Bueller1967
New member
Huge thanks to the two riders from Rhinelander this past weekend that helped me get my new Viper unstuck. Myself and a buddy of mine were attempting a loop north up trail 1 and back down trail 101 to Bergland that had a stretch on trail 12 that ran along side a road. Trail 12 is not in great condition right now. We came upon an drainage ditch with some open but shallow running water coming from under the highway that should have been no problem getting over. But instead I decided to follow some tracks over a snowed over area that looked well traveled. Upon crossing, the snow collapsed and the front of the sled spiked into the far side of the gulch revealing the running water that was beneath it. I just about went over the bars. I have decades of experience in all conditions and am typically the last guy to ever make a bone head move like this. But there I was.
The sled was hopelessly stuck and then wanted to roll over on its side as we further tried to wiggle it free. But it was wedged too hard at a downward angle and there was no place to get a good footing as the water next to the sled had a 2 foot deep hole. After an exhausting 30-40 minutes of doing everything two guys could do, I made my way up onto the highway to get a phone signal and was actually on the phone to a local sled recovery guy when two other riders approached. Before I could get back down to the gulch to help, two guys had wrapped my tow rope around themselves like a team of horses and with the third guy pushing from the back, suddenly up the skis came and out of the water it went. An amazing recovery and no damage to sled whatsoever. I wanted to give them something for their troubles but in an expected class move, they refused. And reminded me to always stop and help others in need. Which my group has done several times over all the years. We've dug out people on rentals before and even changed a blown belt for a guy that got separated from his group. First time in decades of riding it was me counting on the kindness of others to get me out of a jam. Could not have been more grateful for the help.
The sled was hopelessly stuck and then wanted to roll over on its side as we further tried to wiggle it free. But it was wedged too hard at a downward angle and there was no place to get a good footing as the water next to the sled had a 2 foot deep hole. After an exhausting 30-40 minutes of doing everything two guys could do, I made my way up onto the highway to get a phone signal and was actually on the phone to a local sled recovery guy when two other riders approached. Before I could get back down to the gulch to help, two guys had wrapped my tow rope around themselves like a team of horses and with the third guy pushing from the back, suddenly up the skis came and out of the water it went. An amazing recovery and no damage to sled whatsoever. I wanted to give them something for their troubles but in an expected class move, they refused. And reminded me to always stop and help others in need. Which my group has done several times over all the years. We've dug out people on rentals before and even changed a blown belt for a guy that got separated from his group. First time in decades of riding it was me counting on the kindness of others to get me out of a jam. Could not have been more grateful for the help.
