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Snowcat Expedition

Snowcat Operations

Snowcat Operations

Active member
A few of us have been talking about a Snowcat Expedition before, during or just after the First Annual FF Snowcat meet. Dates are not set in concrete yet but will take place sometime in January. So far there are 3 Snowcats that will make the Expedition. This is the minimum number of vehicles needed for this trip. If one breaks down then the other two can take on the supplies of third snowcat and its operator. Fuel as in any Expedition will be one of the heaviest loads. Water is usually the heaviest but since we will be surrounded by it I dont see the need to carry more than a few gallons per vehicle on a daily basis. This can be replentished nightly. Shelter and food will be the remainder of the heavy goods carried. We have just begun to work out the logistics of the Expedition so bare with us as we post here over the next few months. If someone wishes to join our Expedition please contact me via PM and we can go over it with the other two Operators. We require that you have a Snowcat in good working order. A commitment to join us in January in Idaho. The gear and supplies required to make the journey. Not to mention a good nature and a mechanical working knowledge to work on your Snowcat and help others work on theres along with the help in any recovery operation. There will be an Expedition leader and everyone will have there daily "chores" to help make the expedition run smoothly.
 
Snowcat Operations said:
If someone wishes to join our Expedition please contact me via PM and we can go over it with the other two Operators. We require that you have a. . . mechanical working knowledge to work on your Snowcat and help others work on theres along with the help in any recovery operation.
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Hmm. . . guess I'm s***-outa-luck then :smileywac

I might be able to scrounge up beer money, if that would help :beer:
 
I wished you lived closer Bob. You still could get your Snowcat shipped out here. It is possible. As far as Beer Money we sure could use it. It will more than likely be spent on food for the expedition though.
 
Well something isnt right? Its not posting.

Heres a pic at least.
 

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It's actually closer to 120 miles, Yahoo Maps decided to take a diversion around the last part of the Nez Perce Rd. It was too much trouble to make it re-route, so I just plotted it as it was to give everyone an idea of the route. This is closer...
Snowcat_Route_2007-2008.JPG
 
Well,

I sure am interested but won't trust my cat for a 100 mile trip this year. I need to get a first had look inside her axle/track bearings and re-do some wiring before I can trust her.

Put me on the list for the 2nd Annual tho!!

Vance

Maybe a "shotgun" position will open up? :gun2_smi:
:beer:
 
If I get the Tucker I want I might have some room for others. My wife already called shotgun! LOL. Next year I bet we have 10 cats on the Expedition! So far 6 to 7 cats have requested places.
 
OK guys we are getting closer. Bob hows the Comm gear coming? BigAl we know you wll be there with YETTI! Anyone else care to join in with there cat? I suspect this is gonne be one hell of a deep powder run for 200 miles or so. I am planning on building Igloos on the way in so on our way out we will still have them. In fact they should last all winter. As far as food we have decided to go light and pack in dehydrated food. I will have a stash of MREs in my cat that should last us quite awhile depending on how many people we have join us. We will have everyone picked out by the end of next week. So if you want to go and have a reliable cat please speak up now. We will be checking in on the forum everynight via satelite link and if we are able to we will post pictures. You will also beable to track us real time via my Satelite link I will provide for all on the forums to see our location via Google Earth.
 
Don't you think it would be more healthy if you cross country skied that route rather than sit on your butt. It might take you a little loner but you would see more of the country.:yum: :yum: :yum:
 
I tell you what. You go ahead and take off on your skis. We will follow you and pick you up when you had enough. -40 below zero is nothing I would want to be skiing in!
 
Heck, it is 80 miles round trip just to my cabin that I make all the time in the Imp, Larry's cabin is only a few hundred yards from mine and he gets it done in a Snotrac. If you guys want an adventure, why don't you come to Nenana and help haul some freight and see what real wilderness looks like!

We still got lots of stuff to haul out and a cabin to stay at when we get there, get to watch the Northern Lights, hear wolves howl....oh, that may be Larry over at his cabin with the broke snotrac again... :poke: Oh, wait, he has an Imp now so those howls "may" be the wolves....

The bears should be in bed for most of the winter so we only have moose with an attitude to contend with, and they don't eat much...

Mark:snow2_smi:
 
:tiphat: I'd love to join you guys but I don't think my snowclub executive would take too kindly to the groomer going missing for a few weeks this winter. :pat: But heck, if I did manage to sneak the Lamtrac away with nobody noticing, you guys could all take comfort in the fact that at least there would be one reliable machine out there with you to haul you home when your super wimps break down!:tiphat:
 
I'm curious how long this expedition is going to take? How many miles a day? What your plan for emergency evacuation ? are you planning on taking snowmobiles along? how many trips of this magnitude have you done? I
have done some 50 mile round trips and let me say that is a full day.
 
