey Falls. After close to an hour of exhaustion, they managed to get one of the sleds out of the slush and to shore. My friend then went back out onto the lake walking through the deep slush in an attempt to retrieve the 2nd sled. His feet were so frozen that he didn't realize one of his boots and socks came off way back behind him as he just kept walking in his bare foot without knowing. They worked for another hour into the dark, making minimal progress as the under-powered 340 crept forward a few feet, only to get stuck again. Thank goodness they had one free sled on shore to get back out of the remote area and to their truck. Upon their return to Sault Ste. Marie, he started calling friends, including myself, for a future sled rescue mission. We all had to work during the upcoming week, so the sled was going to stay frozen in the wilderness for 7 days. We had a crew assembled for the following weekend and off we went. It was a 2 hour drive to Aubrey Falls, then another hour by sled to get to the lake. When we arrived at the lake, the slush was still as nasty as the weekend before. The 340 Polaris was frozen rock-solid and buried in the ice. It took us some good chopping work with axes and pics. We managed to free the sled, fire it up, clear out the track, then get it to shore. Attached are a few photos. Was a productive day and good bonding of friends. There were 6 of us on this rescue mission.

North of Elliot Lake Dean is reporting 10" of snow north of Elliot Lake today. (Wednesday Nov. 27th)