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Abitibi Canyon is a narrow corridor of jutting peaks and steep hills, surrounded by heavy forest. Think of it as riding through about an 8-mile long series of ravines, not unlike a gravel pit gauntlet loaded with 3-5 feet of snow. Some of the peaks came down to large bowl-shaped valleys.
This is as close to mountain riding as you'll get in the middle of North America and Bill relishes watching his visitors play on the steeps here, constantly clicking away with his digital camera. Later he'll post photos from each outing on his Web site,
www.extremetourscochranecom.
The canyon is perfect for showcasing your hill-riding and jumping skills. The group let loose and kicked up snow in every direction. Folks were hanging off the sides of their sleds, walking them up the steep inclines, balancing atop a slim ridge before hustling back down the hill's steep face.
It was machismo central and no one was too good to not get stuck, roll a sled or stick one in the side of a hill. I'd swapped sleds with Boncher and he was powering up even the steepest peaks with his Switchback. But the Ski-Doo and Yamaha guys were right there too.
However, long tracks definitely have the advantage here.
Wrapping up the afternoon in the canyon we threaded our way around some of the taller, wooded hills, returning to the dam, then base camp.
Topping off our tanks, we headed back the main trail (A103) toward Cochrane. Again, it was a wide and winding trail with a fair amount of elevation changes. With smooth and open trails most of the way, we could push the sleds pretty hard.
The sun went down less than halfway back and occasional snow squalls kicked up to keep us on our toes. The sky turned a bright pink and the trails darkened, except for those yellow moose crossing signs that seemed to be everywhere. Fortunately none of our big four-legged friends wandered out and into our way that evening.
So we played follow the red taillight in front of you the rest of the way into town, again through the logging camps which seemed a little more mysterious at night, and back between the thick rows of pines.
We wrapped up the evening at JR's Bar-B-Q Ranch Bar & Grill, a rustic log hewn restaurant with big woodcarvings on the walls. The atmosphere was warm and friendly and welcoming to snowmobilers. Be smart and order the ribs or pizza.
Next morning we visited the Polar Bear Conservation and Education Habitat & Heritage Village in town. It's an impressive complex with three bears and an indoor and underwater viewing area, plus ample outdoor enclosure too. The Hunta Museum Heritage Village is a short walk away too, looking like a small turn-of-the-century town with gas station, general store, implement dealership and snowmobile shop (museum) and a home. Very well presented!
Train tracks run right through the middle of town and there's a big station and hotel there, in case you want to take the rails in. Cochrane has plenty of sled rental or repair facilities. Eight snowmobile dealerships are listed in the Yellow Pages.
Wide trails, deep snow, gorgeous canyon, friendly atmosphere and polar bears to boot! An excellent and very special tour and location for sledding!