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

Today I got to try out one of my Christmas gifts, new Goggles for my HJC ATV helmet. The new units 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! Previously I had to switch to a second pair of goggles with a clear lens.

Trails today were lightly snow-covered and icy, in fact all puddles encountered so far were completely frozen which made 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 an auger with me 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 an awesome & safe ice fishing season coming up in less than a month.

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

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

This time of year I always carry some dry firewood from home. The Kettle doesn't use very 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 bogs are frozen so you can poke around without getting stuck, wet or even muddy.

Cheers, MIKE

Copyright © 2025 Michael Smith