February has rolled in and we are experiencing a real winter for a change. Snow continues to pile up and getting the sugaring roads broke out shortly may be challenging. But the weather can change quickly if we happen to get a thaw. Zane headed up to our maple syrup buyer to pick up our returned syrup barrel from 2024. They never come back right away and it was a good time to pick up a few syrup containers etc. Getting prepared never hurts that’s for sure! I was hungry for an adventure though last Monday and suggested to Zane that we ice walk down to the ice falls in the Beaver Creek gorge. We would need snowshoes but that wasn’t an issue. I decided that we would use the side by side to shortcut the section of the creek where I fallen through recently. I made us a hearty lunch of pan fried walleye! Yum!We packed up our beaver stick trekking poles, a survival pack, and the dog before taking off through the deep unbroken snow of the main meadow. It was tough going and the side by side was at its limit in the snow. Fortunately we would have our trail to follow on the way back after our trek.We were excited and ready! It had warmed up and started to rain though. We decided to go anyway.
Walleye for lunch before heading out!
We dropped down over the steep ridge just off one of the meadows in a gap that breaks up the grade. I have used this gap for years to get to the creek. We took to the snow covered ice soon after and cautiously probed our way along. The weight of the snow had flooded sections of the swamp recently and it had frozen in a cold snap after. I felt pretty confident that the ice was much safer overall then it had been on my first ice walking attempt. But there were still tricky sections to negotiate. Old beaver dams and grassy bogs that don’t freeze well we’re encountered. But the main channel of the creek was good traveling for the most part. We found some otter sign here and there where they had broken through thin ice to reach the surface. Always good places to avoid! Lucky for us they were rather obvious despite the layer of snow covering the ice.
Zane probes his way forward.
Our trip was a route we had taken many times to reach the ice falls over the years. It passed landmarks that had been named for reference points. The Island, The Small Tumbled Down Rocks, The Peninsula, and others. We left the more wooded section of the marsh and picked our way down through a more open spot known as The Wide Channel. The Wide Channel is some of the deepest water you will encounter in this section of the marsh if you are in a canoe. I trapped here as a teenager and was amazed at how deep it actually was here! Fortunately The Wide Channel will usually have some of the safest ice you will travel during the winter! But I warned Zane about the section of creek below The Wide Channel where it narrows down. It has a tendency to not freeze well some years and is best avoided. The creek consists of numerous areas of questionable ice most years if you follow its entire length. Spring holes that never freeze dump into the creek in several locations as well as smaller creeks that join in. Learning these spots is important if a person plans a more lengthy trip on the ice. These days I rarely make it past the Ice Falls themselves.
Zane heads out onto The Wide Channel.
Once we reached The Wide Channel we got our first look at the northern Ice Falls on the left side of the gorge as we headed downstream. They were quite well formed and we got quite close but weren’t interesting in scrambling through the thick brush and bony rocks to reach them. We instead headed to the far side of the gorge to the first set of Ice Falls there. However they were far smaller than usual for some reason. Zane and I decided that maybe we hadn’t received enough warm days yet for them to grow to their usual proportions. Zane crawled up to them though and played around them for a few minutes. We headed down to the next set of Ice Falls. Set 2 I call them. They were quite well formed but also were a bit smaller then normal. But they are still pretty impressive!
Set 2.
We were in for a treat when we got to the third group of Ice Falls known as Set 3. They sit up near the cliff top and it’s rather difficult to reach them. We donned micro spikes for the climb as our snowshoes were not going to help at all. Once up the the Ice Falls we were able to crawl in behind the icicles in one spot. Very fun! We found some beautiful tiny ice formations under the rocky ledge. I took a rather rough ride down north ledge on the way back down and got a big bruise on my leg from hitting a tree. This was no place to be getting hurt that’s for sure! It had continued to rain and we were getting rather damp at this point. It was time to head out and we had quite a trek out still. I reminded Zane of “The Icewalker’s Motto: The distance in must be traveled out.” Always a good thing to consider especially if you take a good soaking from falling through! But we were lucky and no one broke through. Our beaver sticks probing as we walked helped us avoid the thin spots. It had been a successful outing and I was glad that we had been able to do the adventure together.
The tiny ice formations.
It’s difficult to say whether we will return to the Ice Falls this winter. We are planning another exploratory trip to search for what we believe might be an old lakebed over in Jefferson County near the town of Oxbow. I made an attempt two years but never made it to the right location before I ran out of time and energy. One thing is for certain when it comes to the Ice Falls! They never disappoint! Nor does the trek through the marsh where we encounter active beaver colonies and their dams. It’s always a treat to see the otter sign also. They enjoy a rather safe life in this frozen sanctuary. I find the ice walk down through the gorge to be a great battery charging event for my spirit energy. There’s always something to see and always something to observe. I have ventured here many times over the years and I never tire of it. The remote location of the Ice Falls makes them special and we never see other people when we trek there. Snowmobilers used to visit them back in the 1970’s but they have gone from the creek now. The gorge belongs mostly to the birds and other wildlife who call it home. I too call it home after decades of adventures here. A true set of MOONTABS exists for me in the gorge. And a connection to nature that is never broken. It is enough!✍️
February is moving forward and winter is holding fast to the north country. It’s a welcome change after last winter’s up and down weather. We did hit 37 degrees last week for one day but the warm spell was brief and temperatures dropped down again shortly after. I am presently here in Saranac Lake for another day or so. There’s an appreciation dinner tomorrow night at a local restaurant for the volunteers who worked on the Ice Palace. This was year five for me volunteering and I put in my biggest group of work days ever since starting in 2021. Being as my GF (Amy) lives in Saranac Lake, I didn’t need to rent places to stay this year and that was a huge part of spending more time here in the first place. Saranac Lake has gotten to be like a home away from home here in the Adirondacks and I have spent a considerable amount of time here in the past several years. As December of 2024 drew to a close, I watched my emails closely for word of the date that the Ice Palace work would begin. The first start day was targeted for January 22nd as crews stayed busy clearing the ice cutting field clear of snow to help it grow. This was accomplished with shovels at first until the ice was able to support a 4 wheeler with a plow. We needed about 10” of ice typically to begin the build. The time was rapidly approaching!
The ice field in Pontiac Bay, Lake Flower.
Things got a little spun up for me when I received an email that the start date to begin the Ice Palace had Ben moved to January 17th. I was still finishing up the second ice saw that I would be bringing with me. It had been given to me in 2021 by a lady who volunteered at the ice palace build. It needed sharpening and a new handle. My chainsaw shop friend took care of the sharpening and my Amish friend Levi built a handle from a sturdy piece of ironwood. It was then up to me to wire brush the rusty saw clean and spray paint it black. I also stencil painted “JGO” onto it. Short for the Facebook group “Just Go Outside”, it was a surprise for my friend Patrick Bourcy who created and manages the group. I also spray painted my ice saw with MOONTABS so we would have a tandem pair of tricked out ice saws! I got the ice saws ready just in time and got my car packed to travel up that Friday morning for day one. It was on!
The pair of ice saws.
I met Patrick at the project site where other volunteers were already busy getting things ready for day 1. It takes some time the first day to open up the ice field and the float channel that leads to the cherry picker that lifts the blocks from the lake. We waited patiently for our chance to saw once the grid was scored by the gas powered ice saw. We cut the remaining several inches of ice by hand to create blocks that make 3 separate pieces once they are spud free by the 4 person spud crew. Each block weighs close to 600 lbs average. The blocks the first day were about 10” thick. Later in the build they were over 13” thick. Some say they even made it to 16”! We cut about 400 blocks that first day give or take. 10 rows of 40 pieces. We got plenty of sawing in on day 1 as we had to saw the length of the ice field to free the first row of blocks properly. It get easier after day 1 once the channel has been opened. A certain amount of overnight freeze will leave a thin section to open each morning next to what becomes the new first row. It’s rarely more than 1” of fresh ice.
Patrick with the MOONTABS ice saw.
Once the ice was cut for the day, Patrick and I needed new jobs to keep us busy. We helped fetch and pile fresh snow for the slush makers. The slush makers mix water and snow which is placed into buckets and sledded up to where the blocks are being placed for the walls. Day 1 gets a basic footprint established based on a blueprint design created months ago. Slushing is important as it helps hold the blocks together. As it freezes the palace walls get super strong. It takes a lot of snow to make all the slush that is required during the build. I ended up helping with slushing ice blocks before the day was done. Day 1 went smoothly and the Ice Palace had begun to rise! And I was just beginning! My volunteering run was to last for 6 days!
