There ’ s a real backcountry feel when riding on lakes and swamps in the Minnesota Arrowhead Region . |
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“ IT ’ S ON FIRE !” Our adventure took us to Iron Lake , a body
of water lined with grasses and birch ,
poplar and evergreen trees . We turned
off of the Gunflint Trail and drove onto
the lake near a culvert . Warm weather
had softened the ice here , creating a small
patch of open water and turning the
slushy surface around it to the color of a
dark craft beer .
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We blasted onto the lake , explored the shoreline and roosted through the sixor-so inches of soft snow that was fluffed up in the grass . After motoring our sleds down the long , narrow lake for a few miles , it tapered and led to a portage . My riding buddies Tom , Keith and Marlon ducked their heads under a few trees and kept going , but Tweaks , Jim and I stopped on the ice to chat . |
Jim ’ s back was to his sled , but I was facing it when I saw waves of heat radiating over the hood . I ran over and peeked through the vent to see what was going on . “ Oh my God . It ’ s on fire !” I said . Jim and Tweaks rushed over and we quickly unhooked the rubber straps and pulled the pins that held the hood in place so we could throw handfuls of snow on the flames and quickly snuff |
out the fire . Fortunately for Jim , there was only minor damage to the foam inside the nosepan and a layer of soot on the inside of the hood .
Because this happened to Jim , a guy who always smiles and never seems to get upset about anything , we laughed at what had just happened , but hopefully he ’ ll be more careful not to spill so much injection oil near the exhaust silencer the next time he fills the reservoir .
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