BY MIKE HARTL, JACOB FRANK &
ADAM BAUER
NORTHBOUND
On February 13 of this year, three of us finally pointed our sleds north and left home behind. Our first goal was modest: reach Winter, Wisconsin.
But even that proved more complicated than expected. Delayed trail openings and closures in Barron County forced us onto a longer route, pushing our arrival in Winter to around 8:30 p. m.
The next morning, we set out in temperatures below zero for one of the expedition’ s longest days. More than 300 miles lay between us and Munising, Michigan. The riding was excellent as we crossed northern Wisconsin and entered Michigan’ s Upper Peninsula, however a wrong turn added miles, and a closed bridge just 9 miles from Munising forced another detour.
We finally rolled into town after covering 323 miles. Over a hot pizza that evening, nobody seemed to mind. The sleds were running well, spirits were high, and we had passed our first major test. The next day, we would board the ferry to Drummond Island and venture into unfamiliar territory.
SNOWGOER. COM | DECEMBER 2026 21