Stranded on Kalkaska trail

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BillyB46992

New member
It's midnight, running from Ranch Rudolf back to kalkaska to guide my buddy and his girlfriend back to their house this past weekend. Drop them off and two miles onto the trail heading back to the Ranch, my sled acts up. (98zr600efi). Stator problem. I was surprised at how quiet it is out in the middle of no where at midnight! Not a sled to be heard. It would idle fine but no rpm's. Lucky for me my best friend (my wife) was able to wake up to hear my phone call. I tell her she needs to come and tow me back. Talk about an uneasy fealing asking her to come 15 miles by herself on a trail at midnight!!! She made it though and rescued me. Made it back around 1:30. Thank goodness she likes to ride!! Great trails again this trip! Thinking it may be time to upgrade to newer unit. (the sled). Thanks to the groomers who keep the trails so nice for us!
 
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robocopf7

New member
If this happens to someone in our area that doesn't have someone to call, call 911 from your cell. We usually can triangulate your position, plus we have trail GPS markers on the marked trail. If nothing else, Dispatch can get ahold of someone (family or friend) to come pick you up or get help coming (officer or wrecker). It may not be a life threatening thing right away, but get left outside for several hours, and start walking then get lost......Its not a fun thing to think about but if your alone and broke down, the wheels upstairs start turning fast. Luckily, in the Grand Traverse to Kalkaska area, a traveled road isn't usually too far of a walk away, but it ifs really cold, or other hazard, time can be of the essence. I have sat broke down waiting for a friend, and I will tell you it gets damn cold.
 
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Marty P

New member
About 5 years back, out riding at around 1:00 a.m., way out towards the point of the Keweenaw, came upon a new sled sitting on the side of the trail, stopped and out of the woods tumbles a guy who was pretty much “blue”. Apparently, he took a wrong turn leaving the Harbor with his buds at about 4:00 p.m., ran out of gas and had been sitting there (had dug himself a hole in the snow) thinking about how he wasn’t going to make it through the night (it was frigid cold 0ish, with wind). Needless to say we gather him and his sled up and got him back to the Harbor and into a hotel. Best part was the next day we found out that his “riding buddies” were safe and sound, sleeping at their motel back in Calumet, think I would have found new friends’ after that.
 
uncle_ed

uncle_ed

Active member
What we have here, is another downed cat!! If you would have seen a wolf out on the trail you could stick him and have roasted hind quarter eh!!!
My brothers sled went down last weekend and I had to do the whole "angry ontario snowmobiler" routine because it just seemed appropriate and you were probably feeling a little bit of his misfortune at the time too im sure.

Marty that story reminds me of an incident in the u.p. I had some years ago. I took my wife on her first ride ever and we woke to minus 11 degrees and 30 mph winds from the north. She was a trooper and made the trip but on the way back from Grand Marias we were flagged down by a stranded snowmobiler who had ventured off trail with his wife for a nature call and got stuck. I spent some time digging him out and turning his sled around and getting it back on the trial for him but the guy was easily in his 70`s and still out there enjoying the sport. He waived a $20 at me for my efforts but I told him to keep it and hopefully somebody will return the favor for me some day in the future. I hope I am still sledding at his age!!!
 
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ohiosledder

Active member
Marty P said:
About 5 years back, out riding at around 1:00 a.m., way out towards the point of the Keweenaw, came upon a new sled sitting on the side of the trail, stopped and out of the woods tumbles a guy who was pretty much “blue”. Apparently, he took a wrong turn leaving the Harbor with his buds at about 4:00 p.m., ran out of gas and had been sitting there (had dug himself a hole in the snow) thinking about how he wasn’t going to make it through the night (it was frigid cold 0ish, with wind). Needless to say we gather him and his sled up and got him back to the Harbor and into a hotel. Best part was the next day we found out that his “riding buddies” were safe and sound, sleeping at their motel back in Calumet, think I would have found new friends’ after that.
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I would definitely get new friends - never leave a man behind!
 
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mnguy

New member
Had to laugh...when I first read your post I thought it was your BUDDY'S wife that came and rescued you. Had me wondering what the he** was wrong with your buddy that he would send his wife.....
 
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ezra

Well-known member
in 01 or 02 me and a bud were ridding in N MN -20 at 12:30am my zr700 clutch broke 1/2 the primary fell off guy who rebuilt messed up spider what ever.my bud starts to toe me with his new 800 edge x that thing blew a o ring in the head and burnt down about 4 mi down the trail.we were at least 5 mi from a road.he started gathering twigs I got a few rags and stuck them in the gas tank got a small fire going. we were getting nervous not alot of wood and it was f ing cold.then comes a truck driving down the snomobile trail a guy in his truck just hammerd with some woman he sed he needed 25 min or so to take care of some " buisness" and would be back. well he came back made me drive because I guess he was to drunk. we drove back to the cabin 1:25hr drive reg cab bud was frozen riding in the back with a topper. let them crash at my cabin we went out to retreve 2 dead sleds.the ordeal ended at 6am.it is scarry being stranded in the mid of no place even more at -20 always have somthing to start a fire and remember dead wood is not always ez to gather in the winter
 
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chords

chords

Active member
mnguy said:
Had to laugh...when I first read your post I thought it was your BUDDY'S wife that came and rescued you. Had me wondering what the he** was wrong with your buddy that he would send his wife.....
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Thats what I thought two until I re - read couple of times.
 
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smokin440

New member
Good to hear that you were ok.
I like to carry my HAM radio with me when I ride. I get all the local clubs freq's before I go out as a just in case if my phone doesn't work.
 
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