The Accident

About six years ago, I reached the age where I could finally tackle the ‘big trails’ on a snowmobile. Prior to this, my experience was limited to riding in the yard. Starting with a little Arctic Cat 120cc sled, I faced challenges like an oil leak and occasional runaway moments due to ice in the track. An upgrade to a 370cc prepared me for the larger, adult-sized snowmobiles and got me on local trails.

My childhood adventures around the house, stretching into the neighbor’s backyard and down to the water retaining pond, laid the foundation for the big trails. At 13, I joined my dad on his annual three-to-four-day snowmobile trip up north, riding his cherished 500cc Firecat—a snowmobile with a rich history from his days in Alaska.

Thrilled to go ‘fast’ for the first time, I embraced the responsibility of handling the sporty Firecat with 2-inch paddles, over one hundred horsepower, and liquid cooling. Our trip in the freshly groomed Rangeley area was exhilarating, hitting 70 mph on the Golden Road. However, the last day brought a lesson. Neglecting the trail in front of me, I slid under the back of my dad’s snowmobile, breaking the hood scoop that housed the air intake hose and filter. It took my dad and I second to realize what I had just done. All I could think was, “dad is goind to kill me”, and he just about did. My dad got off his snowmobile and walked over to me with that look of anger and dissapointment. He’s had that sled since 2006 and until now, has never had an accident. The one time he takes me up north I break the hood and scratch his new sled. Lets just say it was a bad day for me.

Even though mistakes were made, I learned an important lesson. Now, I stay acutely aware of my surroundings, always giving ample room on the trail. That snowy mishap, a bad day for both me and the snowmobile, etched in me the importance of caution and consideration on the snow-covered path

“Snowmobiling the North Cascades Highway” by WSDOT is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.