Click here to return to Part 1, The Best Laid Plans
On the way back from our sledding mishap, we stopped for gas and a quick bite to eat at the Duck Rock Resort in the small town of Dunchurch, Ontario. Unable to eat, because all I could think about was how to tell my dad when him and my mom got back from their sunny southern vacation, we kept on with our journey home.
The normal hour ride took twice that time with the rain and the sloppy trail conditions. We stopped at our close friends Mark and Deb Tiffany’s place, where their son and one of my best buddies ever, Josh, gave us a much appreciated warm ride home in his truck. Once home, Rob and I set out to build our saving grace. Since the sled was literally unmovable under its own power, we knew we were going to have to tow it out of the bush… but how? With the soft snow and insane amount of slush it would be impossible to drag the broken sled out on its own. We needed to create a sled for our sled.
As a proud racer sponsored by C&A Pro Skis, I had a few extra pairs of skis kicking around, including the amazingly wide and floatable MTX Mountain Skis. With the skis laid out, Rob set to cutting up 2x4’s to be bolted to the skis and then screwed together with more 2x4’s. The best part about my Dad being in the carpentry business is the fact that there is ALWAYS loads of scrap wood around the house that we can use for projects such as this. Once our contraption was laid out we did a test with my mom's sled to make sure that it would fit, and… Woo-hoo, it fits! Now let's get some sleep before tomorrow morning arrives.
First thing Sunday morning, Josh arrived to give us a much needed hand with our rescue mission. We loaded up my 2012 600 RS (race sled) and Josh brought along his 2013 600 Freeride long track. We figured we would need something with a lot of power and traction to pull all that deadweight out of the bush and through the slush. With the sleds, C&A rescue sled and gear packed, we headed north along Highway 124 to our destination. Once arriving at the closest inception point, we unloaded, bundled up and headed into the bush.
I’m not going to lie, part of me was thrilled to see the beast still sitting where we left it, but the other half of me had secretly been hoping it had just disappeared or mysteriously burned to the ground. Nope, no such luck, there it was in all its glory with a fresh dusting of snow covering its back. Alright, here we go, the toughest part of the journey. Lucky for me, I had brought along two strapping young fellas who did most of the lifting, hauling and manhandling. I helped where I could but these two seemed to know what they were doing. Of course, no one is ever really prepared for this… but the boys learned from their mistakes, corrected and improved their techniques and did the best job possible.
The 4km stretch of winding trail, slush-filled ponds and steep hills made for a very long trip back to the trailer. In the end, after many pit stops to cool machines and reposition ratchet-straps, we successfully made it to the road and finally back home. And now we encounter the next stage of the rescue… paying for the parts and fixing it. OUCH. That’s one weekend adventure I will never forget and probably never let Rob forget either!
Check out the video here!
