Happy New Year!

We brought the new year in quietly, so quietly in fact, there was no mention of it until it was over! We wished each other a Happy New Year when I was doing calendar time with Cohen in school and had to start a new calendar. I am glad for one thing though - usually New Year`s Day at home is spent not feeling too well, self inflicted. We felt great yesterday and after school was done we cut up a bunch of wood for the shop and the cabin. For all out there who go religiously to the gym - try packing wood! Pieces so big you can hardly get your arms around them. That works up a sweat like no other! After that there is also the splitting and the stacking - it`s a 3 for 1 deal!

A man and his wife whom we have had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know some have an old trail they used many years ago when they used a dog team. It comes out NW of here. He has been working busily on his end reopening it. He was having a hard time as all his blazes on the trees were made in 1974. He was able to take a chopper ride a few days ago and he GPS`d the trail, even landed and broke open with snowshoes some more of it. He has let us know this morning that they made another 2.5 miles on it yesterday and may work on it more today. It sounds like he is at the section where there is a monster of a hill to break trail over. Maybe I should let you know how trail is broken out here. It is not just a matter of packing a trail with snowshoes, it means sawing miles of overgrown alders and willows and fallen trees and then packing them out of the way. No small feat. We all hope once we know where his trail might come out that we can work from this end to meet up with him. To go and visit them this trail will save many miles. To go by road we figure it is 39 miles to their place, once the trail is broke open, it will be about 17. This couple even helped build one of the cabins here we are living in.

I could sit for days and listen to the stories of these people, all out here that we have met, who have lived here for years. I hope to hear many more of the amazing things they have done out here just to get by and live. Their day to day life is enthralling. We also like to hear all the fun and crazy stuff they have all done over the years too.