The Arctic Man Adventure April 2000

As we descended into the beautiful Maclaren River Valley, our odometers were turning the first 100 miles of our adventure. After securing our rustic log cabin accommodations and munching a quick snack off the grill we were ready for short ride before the buffet diner. There were three riders ahead of us at the gas pump, they got THE last drop of fuel. We looked at each other hoping that this was some kind of cruel sledhead joke but it was not funny, it was real and about as bad as it can get.

Some snowmobile rides are good, while others are hardly a memory and others are AWESOME! Our plan was to ride from Cantwell, Alaska to the Maclaren River Lodge. After spending a night, we would ride to the fourth largest Alaska City, Summit Lake. Summit, as it is called, is not a village, town, or a city until April 8^th 2000, when 15,000 to 18,000 hardy Alaskan snowmachiners, ski racers, and adventurers converge into the old Alaska Pipeline Camp area to ride, watch and participate in the wild and wacky, Arctic Man event. The race involves a steep mountain, a crazy skier, a banzai snowmachiner and speed.

Our group of six riders departed Cantwell under clear, sunny skies. We picked our own trail through the trees, running parallel to the Denali Highway (closed to automobiles during the winter). The eastern, morning sun reflected bright white and blue diamonds off the fresh 4 - 8 inches of snow. At our first photo stop, all the riders were giddy about the trail conditions and the perfect weather. The miles clicked on as we busted fresh snow on the Big Susitna River. Wildlife was abundant after seeing numerous moose, ptarmigan, ravens and fox.

The trail climbed out of the river valley, above tree line. The trail was so nice and smooth but I couldn’t stand it any longer, off to my right was some of the best looking terrain a rider could imagine. I dove off the trail into the winter -rider-land. Everybody followed and soon we were all cutting our own lines through the old glacier grooves and powder snow. I choked on one groove by letting of the throttle as I crested the small cornice ridge. I turned around to wave off any followers, too late! Buddy, Jeff Sowada was hot on my trail. He casually buried his machine next to mine. Many riders talk about waist deep snow even when it only comes up to their knees, but let me tell you, if I was wearing hip boots, they would have been plump full of snow.

We descended into a river valley and steered right to avoid a group of moose that were bedded down in the sunshine. Our good trail manors put us right in the middle of a sled sucking willow patch. The willows were buried under the snow.

Paddle tracks are great but they don’t give you flotation through these type of conditions. We were all stuck in this football field size area for a hour, trying to get all the riders moving again.

At the Maclaren River Lodge, we have extreme sunny skies above, trackless fresh powder snow in all directions and THEY are out of fuel. Before we could cry, the Lodge Manager assured us that 500 gallons of fuel was being brought in after midnight via a track vehicle and sled. The increased snowmachine activity leading up to the Arctic Man event had even wiped out the fuel supply at the gas station forty miles east at Paxon. After a quick group conference, we decided to go out for a twenty-mile loop before diner. But first, a little guarantee from the Lodge Manager, "yes, 100% sure the fuel will be here after midnight tonight." That was good enough for us.

Off we went towards the snow bowls behind the Lodge. The riding was fun and challenging as we zoomed up and down and through some of the best riding you could dream for. The terrain was a series of channels and ridges 100 feet tall by 200 feet long, all tied together for three miles. The channels were choked full of powder snow as you ripped from one to the next. This would end way to soon. After a great Maclaren Buffet, a smoking hot sauna, watching two red foxes in the yard and gazing at the Northern Lights above, we could only pray for two things at bedtime... fuel and clear skies for tomorrow.

Nobody slept cold in the cabin that night. It was -10 degrees outside but about ninety on the top bunk where I lay, sweating. Finally, about 3:00 am, I got up to tend to the oil drip stove. I unplugged the fan, turned the carburetor to low while Jeff opened the door for ten minutes to bring in some cool air. Morning came with one thought, do we have fuel!? Nobody heard the track vehicle arrive late that night with the fuel shipment. My wife, Laura bolted outside to see the track rig with ten barrels of fuel strapped to a sled. The skies were clear and we were in position for another great snow adventure.

After fueling up, before anyone else got to the fuel pump, we had a great breakfast. We all applied a good dose of sunscreen to our face after yesterday’s rays pelted our Alaskan white skin. Today we would navigate forty miles to Summit Lake and the Arctic Man event. After watching the event and the entertaining spectators, we would loop past the Paxon Lodge to top off our gas tanks before heading back to the Maclaren River Lodge. The ride was a great blend of boondocking, trail riding and powder playing. We arrived back at the Lodge in time to go "out back" and play in the snow bowls a couple hours before diner. The channels and ridges would have made any snow cross track designer white with envy. After diner, a few took naps while others reflected on the days events. It was another evening of visiting foxes, distant Northern Lights and a relaxing sauna. With a complete understanding of the capabilities of our little cabin stove, we all slept cool that night.

As hoped, Sunday morning was "severe clear" for our journey back to Cantwell. We stopped frequently to take in the mountain and river valley views and to examine wolf tracks and watch moose and a fox. It was a pleasant ride back with a chance to reflect on our Extreme Alaska Adventure and the natural beauty around us. The best part is that we had most of the trail to ourselves, in fact, except for the crowd at Summit, we saw more wildlife than people.

What a way to end the season. The best for last, AWESOME. I can’t wait for next years ride same time, same place.

From The Trail,

Randy Bedard

Master Guide