OK so against better judgement...during the CO 4M Ride and while tons of powder was falling on an already huge base.....Boondock and I packed up the sleds and headed out to check out sledding in California and Utah? It would be the beginning of a 10 day adventure that quickly turned into the "BEST ROAD TRIP EVER"
We loaded up three sleds, 40 gallons of spare fuel, 4 gallons of oil, unknown number of cases of Coors light, a little bit of grubb, a few sets of clean undies and a large bag-o-enthusiasm! We knew it was going to be a long journey but we were prepared and ready for anything.
A friend in Cali (sledinWFO) had invited us to stay for 6 days of riding at his backcoutry cabin near Sonora Pass. It was 15 miles back and we would be chilling minutes from some of the best riding the state has to offer.
Thanks to the Snowest Repfest connection BossRev invited us to swing thru Utah on our way back and take in a few days the sledding there, an offer we could not refuse. So we had a basic plan set and the trip began.
The weather cooperated all the way until Donner Pass in California. But nothing that was going to slow down the DMAX and its studded tires. It was a 21 hr drive straight thru to the trailhead outside of Sonora Pass in CA and we knew right away things were going to be sweet.
The snow was already falling as we pulled into the lot at about 8am. In the 45 minutes to an hour that it took us to load up all the supples over 6 inches of snow fell on us. So much so that it buried some things in the back of the truck and we had to dig around to find them.
A few feet had fallen the night before and we had to break trail the whole way to the cabin. All three of our sleds (boondock, sledinWFO, and myself) were pulling tow-behinds that were weighted down to the max! Gear, cases of liquid, and 30 gallons of fuel on my sled alone. After 2 creek crossings and much track spinning we made it to the cabin without too much difficulty. The last 100+ feet turning out to be the deepest and toughest part with everbody getting a stuck or two in in that distance.
As soon as we unloaded all the gear into the cabin Boondock and I looked at each other and knew we were exhausted. A nap or a quick rest was surely in order? But to our luck the storm passed and the sun broke out at that exact same moment. Just the reenergizing that we needed! Back out onto the sleds for over the hood powder and some of the best terrain all just feet from our cabin door.
After riding hard until dark we made our way back to the cabin for a steaming pot of stew and some well deserved rest. SledinWFO has the most kickin cabin way back in the mtns, nicer than most peoples homes I would dare to say. It sure was nice to not have to ruff it after such a long leg of our trip. Little did we know it was only going to get better and DEEPER as the days went on.
Woke up the next morinig to 18 inches of fresh and incredibly a beautiful blue sky. We quickly pounded some of my famous breakfast burittos and began to undig the sleds and a little of the cabin. SledinWFO's dad and a couple other guys showed up and we proceeded to get our ride on. The snow was great as good as any freshies in CO. Over the hood powder and Blue skies..who could ask for more?
A big storm was brewing so SledinWFO's dad and another of the guys decided to head out before getting trapped in for the weekend. That left 4 of us at the cabin and we set to cooking a feast of BBQ pork ribs and liquid refreshment.
As the night went on and more snow fell a night ride seemed like the thing to do for some of the guys? They soon realized that 4 feet of powder, stormy conditions and darkness were not a combo for fun. They quickly got stuck DEEP within a hundred feet of the cabin and we all geared up to help the dig outs....then back to the cabin for cocktails and Peach Cobbler (the neighbor just showed up with a huge cobbler then disappeared into the darkness?). We soon passed out in bliss and dreamed of deep pow for the next day.
Over night a huge storm had left a couple feet of fresh and we again dug the sleds and the cabin out before heading out to see what trouble we could get to. We hooked up with the neighbor across the valley, Dave Cowden, and his son-in-law Travis. Dave has been in the Sonora area for ages and took us to one of his secrect stashes. The snow was like never had seen in his 20 years of sledding on the Pass. Over the handlebar pow that almost never graces the golden state. It stormed on and off that day but we had plenty of blueskies and visibilty was never an issue.
(Cowden house)
Dave invited us back for for dinner and cocktails at his place so we knew the stage was set for another great night. Went back to our cabin to change and grab some steaks I had marinating then back to the Cowden's, where I proceeded to throw down a feast while Dave took care of pouring cocktails and pulling bottles of red wine from his cellar. We got his son-in-law pretty snookered and he was dying for the night ride adventure but we convinced him otherwise. What a great trip this was turning out to be and all the people we met were even better!
The next morning we again awoke to 2 feet of fresh but this time no blueskies. We braved the storm for most of the day and got some sweet turns in but we had been spoiled by the past few days and for the first time I think I secretly wished the snow would just STOP! We dragged the neighbors out again half-way thru the day and although they are a little cabin soft they sure were glad to get out and experience the ridiculous powder.
