After a truly EPIC day and evening of Fatbiking adventure and Memorial tribute to Alfred on Saturday, our main group of 20+ hardy fatbikers and Xtreme Sports Medics still on the lake, enjoyed a cozy -15C campover; all snug in our 4-Season dome tents and our double insulated tent complete with Field Kitchen and Medic’s station!
Blake Anderson captured the scene as we started to get ready to slide into our sleeping bags.Okay, some of us stayed up later in our warm cozy double tent and shared stories of adventure!Did I mention last night that even cold drinks hit the spot out in the middle of the lake at -15C! 🙂Robert Helms snapped this view as we were awakening after a windy night, to see the overcast skies and the expected snow squalls approaching. Time to have breakie and pack up.David and Keith were up and ready to roll – especially when I delivered the news that some snow squalls were moving into the Lake Winnipeg area.Fortunately, while we packed up – our intrepid trio of Jonathan (Asst Guide turned ‘Asst Chef’), Kas (Medic turned Camp ‘Sgt-Major’) and Chris (CASARA Coord turned Camp ‘Field Major – Quarter Master’) were cooking up hashbrowns, sausage and bacon! Saweet! 🙂Did I mention BACON?! It had been a while since I had seen Gregory ‘cry’ during breakfast! 😉Here’s some of our hardy group of fatbikers enjoying warm breakie in our cozy main tent.Talk about your Team effort … Steven and Gregory help Keith with his breakie! 😉Hauling the Camp Barr gear and extras was made possible by good folks like Robert Paige of Xtreme Sports Medics – thanks Rob, you’re the Best! 🙂Here’s Kevin Champagne and Kas ready to take in a load of gear. HUGE KUDOS to Kevin for all his support before and during our Lake Winnipeg adventure! He came back out Sunday morning to help us haul in our camp gear quickly! You’re awesome Kevin! 🙂Our ‘Intrepid’ Asst Guide Patrick Stevens from England (via Sweden) agreed to let me record his thoughts about our adventure and I must say, with the backdrop looking rather ‘Polar’, it was not hard to imagine Patrick as a Great British Explorer of old! 🙂
Taking down the RCAF flag that we flew in Honour of Alfred was not easy for me … thank you Chris Black for helping me!Alfred … you are not forgotten … our friend and Rescue Brother!Our good American friend Thomas Woods had his own emotional task to complete and once again Chris stepped up to help ensure it was done with respect and due ceremony!Here’s Asst Guide Keith Holm leading the riders back into Grand Marais – followed by Steven Sloat and Asst Guide Jonathan Letkemann.Blake Anderson and Marty Roy both pulled pulks (sleds) full of extra gear. Blake even had ice fishing gear complete with auger – keener! 😉This little pop-up shelter was very important this weekend – the outhouse! Look closely inside the door … I had one last nasty job left before pack up! Thank goodness for air fresheners!All packed and cleaned up! Just a bonfire ring left at Camp Barr 2018 … be back next year!Fatbikers approaching Grand Marais at the end of an epic three day adventure!Safely off the lake before the snow and ice pellets arrived a few hours later (yes our one hour drive to Winnipeg went well)! A hot meal at the Grand Marais Sand Bar Inn was a great way to wrap up the weekend with renewed friendship gained as adventurers! 🙂
So much more to be said, more pictures and videos to share and media reports pending (CBC was waiting for us when we rode into Grand Marais).
Alfred – you have not been forgotten and we have continued on what we had discussed about getting fellow Manitoban fatbikers out on more adventures and passing on skills to allow people to not just Survive, but also Thrive! RESCUE!
FatBikeManitoba.com 