Wyman Pond Racing

Great ride reports 7, you captured the spirit of the trip, great snow, tragedy for young neighbor sled, impressive custom header welding, 5 new sled overheating, more snow, good overnight accommodations.  What else can I say.  I would say my highlight is captured in the pic of the two Needham bros below - that was the most remote spot in NH I have ever been to.  Border Pond, can only get to a place like that with motors.  Love the serenity and pristine glory of such an untouched place.  Glancing out across the ice at another country.  Truly awesome.

Thanks Riders,

#5

Ride Report Pittsburg 03-15-17 Day Two:

The 3 riders woke up to more fluff than Donald Trump's hair. There was probably 20 inches of the light crystals of snow as we begin the day.  #2 checked us out of the Lopstick Cabin. We loaded our stuff in the trailer, got dressed and headed to Youngs for breakfast.

There were un-groomed trails everywhere. Some trails had single riders tracks, some had multiple tracks and some were just untouched.  After breakfast I headed out on the trail, up the hill and across the street.  I saw a deer crossing the street, the opposite way as me. A quick nod to my furry friend as two dudes crossed paths on a beautiful snowy day. I have not ridden in conditions like this since Quebec/Charlevoix circa 2005.  #2 quickly took the lead as we broke some trail. Machines seem to rev a little higher in these conditions, belts wear a little faster and #5's sled overheated a few times. This meant we needed to alternate breaking trail. At one point #5 took the lead up an untouched trail. He did not make it far without overheating since it was a long gradual uphill section of corridor 5.  He waived #2 and I on to keep going and we did. #2 took the lead and I followed. Looking back I did not see #5 coming and stopped to wait and wait...After a little while #2 came back. Mind you, its difficult to turn around your sled in these fresh snow conditions.  I turned mine halfway around and got stuck. #2 quickly jumped in to get me squared away.  Apparently this happened to him 2 minutes prior. He was a bit fired up from the early morning huffing and puffing. #5 showed up and we had a short discussion about communication and travel routes. With nothing whatsoever resolved, we decided to head in any direction that had tracks and follow that route.

I took my turn leading for a while. At this point, mostly mountain sleds had broken tracks. That means they zig zag across trails, into gullies, over stumps, rocks and who knows what was under this fresh snow. I have some slight sight issues and it was snowing pretty hard. I followed the existing tracks as best as possible.  I broke ground when the existing tracks went way off. I had one hell of a time during this part of the trip. Getting out of gullies is a real trip. I found myself holding on one with one hand and leaning as far as I could while keeping momentum. I was giggling while riding for the first time in 16 years on a sled. I truly enjoyed this day of riding. Whenever the boys asked which way I wanted to go, it was the long way.

As the day went on, we picked up a new friend John from New York by way of California. He was an older gentleman who had a background in flying planes and metal fabrication. He had made some impressive modifications to his 2010 Ski Doo 1200. He added 3 custom made (by him) pipes to the exhaust to get rid of throttle lag. He riveted some plastic around the rear end of his sled to trap more snow for cooling. #5 told him about his recent cooling problems and he said "Your problem is also your solution".  Something about redirecting his exhaust to melt the ice-block formation in the Yamaha tunnel. He had me convinced.  Anyway, he was a good rider who provided an unexpected boost to our ride.

We cut the day short due to possible adverse driving conditions home from Pittsburg.  It was a great day, a great trip and a lot of fun. Im hoping for one more.  Dont put those sleds away yet. Stop filling up your calendars too. There could be one or more riding days left.

#7

Ride Report Pittsburg 03-14-17 Day One:

This report begins with the wonderfully generous #3 offering up his 3 sled trailer for a trip to the Pittsburg, NH Lopstick Cabins. Exhaustion was in play since I had just completed a full day of skiing in Northern VT and had a long drive home to Mass.  Next was a short shower, quick load up of sled and luggage and a drive to Leominster for the next chapter of the vacation. 3 members of the team ventured north ahead of the expected Noreaster. The boys finally arrived at Lopstick at 2:45am.

We woke to gray skies and freshly groomed firm trails in the Pittsburg area. Riding was very fast during the morning. The 3 sleds were on edge as we rounded corners in this great northeast snowmobiling Mecca. We had information from our breakfast at Youngs store to head north and east. We chugged along to the border crossing off of route 5. We found our way to the dead end in the northeast triangle of NH, ME and Quebec. We got off the sleds to see the quiet lake, the damn and a memorial rock.  Riding conditions were great and we were having a great time. By now, the snow was flowing like beers at a WPR meeting and it would continue until 4pm the following day.  We rode all around the northeast Pittsburg area and then headed south to Diamond Pond. The riding was nearly ideal all day on this vacation Tuesday. Riding up the steep and twisting hills near Diamond Pond at high speeds with the sleds ever so close to each other was an especially memorable moment during this trip.

As the day went on, snow accumulation had become significant. There was a bit of slip-sliding and pushing on corners as the day went on. It was a much different feel than during the early mornings first tracks. #2 and #5 lead most of the day. #2 did not have GPS so trail numbers are not certain for this report. I recall some combo of 141, 142, 5, 18, and 34. These are quality routes in the best trail system of NH. We logged about 150 miles for the day. #5 had a couple issues with overheating. This gave us time to pop the helmets up and get caught up on each others thoughts. 

We had planned on snacks on the trails and a very late afternoon/early dinner at Buck Rub Pub.  #2s young neighbors from Leominster were at the Pub. They were thoughtful and respectful, unlike any kids in their 20s I have ever met.  After some Buck Rub Grub and beers we ran into them out on the trail. Unfortunately, the nicest kid of all just blew up his new sled, a real bummer.

Overall, it was a great day of riding. Hopefully this trip does not close out the 2017 season. Lets see if we can salvage one more.

#7

I'm going skiing in VT from Saturday until Monday night. We need to get a plan together for 3/14-3/15. A decent amount of snow is expected to plop down on both days. Are you guys still up for some riding? I'm flexible from Tuesday on.  Please throw out a plan because it will be difficult to reach me while I'm away. We can use my conf call number if we would all like to speak on one call.

#7

Weather in Jackman looks better than Pittsburg.

Saturday03/118 | -4 °F

SaturdaySat 0 % Precip. / 0 in

Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. High 8F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.

SaturdaySat Night 0 % Precip. / 0 in

Partly cloudy. Low -4F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.

Sunday03/1216 | 5 °F

SundaySun 10 % Precip. / 0 in

A mix of clouds and sun early, then becoming cloudy later in the day. High 16F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.

SundaySun Night 20 % Precip. / 0 in

Cloudy skies. Low near 5F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.

Monday03/1320 | 8 °F

MondayMon 20 % Precip. / 0 in

Cloudy early with partial sunshine expected late. High near 20F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.

MondayMon Night 20 % Precip. / 0 in

Partly cloudy. Low 8F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.

Tuesday03/1425 | 17 °F

TuesdayTue 30 % Precip. / < 1 in

A mix of clouds and sun in the morning giving way to a few snow showers during the afternoon. High near 25F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 30%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.

TuesdayTue Night 60 % Precip. / 3-5 in

Snow showers. Low 17F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 60%. Snow accumulating 3 to 5 inches.

Wednesday03/1530 | 14 °F

WednesdayWed 60 % Precip. / 3-5 in

Variably cloudy with snow showers. High around 30F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 60%. 3 to 5 inches of snow expected.

WednesdayWed Night 60 % Precip. / ~ 1 in

Variably cloudy with snow showers. Low 14F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 60%. About one inch of snow expected.