Yeah we had a real pucker factor a couple times. Once was riding the Crow Wing North from Motley. We went under this bridge and there were no tracks. Thought that was strange. Came around a corner and it was WIDE open! We had to skip across several hundred yards of open water to an island. Then had to figure out how the hell to get out of there.
Not sure if you guys saw this but he answers a lot of questions. It’s a little long but very interesting
That is fantastic thanks for sharing!
no problem i thought it was pretty cool
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>tswoboda wrote:</div>
So now it’s 1,000 miles down the Mackenzie River until they reach the Arctic Ocean. Wild.1000 miles of river riding would scare the he// out of me. Even that far North. I’m not a fan of river riding. My buddy up North does a ton of it. it always scares me when I do it .
Friend of mine did the Irondog for the 2nd time this year, they run rivers and coastal waters a lot and depending on the tide could be in a lot of water. They say when you see whales you need to turn towards shore.
Looks like the guys have made it to the Arctic Circle!
Looks like the guys have made it to the Arctic Circle!
Its such a fun journey to read the updates each day. I think its a niece that does the writeups and she provides so much historical info about the route they are taking. Very fun. Aside from the fire it doesnt sound like they have had any mechanical issues which is fantastic.
Its such a fun journey to read the updates each day. I think its a niece that does the writeups and she provides so much historical info about the route they are taking. Very fun. Aside from the fire it doesnt sound like they have had any mechanical issues which is fantastic.
Their good fortune of no mechanical issues has a lot to do with great know-how and prep and preventative maintainace. These guys did their homework and have the skills and knowledge needed to pull this off.
Its such a fun journey to read the updates each day. I think its a niece that does the writeups and she provides so much historical info about the route they are taking. Very fun. Aside from the fire it doesnt sound like they have had any mechanical issues which is fantastic.
Yes, it’s been very fun to follow. Reading their writeups about each new city they visit, or trial they cross, or issues they solve along the way, have been nothing short of entertaining. Very neat and kinda excited to follow till the end.
Sounds like its Rob Hallstroms Daughter that does most of the write ups & his wife. But also says there are 10-12 people working & watching their GPS trackers behind the scenes. The write up yesterday, Day 23/Mar 28, explains a little more of the behind the scenes stuff. Pretty cool!
Their good fortune of no mechanical issues has a lot to do with great know-how and prep and preventative maintainace. These guys did their homework and have the skills and knowledge needed to pull this off.
Oh they for sure did their prep beforehand that video the guy did from Grand Rapids was very informative with everything they did to prepare. The gearing down was a huge thing otherwise they would be blowing belts like crazy I am sure.
There have been lots of social media posts bashing the decision to run Arctic Cats on such an expedition, but the Cat machines have proved all the naysayers wrong at every turn.
Say what you want about Cat, but under Textron combined with Cat management and engineering, Cat is back. The new chassis they introduced this year has won nearly universal positive reviews and if you wanted one, hope you bought it when they went on sale because 2024 production sold out.
Great to see a legendary Minnesota business doing well and hope they continue the run for a long, long time. It takes away nothing from other great companies, but I’m not ashamed to admit that I like the home team.
Yeah Cat is back. That new chassis is unreal. I didnt get a chance to ride it but every magazine is just raving about it. They have even thrown out the “best sled ever”
Yeah Cat is back. That new chassis is unreal. I didnt get a chance to ride it but every magazine is just raving about it. They have even thrown out the “best sled ever”
Keep drinking the kool-aid.
What until the real numbers come out to show that the cat motor still uses 30-40% more oil and gas than an etec.
Keep drinking the kool-aid.
What until the real numbers come out to show that the cat motor still uses 30-40% more oil and gas than an etec.
Yellow goggles I see. etec goes boom long before a cat engine.
Really need a new thread to urine on all the different brands but can you even buy a new Cat right now? Every single model on their site “sold out for 2024” – that’s not a badge of honor lol that just shows they have no market share. Nothing against Cat – I’ve owned and enjoyed more Cats than anything else – but Cat is not back. I really hope Cat is on the way back and they very well may be, but it’s currently a Doo and Poo world
The side view photos of the new catalyst chassis look identical to the rev-gen5 – so it might actually be good 
Really need a new thread to urine on all the different brands but can you even buy a new Cat right now? Every single model on their site “sold out for 2024” – that’s not a badge of honor lol that just shows they have no market share.
