went up to the Cottage for the first time in almost a month to go sledding after the big thaw this month, we'd gotten a foot of fresh snow this the past week, so I was excited to get so good riding in FINALLY.

Everything started out great, got out of work at noon picked up my GF who was still on her vacation so not in work, had a good drive up (minus some bad traffic the first 20 mins) get up there to find that another friend(Jonny Walker yes, thats his real name) had shown up with his sleds too!. I was thinking this was great as I really liked riding with this guy as he'* one of the only ones that can keep up with me (but a bit of a hot shot/hot head[more on that later])

Anyway, we unload everything and sit inside and relax and have something to eat. later in the evening we go out for a short ride just to get the feel of things. after about 30 mins Ir ready to go back as it was dark and my GF was alone with people she didn't know all to well.. So I ride off the lake. (me leading because i'm the one that knows the area like the back of my hand) first me, then another sorta friend (Richard) then Jonny..
Jonny was about 100' behind me and 50' behind Richard. I go up the road about 400' to the left turn I have to make, I slow down, give my hand signals and start to turn when suddenly I see a flash of red and see in slow motion Jonny going past me on my LEFT and myself going up into the air a few feet and my sled going out from under me strait forward, then I felt myself fall strait down onto my tailbone, the pain was so intense that for a min all I could do was roll and crawl and flail around like a mindless idiot :?

the damage wasn't too bad, just a few hundred dollar part and a sore *** for a couple days.
sledding2008073.jpg

We pulled the damage out with a come alone, telephone pole, so that I could ride for the rest of the weekend and not have it be a total write off.. (temp fix)
sledding2008076.jpg


anyway, if that was the whole story it'd hardly be worth telling... it gets worse..

Later on the next day (saturday) everyone goes out (the guys and a few other I didnt mention) and I stay back with my GF who has never ridden and didn't want to go that day, so we stayed in while Everyone left for awhile
Anyway a few hours later some of the guys come back to get me and some rope and drop off the girls they where with because Richard had sunk the back of his sled into the lake through the ice somewhere he shouldn't have been
so we get back to the seen, asses the situation and deside to -try- to pull by hand with the rope. that only budged it over a few inch'* after that we try pulling with a sled.. so we hook up Jonny'* sled and try to pull, but that gets us nowhere as the sled loses grip before it pulls the other out. so we try to sleds mine and Jonny'* side by side (not the best idea on somewhat unstable ice) so we try to pul again, but again we lose grip before the sled will come out. So I tell them someone has to get on the stuck sled, start it and gun the gas while the other two pull. so Jonny gets on the stuck one since he'* the smallest/litest and another friend (Pete) gets on Jonny'* and we pull and he gun'* it, and it gets right out... then suddenly I hear a crash and splash and look to my righ and all I see is Jonnys sled going down anr Pete on his back going with it and my sled 6" from the opening! I jumped over my sled and grabed Pete by the arm and pulled him out right away as I could see the look of pure shock alread on his face ()
at that point all I hear is an all out Fit from behind me coming out of Jonny because his sled went under (nothing about his brother inlaw in the water with it :? )
[at this point i'll shorten the story some as its 2 hours of the same]
we work on getting the sled out for a long time but alone 95 guys) could only get the back end out after struggling for what seemed like forever some guys happend along on there sleds a against there own will (due to unsafe ice) they helped us for another hour with burt strength we got it out but mangled it a litt;e while doing so and the ski'* wanted to catch under the ice (pulling backwards)
we get it out, after 4 guys getting wet (including one of the strangers that helped) and frezing there ***'* off, and me somehow slicing my finger open about an ince across the end covering some of my riding gear with blood :? and all the while having Jonny hot head freaking out ON everyone that was helping him. then after all the and MORE freaking out back at the cottage (to the point where we almost had to kick him out and send him back to the city) then after everyone FINALLY calmed down we had to listen to the story of it all being played over and over and over again to the point where me and my GF had to leave for a walk for two hours in the dark... and it still went on untill we all went home today!

anyway thats alot or typing for me, i'm going to bed, i'm tired(sorry for any bad typo'*). thanks for reading my rant :?

Whew long read.

Well you have to have one of those every once in a while, be glad your in the clear now for the next few weekends
Hope the finger gets better.

Glad to see no one got seriously hurt. That'* the important thing

Hope your fingers heals quickly

I know it'* been said before but it'* true, I'm really glad everyone'* ok. People can't be replaced toys can.

Peter sorry to hear, I think I remember another story once before about your sledding experience. I'm glad everyone'* ok.

Hows the tail bone feel today Peter? I know what that is like.

mich better then it was, brused a bit i'm sure (has that feeling) but the extream pain is gone.


looking back at the whole story it doesn't sound all that bad, more unfortunat then anything but at the time it seamed way worse :?

That remiinds me of the time my son Mick (about 10 years old at the time) and I went through some trails with my brother in laws ATV. We ended up stopping and when I backed up, for some reason the left rear end was slidding down somewhat. To my amazment, we ended up submerged in a water well that was covered with leaves. They were building cottages in the area and they never sectioned off anything. Next thing I know I'm deperatly looking for my son that had gone under with me, helmets and all. while I was still under I grabbed him as well as the ATV which was totally underwater, and raised him enough to get on top iof the ATV which was upside down, so he could breath. I don't know why the ATV didn't go to the bottom but it floated on top while we crawed out. Getting the ATV out was another storey but we had to walk back to the cottage soaked and missing shoes just to get help.