Winter has been rapidly coming to a close over the last two weeks here on the East Coast. Warm temperatures, snow eating fog and warm winds have really cut down the snowmageddon snowbanks all around our house.

With a recent oil change, chain & axel greasing & inspection complete on Project 6x6 I decided to hit the trails for what may be the last tracked Argo rip for the season. At this time all Canadians and most countries around the world are asking citizens to remain socially distant and follow government guidelines for being around other people as we try to flatten the curve of the Covid-19 pandemic. A 100% solo Argo ride was just the ticket for me to remain compliant and get out of the house for the first time in weeks.

Although snow around the house is rapidly melting there was still a hell of a lot of snow in the woods. I suspect there was an awful lot of snow drifted up here from our crazy winter of snowstorms. Sunlight just wasn't hitting the snow on tight tree lined trails with the same effect as it was out in the open.

Conditions were beautiful with sunny skies and temps hovering around 10ºC. Snow was sugary in consistency but quite sticky in the afternoon sun which helped keep the machine from sliding around more than it normally would have in these conditions.

The main trail around the airport fence was in great shape. A lot of it was widened out by heavy machinery last year which really helped open up the trail again which is great news for wider machines such as side by sides and the Argo.

This steep rock cliff is normally followed by a huge puddle but right now it's all frozen solid in winter's icy grip!

Side trails in Torbay were a lot more tricky for the Argo. Past this point the river path narrowed to just about four feet which is wide enough for an ATV but too narrow for the Argo at 63" wide equipped with tracks. The snow banks are still much too high to side straddle the trail and it only got higher from here!

Back on the main fence trail conditions were much better. Snow depth varied a lot, in places it was about a foot deep, other areas I was head and shoulders above the barbed wire of the security fence!

It's hard to pick out in these pics but the left side of this section of trail was rutted with a deep ATV tire track. It wanted to grab my machine and jam it solidly into dense trees, a similar fate awaited on the right with a natural snowy drop off. Steady momentum and slow speed let me walk the Argo through unscathed balancing on the center knob of hard packed snow at times only the inside edges of the tracks were making contact!

My last side trail adventure wound up much like the first except this trail was way worse. Long narrow puddles were bordered by even taller snowbanks over four feet high a couple hundred yards further in the path. It was much too narrow to turn around in the water holes, while backing out the machine kept getting pulled hard left by the ruts while trying to exit this water hole.

Since I don't have a rear mount winch I carry a large ratchet strap which sure came in handy today. I used the strap to apply sideways pressure on the rear of the machine to help walk the left track up out of the rut instead of staying out in the trees. This meant a bit of running back and forth with the throttle in reverse then applying more pressure with the strap and re-rigging a couple times.

Patience won and I had the machine back on solid ground in short order and minimal effort. Work smart not hard!

With an afternoon of adventure under my belt I decided to head for home with the rest of the ride being relatively uneventful. All in all it was a great way to get out of the house, enjoy a beautiful day, and remain socially distant under this crazy Covid-19 situation we are all stuck in.

Cheers, MIKE

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