They made it.
The “3 Old Guys” — Rob Hallstrom, 65, of Park Rapids, Minnesota; Rex Hibbert, 70, Soda Springs, Idaho; and Paul Dick, 72, Grand Rapids, Minnesota, completed their 5,000-plus-mile snowmobile trek from Grand Rapids to Fairbanks, Alaska, on Wednesday.
ADVERTISEMENT
“The guys are in — or will be in — Fairbanks soon,” Hallstrom’s wife, MaJeana, told the Herald on Wednesday evening in a message. “Tough day today — lots of plans changed.
“They will be in a bar tonight so not a good night to talk with them.”
The three men, all experienced long-distance snowmobile riders with lots of mechanical savvy, started the trip from Dick’s home in Grand Rapids on Monday, March 6, all riding Arctic Cat Norseman 8000 snowmobiles with 800cc engines. Since then, their “3 Old Guys Ride to Alaska” Facebook page has garnered attention from across North America.
Hallstrom’s daughter, Kasie Plekkenpol, with help from his wife has maintained the Facebook page, largely relying on short text messages sent via satellite communicator while the men traveled through some of the most remote wilderness country in North America.
The snowmobilers crossed the border from the Yukon Territory into Alaska on April 6, but the final stretch of the journey proved to be a challenge. That was especially the case Wednesday, as this Facebook entry posted in the wee hours of Thursday morning indicates:
“Exhaustion did not stand in the way of the 3 Old Guys and they arrived at their final destination on the evening of April 12 … but not without challenge.”
Hallstrom’s snowmobile, the post indicated, had mechanical issues on Tuesday that required replacing the hyfax — the hard plastic strip at the bottom of the skid rails in the track — after it was towed by sleigh into Circle, Alaska, where the men spent Tuesday night.
ADVERTISEMENT
The troubles continued Wednesday morning, the Facebook post indicated.
“They intended to take the Yukon Quest trail, but with fresh snow on the highway and continued issues, it was determined that they would try to ride the road as much as possible.
“Unfortunately, when they ventured out (Wednesday) morning, they found Rob’s machine was dead; they needed a coil, but didn’t have a spare. The decision was made to leave the snowmobile in Circle and have it hauled to town in a few days.
“The Guys took off from Circle on two sleds with three sleighs, and three Old Guys.”
They had been making good time when the engine on Hibbert’s sled locked up, leaving them with only one snowmobile and three sleighs.
Long story short, the decision was made to round up a trailer and haul the sleds for the last 60-or-so miles into Fairbanks.
That wasn’t their intent, but “there is no question it was a successful run,” the post indicated.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Despite every obstacle, obstacles that would have stopped anyone else, the 3 Old Guys successfully rode to Alaska. Man (is greater than) machine.”
An interview with Hallstrom, who is originally from St. Hilaire, Minnesota, is in the works sometime in the next few days — hopefully as early as Friday — to get more firsthand accounts of the “3 Old Guys” and their epic adventure.
The Trust Project
