SQUAW ROCK RETURN RIDE REPORT JAN 20, 2008

After a shower and good nights rest for most, Jen’s cabin didn’t have hot water, we almost all arrived before 8 for breakfast.  Many had the special of two blueberry pan cakes, two eggs and two sausages which was very good. We were on the trail at 9:54 with Fred taking ten riders on the cross country route and Lee taking the road but on a somewhat different route. He had the broken sled and the two up sled and the 14 remaining riders with the plan to meet at Buck meadows for lunch. Fred’s group traveled on new snow over a groomed road that had had minimal traffic and with the flat light and no tracks it made leading difficult. However, when we got to the point of leaving the groomed road the sun was out and the group played off road on the hills and valleys for about 20 minutes. We then climbed up to the steep hill climb that we usually do coming down. On climbing to the top Elwood was not there. Getting on the radio Elwood replied he was in a tree well. DeAnn and Kelly went to look for him and came back saying they couldn’t find him. Fred went down and found him deep under the branches. We got him out with the only casualty being his helmet visor. Continuing on the group decided to go the play route through the Bald Mt. bowls to Tripod Flats. Fred attempted a new cross country route through the trees without success. After crossing the spot where we left Bobs sled two years ago we encountered Curtis Anderson of our club who was riding with a friend on an Artic Cat with a broken drive shaft bearing. Fred gave him a tarp and tow strap. Curtis said he could get out on his own. (on checking later, he made it out with the help of several others on the humps into Tripod.).

Fred’s group arrived at Buck Meadows to discover that Lee’s group was practicing their survival skills. They had arrived about an hour early and built a roaring fire. After eating lunch the two groups went their separate ways home with Fred picking up one additional rider. They traveled the cross country route that Fred and Lee did on their checkout ride and had to rebuild part of the trail across a side hill that Lee and Fred had built. They arrived back at Gardeners twenty minutes after Lee’s group with about 50 miles for the return trip.