Hauling snow for the slush pit.
Day 2 was pretty much a repeat of Day 1. Cut ice in the morning. Take coffee break thanks to the ladies who bring it each morning! Then haul snow and slush up to the wall builders until lunchtime when a local caterer brings us “Roll and Bowl”. Hot soup and a nice big roll with butter.Yum! It’s always so yummy! Afternoon was spent with more slushing of blocks. Patrick had returned and worked with the slush makers. It was another busy day for everyone. I left early to spend time snowshoeing with Amy up Baker Mountain in the village. Things had continued to take shape and the walls were growing!
Goofing around with the JGO ice saw!
And that’s pretty much how things went for the next several days. I cut ice each morning then found new tasks to stay busy. I got to do some chainsaw work installing a conduit for the hidden electrical wires for the ice palace lighting. I also helped cut two large arches through the front walls next to the street. That was really fun and made for a bunch of scrap ice to clean up after. A local photographer caught me on film in action!
Getting after it!
Zane came up to help on for a couple days this year and stayed with us for two nights. Out on the ice field he rejoined the spud crew like he had in years past. He never cared much for cutting ice so usually sticks with that. We split early for snowboarding on nearby Mt. Pisgah. It was a lot of fun but the conditions were a little bumpy overall. I didn’t fall all that much despite that but did take one rather tough tumble onto my side. Dinner was at the Rivertrail Beer Works right near the Rail Trail in the village. Walking distance for the three of us. We walk most of the time actually when we do things around town. It’s great exercise! Things were great and it was nice volunteering with Zane again! Just like old times! He returned to the ice with me the next morning and it was very cold! And another morning was spent engaged in various tasks. Zane left early to return home and I ended up staying all day until 3:30pm. I got drafted to work with another individual setting ice blocks up on a 10’ section of walls. It was tricky work and required micro spikes to maintain traction on the walls. Tractors were lifting the blocks up to us and we maneuvered them into position with ice tongs and shavers. Shavers are like ice spuds with thin pointed bottoms. They are great for prying stubborn blocks into place or shaving off rough edges. Guess we know how they got their name! I found working the wall fun but very tiring. I left the project sore and tired that afternoon.
Spud-man Zane in the muskrat hat.2nd from the left.
And that’s pretty much the story really. Daily ice cutting then working at other tasks. I had to leave after my 6th day of volunteering and return to the valley for two full days. But I returned on a Saturday morning to cut ice and stayed until I had put in 9 days of volunteering. That Sunday I got to cut 8’ blocks and work with others as the crane lifted them from the lake. Very fun! They were placed to span some structural places were tunnels were being created. Very neat! I worked with the ice carvers a little that weekend as well. Helped them move blocks around and cleaning up their work areas. They make a lot of noise carving with their chainsaws but I don’t mind that. Patrick returned on Monday which was to be my final day of volunteering. I nearly took a swim that morning in the float channel right on a corner of it! I caught myself on the far side of the channel and crawled to safety without even losing my shaver! One leg got a little soaked! A true Icewalker type of thing! The day passed quickly and I worked with the ice carvers again. But it was time to get back to necessary tasks in the valley. I left the project sore and tired but with a great feeling of accomplishment. It had been yet another great experience! A time to volunteer with people I knew and with people that I just met. Everyone works well together and the Ice Palace always gets built! I was sad that I couldn’t stay and help to the very end but it just wasn’t possible. The final Ice Palace is incredible! And just like that it was time to move onto something new. It’s truly MOONTABS In Motion!✍️
It’s now February 1st and I have decided to resume my story into the reasons I continue to live in a four season climate. Each season truly has something different to offer and I suppose each brings certain challenges. But every season gifts far more than any hardship it creates. And what is that hardship anyway? Something that nature brought that we find unacceptable because it hinders our human condition in some manner? To better connect to nature might occur when we better accept the weather itself. I try to work my plans around the weather as much as possible. Being retired helps as commuting to work is no longer a weekly requirement. Winter always brought challenges to my commuting but my career choice was my choice just as living here became my choice. These days my choices are driven by different things.
Its funny to me the avenues that I allow myself to travel at times when considering writing projects. Any number of things can prompt a deep dive into some particular subject. I call these events or thoughts “triggers”. Driving home the other day really pulled a trigger on my observations of winter. Needing to plow snow the next day really pulled the triggers! Like holding a double barreled shotgun with two triggers and pulling them both at once! What a recoil! Things really took a dive after that as I more closely examined my relationship with winter. And when I realized that sometimes over the years that I had sometimes been ultra critical of winter, when the actual burdens were mine to bear by my choices. Is all this too obvious perhaps? And not worthy of a closer examination?At this moment I am not even sure that I can tell this story in any logical manner. Let me take a stab at it regardless.
Ice formations coming off the cabin roof.
How best to tell a tale of winter than starting at its conclusion? We rarely think about winter during the warmer months. It might come up in conversation at times though but never dominates any given moment. As spring arrives winter begins to fade and the long stretch of milder weather coming fills us our hearts with happy possibilities! With spring arriving in March, we are usually well into maple syrup season. I never think of syrup season as winter although the first weeks typically and technically are still. As winter departs we pack away the heavy coats, gloves, and all the many pieces of attire that were necessary for several months. Mine go into big plastic totes that are quite rodent proof. I place them out of the way and forget about them. Things like snowshoes, micro spikes, and all the accessories of winter hobbies also get stashed away. It always amazes me the amount of things that I own just for my winter pursuits! I will get into this subject a little further into this post. I think it’s the winter hobbies that have really prompted my interest in writing about all this to some degree. Call it an attempt at positivity!
If we fast forward past the warm days of spring,summer, and early autumn we will ultimately arrive at a some random day in October or November when the temperatures will reinforce that winter is approaching. There may be a heavy morning frost where the mud stiffens up a bit. Or maybe some stinging snowflakes driven by a brisk wind from the north. But often it’s a trigger of one type or another that really makes us think. There’s nothing like digging out those carefully stored totes with our winter gear to get us thinking. The lessening daylight also jogs our memories at times. I think that’s an important reason why the prospect of winter can make us question our decisions. A quick look at a calendar reminds us that outdoor projects and things that require warmer weather aren’t going to be feasible much longer. There is a ticking time clock in motion. And possibly imagined alarms sounding if we are way behind schedule with something. Winter can cripple a construction project with frosty precision. Everything slows down then.Everything takes longer. This was my reality many times over the years if I was on outside projects. No wonder I became conditioned! But even at home we may feel a sense of some sort of impending doom. Sure it sounds a little over the top and overly dramatic! But if you burn firewood and don’t have it all ready? Not good! Haven’t sawed that pile of logs into lumber? Haven’t started that cabin addition yet? These were some of my concerns last fall as I continued to work at the Methane project into November a little. Winter was coming! So I believe that many of us here in the north country twinge a little at the prospect of it all.
Staging for the addition in December.
And then just like that we arrive at winter solstice on the calendar. But this time we will have taken care of many necessary tasks at the last minute. We took advantage of mild days and gambled on getting things done. Xmas is close and we use the darker days to slow down some hopefully. Our gear is ready and sometimes new items are purchased. Snow brushes find their way into the vehicles. Snow shovels come out of storage and find their way next to porch doors.Snow comes at times but often leaves just as quickly. We ease in with practiced hands.Things change then in some strange fashion. I view the coming season with an almost calm demeanor. What didn’t get done may need to wait until spring. Or maybe even summer. What’s the use of being negative about it now? Winter has sealed the deal after all. Why fight it?
