Wrapping up 2009

The last few days we have been keeping pretty busy. Yesterday we decided to make a trip out to the main road to pick up mail that had been left there for us. We decided since we were going that way anyway we would open up a section of the old road by cutting out the trees that have fallen across it. There was 8km of fallen alders and pine trees with only a few good stretches in between... We started off cutting a wide swath and throwing the trees out of the way, then daylight was burning out fast and we still had not made our way out to the road to pick up our mail. We will have to go back again and clear more because by late in the afternoon, if we could go under it, over it, or around it - we did. Just over half way through we cut the limbs off a big pine tree that had fallen over and shovelled snow to make a bridge. From there on it was clearer sailing as someone had already been in once with a snowmobile from the other end so trail was cut. They must have been running out of time too because they did a lot of going under, over and around trees too! Along the lake for a few kilometres we followed wolverine tracks. He bounded along the road, went down on to the lake and up into the trees, there must have been a method to his madness that only he knew.

This morning we took the kids and checked a small section of the trapline near the cabin - about 16km round trip with the snowmobiles. There was a lot of wildlife activity, but nothing in the traps, save for one that something else had beat us to. Judging by the tracks - it seems a fisher may have cleaned our marten out of the trap. They are similar looking animals, both from the weasel family, with the fisher being a lot bigger. The owner of the trapline we are trapping said they are very scarce, though used to be higher in number. It had a similar track to the marten - only quite a bit larger. We also saw a cow and bull moose in a cutblock - in the same place they were the last time Tim had been through there. From what I have read, several moose will live together in a common area in the winter, abundant with food, called a moose yard.

Tim was surprised last week, when at the end of the trapline, 55km away, there was a set of snowmobile tracks coming in from the other way. They just did a loop and turned back around. It was likely a resident of Takla Landing, perhaps another trapper opening up the end of his line. Still a shocker to see another sign of life in the absolute middle of nowhere!

This afternoon we thought we would try some ice fishing. It was -20, a little chilly, so we lit a fire on shore to keep warm. We were unlucky in the fishing department though. People that had been out a few days before Christmas fished in the same spot and got a couple bull trout, which were released. Tomorrow if it is warm enough, we will snowmobile 26km one way out to the nearest road and pick up our mail, yes really... Our mail was left stashed on the side of the road for us by friends travelling out on Boxing Day.

This trapper, homeless we think, stumbled on to us while we were having our Christmas dinner. We gave him a meal and a place to sleep for the night, then he was on his way early the next morning.

Yesterday we had a really nice Christmas Eve at the lake. The guys checked traps in the morning and when they got back in the afternoon we had a skating party and cooked mountain pies over the fire down on the beach. This morning the kids were up extra early and excited to start opening presents and seeing what Santa left. Today we will have a nice quiet day and have Heather and Paul and the kids over for turkey and all the fixings this afternoon - should be good! We hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

'Tis the Season!

We arrived home yesterday safe and sound, if not a little chilly, from attending our first local Christmas (slash birthday) party. We left here Friday just after lunch and went to pick up mail first and have a nice visit at the store and some delicious hot apple cider. We then made our way up the road to friends who had kindly offered to let us all sleep in their guest cabin for the night so we could attend the party and not have to worry about snowmobiling the hour and a half home late at night. I have said this before, and I'll probably say it again many times - when we leave here - it will be the people who are the hardest to let go of. We have been made to feel so welcome - like we've been here for years and not just a few months. We had a great time at the party, having delicious food and getting to know better all our far-away neighbors. The kids had fun too - there was lots of room for them to spread out and run around. When we were ready to leave - we just had to walk through a short trail in the bush to where we were staying! How convenient! We had never before seen the "cabin" where we would be staying, we pulled into the yard on our snowmobiles to a large log house and I thought for sure we would be staying somewhere around back. Not so - this was our accommodations for the night. It is a beautiful, big cabin that the couple also rents out to snowmobilers and others in the summer who come up this way to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

The next day we shared a big breakfast with these friends at their own, beautiful, hand-built-by-themselves log house - just another quick little trail through the trees. After that we were to meet friends who were visiting at another friends' home on the way back south. Confused yet? Sorry, it is out of respect for them, I just want to keep everyone else's anonymity here... We arrived in the middle of their cutting beef so were able to help wrap and label some of it while we were there. I don't know how well I did though, let's just say you'll know the packages I wrapped...

We may head out for a Christmas Eve get together as well - potluck appy's and a Chinese Auction. Everyone out here has a good sense of humour so it should be a fun event. The forecast looks like it may be a little chilly that day so hopefully things look up in the next few days. We also don't want to stay too late so we can be home in time to get the kids settled for their long winter naps before Santa comes.

Crescent moon over Tinnecha Hill

Wolf tracks!

Wolf prints following our snowmobile tracks. There is a ton of moose sign in these logging blocks - they are likely following them. The pictures are a little dark but the sun was setting and there was little light left in the day.

My hand is close to 7" long from longest fingertip to wrist - this wolf print was over 5" across. There were a variety of foot sizes in the pack. This must be the alpha male!

***

The kids and I went with Tim yesterday to set out some marten boxes. We had been up in that area two days before to get a Christmas tree and broke the trail open. In the 48 or so hours that we were away - a pack of wolves went through on our snowmobile tracks! We tried to count the sets of prints and figure there are at least 6. The same 6 or so Tim and Paul figure that took down a moose about 10km up the road and feasted for a few days, rolling around (likely too full to go anywhere!) and bedding down right in the middle of the trail. Still, yet, we have heard no howling. Now that the lake is frozen, maybe they will cross. In speaking with 2 past residents of these cabins, we found that both have seen wolf packs cross the ice, and one has seen a wolf pack take down a caribou on the ice. Sounds violent, I guess, but, that is nature!

