Joel Sammer, who lives in Edmonton, Alberta, and is a member of the Outlaw ATV Club in Edmonton, sent us this story about an ATVing trip that he went on in April 2011.
It all started on the Outlaw ATV Club’s website with a friendly call to members, asking if they wanted to go for a spring ride out at Medicine Lake Provincial Recreation Area. A date was arranged and eight riders agreed to meet at the Shell gas station on the highway at the outskirts of Leduc, Alberta.
It was overcast that day but the energy level was high, as rides had been few and the Tim Hortons double doubles were working their magic. So with all riders accounted for, the race was on to get out of town and off to the riding area, which we all knew fairly well. We knew there was going to be a little mud and some snow—but also miles of fun. Many of the ATVs in the group were older machines with experienced riders on them—there were a couple of newer ATVs and newer riders as well.
We arrived at the staging area and proceeded to suit up and unload in preparation for a fun day on the abundant trails in the area. After all parties had done some laps to warm up their machines and idle muscles, we tore off down the trail—wheels spinning and throttle to the bars.
We found hills and dales—some with mud and water and some with snow and ice—but nothing beyond the capabilities of any of the riders.
Disaster strikes
Where the fun began was on an off-beat trail, up a hill, through the trees, and there it was: a minor obstacle, really. There was a small swamp that was laden with dead trees but had good trail from one side to another. It looked solid enough and there were many tracks across it, making it look thicker than the areas beside.
The first two riders went across without a problem. The next rider to go—who was a good rider and had a modified, strong machine—got halfway across when the ice below his right side started to give way. Before he could get off or counter the lean, the ice broke completely and both he and his machine went under the ice. Behind him, another rider on a Renegade broke through on his left side, but that rider managed to get up onto the side of the machine and stay somewhat dry. One other machine started to go by the rear wheels but managed to get floated to shore. This was not the case for the other two.
The first rider to go through, a large man, managed to get to the surface and had a line thrown to him to aid him in getting on top of the ice. The other two men were able to get onto dry land—and then the assessing of how we would retrieve the quads commenced.
A huge job ahead
The day was not overly cool but the weather was mixed. There were moments of sun, rain, snow and overcast skies. When the sun was out, it was quite pleasant. When it hid in the clouds, it was not.
Our first priority was to build a fire and try to dry out our sunken brothers. After that, the riders who made it safely across had to figure out a way around the pond and 20 minutes passed until this was made a reality. In the meantime, volunteers went out on ice floes with tow ropes in hand to try to reach the sunken quads. By this time, the quads had flipped over and all that was exposed were the tires. This made it very difficult to pull them out because the lake was full of dead trees and they were hooked on the machines. A few hours were spent pulling, repositioning and pulling some more, and attempts were made to right the machines so as to avoid further damage to them.
After some time, we got them out, but the tool box on one of the machines was sacrificed and its contents offered to the aquatic gods in thanks for sparing the humans they’d had in their grasp. Those who did not help with the removal of the quads were maintaining the fire and scrounging food for those who needed it. Everyone was as warm as they could be from the fire and the dry extra clothes that some had brought.
The long road back
It was decided that the two waterlogged machines were not going to be fixed in the field. The two strongest machines were turned into tow trucks and the lightest riders put on the dead beasts to make the tow a little easier. There were two snow-laden obstacles between us and the road to safety and neither gave up their passage willingly. The hill was not to be won over easily and the only way to the top was to winch the quads. One winch succumbed to the stress of the day and it failed about half of the way up. Another machine stepped up—and with manpower and machine power, we reached the summit and made it back to the trucks safe and sound.
An important lesson learned
For our group that day, the two hours of riding followed by four more to make it back to the trucks was full of peril and thrill. The situation could have been dire without the skills and determination of the riders from the Outlaw ATV Club, who stuck together to help each other in this very serious time of need. It shows, without a doubt, that you can never be too cautious when doing a spring water crossing. Test the ice before you ride across it—or better yet, make it interesting by going around the water so that the trail you ride will be for fun, not for survival.
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