The decision has been made to stay. And the reasons are many and rather familiar. I had often thought that someday I would follow the geese south and escape some of the cold season. But years pass and I have not. Why do I stay? I have stayed because my son is still here for one reason. And since I have decided to stay I build a schedule around winter. And here the answers to the question begin to add up. Hobbies take center stage suddenly and it becomes obvious why I stay.Let’s showcase a few of my activities these days. Out come the cross country skis and boots. It’s time for a glide along a groomed Adirondack trail perhaps. Not a big activity of mine but one I enjoy some. Out come the snowshoes! These get some serious use the past several winters. Excursions will be in the Adirondacks, near the farm, and down into the frozen Beaver Creek gorge.Snowshoes take me into some rugged places and I enjoy them immensely! Out came my snowboard,helmet, and boots recently for a late day assault on tiny Mt. Pisgah in Saranac Lake with Zane. The first time in two years but as fun as always. All this after volunteering at the Ice Palace build for Winter Carnival in Saranac Lake. I showed up with two ice saws for cutting blocks free. Year five for me volunteering and more fun then ever! A true winter event like no other.And there’s also been a little ice walking this season but it’s been rather tricky so far. Winter has brought the birds to my feeder and I love to watch for them each day. It’s also brought squirrels and possums to the feeder! They don’t bother me so I leave them alone. Rodents continue to plague us here and I stop their tiny tracks near the Airstream. Bad news when they get in but I am ready for them. The snow is the ultimate canvas for nature to paint upon. Enter the hobby of track identification!
We have gotten some decent snow accumulations now. Lots of fresh snow and I have been fortunate to have spotted a good selection of animal tracks. There have been fisher tracks near the barn twice now. Recently a weasel visited the sugar house. On a nature trek yesterday near Alexandria Bay, New York, we spotted the tracks of a mink, otter, and a weasel. Deer sign was plentiful in the snow. Reading tracks in the snow is like reading a book and trying in interpret the story. And speaking of ice, yesterday we had a wonderful moment standing high above the frozen expanse of Eel Bay in the St. Lawrence River. The mass of the ice that extended to the far horizons was something to behold. All that water frozen into a large mass. Covered with drifted snow below us as a north breeze nipped at our faces despite the warmth of the sun. Nightfall was coming and our shelter awaited us nearby. A room with a large tub to fill with hot water to bask away the winter chill before having a hot dinner after. This is a gift of winter. Hot water to soak a cold body. A hot drink with a hot meal. Not things we desire in summer. They come with winter and things make sense in those moments. The simple pleasures that satisfy our fragile bodies. Only winter can bring these things. Piercing chills and numbing stings to our faces. Frosty breath from exertion and exercise. The need to take shelter from the cold,dark nights where the mercury drops below zero. The warmth of another’s body close to you under heavy covers and the blissful passage into sleep in a warm room. All this does winter bring. And my sporadic ramblings weave and twist in all directions. For all I may question about why I stay? There are so many reasons why I do. And even if I dream of warmer days without the weight of heavy clothing upon me, I revel in the magic that appears as we truly embrace the winter days. Yes it will still challenge us. Yes we will feel cold and miserable at times perhaps after a hard day in the woods. Or curse the plowing of snow with our tired iron protesting it’s mechanical issues. Or find ourselves stuck behind slow traffic and snowplows as we speed about our winter business with our vehicles covered with salt and sand. And memories come from the recesses of my mind of much harder times then these. They were real and not figments of my imagination. Subzero times and record breaking snowfalls live there in my memories. I have not forgotten. For I was once a snowmobiler. And an avid ice fisherman. A winter trapper of furs. I learned to drive on a frozen lake. Winter has shaped my life here in the St. Law. Valley. And I know now more than ever why I stay. It would be hard to leave this behind forever. A piece of me would be lost. And I must ask what if? What if we were to take a short break from winter and then return? Could we still manage to find enough days for all we wish to do before the ice and snow disappeared? Today is February 2nd and winter is well underway now. There has been no ice fishing yet and little ice walking. But time remains. Isn’t it funny that when winter hits a certain point I begin to worry about what I might not do? A contradiction of sorts. And the origins of my Spin. For contradictions live in all seasons of nature. A great subject to ponder next to the wood stove on a cloudy, cold day. It is enough.✍️
January has moved right along but that’s understandable as I have maintained a rather full schedule. I just worked my final day on the Ice Palace project in the Village Of Saranac Lake, New York yesterday. I was able to spend more days volunteering there this year but I will follow up with a featured story of my time there in the future. It’s worthy of one. Another post worthy topic is the work I did logging with my former neighbor on January 15th and 16th. It’s a story best suited to compliment my Run Of The Mill series at some point. Today I am rather entranced by some muses on winter so I think this post will be justified highlighting some of those thoughts! It all started on the way home late yesterday afternoon. Two hours of driving home from Saranac Lake gives a person plenty of time to think!
I left the village around 3pm yesterday and headed down Route 3 like usual on bare,salted roads. Somehow a car had plowed into some guard rails several miles before the Village Of Tupper Lake. Strange as the road was completely bare! Much later on during my drive I left Route 3 in the Town of Fine to head west on Route 58. This takes me to Gouverneur where I take a series of roads that lead me to the Homestead. Route 58 has many open sections where farm meadows come down to meet the road. The wind had picked up and snow was blowing into the road in places. I remained vigilant as the bare road was deceiving at times. Snowy patches would suddenly appear and I would inherently slow down to navigate across them. My 4 studded tires give me excellent traction but there is a limit to any set of tires with the right conditions. Near the Village Of Edwards a car had slid off a snowy corner in an open spot. Good fortune for the driver as he hit nothing expect the ditch full of snow. He was about to be towed out as I went past. The wind was intense as I neared Gouverneur. After a quick stop for groceries, I continued on to the Homestead on increasingly snowy patches of road. Zane was there and had the wood stove going which was a welcome sight to me! The wind was howling across the main meadow and hitting the cabin full force. It was great to be off the roads! We had plenty of food and firewood! We were set for whatever happened you hoped! But before I could settle in I had to disassemble the Chop Shop tent that covers the outside tools. It had blown loose from its corner posts and was in the process of destroying itself. Luckily my tie down anchors were frozen into the ground and my ropes were strong nylon material. After some cursing and wrestling the tent was safely flat and secured. The tools themselves were now exposed but I didn’t bother trying to cover them in the gale force winds. I grabbed some extra firewood from the cabin’s front lean to woodshed and headed into the warm, inviting interior. Life was good!
Sometime after dark it began to snow while the wind continued to whip against the cabin walls. We enjoyed a simple dinner of hot turkey sandwiches with gravy that I was able to quickly prepare in our temporary makeshift kitchen. This is the second winter of having a makeshift kitchen and this one is slightly different then last year’s. The new addition is now open to the original cabin and heated. It’s full of stored construction things at the moment. Tools and screws mostly. All work has been sidelined lately given all the other volunteering. I have a cot set up for sleeping downstairs when Zane is home. He occupies the loft for hanging out and sleeping. It’s very warm up there! I passed the evening watching a movie on my tablet. I don’t have a tv in the downstairs of the cabin. It’s not necessary really and I often read. A quick look out the window as the wind continued its onslaught showed a decent snowstorm in progress. It was a good night to be hunkered down! We could stay warm even if the power failed. That’s something I had wanted in my cabin plan.
I went to bed fairly early but got up around 12:30 am to put more firewood in the stove. Outside it was still blowing and snowing hard. The snow looked like it was accumulating but it was difficult to tell as it was really swirling around out there! By morning I had put wood into the stove two more times. It was 9 degrees with a rather brisk breeze giving a minus 2 degree windchill according to my phone’s weather app. The sky was dawning clear and bright though. Outside the expanses of untouched snow resembled a giant art canvas. Nothing stirred except for a few birds visiting the feeder behind the new addition. Zane needed to leave and but needed me to plow the driveway first. We had gotten around 10” of new powder snow and there were scattered drifts around the vehicles and in front of the cabin. Zane plugged in the tractor’s block heater for me. Without it , the chances of it starting were questionable. The tractor is kept in the bottom of the Big Red barn out of the weather. During the colder months I keep anti fuel gel additive in its diesel tank at all times. All important steps that help us deter the winter problems that might arise. Keeping the tractor functioning is key to surviving winter.
The Main Meadow. Post snow storm this morning.
I plowed snow for a long time before I finally got everything cleared. I did a thorough job on the driveway and parking areas. This was only the second time that I had needed to plow this winter! I can’t complain about that! I also plowed up to the warehouse and made a large parking area there as well. I also plowed behind the cabin by the woodshed as we will be in need of firewood soon. The supply of hardwood slabs stored in the upper woodshed continue to disappear. given the rate that we burn them.It’s time to get to the forest for some winter wood firewood cutting. I plan to skid trees log length right to the woodshed to save time. We did it last winter and it worked well. I broke out the tractor road to the upper meadows beyond the gap ridge and skidded down a log that I had left behind last winter. It’s red elm and should dry quickly once cut and split. We have plenty of snow for skidding logs but not so much to cripple moving around with the tractor. I need to install it’s front tire chains though. That really helps its traction.During sugaring having the tire chains on is usually a necessity.
