It's the end of another work week and I was fortunate enough to finish up early. I decided to take advantage of nice cold winter weather and head out for a quick ATV rip leaving from our house in Torbay. The weather forecast for the next 7 days is pretty dire with a lot of wind, warm temps and heavy rain on the way, not ideal for a winter enthusiast!

Today I also got to try out one of my Christmas gifts, new Goggles for my HJC ATV helmet. The new goggles are 509 Sinister X7 with a fire mirror photochromatic clear to blue tint lens.

These goggles fit the helmet much better than my old well worn Oakley's and should be much better for dusk/night riding!

Trails were lightly snow-covered and icy, in fact all puddles encountered so far were well frozen making for an awesome smooth, clean, dry ride!

Even Western Island pond was well caught over, there was one brave set of snowmobile tracks on the ice but I wouldn't venture out on foot let alone ATV just yet. I also didn't have/need an auger today for checking ice thickness.

The weather forecast mentioned earlier is quite unfortunate as everything is currently frozen remarkably well. Without the upcoming mild spell, we would have been well set for a great & safe ice fishing season next month.

I stopped at one of my favourite overlooks near Indian Meal Line to boil the Kelly Kettle.

The menu today was quick and easy, a simple cup of tea and a pack of Mr. Noodles, something uncomplicated and warm on this chilly afternoon adventure.

This time of year I always carry dry firewood from home. The Kettle doesn't use much and frost makes even seasoned dry branches in the country quite damp. I split these 4" blocks easily with my axe, just 2 or 3 little blocks of 2x4 lumber is all you need to boil this kettle.

All in all it was quite an enjoyable ride. This time of year is one of my favourites, especially for exploring new areas. Trails and even bogs are frozen so you can poke around without getting stuck, wet or even muddy.

Cheers, MIKE

Copyright © 2011 Michael Smith