That’s by design. They went to pre-order only several years ago since there were so many leftovers and the dealers were sitting on so much inventory. The catalyst sold out completely in a couple days no idea how many however. The sleds all do look fairly similar because its a biproduct of a rider forward and pyramid chassis. You can only do so much with the body work.
Well Polaris sure looks dramatically different. I know Cat is snowcheck only I just think it’s a weird flex to advertise that consumers can’t buy them. No idea how many is right but I bet it’s not many units. Polaris and Doo have 80%+ of the NA market right now and that’s a far cry from 10-20 years ago.
It would be cool if we could actually track their progress on a map like the racers in the Iron Dog. That is always fun to watch.
It would be cool if we could actually track their progress on a map like the racers in the Iron Dog. That is always fun to watch.
they post the route they took alot of the times when they check in. its not real time though
Not a knock on Cat, but I have a feeling these guys could’ve done this on just about any sled. A heckuva lot of snowmobile knowledge between those guys.
Not a knock on Cat, but I have a feeling these guys could’ve done this on just about any sled. A heckuva lot of snowmobile knowledge between those guys.
Oh no doubt they could. They prepared so much for it they are just long time Cat guys.
Well these guys are on cats because they worked for cat. But for you folks that see through red and yellow eyes, no, there is no red or yellow motor that has the longevity of the cat 800. If you think there is, please tell me which one, the poo one with all the bearing issues, the e-tech that blows up all the time?
30 days in. In this last write up seems like they’ve really had a rough last few days. Falling through the ice, getting lost in a blizzard, & now broken parts. 4,500 miles is a loooong ways! Here’s the latest write up with some of there recent troubles.
Day 30/ Apr 4 – Consider this your trail report (for the past few days), albeit conveyed by Kasie
The Richardson Mountains didn’t give up easy, but after a tough few days, the 3 Old Guys made it to Old Crow this afternoon. The Guys are reporting in that they have logged an estimated 4,500-5,000 of hard miles and everything is getting tired. In fact, when they arrived into town today one individual commented, “You guys look tired” – fortunately, while they agree that they are indeed tired, they are still laughing, still upbeat, and still healthy.
Upon arriving in Old Crow, they stopped at the Co-op where they understood there were a couple of rooms; they were told that no rooms were available tonight when a woman walked in and said curiously, “are you the 3 Old Guys?”…. “we have a cabin waiting for you” – what a wonderful journey to be welcomed with such hospitality! The guys were escorted to a local’s home where they had a spare cabin with a woodstove for the guys to stay in. They spent the afternoon speaking with her husband about the trail ahead, described as “330 miles of no trail.”
Hearing the trek ahead will be a continued challenge, the Guys immediately took to assessing the sleds. In Inuvik they proactively changed out some parts, but they have still been having problems with the clutches, putting grease on them to get by; after evaluating the machines today, it was determined that they will need to stay in Old Crow until clutch parts can be flown in and the necessary repairs can be made- however long that takes. (Note – we have a plan in motion)
The Guys do not have service in Old Crow, so our first communication via GPS messaging went a bit like this “Old Crow. Need 2 Driven Clutch. At least sleeve. Daily flight Whitehorse.” – You can imagine the stir these types of messages cause the “home-front” crew as calls and texts start flying between the critical few that can act, while simultaneously informing the broader group of the good and bad news coming in from the trail.
A few hours after the initial stir occurred today, I received an unexpected, but welcome, call from Rob – note this is the first time that we have heard from him, aside from brief GPS messages since Friday (Mar 31). While he does not have service, he was able to go back to the Co-op and briefly connect to their internet so that he could check-in and – lucky for us – provide a proper trail update from the last few days; I will do my best to share their tale:
When the 3 Old Guys finally departed Fort McPherson on Saturday (Apr 1) and got going on the correct route, they had a good trail all the way to the first cabin, they ventured forward but quickly found themselves on open, barren land. They knew they were supposed to go by a creek and would find bits and pieces of prior track, but struggled to find the right trail. As dusk approached, they made the decision to head back to the first cabin for the night and make a fresh start in the morning.