Plowing out.
It was truly a beautiful January day with blue skies and a warm sun when I was out of the wind. Icicles were melting off the cabin as I worked to bank it with snow to help keep the floors warmer. There’s more of that to do depending on the weather forecast. I decided I had enough firewood for another night and mentally dedicated Wednesday for a firewood day. It looks like we might get more snow tonight. Did I make a good decision? Time will tell. I love being outdoors but had spent enough time out I decided by 1:30 pm. Tomorrow was another day and I was happy with my accomplishments. While I was out and about on the tractor I noticed very few signs of life on the surface of the new snow. I spotted a few squirrel tracks in the sugarbush and those of a weasel. The weasel had come from the sugarbush over to the big slab wood pile next to the sugar house. It had gone into the sugar house and then out the far side.No doubt hunting mice for dinner. I could visualize it’s tiny white form hopping through the fresh snow. The winter white ermine that is brown in the other seasons is a lethal hunter! I wondered if it had caught its dinner? It moved on at any rate heading through the woods to somewhere. It’s tiny form edible to an owl or hawk if caught in the open. Not even hunters are invincible when larger predators occupy the same territory. These are hungry time I suspect. A time of great energy expenditure in the snowy,frigid conditions of deep winter. But rodents are plentiful it seemed last fall at least. And good hunters probably manage just fine. All this as darkest comes again and suddenly cloudy skies where the wind has picked up again. Inside the tiny cabin the hungry wood stove demands constant fuel. But we have it ready and inside for the night. My own body will demand fuel later. A hot dinner from the makeshift kitchen will take some time to prepare but will be satisfying next to the wood stove. And an interesting pattern of thoughts had presented themselves to me today as I took what winter had brought us into stride. And a most intriguing question. Why do we stay here in this cold,frozen place?
The hunter left it’s sign. A weasel ( ermine) leaves a most obvious set of tracks.
I first asked the question this morning as I put on layers of heavy winter clothing before plowing snow. Wool socks over regular socks into gripping rubber boots well suited for snow. High and flexible they are a winter stable. I wear my rabbit fur Bomber hat for working typically reserving my muskrat hat for more leisurely type activities although I usually wore it working on the Ice Palace. Heavy gloves are a must for my hands. All this gear takes up space in a house and takes time to don! This morning inside the super frigid, unheated barn I had stepped onto a very cold tractor that started with a whiny protest. Why do we stay when it’s so much more difficult to do even simple things? Why do we stay needing to move mountains of snow each winter? Why do we stay when it takes extra energy for everything? Fuel for snow removal equipment for our homes and highways. Fuel for our bodies for shoveling snow and wading through it. Winter exacts a higher cost in all types of energy. Fuel to heat our homes and businesses most certainly . It’s all rather perplexing when you really consider it. Wouldn’t it be easier to leave with the summer birds and head south? So I asked myself again: why do we stay? I think I know why I have stayed.
The tiny snow sculptures.
Thinking back it’s rather obvious really. I stayed as a child because home was where my parents chose to live. Home was here in this four season part of the world.It’s what I knew and I never thought or needed to question it. I was taken care of and taught how to dress for winter. Fortunately I had a family who could afford me all the attire I needed for winter. Winters came and went as I grew up. I never thought about leaving. My family never traveled to faraway tropical settings. We stayed here and tackled each winter like icy warriors going into battle with the elements. Things weren’t always easy and things sometimes went wrong. Frozen pipes and frozen equipment that refused to work would impend winter tasks severely. We endured some very cold weather. Minus 20 below and sometimes colder. Why did we stay? We stayed because our jobs and schools were here. Our families were here often as not. Grandparents and siblings. Our homes were here. Our farms and property. Perhaps our livestock as well. That’s why we stayed.But this story must return to a more personal journey for me to tell it properly. For I assume many things about other people. This is my story and maybe some of yours.
Why did I stay? The childhood part is pretty self explanatory don’t you think?But when offered a chance to head off to distant colleges in warmer states after high school? What was the answer to that. And after college? Why did I want to find employment here and make a home here? Why did I seek out like minded women and desire to share time with them here? That’s a complicated story line for me and one that will need to remain somewhat hazy for the moment. For it is a lengthy tale with many turns and twists. Difficult to fathom at times even for myself. Perhaps I avoid some truths there that I might rather not face. They aren’t dark or filled with shame deeds. They simply deal with large passages of time that has gone by now. Time. That subject that I promised by written intention to visit differently on this page in 2025. Many of my stories are from the past but when told properly won’t revolve around time as a central topic. And I have strayed from my subject as I am prone to do at times. Let’s cut to the chase.
I suppose that I could write a very lengthy manuscript on this subject as I examine it further. But a summary might be best for the moment. A glimpse through a window that might be a door. I can easily tell you more reasons why I chose to stay in this frozen winter landscape hen ones why I shouldn’t. It’s really quite simple actually. This area has always been my home. I never lived anywhere else. Sure I have traveled south in the winter and spent Easter breaks there. Many times over the years. And I suddenly realize that there’s a much larger story within this story. To truly answer my own questions I must ask more of them to deliver the answers. So consider this part one of a two part story. I have presented a case against winter here at times. Given it an almost criminal element. But winter is innocent until proven guilty. And with Mother Nature defending her seasons there will be no winning this case. After all ,we humans have chosen to live here and face winter each season. I think I am spinning in circles here. Time to rest and deliberate. It is enough. ✍️
Mid January finds with a small amount of snow on the ground but nothing major. 6”-8” of powder snow isn’t much for this time of year really. Last year on this very day we had a snow storm that dropped several inches on us after a warm spell had left us with mostly bare ground. I was recovering from my artery incident then and wasn’t pushing myself too hard. Walking mostly but we managed a few other tasks around the cabin. It was a new chapter for me then.
I have been balancing my time between the valley and the Adirondacks since the end of fall to now as I mentioned recently in my last post. The biggest news recently is that with the help of the Amish carpenters we finally finished the siding on the cabin last week. Some soffit work remains but the weatherbeaten tarpaper is now all covered. Zane and I had sawn plenty of siding fortunately so there was no danger running out. We also removed some old rusty roofing from my Uncles barn up the road at the property where I had my first house in 1983. We repaired the lean to roofing boards and some structural damage before adding 4 sheets of new metal. The old metal matches some that my Dad had repurposed from the old garage that used to be here before the 2012 house fire. He used it on the sugar house here and I may need it also for the cabin. I started out just wanting some old metal to put on the wall behind the new wood stove in the cabin above the Drury brick hearth. But then I decided that I want old metal on the ceiling in the new addition of the cabin. It remains to be seen if we will have enough to do all our work. It’s stashed outside and needs a very thorough cleaning. Maybe I will flip it upside down and show the underside which has no rust. The design on the metal is what makes it special. A wave type pattern repeats itself a long the length of the 2’ wide siding. It’s very unique! We had a couple of rather cold days last week while doing our outdoor work but we soldiered through despite!
The repairs after the removal of the old roofing
By last Thursday I decided that I needed a day to just catch up on a few things around the cabin. The carpenters had finished their work here that they had time for by Wednesday afternoon. So I hauled some firewood and stocked up the cabin woodshed. Keeping firewood stocked for the cabin keeps me rather busy actually especially on cold days like we had last week. It’s noteworthy that I had just installed a ventilation fan in the loft floor of the cabin and ducted it into the new addition. With more insulation in place it has been heating well since. The loft is much cooler as a result. Before it was way too hot up there most nights while the back portion of the cabin stayed rather cool. I think things will balance out well now. As for the firewood, I have been hauling it down from the old granary up behind the barn where it was stored last spring. Super dry hardwood slab wood from the sawmill project at my friend Gregger’s last spring. It just needs a bit of splitting here and there. The mixed cherry and yellow birch make a super hot fire. Before too long we will need to cut and haul in some dry red elm that’s burn ready. Our current supply of firewood won’t last until spring.
The siding progresses.
