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- Andrew Ryeland ATVing a Four Seasons Trail Experience Trail
Adventure in Georgian Bay Country is not limited to the warm seasons
alone. The explosive growth
of All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) sales in Canada has created a massive pent
up demand for those seeking to escape indoor inactivity and replace it
with quality outdoor experiences. Popular
television series feature survival and challenges that most urban
dwellers can only dream about. ATVing
is one way to taste the excitement that our rugged Georgian Bay
landscape can provide. It’s
a fact that today’s life is full of too many goals and objectives and
not enough challenges. Challenge
Autumn
Don’t bemoan the fact that summer is behind us.
Experience the haunted feeling that a dark sky punctured with
shafted sunlight on brilliant deciduous colours creates.
Adrenaline flows freely, when cool air hits your face.
Bumps, hills, rocky creeks, crevasses and wide-open Canadian
Shield framed trails all normally inaccessible, are ours to conquer. We laugh at rain! Puddles
are a lot of fun especially when they have a frosting of orange and
yellow from the birches and sugar maples above. All your senses are on full alert! An ancient foreboding of a winter to come adds to the
adventure. You rejoice in the knowledge you are cheating the forces of
nature by the very fact you are embracing her transition. A very
Canadian thing to do eh! Challenge
Winter
What would the weather channel say?
So much for cocooning, its time to get out and play.
The vagaries of this season, an inconsistent irritation to some
activities, are a delight to ATVers!
There are so many options for winter ATV fun that its almost a
sin to miss the opportunity to get out on the trails.
There is that marvellous crunchy frost that spikes up early on
the trails, the white dusted mirrored black ice that seals the puddles
each night and yields to the sun the next day, the slush that sprays in
your wake and the frigid powder that squeaks with gladness that you’ve
come out to play. Animals
favour the trails for their daily jaunts so all kinds of prints provide
endless fascination for the ATV adventurer.
A slow snake under a winter tunnel of snow-laden boughs brings
ample opportunity for mischief. Tailgaters will learn the
refreshing meaning of an impromptu snow shower. Those who tarry
will wonder how the tracks disappeared. On
a good frozen trail the bumps and rocks are all grouted with a deep
layer of snow and ice. Four
Wheel drive makes the trips effortless and should the snow get a little
too deep all that is needed is to back track your path and try again.
For real adventure an electric winch and a friend or two with a
tow strap can embolden even the most dubious riders to ‘push on’. There
are plenty of places to ride an ATV in winter in the Parry
Sound/Georgian Bay area, but OFSC snowmobile trails aren’t one of
them! Our tires and traction leave a streetcar track like path in
the snow that is detrimental to the snowmobile trail surface.
Touring a snowmobile trail is also a safety hazard, in that the
speed differentiation between the two machines is vastly different and a
sure recipe for a collision. The
advent of the snowmobile and the evolution of the ATV have given us many
creature comforts that allow for a full warm winter experience.
Snowmobile clothing coupled with electrically heated handlebars and
packsacks stuffed with goodies make ATVing in winter a joy.
Comfort is a main factor in determining whether or not to venture into
the winter wilderness. So is safety. Most late model ATVs
are equipped to provide both. It’s always advisable to travel in
a group. Know exactly where you are going to travel and carry
gear, such as cell phones, tow straps and survival supplies. In
addition those at home should have an idea when to expect you back and
know which trail system you are following.
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