“Conquering any difficulty always gives one a secret joy, for it means pushing back a boundary-line and adding to one's liberty.”
~Henri Frederic Amiel
The side road to Kokadjo was uneventful. Lots of hunters, lots of orange, no deer.
Kokadjo Trading Post was bustling, as its the only place to get basic supplies and gasoline for miles around.
We lunched in preparation for a section of trail ahead which I had been a bit wary of.
Population, Not Many.
Just a brief jaunt on pavement and we were back to the trail.
It must be said at this point that the path I had plotted was clearly shown on the map....at least, each end of it was. The center section they must have forgotten to draw in. Or maybe the map printer messed up....
As before, elevation brought snow. There was an interesting contrast in colors and foliage as we passed through a Tamarack grove.
Up and Up and Up. I was beginning to get a little feeling in my stomach. I typically get this feeling when something bad is about to happen. Maybe it was the cold sausage dogs I had for lunch.
The trail got tighter but we were still following full sized vehicle tracks, so onward we pushed. Nobody at this point had any hope of keeping the brush scratches at bay.
There came a point where I thought Boomer's size may be a liability being in the front. As the terrain steepened further, Ryan took the lead in the Excursion. With a welded rear and 37's, the chances of him getting up and over what lay ahead was far better, and at this point my blood pressure was starting to climb in step with the terrain.
As we would climb one steep section, the leading vehicles will pull ahead enough for everybody to get lined up. Once one truck made it, we'd radio down for the next to follow. Having somebody too far ahead or getting stuck too far from where help could get them wasn't something we could tolerate, so this slow progression in the convoy was a necessary annoyance.
Sometimes hard work doesn't necessarily return what you had hoped. That wasn't the case here. Rounding the bend at the summit was a jaw dropping experience. The air was crisp and clear, and the view over Moosehead lake and the surrounding hills was nothing short of spectacular.
The snow at the peak was windswept, so much of the "road" was covered in maybe 3", while the sides of the path had maybe 15" of snow. Filled with a sense of accomplishment at having conquered the unmapped peak, we set our course down the other side of the slope.
Now, this is where hindsight provides painful clarity. Hindsight would have seen the absence of the truck tracks we were previously following. Hindsight would have recognized that the route down the back side of the mountain was traversed only by a lonely pair of ATV tracks. Hindsight would have considered the air temperature and the time of day, and possibly triggered a different decision. Different than the decision we made to push forward down an ATV track strewn with snow covered boulders.
I believe it was Clay Croft who said "Adventure is the respectful pursuit of trouble". This was as respectable a pursuit of trouble as I've participated in for quite some time.
The problem with coming down a mountainside rock field in the winter time is that it is a one way journey. Once you're down, you aren't going back up. Further, remember how that map didn't actually show a line connecting the road. Now I know why. This wasn't a road. This wasn't a trail. This was a fiasco.
The first obstacle was a "high ratio" gully lined on each side with rocks. The Excursion made the crossing look easy, so Boomer tried it next. I really hate combining Boomer and Momentum, but in this case it was the only way through. Luckily, with the keen signaling from our trail leader Ryan, Boomer passed through the first trial without too much fuss.
The others followed.
Being the least capable rig in the group certainly has its drawbacks, but when you appreciate that once Boomer made it through that everybody else could too, it was at least a small comfort.
Around the bend we went, and there in front of us was the spot we'd spend the next 2 hours in....
To Be Continued.
~Henri Frederic Amiel
The side road to Kokadjo was uneventful. Lots of hunters, lots of orange, no deer.
Kokadjo Trading Post was bustling, as its the only place to get basic supplies and gasoline for miles around.
We lunched in preparation for a section of trail ahead which I had been a bit wary of.
Population, Not Many.
Just a brief jaunt on pavement and we were back to the trail.
It must be said at this point that the path I had plotted was clearly shown on the map....at least, each end of it was. The center section they must have forgotten to draw in. Or maybe the map printer messed up....
As before, elevation brought snow. There was an interesting contrast in colors and foliage as we passed through a Tamarack grove.
Up and Up and Up. I was beginning to get a little feeling in my stomach. I typically get this feeling when something bad is about to happen. Maybe it was the cold sausage dogs I had for lunch.
The trail got tighter but we were still following full sized vehicle tracks, so onward we pushed. Nobody at this point had any hope of keeping the brush scratches at bay.
There came a point where I thought Boomer's size may be a liability being in the front. As the terrain steepened further, Ryan took the lead in the Excursion. With a welded rear and 37's, the chances of him getting up and over what lay ahead was far better, and at this point my blood pressure was starting to climb in step with the terrain.
As we would climb one steep section, the leading vehicles will pull ahead enough for everybody to get lined up. Once one truck made it, we'd radio down for the next to follow. Having somebody too far ahead or getting stuck too far from where help could get them wasn't something we could tolerate, so this slow progression in the convoy was a necessary annoyance.
Sometimes hard work doesn't necessarily return what you had hoped. That wasn't the case here. Rounding the bend at the summit was a jaw dropping experience. The air was crisp and clear, and the view over Moosehead lake and the surrounding hills was nothing short of spectacular.
The snow at the peak was windswept, so much of the "road" was covered in maybe 3", while the sides of the path had maybe 15" of snow. Filled with a sense of accomplishment at having conquered the unmapped peak, we set our course down the other side of the slope.
Now, this is where hindsight provides painful clarity. Hindsight would have seen the absence of the truck tracks we were previously following. Hindsight would have recognized that the route down the back side of the mountain was traversed only by a lonely pair of ATV tracks. Hindsight would have considered the air temperature and the time of day, and possibly triggered a different decision. Different than the decision we made to push forward down an ATV track strewn with snow covered boulders.
I believe it was Clay Croft who said "Adventure is the respectful pursuit of trouble". This was as respectable a pursuit of trouble as I've participated in for quite some time.
The problem with coming down a mountainside rock field in the winter time is that it is a one way journey. Once you're down, you aren't going back up. Further, remember how that map didn't actually show a line connecting the road. Now I know why. This wasn't a road. This wasn't a trail. This was a fiasco.
The first obstacle was a "high ratio" gully lined on each side with rocks. The Excursion made the crossing look easy, so Boomer tried it next. I really hate combining Boomer and Momentum, but in this case it was the only way through. Luckily, with the keen signaling from our trail leader Ryan, Boomer passed through the first trial without too much fuss.
The others followed.
Being the least capable rig in the group certainly has its drawbacks, but when you appreciate that once Boomer made it through that everybody else could too, it was at least a small comfort.
Around the bend we went, and there in front of us was the spot we'd spend the next 2 hours in....
To Be Continued.