By Thursday afternoon I was ready for an outdoor outing so I decided to snowshoe down Beaver Creek if the ice was ok. There barely enough snow to need snowshoes but I wore them anyway.Upon reaching the edge of the marsh where the grass is thick, I quickly realized that the ice wasn’t all that great. I struggled out through the bogs breaking through in several shallow spots before reaching the bare open sections. But even here the ice was very thin and weak! It wasn’t looking good but I didn’t want to backtrack across the crappy bog part so I pressed on. Slowly and cautiously, I might add! The ice was fickle and unpredictable. Some spots were ok but my tapping beaver sticks would detect hollow sounding spots below the snow covered surface. Death traps I call them. I managed to skirt several tricky spots and reached a deeper wider section of the main channel. After one rather close call I chose a shortcut on a smaller side channel that held me up rather well. I soon reached the area we call “The Deep Hole”. It seemed like decent ice but was slushy on top. A sure sign of thin ice being pushed down by the weight of the snow. I became even more cautious and my forward progress became even slower. I noticed an active beaver lodge and was happy to see them occupying the area. They come and go from this spot on occasion but continue to occupy it mostly. I knew that I could never hope to get across the main beaver dam that spans the creek here. It’s a challenge at times even with much better ice. I approached the dam and laughed when the dog almost broke through where she was walking next to it. I was trying to get close enough to what we call the “Big Cliff” to get photos of some large icicles hanging from a section of it. Without warning I suddenly plunged through the ice with both snowshoes! There was no cracking first or anything suspicious! Just a death trap breakthrough! I was held up by beaver stick walking sticks fortunately and for a second was expecting the shock of cold water filling my boots! But I lunged up onto my knees and somehow avoided getting wet! My nylon hiking pants were so tight around my boots that no water got in! My knees got a little wet but that was nothing. Snow on ice is the great insulator and the death traps are invisible from above. Even the tapping and probing of the beaver sticks fails me at times. Just one of my many plunges over the years I suppose.
The plunge hole!
At this point I lost my desire to ice walk any further! I cautiously and nervously backtracked my way to a channel that got me safely ashore in the stand of white cedars known as “ The Cedars”. This tiny grove has been here my entire life. Never really getting any larger or much smaller. Sometimes the beaver cut a few and years ago we cut out some big dead ones for salvage. The Cedars seems ageless although I didn’t see any of the tamaracks that once lived alongside the cedars. Perhaps they are all gone. The cedars contains a couple of boggy spring holes that never freeze. I used to trap here as a young boy for raccoon. In winter I trapped ermine under the shelter of the cedars in small cubby sets. I used wax paper to keep my traps from freezing. I once caught a red fox here also. My ermine traps were empty most of the time but I didn’t care. I became familiar with the area and loved its remote feeling of winter beauty out of sight of the road and the farm buildings. I was destined to desire to explore this area and all that lay beyond it was I grew a bit older. The marsh was my classroom and I was an interested student who showed up frequently. And the spirit of the Icewalker was forged here. Not of molten metal but of ice and snow. Adversity would thrill me here. Wet feet and cold hands. Frosty cheeks and nose at times. Those were cold winters. Some nights my Father would not let me run my small trap line because of the cold and approaching darkness. But I would return soon and resume my frosty activities. There are many memories here in the marsh of the big gorge. Perhaps that’s why I return each winter.
After a rest and the reminiscing, I tackled the cut up the side of steep ravine that would take me towards the Homestead cabin where the warm wood stove awaited. I stopped at one point and gazed back at the marsh. I was disappointed that the ice had not been better for traveling. And I pondered several things then. How many times had I stood in this exact spot over the years? How different the winters are now. How much older I had become. And how the draw to run the ice and call myself the Icewalker had never diminished. How long would I try? How many winters would gift me the opportunity? Such thoughts became too much then so I chose something far different to break the serious moment. I spoke with my best Arnold Schwarzenegger imitation downhill towards the marsh: “I’ll Be Back!”. But no one heard me but the dog and a few disinterested winter birds. But that was fine. I know that I will be back if good fortune and good health continue to favor me. And I will play the game of staying on top of the ice as I move forward to explore the further reaches of the gorge of the big creek called Beaver. I have no fear there. Just respect for this beautiful and enchanting place. I have traveled the ice here more times than I can remember now. What adventures I have had! I will be watching and waiting for signs of better ice. Then I will set out once again! And not forgetting the Icewalker’s motto: The distance in must be traveled out!” It is enough! ✍️
I have recently been writing a daily post on Facebook to highlight the past 12 months. This 12 day writing exercise has been fun but people have gotten bored with it I believe. Good thing I am into the final 4 months of 2024! I found it beneficial for myself to reflect upon the year and wanted to share my thoughts in a hindsight type series of posts. It’s sometimes difficult to gauge peoples interest. That is an aspiring writer’s challenge I suppose. For this post I am focused on facts and recent events that make up a timeline of living.
The past few weeks have been rather busy running back and forth to the Adirondacks. Usually once a week on the weekends. We try to get outdoors for some sort of activity that gets us engaged with nature.We have visited some beautiful places recently to commune with nature! I will showcase some of them sometime. The day after my last post we traveled back to Adirondacks post Xmas party morning. We headed to the Vermontville area near Saranac Lake to cut a Christmas tree. It was a place my companion knew well and I liked it immediately! There was quite a bit of snow on the ground and the trees had a light covering but not so much that we couldn’t look for one properly. We walked uphill to the furthest reaches of the tree farm. I remarked that this a requirement and a sure sign that TCCS was about to afflict me. Remember TCCS? It was featured in a blog in December 2020. TCCS or tree cutting conundrum syndrome is very common when searching for a Christmas tree! Finding a perfect tree can be maddening! There’s a Goldilocks parallel attached to it quite often. Feeling confused? Not too worry! Sufferers of TCCS are totally confused in their search for the perfect tree! It’s always the same problem: this one is too big. That one is too small. Too bare and spindly. That one is the wrong species. That one is crooked… the list goes on and on! But we were fortunate! We were searching for a balsam and found a few possibilities fairly quickly actually. And then suddenly there it was! A balsam standing out in the open in the distance. It seemed too good to be true! How could such a tree have escaped the eyes of so many tree searchers?We closed in on the tree after wading through the snow. It didn’t take long to reach an agreement. This tree was fine! Not perfect but beautiful and totally worthy of gracing the house! So it was soon on our sled and on its way to the truck. Mission accomplished and with no noticeable TCCS! Later after the tree had thawed out and the snow had melted from it, we got it into its stand. It smelled wonderful! There’s nothing like Adirondack balsam scent! Now 3 weeks later the tree still stands proud and green. And for me who had not cut a tree in a couple years , the moments had been secured. MOONTABS! It was so special to share that experience with someone special!
Back in the valley the wood stove project nears completion. The stove pipe parts I ordered showed up and I got everything together finally. But the wood stove couldn’t be used until I installed a brace on the roof to support the outer double walled exterior stove pipe. This project was a little tricky and involved a few tricks. A rope and a ladder over the peak to give me a safe place to stand after getting up the roof on another ladder. The side by side provided a safe footing for the longer ladder and a solid tie off anchor for the rope. Inside I kindled the first fire once the bracing was complete and burned off the stinky oils that coated the wood stove. Things went well and we are very happy with it! It requires firewood in the 10” range and doesn’t hold a lot but it’s really an efficient unit. We think it will perform very well overall. It’s a Dwarf 5K unit manufactured by the Tiny Wood Stove Company located in Idaho. Go online and check out their cool lineup of tiny stoves!
A big part of the wood stove project was the repurposed brick extension that got the wood stove 14” higher above the cabin floor. It’s so much easier to tend the fire that way! Understand there’s even some room to store some wood. The old antique Drury brick is very classy I think and fits the cabin theme nicely. I didn’t mortar any of it and chose a stacked dry fit construction for the base support structure. Sand fills the cracks between the base bricks which are setting on Durarock cement board material. Fireproof and safe. The back wall behind the stove features Drury brick on edge glued with construction adhesive to Durarock backer. The overall amount of brick makes a thermal mass to some degree and should hold heat longer.
What is Drury brick you may be wondering? It’s antique brick that I was given last spring in Saranac Lake for free while helping with a tree removal. I Goggled it recently and discovered that it was made in Vermont from the 1880’s through 1972. I believe mine to be very old. Possibly 1900 era. It is beautiful at any rate and exceeds my expectations for the hearth I had envisioned. I have several different styles of Drury brick all mixed together and it’s a nice look!
