Ard: I've never done much snow machine travel on frozen rivers, but those open spots make the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Be careful out there!!!Gaining 3:47 / 24 here right now and it becomes more noticeable by the 21st. I just came back from the cabin yesterday and longer days are what I need for travel. I seldom go in December because I have to leave in the dark to insure arriving while it's still light a little. The rivers are pretty rough for about 25 miles of the trip due to the warm - cold - warm - cold freezup we had, lots of ridges and berms of ice that you don't want to hit going fast. There's also some bad stretches of open water, I was parked looking at one about 100 yards long about 9 miles above the Susitna that looked like I should be fishing it. The ice bridge that crosses upstream may not hold if we have another warm trend, it makes you think as it is when you take a good look at it.
Not many people break through but it happens, I think there have been three since I started making the trips in 2006. Some people crash through and find a dry riverbed, some three or four feet of water, the three I remember were lost snowmachine and all. I drive slow because I'm on a utility sled and going slow you have the chance to spot bad situations before you hit them.
BTW, when I left it was -20 at the launch which is just 40 miles north of here, when I reached the cabin three hours later it was -10 inside the place. That thermos of hot coffee is most appreciated in such conditions. I'm headed back on Monday and won't be poking around here for a while then
Larry,Yahoo!
Craig: I get excited this time of year when we start getting more daylight and you can feel that spring is just around the corner.Larry,
A smile came on when I read the title to your thread - yes, Yahoo!
Thanks,
Craig
Would love to see pics of these places!Gaining 3:47 / 24 here right now and it becomes more noticeable by the 21st. I just came back from the cabin yesterday and longer days are what I need for travel. I seldom go in December because I have to leave in the dark to insure arriving while it's still light a little. The rivers are pretty rough for about 25 miles of the trip due to the warm - cold - warm - cold freezup we had, lots of ridges and berms of ice that you don't want to hit going fast. There's also some bad stretches of open water, I was parked looking at one about 100 yards long about 9 miles above the Susitna that looked like I should be fishing it. The ice bridge that crosses upstream may not hold if we have another warm trend, it makes you think as it is when you take a good look at it.
Not many people break through but it happens, I think there have been three since I started making the trips in 2006. Some people crash through and find a dry riverbed, some three or four feet of water, the three I remember were lost snowmachine and all. I drive slow because I'm on a utility sled and going slow you have the chance to spot bad situations before you hit them.
BTW, when I left it was -20 at the launch which is just 40 miles north of here, when I reached the cabin three hours later it was -10 inside the place. That thermos of hot coffee is most appreciated in such conditions. I'm headed back on Monday and won't be poking around here for a while then