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New Year's Day at HerrlingHerrling IslandJanuary 1/06 Written by Greg John posted that he was going to ride Herrling Island on New Year's Day, maybe even camp out there New Year's Eve, and was anyone else interested. There were several replies for the day ride, and ForemanRider from Sedro Woolley said he and some members of the Washington Adventure Quads were going to be camped there as well. I rolled out of bed at the crack of 9:00am, loaded up the quad, and headed out onto the highway. The nice thing about Herrling is that no matter where you are on the island, you are always close to your vehicle via a number of trails, so if you don't arrive with everyone else, chances are you'll run into each other at some point. It had been raining all week, and most of us expected more of the same today. However, other than the odd sprinkle, we were lucky enough that the rain held off until the end of the day when we were packing up. When I arrived around 11:30 or so, many of the riders had already hit the trails. Some were still arriving. Paul Mitchell was prepping the cook station as he was going to be serving hot dogs and hot chocolate to whomever wanted it, courtesy of the Lower Mainland ATV Club. An excellent idea, which was appreciated by all. Thanks also to Crystal and DollHouse for helping out. Paul said the hot dogs would be ready in about an hour, so Gerry and I hit the trails for some exploring. Gerry attempted to get by a deeply dug-out section, but he kept lifting his left front tire when his right rear tire dropped into the hole. Apparently he had gotten stuck here before, with no other quad or tree nearby to winch to. We decided to take a different route. Along the way we stopped to check on a quad rider who looked like he had run into some trouble on a hill climb; it turned out that he didn't do his pre-trip and had run out of fuel when he hit the hill. He wasn't a Quads.ca or LMATV member, so I told him about Paul and the hot dogs, and invited him over. 
After what seemed like 30 minutes, Gerry and I headed back. Apparently we were gone for 1.5 hours! Time flies when you're having fun on your quad. I managed to burn my tongue on the hot chocolate. *ow* During lunch, DollHouse advised me that there was cake over at Singleton's truck, so of course I had to have a piece. Mmm, cake. There were actually two cakes, one chocolate and one vanilla. After some indecision, I cut a piece of the vanilla. I heard a rumour that it was DollHouse's 12th birthday, so HB2U from me! Most had returned from their rides, and were finishing off their hot dogs and standing around the fire. The folks from the Washington Adventure Quads invited me to join them on a ride, so Gerry and I tagged along as they explored the island. We ended up heading back to the dug-out section; some made it through and some needed a hand. 
Mid-way along the ride we were joined by a Yamaha Rhino, which for those who don't know is a side-by-side two-seater quad. I figured its rider would have some trouble squeezing through the tight trails or fitting under the low overhanging limbs, but he went everywhere we did, his roll cage knocking the dead branches out from the trail-side trees. This was the first time I'd seen a Rhino on the trail, and while its rider did have some minor difficulties due to its width, I was impressed at where he was able to take it. 
I got stuck in a slick, muddy rut; I couldn't get over one particular protruding root despite my best efforts. I eventually got through after receiving some assistance. Then I noticed that I was in 2wd! *whoops* We hit the deep water of Mud Alley for some water sports. There were a couple of spots where I thought we were going to have to break out the tug strap, but everyone made it through. 
The last obstacle of the day was another section of muddy trail covered by deep water. Most of us went along the left side, which we thought might be less deep. We each picked different lines, guessing at which was the best way through. Some were looking for the shallow route, others for the deep route. I stayed left, riding slowly off-camber along the edge. The last quad through was being piloted by one of the WAQ ladies; she had stock tires, and she hit it fast in an attempt to made it through with momentum. Half-way through, her quad slid sidways in a hidden rut and she found herself heading for the center and deepest section of the obstacle. Too late to stop now! She was revving the engine, spinning the tires, the mud and water flying high, but her quad was no longer moving forward. She was desperately bouncing and rocking her quad, trying to get some traction in the slick goo. Her WAQ team-mates were hollering directions and pointing in the direction they thought she should take, but their voices were inaudible over the roar of her engine. It looked like it was time for the strap! Then, amazingly, she started to sloooowly move forward, at first an inch, then another inch, then a couple of inches, then she was climbing out of the mud to everyone's cheers. She was muddy and soaked, and VERY relieved to be out. It was an awesome effort, and some great entertainment for the rest of us! 
Meanwhile on the other trails... Geoquad managed to roll his ATV, and had to have it lifted off of him by the others. This is why you don't ride alone! He lost his GPS in the water, but when they went back to look for it an hour later, they actually found it, and it still worked. TKO experienced a mechanical problem with her quad, which is now fixed. I didn't hear any reports of anyone getting sunk or injured, so I think everything went well. I was a little tired and sore at the end of the day, as it had been a while since my last ride. Paul estimated that there were approximately 40 riders, plus a few kids, spouses, and others who showed up to visit. Afterwards, some of us went to Ricky's All-Day Grille in Chilliwack for dinner, where we said hi to Food Dude (Al Partington). I'm glad I was able to attend the first ride of the year. I got to see some old friends, meet some new ones, and I'm looking forward to another great year of riding. See you on the trail! |
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