I don’t believe that I ever followed up with the progression of the muskrat pelts we collected last winter. Zane and I received our muskrat hats just before Xmas Eve! The pelts had been sent to Minnesota in August and we weren’t sure that the finished hats would arrive in time. I am wearing mine since Monday and love the warm addition to my winter attire! Zane seems happy with his also. It was a good choice and a wonderful example of our rural heritage here. Trapping the muskrats then preparing the furs to ship and then wearing our hats to stay warm as winter continues to progress. There’s nothing like natural fur for warmth! Some people do not approve and that is their prerogative. We respect their position and simply ask that they respect ours. Wearing fur is a choice not a necessity. But trapping is part of our tradition here where I grew up. I no longer trap fur to sell but will continue to add fur garments to my collection as time passes. Gloves and a vest may be my next investment. The beaver population continues to grow in this area as no one traps them much anymore. Harvesting a few won’t even make a dent in the population. For now we don’t require any additional muskrats but these prolific breeders of the wetlands are there if necessary. Nature keeps them thinned out by some rather harsh diseases at times. Winter mortality of muskrat populations in any given marsh is a scientifically proven fact. Nature will keep a balance regardless of any trapping we might do. That goes for most of the species here. My position on hunting, trapping, and fishing is rather clear on these pages and within my posts. It will remain so.Much of my love of nature stems from my time afield engaged in numerous types of harvesting that spans decades. Plants,birds, fish,and animals. These days I rarely hunt or trap though. I prefer a different interface with nature. One of observation mainly. Call it a winding down of sorts. The nature of my sport pursuits has modified itself. Teaching Zane the rural heritage traditions has been important though. Even said perhaps as this topic has been mentioned here before. Given that there will be some upcoming changes to the blog site posts that have continued to accumulate for 4 years now, I feel the obligation to refresh certain topics.
It’s great to have a functional wood stove again after using just the electric heater for all the cabin heating since we moved in. Now we have both. We have plenty of dry firewood at the moment but will need to get more ahead eventually. That’s always a great winter activity!
At this point I wish to mention my recent Christmas gift from Amy! She is rarely mentioned here as her privacy remains important. But I would be remiss not to acknowledge the work she put into something to give me on Christmas day! She painstakingly edited the entirety of my blogs and printed them into a spiral notebook that is arranged like a book! Not to mention imprinting them onto a thumb drive. I had expressed concern to her about archiving my work as blog posting moves forward. Gerry my administrator,friend, and cousin keeps all this saved, running, and functional for me! And hosts a safe site for you to visit!So many continued thanks to him! Keeping dozens of blog posts and photos up online takes up a lot of space. I came to the realization that I might need to retire older posts to make way for the new. The thoughts of deleting work gave me a strange feeling however. No doubt connected to losing my journals in the house fire of 2012 somehow. Better exam that under a psychological microscope sometime. Amy did something that I know took her hours by creating a “clean” blog post book of sorts. Something real and tangible that I can hold in my hands. Hours of my own creativity in black and white. To see it moved me. Perhaps this is the feeling that a writer gets when they see their first book in print? I openly thank her here for caring enough to do it! And for her overall support of my creative endeavors. It has prompted me to reconsider my writing hobby.And my future in general. So I began a list of intentions. Those that I list in two different categories. The two categories are “main” and “cloud”. What are cloud intentions? Lofty goals and dreams that I desire but may not accomplish in the short term. To keep it real the main intentions were kept short and sweet. Not easy by any stretch of the imagination. But a different mindset begins to show itself. And I strive for change. Wait. Have I said this before? Maybe. Time has been a reoccurring theme in my writing. Change is a reoccurring reality in my life. Nature is the central theme here. Look for some new ideas and new directions here as 2025 arrives. I am busy reflecting as 2024 winds down. It’s a journey. And an adventure. MOONTABS in motion.✍️
It’s really been interesting since we moved back to the farm property. AKA: The Homestead. It always takes some adjustment getting everything moved and this year there was extra cleaning to do since rodents had been busy in the cabin and in the Airstream. Having them get into the Airstream was a first and I can’t help but wonder if it was because I had boughten a different brand of mouse repellent pouches for it. I think there’s an abundance of mice this fall based on the number we have caught so far. So far damage in the Airstream appears to be limited to some blankets, paper products, and minor things like that. But it’s hard to see just where they may have been busy destroying things. Since getting it set up I have had no further problems. Same in the cabin. After catching several there have been no more. Lily the cat has also moved to the farm so that is a total asset. Just the other day we saw her with a mouse in her mouth! Yay Lily!
We have made some progress getting Zane settled into the cabin loft. I am currently staying in the winterized Airstream where I mostly just hang out,sleep, and have morning coffee. It also serves as an office setting where I can sit down with mail etc. I rarely cook in there lately since setting the makeshift kitchen back up in the cabin. Zane and I have dinner there most evenings. Although I am away on the weekends some. With the bathroom and laundry center in the cabin , life flows rather well. We removed the old wood stove recently and have been heating the cabin with the recessed 240 volt electric heater. It does a decent job although on super cold days it really runs a lot. Just this week I assembled the new wood stove and began construction on it hearth extension to raise it off the floor an additional 14”. We will be able to store some firewood underneath. It’s not as elaborate as I once envisioned but will function well I believe. I used salvaged red brick from Saranac Lake to build facade walls and a top. The main support frame was built with repurposed pressure treated salvaged from the deck project in Saranac Lake last summer. All these repurposed materials continue the theme of the rustic cabin. We are inching forward to getting the wood stove set and the new heavy duty stovepipe system through the roof. A tricky job I predict.
The biggest news is the 8’x12’ addition I decided to add on the sugarbush side of the cabin. With both Zane and I planning on wintering in the cabin we need more space! It will add more space of the kitchenette area as well. I plan to tuck a bed into the back section of it. Zane and I laid out the foundation pier locations recently and he dug out the holes. We used some repurposed 6”x6” pressure treated pieces for the piers and cemented them in. Fortunately just ahead of a recent cold snap and some snow. I hired two carpenters from the Shetler family on the outskirts of Macomb last week and they started framed up the floor supports yesterday. We now have an insulated and covered floor footprint of the addition. Walls and rafters will follow next week weather permitting. All of the lumber for the addition was recently sawn using our saw mill and the big quantities of logs on the skidway. Zane and I spent almost two days getting it all ready. This also generated a nice pile of sugar wood to dump by the sugar house. It took a little effort to get the sawmill running but after draining the fuel system and adding new gas it has run great since. Good fortune has favored us! The weather has begun to get rather chilly and we currently have about 3” of powder snow on the ground. It been hovering around 20 degrees the last couple days. Warmer weather and rain will arrive next week.
This short post gets things current again and fills in some of gaps as to exactly where we have landed recently after closing up Camp Edith. We made it out of there just ahead of a freeze up! It’s nice living back at the farm and getting things in motion again with the cabin. My free time has been spent in the Adirondacks doing some hiking etc. There’s a larger story there that can wait for now. I have even done some part time work on the Methane Project as November closed out. Life is busy and the spin has intensified. But winter is closing in fast now. The geese are leaving in big flicks now and we see them all day. Think of the ones that go through in the night! Do they fly much at night? Something to research perhaps! I will follow up on more progress as things develop. This is a rather exciting time for us! Coffee fueled each morning! It’s a rather interesting choice for living arrangements but it seems like the way forward. Tonight I write this from the comfort of a motel room awaiting a Xmas party where we will spend the evening. A break from the farm. Nice diversion! Until next time!✍️
It’s a drizzly night outside here at Camp Edith and the wood stove is cranking out some serious heat! It’s difficult to regulate the temperature inside at times and it generally too hot inside most evenings. Nothing throwing the porch door open for a few minutes can’t help solve! Our answer to a thermostat. Wood heat is rather free so it doesn’t really matter. We have trucked wood in several times so far this fall to keep the camp heated. We supplemented it with some dead white blocks from a tree removal project from awhile back. It’s been a nice addition to our hardwood supply once we split and dried it some. Most recently we brought in some large dry red elm chunks that hold the fire well throughout the day and night. The bark less red elm is burn ready as soon as it’s cut. The ultimate farm to wood stove commodity that we ferret out on a regular basis. At the moment we are harvesting from beside a field at the farm called “ The Long Narrow Meadow “. It certainly lives up to its name! Sheltered by a steep ridge on one side it contains nice stands of dead elm that needs to be harvested.