Our rink is ready! Do you think we should try for Hockeyville Canada?

Ice luminaria I made today

18 days till Christmas...

Today we braved the cold to get our Christmas tree - and it's a beauty! I just don't know what to put on it now that we have it, so it is leaning against the cabin for now. Maybe I will find some ideas online tonight. I could, and probably will, end up doing a popcorn string - that just seems like so much work! I could do the same with rosehips, but, again, so much work! Maybe I will not worry about the work it takes and do both... It's too late to buy anything over the internet now.

After our trip today, I think I need to devise something between a balaclava and a burka. I have some polar fleece and I'll have to see what I can come up with. I get cold at the top of my cheeks under my safety glasses, and just above my eyebrows above my safety glasses but below my toque. I'll let you know what I come up with.

When we were out today to get the tree, we saw a ton of moose tracks. They were absent for hunting season, but, knowing they are safe now, their tracks criss cross the road like a dozen moose highways. There were beds all over the place, I kept thinking we would come upon one, but we never did get to see one. I don't know much about moose, but seeing many of their beds today, it looks like they just lie down anywhere comfortable, not even sheltered from the cold, and bed down. Some had pawed through to the grass at the front of their beds, for a bedtime snack, I guess. We also saw fresh otter and lynx tracks on the ice at the culverts, where the road crosses the lake. These tracks were made today as there was a heavy hoar frost in the air this morning and it filled my tracks and the dogs' on the road above the cabin since yesterday with a hairy frost, but the otter and lynx tracks were free of it, so must have been made this afternoon. There was also lots of good marten sign up that way as well, towards the logging blocks north of us.

Rocky, our dog, has been barking close to night and day it seems for a couple of days now. We figure that he is barking at the ice on the lake. The first night before it was completely formed, it tinkled all night, like crystals, now it creaks and groans as it thickens. Both noises were foreign to him, so we are hoping it stays quiet tonight so we can get some sleep! The ice thickened from patches of slush two days ago, to about 1/8" yesterday morning to well over 1" today, and it had even gained since this morning. We hope it thickens soon so we can skate and make our beach bonfire pit. There are bets going here between the boys as to when the lake will have 3" of ice on it.

There was a new luge track made on another "wing" of the sledding hill today. This one not quite as speedy as the first one. That one has to be something for the record books for twists, turns, underpasses, etc. The newest one goes right past Heather and Paul's backdoor. The popular way to go down the hill is in a "train" all connected together, each person riding their own snow saucer. I'll have to admit, I am too chicken to go down this way yet, so I've only watched everyone else do it. Maybe I'll gain some courage before Christmas!

We are likely skipping make the mail trip this week - it is supposed to be cold! From emails coming from residents up that way, it seems they are doubly as cold as we are during this cold spell. Our coldest here is -16 so far and we have had four reports from out that way of -26, -29.5, -30, and -32, each of these people at different elevations along the river. All temperatures in degrees celsius. After hearing reports from back home of the weather I am very thankful we don't have to worry about any winter driving!

If I can get our tree decorated in the next few days I'll post some picturees.

Deck arrangments


Ice forming on the lake - Day 1


Ice forming on the lake - Day 2

So many things I want to try!

I know I should be cutting back on all the things I do at "home" that I complain about making my life too busy... I just can't though! I love doing them! There are so many things here I want to try. The other day we made evergreen swags for over our windows, evergreen arrangements for the deck, tomorrow I want to make a bunch of ice luminaries for around the yard, I want to make a batch of homemade yogurt, make a sourdough starter for bread... The list goes on, I am making homemade food gifts for our new neighbors this year, but after getting to know them, I realize that cookies won't fit the bill for everyone. Some are on special diets, some don't do sweets. I am researching now to see what will work the best for everyone! Or maybe each one will be a little different. Heather and I are currently working on a batch of homemade wine too, maybe that will work!

I would like to maybe go tomorrow too and get our Christmas tree, before the expected cold snap hits us here. I have been trying to do the math and see if our fresh tree will make it until Christmas without dropping too many needles - keep in mind it will be only feet from a wood stove. I figure the ones sold in stores at the beginning of December have been cut for a week or more already, and they usually last OK until Christmas time... Add to my list here - making all the Christmas decorations - we brought none!

Tim got my snowmobile fixed today - yay! The neighbor who helped us out by picking up the last of the parts in Prince George also had a few extra pieces kicking around that we needed. What a help!

We went to Manson Creek for a visit this Wednesday and when we left the cabin it was only -13, when we got to where we were going though, it was -22! I could feel myself cooling off as we got closer to our destination. We were welcomed into a warm cabin for a warm lunch served with hot chocolate at a table next to the wood stove. Are you warm yet? We were all well dressed for the trip, and, thanks to Grandma, had a supply of hand and foot warmers to stick into cold mitts and boots for the way home. We left before sun-up, and were driving home after sun-down. It was a long, chilly day. Heather and I borrowed a truck to go and get the mail about 30km away. We left the boys behind to do their visiting. On the snowmobile trail on the way there, there was lots of wolf sign, big patches of snow full of footprints where they had frolicked and laid on the trail. I guess they don't like to get their feet cold in the deep snow either if they don't have to! All their footprints frozen into the trail were like speedbumps. We have not heard any howling yet, but hope to soon. We met a man on Wednesday who spent a spring in the cabin we are in now and he said that once the lake is frozen, it is like a highway for animals. He saw moose, caribou, wolves, and even a grizzly bear crossing the ice - in the first few days of June! I can't wait for that! Now I just need a National Geographic sized lens for my camera to capture it!