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snow catten the iditarod trail

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
I've always wanted to try to run the iditarod trail in my snow trac. talking to some people who have done it on snowmachines they think there are some area's in the forested sections in south central too narow for the snow trac to squeeze through. today i was watching a program on the weather channel about the syrum run from nennana to nome it's 700 miles and follows the yukon river to nulato than overland to norton sound and on to the seward penensula .this trail looks more doable, and i'm thinking of planning a trip in a few years once a couple of more kids are out of the house. this would be lots of fun to get a couple vintage snow cats together to make the trip heck i bet you could get a production company to film to. yes Al your kristy would be invited to if you think you gould get it finnished in the next 3 years. the other varriable would to time it to go with the celebratory syrum run.
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
i think it would be for the most part it woud lkely be a day and night team effort at - 40 there wont be any shutting down for the night to sleep. i may get a 200 mile run to wales this winter we will see how it runs when you have to go around the clock like that.
 

JimVT

Bronze Member
GOLD Site Supporter
Ary you going to drag your new one home from wales?
not really sure I would want to try -40 and 200miles.
jim
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
i would expect fuel to cost more than that one would have to have 15 hours of fuel on board to get from one comunity to another than, than the rest of the fuel would have to be air lifted in as most of the villages along the route are into fuel rationing by spring. so at todays prices you can figure 9 bucks a gallon if one could entice a production company to film it than they could help cover some of the expences.
 

moosebgy

Member
This sounds real interesting Don. Keep me advised on this for it sounds like fun. At least it does right now.


Jeff
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
it's in the long range plan and i would want to do it in conjunction with the syrum run to ensure a little publicity. plus i could piggy back on their trail staking
 

Sno-Surfer

Active member
That sounds like a serious adventure. Would be really cool to see a show on it. And really really cool to see what sort of rigs go and how they all do in the trail, see what breaks etc.
 
Don-BALTO is already on its way...actually I did get it up to Sandpoint ID in January...my brother is working on finishing it up....I'd really like to run even a part of the Iditarod with Thiokol....I'll stay in tune...cheers
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
they ran the syrum run year before last so we would be 5 years off yet Balto would only fit on a hurc to fly it in. but you can run the trail back wards any time you want up here. the nice thing up here is that there are no trees to contend with.the syrun run route follows the yukon from nennana to nulato before the trail runs overland to norton sound there is some over the ice running till you get to the seward penensula from there good wide trail to nome. and balto was the lead dog to make the last relay through the storm.
 

Woody_1

Member
Yer Dreamin, like me Don, How much money do you have? Where would be the starting point. NOME....???? How bout, Nennana?, still how would we on the south end get our iron back south. Or, just abandon our iron up north. Not to mention the iron along the way that didn't make it. Look at the Iron dog. Half or more of them drop out, break down, or burn down. We're lookin at somewhere around 2000 miles, Ya lets go!. Hell i'd love to run my Imp 2000 miles, only if the trail was freshly groomed. Don't mind me Don, I'm out at a bison ranch a friend of mine has. It's only accesable by plane or snowmachine. 100 miles due north of Denali. North west of Fogtenders place. Havin us a time. On satilite net. JT and I are having a beer and a couple shots of whiskey, laughin about it and eat'n spagetti....:) Oh ya, It would be a hell of a ride. We are flying out of here tommorrow. I came out here to lend a hand. His wife has been on vacation for three weeks. They needed help moving hay for the bison and horses. She'll be happy that its done for now. Let's get some backing, I'd say, the travel channel would be the place to start. How bout idiots abroad. My brother took that idiot for a ride up the Dalton. Maybe we could get him and his film crew......:brows: Allright, here's a little tease before I go. Good night.........:yum:
 

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Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
I believe with proper preparation my snow trac could make it, how ever if I was to loose an engine it's only an hour or so to plop another one in, and it could be transported in a small plane. the big expense I see is fuel and in most places it would have to be flown in as a lot of those community's along the way don't have enough storage to supply the demands of several snow cat's coming through their villages . I would guess the that we could get some one like the discovery channel on to film it which could make for an additional income source. as for logistics mine would have to be flown out to nennana to start the trip. the other smaller cats like your imp could fit on a 737 for a flight back at about 50 cents a pound, any thing going back to the lower 48 would best be put on a barge around the beginning of june. the only desposable cat I know of would be one of those orange bath tubbs
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
Yer Dreamin, like me Don, How much money do you have? Where would be the starting point. NOME....???? How bout, Nennana?, still how would we on the south end get our iron back south. Or, just abandon our iron up north. Not to mention the iron along the way that didn't make it. Look at the Iron dog. Half or more of them drop out, break down, or burn down. We're lookin at somewhere around 2000 miles, Ya lets go!. Hell i'd love to run my Imp 2000 miles, only if the trail was freshly groomed. Don't mind me Don, I'm out at a bison ranch a friend of mine has. It's only accesable by plane or snowmachine. 100 miles due north of Denali. North west of Fogtenders place. Havin us a time. On satilite net. JT and I are having a beer and a couple shots of whiskey, laughin about it and eat'n spagetti....:) Oh ya, It would be a hell of a ride. We are flying out of here tommorrow. I came out here to lend a hand. His wife has been on vacation for three weeks. They needed help moving hay for the bison and horses. She'll be happy that its done for now. Let's get some backing, I'd say, the travel channel would be the place to start. How bout idiots abroad. My brother took that idiot for a ride up the Dalton. Maybe we could get him and his film crew......:brows: Allright, here's a little tease before I go. Good night.........:yum:

if any thing did break down my Thiokol could pull it to the end of the trail I don't think that would be a problem as I don't see any krusty owners lining up .
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
ok guys have some production contacts I'm working with it would be cool to get them on to fund the trip as for getting iron back to the road if it will fit on a c130 it's a pretty affordable back haul or it would have to go on a barge to come back in the summer.
 
Howdy...I was just up in Idaho at my brothers place working on BALTO. Replaced another 50 grousers. BALTO is wanting to be in on a run along the Iditarod. cheers
 

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the dog team drivers would love some snowcat grooming done on the trail - doesn't have to be anything fancy, just a drag to smooth things out - there'd be some record times set if they could run on a decently groomed trail instead of a mark in the snow left by a snowmobile
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
GOLD Site Supporter
more likely if I can pull this off in the near future it would be the serum run down the youkon as there is still some areas on the Iditarod too narrow for sow cats. I do under stand there is a plan to widen the corridor it may be a reality some day.
 
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