We hadn’t planned on living here at Camp Edith this late in the season but it’s remained mild enough to do so mostly. Last week our pipes gently froze three nights in a row as the nighttime lows dipped down into the 20’s after midnight. But they thawed each day and we survived the minor inconvenience. But with the temperatures that are coming next week it is definitely time to close up the camp and move to the farm. So this is our final night here for the season. Tomorrow we will begin the move to the farm where Zane will occupy the unfinished cabin and I will stay in the Airstream for awhile. We just pulled it out of the warehouse recently. I was shocked to discover that mice had gotten inside and had made a mess of things! They had tore up napkins and paper towels plus dragged in a bunch of hickory nuts. There are numerous droppings to clean up as well. So far I have spotted no major damage for the moment. Plus I haven’t smelled any mouse pee. They sure can wreak havoc in a place! I have kept a bucket trap in the warehouse for months and it has eliminated a fair number of mice. A recent check of the freshly baited trap yielded 8 mice in two days. I set a trap inside the Airstream but it hasn’t been tampered with or caught anything. That’s good as maybe the resident mice were all caught in the bucket trap before the Airstream left the warehouse. It time for a good cleaning at any rate before moving in .
Mice have also been busy wreaking havoc in the farm cabin. A recent addition of mouse traps only yielded one casualty. The traps were stripped clean by resourceful mice reminiscent of Mr. Jangles the mouse of my Canadian bush blog posts of 2022. I built a second bucket trap recently to use in the cabin and it just got two mice yesterday. We may be turning the tide in this war with our tiny rodent guests. Plus Lilly the cat has returned to the farm to patrol and hunt down the infiltrators. I wish the mice could be kept out but it’s nearly impossible to accomplish that. Hopefully winter will slow them down some at least. Maybe the rodent hunting weasel will return and pitch in. It doesn’t come around when the cat is there though. Nature sure can challenge us!
Moving out and closing up camp will keep us occupied all day tomorrow. The water pump and intake line pipe to the lake must be drained.The remaining pipes and the water heater must be drained down also.That takes time.
There’s food and clothes to move as well. Plenty of things that we haven’t even thought of yet. It’s going to be a big change but we will adjust quickly I hope. There’s a lot of unfinished work in the cabin and we have laid out a lean to addition to enlarge the cabin. The new space would be a bedroom for me. Zane has the post holes mostly dug and we hope to set the posts Wednesday.Then cement them in place. Phase one ahead of dropping temperatures. Zane is not working presently as his seasonal job ended recently. We will work together to bring the cabin project forward again. Today we removed the old wood stove and pipes . The new one is still boxed up and waiting to be installed shortly. There’s lots to do! Work tied up most of the past several months but I am fine with that. It has served a valuable purpose. No need to look back now .
As for other activities? I have been venturing into the Adirondacks to hike some and take time to attempt to right some wrongs of the summer. I won’t go into details but it was important for me to do this. Trying to be a better version of myself is a journey. But worth the effort. Writing new chapters where I am “Always The Same Book But Never The Same Page”. A moving song by the band “A Day To Remember”. It’s powerful lyrics never fail to remind me of the challenges of human interaction. But for the story to continue to be written I must survive and move forward. And always try to make the best decisions. I will fail at this. I may succeed at this. I will be hurt and sometimes hurt others unintentionally. I will wilt and wither at times yet live so that I may continue to grow. And some things I will never understand. About myself and about others. Life teaches us some hard lessons at times. And what have I learned? That I will never stop learning. Often the hard way. ✍️
November 2nd. Zane’s birthday today! It’s 5:19pm and very close to the time of his actual birth give or take an hour or two. Zane becoming 20 today really gives me pause to reflect. But honestly? When aren’t I reflecting about something? To keep it simple I must acknowledge several gratitudes. First that I am fortunate to have Zane living with me presently! Although some of his nocturnal wanderings can give me anxiety! I never know what time he will roll in. The fact that I even have a 20 year old son is noteworthy. As is the fact that we still enjoy each other’s company most of the time. So I am feeling blessed tonight ! I still have vivid memories of the evening he was born. That moment when my life would change forever.Yesterday was the 7 year anniversary of my retirement. Thursday was my last day of my full time critical shortage work on the methane project. These are the simple facts. I am about to write a new chapter of my personal life journey story! And a strange blog post title occurred to me suddenly. A continued introduction to myself in a sense. Sense becomes a key word as this new chapter begins to be written.
Change seems to be a big part of my life really but isn’t that true for everyone? In this the 1st day of the 11th month I truly begin to reflect on my year. I was fortunate to move beyond the health issues I experienced in January mostly unscathed. My daily medications serve as stark reminder each morning though. I was lucky! The universe responded to my calls in late January and a new chapter began that would see me frequently in the Adirondacks until my work would bring me back to the valley in late July. This chapter was a defining moment of my year. One of tremendous personal growth, discovery, happiness, and many special,private memories. But my growth as summer progressed did not come without bad decisions and mistakes on my part as it turns out. I was accelerating much too fast in the spin and blinded by forces that I could not comprehend. Difficult to explain or understand in some ways . Pain is a part of growth at times perhaps but a part that I would rather not experience or inflict on others. A lesson I learned too late this time to halt my impetuous forward momentum.It has cost me in emotional currency. A toll has had to be paid to keep moving in the flow. Looking back it’s almost surreal at times. The universe responds to the frequency we vibrate if you walk the paths of universal vibration and the Law Of Attraction.They are a study of mine. Sometimes we over shoot the runaway when trying to land on our feet. Will I grow from what I have learned? In time, yes!
Looking back at what I can’t change now makes me ask myself: What color is my next chapter? This I can say. Not written with black ink with dark bold letters on ghostly white paper. Cold and haunting in their intent. Black does represent something positive though. Black is the gift of night and shadow. Found in nature everywhere. I will not choose to falsely vibrant and use bright imitation man made colors that don’t resemble anything that looks like me. That is artificial and false for me. I hope to paint my next chapter with earthy browns and natural greens. The blues of sunny skies,water, and beautiful eyes. The grays of cloudy snow laden clouds filled with blinding white snow flakes falling with mesmerizing silence. The reds and oranges of the rising and setting sun. So many more colors live in nature with which to paint. Ones that invite with honest simplicity. Ones that solidify integrity and honest testimony. Truthful confession in the midst of confusion. A colorful path to seek out and follow even when I must limp up it.
What flavor is my next chapter? Bitter or sour? Distasteful and unpalatable? Served cold with a side of cynical? I am certainly not planning on that. I am hoping for the taste of fresh maple syrup on ice cream. Deliciously sweet and making you crave more of my sugar house creations. The taste of freshly picked berries plucked from dew soaked bushes on a summer morning. Raw and satisfying. Frozen to be enjoyed months later on a rainy autumn evening when baked into a pie.Or sweet fresh pressed apple cider from apples right off the tree. Tart and refreshing. A gift from nature. Most definitely maple infused coffee in a favorite steaming cup.Warming my hands as a new day begins. Those are but a few of the many wonderful flavors that enhance my life. How best to have them grace my next chapter?Share them perhaps?
What will my next chapter feel like? Freezing cold and icy with clinging frozen tears of failure that refuse to fall? Or burning hot? Scorching and searing with burning intensity? Burning bridges over raging rivers of doubt and indecision ? Thorny and prickly with hurtful wounding branches? Ripping and tearing at all they touch? No. If I am fortunate it will feel soft like delicate forest moss or the silky seed tufts of dry milkweed about to rise high on an autumn breeze. Or the soft caress of morning sunshine on my face. Maybe the softness of layers of scented pine needles on dry ground. To feel is to know you are still alive. That place where hope is found and your spirit energy resides with quiet resolve waiting to be released for a greater purpose .
What will my next chapter sound like? Raspy and harsh like a dead tree limb rubbing on a rusty metal roof ? Like squeaky hinges on a battered door hanging loosely on a neglected barn? No. I wish for my next chapter to sound like dripping sap drops falling into a bucket on a freshly tapped maple tree on a warming March morning. Like migrating geese high overhead. Strong and purposeful. Connected to nature’s call of survival. Or a buzzing honeybee landing on a clover blossom next to me. Working for the benefit of the hive. All these things and more I desire my next chapter to sound like.
