What a great day of riding despite the cold weather 🥶 😂 We unloaded the sleds around 10am at the East Branch Snow Rovers Snowmobile Club in East Millinocket and the temperature was -5° 🥶
The loop consisted of: ITS 83 ➡️ ITS112➡️ITS 85/86 (At this intersection you can veer off to the Logan Pond Trail which will bring you onto the Baxter State Park south entrance loop road where you can see the iconic Pockwockamus Rock)➡️ITS 85 to Matagamon loop up around ITS 85 and at the split of 85 and 71D, stay on 85 to head back South towards Mount Chase/Shin Pond Village➡️Connector 114 back down to ITS 85 ➡️ ITS112 and back onto the Club Trail on ITS83.
Although the ride started out very cold and I had a helmet malfunction where my vent was open (it was so cold it was too late for me to realize until I had ice formed on my eyelashes, epic fail..) it was such a great ride.
The views are unmatched. It is nice to be able to appreciate the views in the region such as 'Mama K' (Mount Katahdin and the surrounding peaks), especially since I am now familiar with those mountains and have hiked them. 🏔
It was a great bluebird day filled with sunshine and beautiful views (Most of which I couldn’t get good photos of. I had to keep my phone shut off in my pocket because of the temps). The trails were great and we got the BEST food from Matagamon Wilderness! I highly recommend stopping! They have a nice store, with SO many homemade treats to choose from 🍰 and they have fuel available for purchase if you're running low. ⛽️ If you're lucky, you'll get to hang out with the sweetest dogs while you're there as well!
On our way back we stopped at Shin Pond Village to get fuel. ⛽️ This store has a large selection of gear if you need it as well as a full service restaurant. I really love this facility because of the views, the old Texaco sign and all of the vibes you get here! I also got to ride by another mountain I had climed this past fall.. (see my blog entry Sugarloaf Mountain; The one you don't know about)
We ended the day back at the club around 4pm and it was 20°, feeling like a heat wave compared to the morning temperatures. I absolutely love snowmobiling in this area and can't wait to go back! I did somewhat figure out my Garmin GPSMap 66i, but I started recording at the gas station on accident! I obviously still have a lot to learn about it, but it is definitely a handy tool! I would say this loop is about 118 miles.
Reccomendation: If you plan on renting a sled in the area, please brush up on some snowmobile etiquette. Taking a small course on trail riding or even looking over signals for the trail is a great start! There are plenty of options for Snowmobile safety courses in the state of Maine. It is a 6 hour course and highly beneficial if you plan on being out on the trails! Here is a current course listing provided by The Maine Departmenent of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife: Safety Courses in Maine
I also suggest keeping a hard copy of a trail map on you at all times. Phones are great tool, but this past weekend with the temperatures, they were highly unreliable. All of us had to hide our phones away inside of our jackets and use them when we stopped at larger facillites. Maps are great, especially if you have a handlebar bag that makes the map easily accessible.
We are also planning a trip to "the county" this season so stay tuned for more trail information!
Ride safe!
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