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March 9, 2025: Torbay Argo Rip & Camping Prep (27 Photos) |
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On today's adventure I take my Argo, Project 6x6, for a winter ride on the trails in Torbay in search of a campsite for an upcoming overnight excursion.
A great trip should always begin with an amazing breakfast, today was definitely one of those days. While I scraped 5cm of fresh fallen snow off the driveway, Sandra and Shelagh put together a fantastic feed of baked French toast, bologna and some of our homemade bacon.
After breakfast I threw some gear aboard the machine and hit the trails leaving from our house in Torbay. Temperature today was about +4șC and skies were sunny and clear, however there were snow flurries in the forecast.
For the most part trail conditions were good. Most of snow from last month has melted in all the warm weather & heavy rains we've experienced over the last two weeks. I high centered the machine just one time and quickly self extracted using my trusty WARN 2500lb winch.
Throughout the afternoon hit up a whole bunch of spots in search of an ideal place to set up my camping hammock for an upcoming overnight adventure I have in the works.
Choosing to pass on a lot of spots, I finally settled on a dandy backwoods trail that seemed relatively unused.
My hammock needs two strong trees for it to be secure, and they have to be a certain distance apart in order for the straps to be properly tied. I found two trees that worked and put my CS 2500 mini chainsaw to work clearing out a small campsite.
I removed only enough small trees and brush to fit the hammock & have a campfire, leaving the rest to provide protection from the wind & weather. I figured I should do a trial run on my equipment, the first item to go up was my Hennessey Hex Fly which provides protection from rain & Snow.
Then my First Soldier (EBay) covered camping hammock.
Finally I unfolded the 2nd side of my Hex Fly and tied it off high to create a little roof while I boiled the kettle in a flurry of snow.
With the campsite ready to go I decided to boil my Kelly Kettle to make a warm cup of Coffee.
Side note: I picked up this CS2500 Top Handle Chain Saw back in 2019 from EBay for under $200. I run only Husqvarna Pre-mixed fuel which is stable for long periods, and its never let me down! It's lightweight, very compact and sure beats gathering wood for a campfire or performing trail maintenance with a hand saw!
While the kettle boiled I threw some fresh ground coffee in one of my Coughlin coffee filters. I slowly poured the boiling water over the grounds being careful not to let it overflow over the edge of the filter.
After the kettle was boiled and coffee made I dumped the embers onto a stack of dry firewood to have a little camp fire to warm up and to dry out my damp gloves.
Meanwhile I lay back and relaxed in one of the most comfortable camping apparatuses imaginable: a camping hammock.
With darkness set to arrive one hour earlier today due to the Daylight Savings time change I decided to start packing up to head back home.
This Hennessy Hex fly neatly stores the tie off ropes inside integrated pockets, one at each corner, certainly a neat and tidy setup.
My Camping Hammock is stowed quickly away with a set of Hennessey Snake Skins which gather and cover the actual hammock, keeping it clean and dry during setup and take down.
The ride home was uneventful as Project 6x6 continues to run extremely well. I parked the machine in the garage where I also hung the Hex Fly and Hammock to fully air dry and be ready for the next adventure!
Cheers, MIKE
Copyright © 2025 Michael Smith |