And what will my next chapter smell like? Rotten and decaying like roadkill hit by a speeding driver? Left to be wasted and forgotten? Stale and musty like a moldy book? Tainted and offensive like fruit left in the sun too long?No. I hope my next chapter smells like apple blossoms in an orchard on a crisp spring morning . Like freshly mown hay on a hot summer night tickling my nose with a fragrant bounty. Like sun soaked balsam aroma wafting down onto a secluded mountain trail inviting me to stop for a moment. That’s just a few examples of what I wish my next chapter to smell like.
And you might read this far and think that I am somewhat negative in my direction of thought in this most unusual of posts. No. I am pensive and examining this moment in time. How did I get here? Why did I do certain things? How best to correct my mistakes if possible or at least and never repeat them. Ask those I have hurt for forgiveness and help them understand if that is even possible. How best to balance myself in the flow?How best to coexist with others and be kind. Learning to be a more supportive,better listener. There is no exciting destination here to send you off to with a set of directions. Not this time in this post.There is no map to the future. Just whispers from the inner spirit that needed to be written and shared as a continued testimonial of my life.Sometimes it’s hard to hear in the spin of Taz energy. Or slow it down. There is a connection to nature here. It lives in the five senses we possess and in the hidden one. The 5+1 I so often write about. This post serves to remind me of my many challenges and my personal struggles. And share that I am far from perfect. I am humbled by my own emotions at times. Lost at times to them but always trying to do better. I acknowledge and feel grateful for my many blessings. They are the mortar that holds it all together like the mud of hornet’s nest on the underside of a roof. MOONTABS come in different forms. I offer few answers but ask many questions at times. But today was a special day. A day to connect and attempt to make sense of it all. A beautiful new Adirondack destination to explore. The warmth of a campfire while snowflakes fell at times. A brief sun drenched moment on a rocky escarpment. A walk through open glades of forest where fresh beaver activity next to the pond offered a message. Prepare for winter in their case. Preparing. As in preparing to write the next chapter in my case. So what color is my next chapter? Only time can tell. ✍️
It’s Friday evening November 1st and I just got settled into my room at the Faust Motel in Tupper Lake, New York well over the Blue Line of the Adirondack Park. Why I am here for the second time in a week is a question that is easily answered. I like it here! Zane and I stayed in the room next door for two nights when we came up to the Adks to celebrate his birthday early. And that story is what I will tell shortly. But as to why I am here tonight is a story of a different sort. The universe steers me at times and where we had intended to stay last weekend didn’t pan out. I was driving home from work last Friday tried to decide where we might stay when the word Faust popped into my head! Faust is considered part of the village of Tupper Lake these days but once was known separately as a village that was the location of a railroad depot. The Faust Motel is about the only remaining place keeping the name going today. I just learned this a couple years ago from a local person.Anyway I Goggled the Faust Motel phone number and left a message about securing a room. The owner contacted us while we were driving up and just like that we had accommodations! Good rates too! We found our room warm and inviting when we arrived. Plenty of room and there are no televisions! No problem for us. We were set! Step one was complete! We would be waking up already close to our destination. I feel asleep super early after my long day.
We slept well and for a long time into Saturday morning. I headed over to get coffee at the little place at the motel where the owner makes it. I met the owner and chatted with her for quite awhile as other guests came and went. Fun! I got Zane up and moving so we could get our day moving. We stopped at Chef Darrel’s Mountain Cafe in Blue Mountain Lake for a hearty breakfast of eggs Benedict and pie. We were ready to hike! Our driving destination was a trailhead just a few miles past Indian Lake. The trail to Ok Slip Falls is about 3 miles counting the short distance you must hike a long the highway first. It’s a really well maintained trail with board sections spanning muddy areas. Much of it covers high well drained ridges where it’s very dry actually. A pleasant surprise as quite often trails can be muddy herd paths. The trail winds through a couple nice stands of evergreens. The first stand predominantly large white pine and the second one mostly large hemlock. The forest is quite open in spots given the age of its trees and the highness of most of the canopy. Zane and I made good time on the trail where almost all the leaves had fallen recently. The distance we could see through the forest was impressive and much different then a summer hike would have been. The trail went up and down to a degree but nothing major. We eventually reached a dirt road with power lines a long it that we traveled a short distance before turning off. It appeared that we were on some sort of old logging road at times. Pretty decent hiking really. There were a couple small rivulets of water to cross but nothing of any size. The trail was about to change we suddenly realized as we topped out onto a ridge.
Off in the distance we could see some high bluffs with open rocky ledges. The land beyond where we had topped off fell away from us into what appeared to be a large valley of some size. I mentioned to Zane that somewhere down there would be a stream or river. We knew from the trail description that the Hudson River was back in that direction somewhere. It was all making sense that the falls would be showing themselves before too long. The temperature was pleasant and the sun would occasionally come out for awhile. Zane was down to his tee shirt but I still wore my hoodie. My blood thinner make me run a little cooler these days that’s all. But I am fortunate to be in good enough condition to hike. Even with my injured knee that I brace up each day. It’s going to need to be addressed sometime this winter as I can’t continue on this way. They suspect my meniscus is damaged but not totally torn loose. It’s rather bothersome and causes me a fair amount of discomfort each day. But staying off the trail when I wanted nothing more then to hike with Zane wasn’t an option for me. I was feeling pretty good actually and not really suffering. I was enjoying my hike with Zane! Just like old times!
The trail began to descend in a winding fashion into the valley. Before too long I heard the water fall. We got our first view soon after and it was very impressive! The next overlook was even better and there was a great view of the falls. There were a couple other people there and we had passed two groups of hikers headed back out as we made our way in. We took a few photos and went to investigate more of the trail to see if there was a way down into the gorge. But a sign stating end of trail appeared. We decided to go past anyway to see if there was a way down. Others had done the same and there was a very steep but crude descending trail. It soon got super steep and I had to stash my beaver stick trekking poles. Soon we had to use ropes that people had tied here and there to get down even steeper sections. I was getting very nervous and kept asking Zane if we should turn back but he kept insisting that we could make it. We reached a place where the trail became only a foot or so wide next to a steep ledge. To the left there were almost no trees and a rocky slide looking section that dropped over a ledge. Not a safe place to go and I was very s scared. Zane crossed it easily and coaxed me across it. Not my idea of fun! After that it wasn’t as bad with trees and roots to hang onto while descending. We eventually reached the bottom and stood next to a large pool of water. I spotted a small trout swimming in it shallow sunny section near shore. Zane raced ahead to the base of the falls and I caught up after awhile. I was a little shaky from the descent and it took me a minute to relax again. But the view was worth all the effort and risk it had taken to get down there. We got up close to the falls but had to watch for super slick rocks. The base of the falls was a jumbled pile of rocks of all sizes. Some were huge! We took more photos and I gazed up at the overlook where we had stood before descending. We were in a circular basin with high rock walls on three sides. Eerily beautiful and peaceful despite the hazards getting down. We made our way up with relative ease but it was rather strenuous. I found it less stressful climbing up and was glad when we crossed the narrow section of ledge with the potentially fatal drop off. But what an adventure! So much more then just sitting up at the overlook. We rested at the overlook and enjoyed a snack with plenty of water. It was time to make our way out.
The trip out was uneventful and I was beginning to tire some as my knee began to burn with overexertion. It seemed like a long trip but we made it out fairly quickly. We had done it! Made it to Ok Slip Falls! One of the highest waterfalls in the Adirondacks! Zane and I had bonded greatly from the experience. Something we both needed! Adirondack time never disappoints. The adventure was a true battery charging event even if it had worn me down physically. We still had daylight remaining as we made our way back to Tupper Lake so we stopped at Buttermilk Falls near Long Lake. Very easy to find and close to the road. Always a treat! Back at the room it was shower time and then dinner. I feel asleep early again and Sunday morning would find me having coffee again in the coffee room. Zane wanted to explore Lake Placid so we visited the Olympic Center where I had worked in 2021 and 2022. We hit some shops and a bookstore before grabbing lunch at the Pickled Pig. A fav LP restaurant of mine! On the drive home we hiked up to Mount Arab and climbed up the fire tower. Our weekend was ending but we had had a wonderful adventure! A little bit of everything! Hiking and waterfalls. Dining out and hitting shops. A true Adirondack experience! MOONTABS were made and for that I am most grateful!✍️
