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Marathon Snowmobile Club Makes it into White River (D trail).


The Groomer Guy

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Some Great news.

 

The Marathon Snowmobile Club has finally made it to White River.    It's been quite the expedition for them as they have been working on it since the start of the season. Broken down groomers, skunked a groomer could not stop them.   This was a challenge because this trail had not seen a groomer for close to 5 years, there was lots of brush fallen trees and washouts.  The Guys from Marathon did not know this trail and had to rely on maps and the old trail signs that where still there, they had to over come many obstacles.    After a long 16 hours day the guys did a final push and made it to White River.

 

Now there is only 100 kms separating them for having a connection to the rest of Ontario.  from our end we have about 15 kms done on the D trail West. 

 

As of this morning the D trail is now Green and Yellow into White River. 

 

Picture #1 The map of the trail to White River

Picture #2 The Map of the trail to Dubreuilville

Picture #3 The Marathon Groomer in the Power Line

Picture #4 The Groomer heading down the D trail to White River

Picturw #5 The Lights of the town of White River

 

 

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GREAT JOB GUYS! THANK YOU FOR ALL THE TIME AND EFFORT!!! Ski

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Great news!!!!

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X2, heading up that way in March !!!!

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Great news!  I haven't been thru there since about 2003 or so.  I used to buy my permits from White River for a number of years since they were a club of only 5 people at the time.  I'm heading up in March with a group that's never been to Ontario before.  If we end up with an extra day in the schedule perhaps we can run this trail to help show there is traffic potential.   If only we could get back thru Manitowadge to Longlac and back to Hearst like in the old days......

I'm glad to hear the Marathon group is motivated to make this happen.  It seemed like they were floundering in the year 2000 era ( If I recall they had a death in a sunk groomer, correct ??)

 

I rode around Lake Superior in 1999.  Glad I got that off my bucket list when it was possible.

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Some Great news.

 

The Marathon Snowmobile Club has finally made it to White River.    It's been quite the expedition for them as they have been working on it since the start of the season. Broken down groomers, skunked a groomer could not stop them.   This was a challenge because this trail had not seen a groomer for close to 5 years, there was lots of brush fallen trees and washouts.  The Guys from Marathon did not know this trail and had to rely on maps and the old trail signs that where still there, they had to over come many obstacles.    After a long 16 hours day the guys did a final push and made it to White River.

 

Now there is only 100 kms separating them for having a connection to the rest of Ontario.  from our end we have about 15 kms done on the D trail West. 

 

As of this morning the D trail is now Green and Yellow into White River. 

 

Picture #1 The map of the trail to White River

Picture #2 The Map of the trail to Dubreuilville

Picture #3 The Marathon Groomer in the Power Line

Picture #4 The Groomer heading down the D trail to White River

Picturw #5 The Lights of the town of White River

Good news.

 

That trail is rugged at the best of times (ask the S-I-L). The year we rode from M'wadge east it was tricky faollwing the trail due to the snowfall since the last grooming.

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Some pics of our trip thru there in '09:

 

Turning on to TOP D after riding down from M'wadge

 

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On the east side of White Lake. It was just west of here where the S-I-L got her sled buried offtrail. I seem to remember a VERY steep descent just west of the lake crossing.

 

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Stopped to see Winnie, just a stand in as the real Winnie was hibernating:

 

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Between White River & D'ville. Just outside of White River we met a group of westbound sledders from southern Ontario (dealer stickers from the Kawarthas):

 

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Will be nice to get the freedom trail finished! Great job by all. Should open easier next winter now.

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On the east side of White Lake. It was just west of here where the S-I-L got her sled buried offtrail. I seem to remember a VERY steep descent just west of the lake crossing.

 

 

 

Been quite some time since I was through there. I don't recall a big hill near White Lake, but the closer that you get to Marathon - the bigger the country gits. This pic is just outside of Marathon. I believe that there is a concession at the bottom of the hill.

 

???

 

 

edit:

May as well post the pic while I'm here I guess ...

 

 

... well, I guess it won't let me embed the pic today.

 

http://s187.photobucket.com/user/mpminc/media/Dumb%20Sledders/NorthShoreHydrolineSuperior.jpg.html?sort=3&o=153

 

 

....

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for sure, there are 2 HUGE hills on the hydro line between Gloria's at dunc lake, and white river. Ski

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for sure, there are 2 HUGE hills on the hydro line between Gloria's at dunc lake, and white river. Ski

:right_on:

 

That's where it would've been. I was going to say east of Gloria's, but wasn't sure if folks would've picked up the reference.

 

Stayed there once in the '90s. No issues w/ the place, but as The Friendly Giant would say, "That's a story for another day..." LOL

 

We were never west of the D109 jct, so I can't say what  it's like in the Marathon vicinity other than what I've seen from Hwy 17.

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Great news, both Longlac/Geraldton and Marathon are very dedicated clubs and got delt a bad hand, I'm glad to see forward progress with a very important link in the system. This is a fabulous ride....I would love to have a crack at grooming it, what an experience that would be!

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Kind of off track, but has there been any discussion as to the disposition of CN's abandoned Kinghorn Sub'? It ran from Longlac to Thunder Bay via Nipigon? I know the tracks have been pulled up.

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There was talk of using the Kinghorn Sub as a multi-use trail between Nipigon & Thunder Bay, but nobody is willing to step up to take over the aging bridge infrastructure. In particular, the Blende Creek Trestle.

As to the route from Nipigon to Longlac, nobody has looked at it, as far as I know. There are some pretty gnarly bridges on that route too, Nipigon River, Cashe Creek, Postogoni Creek, and a tunnel at MacDiarmid. CN still maintains ownership of the ROW, as they have a fibre optic line that runs under the old rail bed. There is some use of the rail bed, but most people prefer to ride the TCPL pipeline north of Nipigon.

Nothing that's insurmountable, but not much desire to make it happen.

BP

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