Family Winter Trip

My brother and I jumped off the three-wheeler, rushing to check on our little brother.  He jumped out of the weeds with a smile on his face! He thought it was a great ride.

Now to tackle the job of untangling ropes and reloading the trailer.  We tipped the trailer back onto its wheels, gathered all the scattered load and began reloading.   We lifted the plywood and coolers back into place and tied them down again as securely as possible.  My brother jumped back on top of the load and we all headed off down the trail again. 

Two or three miles later the rough trail had loosened the load and the whole routine was repeated. It would continue to be repeated every few miles for the rest of the trip. 

Gayland's Hill was soon upon us. I had been dreading the hill the whole way.   I knew we would never make it past the spring in the middle of the incline.

Fortunately the creek was low this time and we splashed across with no problems. My dad started up the hill with the four wheeler pulling for all it was worth.  He hit the mud of the spring and the machine began to spin and lost momentum. 

My brother and I had parked the three wheeler at the bottom of the hill.  We had developed the habit of making sure the machine in front had made the top of the hill before we tried to go up it with the second machine.   (Another lesson learned the hard way! it’s no fun having two machines stuck on a narrow trail on a steep hill!)   Knowing my dad would likely not make it up the hill with this big load we were already walking up the hill.  We began to run but it was too late.  We pushed for all we were worth but it would go nowhere.  There was only one solution now.

There on the side of the hill we started unloading the trailer, splitting the load into three manageable chunks. We stacked the heavy plywood on the upside of the hill.

It needed to be out of the way so we could get past with the four wheeler on our return trip.  

We had to go clear to the bottom of the hill each time to turn around. 

Three trips up and down the hill, we once again reloaded the trailer and started off on the last leg of the journey. Only about 5 more miles and this load would finally be at the cabin!

During this trip to the cabin we were hoping to get the last joists set and the floor on so that we could begin building the walls. 

 

We accomplish our goal.  Our trip back to town was much lighter with no problems!

It was fall and time for school.  My dad was back working long hours so we had to wait until Christmas break for our next trip.  Two whole weeks in the wilderness!  We  would be able to get a lot done in that time!

Carefully we packed the tools and supplies we would need for two weeks in the bush.  By this time we had two snow machines and two sleds so we could haul the whole family for the trip out to the cabin.  

We loaded up the truck and trailer with the machines sleds and equipment the night before so we would be ready to get an early start on the long dark drive to Talkeetna were the trail begins. 

Leaving several hours before sunrise, our goal was to to get started on the trail before sunrise so  we would have all the day light possible for traveling. 

We knew we would have a long trip ahead of us.  The sleds were heavily loaded for our extended stay.

Arriving at the trailhead, here is the typical process is for getting ready to head out:  

first you unload all the equipment that had been packed in and around the sleds and machines and pile it on the ground, second unload the machines and sleds.

Thirdly, it is time to sort the load into piles. One pile for stuff you will need on the trail before you reach the cabin. Another for the stuff you might need before you reach the cabin. The last pile for stuff you know there is no way you would need before you got to the cabin.  Then you look it all over and try to figure out how in the world it is all going to fit!  

We then lay a large tarp in the bottom of the sled with all the sides hanging out over the edges of the sled to form a sort of bag.  After that you start putting the stuff you won't need during the trip, on the bottom and the things you might need on the top. 

 

Once you get those two piles evenly distributed between sleds it’s time to pull all the sides of the tarp up and over the load and tuck them in tightly so the whole load is covered.   When you are traveling on the trails in the winter the machines kick up a lot of  snow spray and very soon everything is covered with a layer of snow.  The tarp keeps it all dry and clean.

 

Tying down the load is a very important part of the process.  You begin by lacing the ropes back and forth over the load cinching it down as you go to keep it all tight. 

 

The trail is so bumpy and rough that the loads will shift even when they are tied tightly.  If they are tied loosely you wont make it far at all before your load is all over the trail! 

 

When every thing else is tied tightly in place you pick up the trail essentials and tie them to the top of the load where they are easily accessed without uniting the whole load.    The sleds resembled a dog sled only made from metal with a platform to stand on behind the load.

This trip was different than the last one with our family.  It was winter this time and the snow was deep. It was piled up next to the trail like a high white wall.

We left the parking lot and town behind, the snowmachine engines popped along and the sled runners squeaked as they carried us into the frozen white landscape and away from the hustle and bustle of town. 

My heart was light as we set out on this  new adventure!  I was eager to see what was around the next bend and a anxious to leave behind the troubles and complexities  of life in towns and cities.  

On we traveled my dad often turning and looking back to make sure all was ok. Several times he stopped and everyone checked their faces and ears for frost bite.  The dogs were trailing behind and Moose especially, was in sheer ecstasy to be out on a beautiful day,  running to his hearts content.