Another cabin owner was headed out that day and we had not heard from him yet. It was about to get dark so we headed out to look for him in one of the creek crossings. Sure enough we found him stuck in the water and very glad to see us. We dragged him out and he assured us he would repay the favor?
Dave again invited us for dinner and drinks...damn how could we resist? Another great night and I have to personally thank Dave and his family for welcoming us so warmly. I have know sledingWFO my whole life and he treats me like a brother, but here the Cowden's who I barley know, treats me just the same...good people for sure.
Just as we were about to sit down for dinner there is all this noise outside. Out of nowhere a guy pulls up in a cat with a 12ft blade on the front. Out steps the guy we pulled from the creek with a big smile on his face. Turns out he owns his own cat and likes to drive it around the backcountry...I see large hits in my future!
Well if you could believe it the next morining we awake to another 2 feet of fresh. At this point I think Boondock was the first to openly say he wished the snow would just stop. We had gotten at least 8-10 feet since fist arriving and it was getting to the point where our sleds could just not get around. It was almost unrideable that day....although we did find a few meadows just off our tracks that we could jump in and out of without gettin too stuck.
It stormed all day and there was seriously, and I thought I for sure would never say this, TOO MUCH SNOW! Over and over somone would get stuck and anybody who went to help would get stuck as well...it was just plain insane! The cabin roof finally slid and dumped all the snow onto the front entry. Nothing a few cold ones and a flurry of shoveling couldn't solve though. It was our last night and we finished off all the liquid refreshments and feasted on the remaining supplies.
We were actually worried about getting out the next day with all the snow and feared we might not get any riding in before heading out. But fortune once again shined down upon us as we woke up to the craziest blue sky ever. We geared up early and headed out for some of the best sledding of my life! The snow had settled a bit so you could get traction but it was still over the handle bars when you turned. A totally epic day if there ever was one. The only down fall was that we still could not get up into any of the bigger hills and cornices but the turns made up for everything.
We rode till about 2 that day then packed up the cabin and got ready for the haul out. Once we got down to the main trail area we were pleasantly surprised. The guy from the creek, with his own cat, had decided to return the favor of pulling him out by grooming the entire 15 miles back to the truck! He even built snowbridges over those dreaded creek crossings! Sure did make for one smooth trip out to the truck.
The truck and trailer were covered with several feet of wet Cali Snow. It took some time to undig and load everything back up. But we were loaded and on the road by 630pm. It was only 12 hours +/- to Utah and we were looking forward to riding that next day.
well thats the first leg of the trip. We took tons of pics and videos and will post them up soon. Also the next leg..Utah and our unknown Snowest Repfest conection....BOSSREV????
We loaded up three sleds, 40 gallons of spare fuel, 4 gallons of oil, unknown number of cases of Coors light, a little bit of grubb, a few sets of clean undies and a large bag-o-enthusiasm! We knew it was going to be a long journey but we were prepared and ready for anything.
A friend in Cali (sledinWFO) had invited us to stay for 6 days of riding at his backcoutry cabin near Sonora Pass. It was 15 miles back and we would be chilling minutes from some of the best riding the state has to offer.
Thanks to the Snowest Repfest connection BossRev invited us to swing thru Utah on our way back and take in a few days the sledding there, an offer we could not refuse. So we had a basic plan set and the trip began.
The weather cooperated all the way until Donner Pass in California. But nothing that was going to slow down the DMAX and its studded tires. It was a 21 hr drive straight thru to the trailhead outside of Sonora Pass in CA and we knew right away things were going to be sweet.
The snow was already falling as we pulled into the lot at about 8am. In the 45 minutes to an hour that it took us to load up all the supples over 6 inches of snow fell on us. So much so that it buried some things in the back of the truck and we had to dig around to find them.
A few feet had fallen the night before and we had to break trail the whole way to the cabin. All three of our sleds (boondock, sledinWFO, and myself) were pulling tow-behinds that were weighted down to the max! Gear, cases of liquid, and 30 gallons of fuel on my sled alone. After 2 creek crossings and much track spinning we made it to the cabin without too much difficulty. The last 100+ feet turning out to be the deepest and toughest part with everbody getting a stuck or two in in that distance.
As soon as we unloaded all the gear into the cabin Boondock and I looked at each other and knew we were exhausted. A nap or a quick rest was surely in order? But to our luck the storm passed and the sun broke out at that exact same moment. Just the reenergizing that we needed! Back out onto the sleds for over the hood powder and some of the best terrain all just feet from our cabin door.
After riding hard until dark we made our way back to the cabin for a steaming pot of stew and some well deserved rest. SledinWFO has the most kickin cabin way back in the mtns, nicer than most peoples homes I would dare to say. It sure was nice to not have to ruff it after such a long leg of our trip. Little did we know it was only going to get better and DEEPER as the days went on.