The trip is planned for 8 days. Emergency recovery is covered under my insurance which guarantees extraction with a helicopter if need be or will cover up to $100,000 in Search and Rescue fees. Actually each of us will carry a satelite tracking beacon and we can summon Help or call in that we are in need of Emergency assistance at any time. This is how you will (the forums) will be able to see our progress real time. We also have Satelite phones, Ham radios and Rhino 543s so we can always stay in contact and see where each of us are at if need be. I think I have everything covered. Snow shoes will be packed also along with packs to carry our emergency gear but as you know you always stay with the vehicle in Emergency conditions unless its in an unsafe place. It wont be easy but then again its not a big deal. I have made many trips per day that equal way over 200 miles in 3 days. So This shouldnt be much diffrent. We have an alternate route planned out as well. Worse comes to worse we will just turn around and head back home.
 
mkntrakes said:
I'm curious how long this expedition is going to take? How many miles a day? What your plan for emergency evacuation ? are you planning on taking snowmobiles along? how many trips of this magnitude have you done? I
have done some 50 mile round trips and let me say that is a full day.
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All good questions to ask . I think we are still in the planning stages at this point . I ,for one plan to do some extended snow cat tours to gain confidence in Yetti ,before tackling anything of this size . There are camp grounds along the planned travel way .Of course they will be deserted at that time of year . I believe there may be a few Hot Springs too . I think we are looking at two days minimum in each direction . Fuel will need to be carryed on a sled as well as camping/food supplies . I go in comfort or I don't go at all .:thumb:
 
this sounds like a lot of fun two more questions though i think that you had three machines going like to know what kind and is this trail groomed?
 
Trail is not groomed. We have one Kristi KT3, One Kristi KT7 and a Thiokol 1202B or Super Imp depending on conditions. You are welcome to join us if you want. I may have a 1202 with a blade on the trip as well.
 
That is pretty cool stuff you guys have for going cross country... Larry and I have about $3.45 in backup funds when we break down between us. We have cell phones that work if you stand on the roof at a few points of our trip, (mainly while we are still in town). We get to see airplanes flying over once in awhile, that doesn't qualify as a Helicopter rescue though, those guys are out doing aerial wolf hunting:2gunsfiri (just joking, they are lost if they are flying out where we are at).

We do carry chainsaws and extra gas to start the signal fires for smoke signals though... Had a DC4 (big four engine airplane) that crash landed just off our trail last year (about "300" feet off the trail), the engine was on fire, guess they use smoke signals when things aren't going well either. :thumb:

I really feel sorry for the guys that broke down fifty years ago, what they had was what saved them...or not.:shitHitFan:

Sounds like your trip would be a really fun one to go on, too bad it is only a few thousand miles South of here to get there, hope you take lots of photos to post.

Mark

Snowcat Operations said:
The trip is planned for 8 days. Emergency recovery is covered under my insurance which guarantees extraction with a helicopter if need be or will cover up to $100,000 in Search and Rescue fees. Actually each of us will carry a satelite tracking beacon and we can summon Help or call in that we are in need of Emergency assistance at any time. This is how you will (the forums) will be able to see our progress real time. We also have Satelite phones, Ham radios and Rhino 543s so we can always stay in contact and see where each of us are at if need be. I think I have everything covered. Snow shoes will be packed also along with packs to carry our emergency gear but as you know you always stay with the vehicle in Emergency conditions unless its in an unsafe place. It wont be easy but then again its not a big deal. I have made many trips per day that equal way over 200 miles in 3 days. So This shouldnt be much diffrent. We have an alternate route planned out as well. Worse comes to worse we will just turn around and head back home.
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If you want I can get you the info for the insurance and the satelite tracking. When you buy the satelite tracking unit the insurance is only $7.50 a year for $100,000 worth of coverage and that includes the Helicopter rescue. Its written by LLOYDS of London. So if the two of you go and search your ash trays and couches you should be able to find the the other $4.05 you need for the insurance! Hell Now I know you Alaskan boys got that laying around in beer cans!:thumb:
 
I know all that gear kinda takes the fun out of it but if anything were to happen to BigAl then his Wife would kill me! She beats the shit out of him now for fun! AND He is 3 times my size!
 
I don't have a machine reliable enough for the trip and likely wouldn't have the time. I have always wanted to run the corridor on a snowmobile, never thought about a group with snocats. I'll try to follow future posts on this. I live in Hamilton just north of Darby. It would be interesting to meet you guys. I could offer a nickel tour of antique snowmobiles and some other old machines. I have three Tuckers including a Kitten, an IMP, a Model T and Model A Ford with snowmobile kits and lots of other neat "junk". I am curious how you plan to get to Darby. Once you come down from Nez Perce Pass it is well-traveled road and highway for the next 30 miles into Darby. You would have to leave the cats up in the meadows where the plowing begins. Just a thought. I hope you can make it in January because I'll be gone most of Feb. Good luck.
 
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