With an early start on Apr 2, the guys re-evaluated the trek they had taken the prior day. With the terrain as it was, Rob and Rex went ahead to assess while Paul stayed with the sleighs. They were able to get up near the creek, but still were unclear on where the trail went. They decided to park the sleds and walk – this is when Rob went through the ice. Wet up just past his knees and in frigid temperatures the two Old Guys quickly returned to the sleds and Paul where Rob put on his overcoat, emptied his Bunny boots and put on dry clothes.
It was about this same time, as Rob was getting dry, when two First Nations people showed up on a single Ski-Doo. They were coming to connect with some others and guide them over the pass. What perfect timing! The 3 Old Guys followed as these locals steered them in a much different direction than they expected to a steep chute – “seemed nearly vertical” to the top of the pass. Once they reached the top “the wind was so fierce you could not see more than 15-20 yards in front of you.” The local experts immediately said it was too dangerous and that they needed to turn back – and so they did. While the guides headed back to Fort McPherson, the 3 Old Guys retreated back to the first cabin for a second night. Prior to departing from the locals, they got some directions on the trail for the morning, which the Old Guys say was as clear as mud to them, “Go this way, Take the creek, It is the only trail, Can’t miss it.”
The 3 Old Guys climbed the chute again the morning of Apr 3, this time as they reached the top they found an unexpected surprise: no snow, all rock and, of course, not a single track. They made their best guess on how to navigate their way down and finally found the creek, but it was loaded with deep snow. They made the decision to leave the sleighs again and Rob and Rex road ahead to break trail through the powder. After a short while, out of what seemed like no where to the Guys, another First Nations local appeared. He said he was there to guide another group, going the opposite direction, but that it was getting windy and he had to move quickly. The guys asked “where is the trail” and his simple reply, “you’re on it.” He instructed them to follow him and that he would make a track for them. The Guys re-connected their sleighs and were able to swiftly follow his trail; about 30 minutes later a group of ~8 came through headed towards Fort McPherson under his supervision. Their tracks helped the Old Guys make much better time the remainder of the day to the Porcupine River. When they came to this intersection they were surprised to find the tracks went the opposite direction from Old Crow, upon further investigation they saw a small tipi and cabin just down the river a bit where the 3 Old Guys decided their safest bet was to rest for the night before heading to Old Crow this morning (Apr 4).
The ride into Old Crow was relatively mild considering the past few days. While there is a “trail” that connects Fort McPherson to Old Crow, this is not a modern trail that many of us may think of – it is not marked, it is not heavily packed down as only a few sleds ride it here and there – and between nearly every occasion that someone passes on this route it likely snows, the wind blows, and all evidence is lost, bringing it back to its peaceful state.
Can’t wait for their first sit down interview.
What a adventure. These guys have balls of steel
They have to be getting real close by now. Lots of delays and backtracking they will likely log well over a 1000 extra miles it seems, maybe not.
They are tough SOB’s! And skilled riders. Sounds like they’ll have quite the welcoming when they arrive in Fairbanks. Some sort of documentary would be a must see.
Can’t wait for their first sit down interview.
Yes, That’ll be a must see!
They have to be getting real close by now. Lots of delays and backtracking they will likely log well over a 1000 extra miles it seems, maybe not.
They are getting close. Fairbanks is 290 miles, as a crow flies with the Yukon river in the middle. I’m guessing probably at least double that many more miles to get there.
I think they thought they’d be in Anchorage this week or next but these last few hundreds of miles are proving to be the most treacherous and taxing on equipment. Again, they did this right, sounds like they have a support team at the ready to have specific parts flown in to minimize downtime. Love the stories of the locals helping out and opening up their homes, etc. While I would never want to live in those climates, I would love to live in a community like that – everyone’s got something to offer and helps each other out. The extremes weed out the weak and non-resourceful pretty quick.
Their clutches must be toast if they’re going to wait for parts to rebuild/replace with only 300ish miles left. Imagine navigating that trail that’s not a trail through a mountain pass in the middle of freaking nowhere all on snowmobiles that have been beat into submission and still pulling massive sleds full of gear. These guys are unreal.
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