Woke up the next morinig to 18 inches of fresh and incredibly a beautiful blue sky. We quickly pounded some of my famous breakfast burittos and began to undig the sleds and a little of the cabin. SledinWFO's dad and a couple other guys showed up and we proceeded to get our ride on. The snow was great as good as any freshies in CO. Over the hood powder and Blue skies..who could ask for more?
A big storm was brewing so SledinWFO's dad and another of the guys decided to head out before getting trapped in for the weekend. That left 4 of us at the cabin and we set to cooking a feast of BBQ pork ribs and liquid refreshment.
As the night went on and more snow fell a night ride seemed like the thing to do for some of the guys? They soon realized that 4 feet of powder, stormy conditions and darkness were not a combo for fun. They quickly got stuck DEEP within a hundred feet of the cabin and we all geared up to help the dig outs....then back to the cabin for cocktails and Peach Cobbler (the neighbor just showed up with a huge cobbler then disappeared into the darkness?). We soon passed out in bliss and dreamed of deep pow for the next day.
Over night a huge storm had left a couple feet of fresh and we again dug the sleds and the cabin out before heading out to see what trouble we could get to. We hooked up with the neighbor across the valley, Dave Cowden, and his son-in-law Travis. Dave has been in the Sonora area for ages and took us to one of his secrect stashes. The snow was like never had seen in his 20 years of sledding on the Pass. Over the handlebar pow that almost never graces the golden state. It stormed on and off that day but we had plenty of blueskies and visibilty was never an issue.
(Cowden house)
Dave invited us back for for dinner and cocktails at his place so we knew the stage was set for another great night. Went back to our cabin to change and grab some steaks I had marinating then back to the Cowden's, where I proceeded to throw down a feast while Dave took care of pouring cocktails and pulling bottles of red wine from his cellar. We got his son-in-law pretty snookered and he was dying for the night ride adventure but we convinced him otherwise. What a great trip this was turning out to be and all the people we met were even better!
The next morning we again awoke to 2 feet of fresh but this time no blueskies. We braved the storm for most of the day and got some sweet turns in but we had been spoiled by the past few days and for the first time I think I secretly wished the snow would just STOP! We dragged the neighbors out again half-way thru the day and although they are a little cabin soft they sure were glad to get out and experience the ridiculous powder.
Another cabin owner was headed out that day and we had not heard from him yet. It was about to get dark so we headed out to look for him in one of the creek crossings. Sure enough we found him stuck in the water and very glad to see us. We dragged him out and he assured us he would repay the favor?
Dave again invited us for dinner and drinks...damn how could we resist? Another great night and I have to personally thank Dave and his family for welcoming us so warmly. I have know sledingWFO my whole life and he treats me like a brother, but here the Cowden's who I barley know, treats me just the same...good people for sure.
Just as we were about to sit down for dinner there is all this noise outside. Out of nowhere a guy pulls up in a cat with a 12ft blade on the front. Out steps the guy we pulled from the creek with a big smile on his face. Turns out he owns his own cat and likes to drive it around the backcountry...I see large hits in my future!
Well if you could believe it the next morining we awake to another 2 feet of fresh. At this point I think Boondock was the first to openly say he wished the snow would just stop. We had gotten at least 8-10 feet since fist arriving and it was getting to the point where our sleds could just not get around. It was almost unrideable that day....although we did find a few meadows just off our tracks that we could jump in and out of without gettin too stuck.
It stormed all day and there was seriously, and I thought I for sure would never say this, TOO MUCH SNOW! Over and over somone would get stuck and anybody who went to help would get stuck as well...it was just plain insane! The cabin roof finally slid and dumped all the snow onto the front entry. Nothing a few cold ones and a flurry of shoveling couldn't solve though. It was our last night and we finished off all the liquid refreshments and feasted on the remaining supplies.
We were actually worried about getting out the next day with all the snow and feared we might not get any riding in before heading out. But fortune once again shined down upon us as we woke up to the craziest blue sky ever. We geared up early and headed out for some of the best sledding of my life! The snow had settled a bit so you could get traction but it was still over the handle bars when you turned. A totally epic day if there ever was one. The only down fall was that we still could not get up into any of the bigger hills and cornices but the turns made up for everything.
We rode till about 2 that day then packed up the cabin and got ready for the haul out. Once we got down to the main trail area we were pleasantly surprised. The guy from the creek, with his own cat, had decided to return the favor of pulling him out by grooming the entire 15 miles back to the truck! He even built snowbridges over those dreaded creek crossings! Sure did make for one smooth trip out to the truck.
The truck and trailer were covered with several feet of wet Cali Snow. It took some time to undig and load everything back up. But we were loaded and on the road by 630pm. It was only 12 hours +/- to Utah and we were looking forward to riding that next day.
well thats the first leg of the trip. We took tons of pics and videos and will post them up soon. Also the next leg..Utah and our unknown Snowest Repfest conection....BOSSREV????
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