"What's happening in these here parts of Maine"
Since April 1st, 2005
Read about Maine, Cabins, Campsites, Hunting, Fishing, Relaxing,
Vacationing, Moose, Deer, Bear, Partridge, and everything else in the
Maine woods! If it happens in the north Maine woods, chances are I will
be writing something about it at some point!
January 30, 2012
I guess I wiped out the entire
colony of mice living in my truck! I have been diligently setting
the traps each night and have not caught anymore of the furbearers!
So much for my hat.
The rain that we got last week made the road very
smooth, and also very slippery. It was not too bad, I could get in
with 4x4 and 4 studded tires, but then we got about 8 inches of snow on
top of it.
The idea of studded tires is that the carbide studs
grip the ice and it gives you just that little extra traction.
When you have snow on it the studs never reach the ice and you get a
ride like you would not believe!
It started snowing and I just smiled, I was nice and
toasty. I went out and plowed the yard about the time it started
to do the freezing rain thing. As I had the snow cleared, the rain
actually helped make it less slippery in the yard, it caused the ice to
roughen up just enough so that you could stand up on it!
The problem was that it was so slippery that it was
almost impossible to plow. The tractor did not want to push it too
well at all. I figured that daytime would be a much better time to be
out on the tractor, especially as it does not have lights.
I had to go to town on Friday, I should have stayed
right here, and probably should have stayed in bed!
I managed to get up over the first big hill going out,
but going down the other side was where the fun began. I put the
truck in neutral so that I would not be powering the wheels down hill.
I was doing great until I reached the steep part and the truck started
sliding down the hill, faster and faster.
I was right at the section where on the right side of
the road it drops off 20 or 30 feet and I knew that the end result was
not going to be good. (This is where lots of experience and even
more luck comes into play) You simply cannot just hang on for the
ride, you have to do something to help rectify what is going on.
So many people just hang on, close their eyes and wait for the crash!
I pumped the brakes, not helping much at all, so I put
it in gear and gave the it gas. I know, this usually just gets you
to the accident site that much quicker, (Kind of like having one engine
quit on a twin engine airplane, if the both quit it takes longer to
crash) but with the front tires spinning down through the snow and
getting a little bite on the ice I managed to steer the front end to the
left and catch the snow bank.
When the front tires got out in the snow bank it yanked
the truck completely around so that I was now going down the hill
backwards! Back into neutral and watching the mirrors intensely,
trying to steer down the hill and picking up speed. (My mother
told me I would have days like this)
When I realized that the speed was getting out of control I started
steering the back end toward the "safe" side of the road. A
duplicate maneuver, sans putting it in gear, brought another 180 degree
turn, like right now! (Any of you folks who have ever been to camp
know just how narrow the road is in this spot and trying to turn around
here in the summer would result in a 6 or 8 point turn) This happened a
total of 5 times on my way out to town.
I put chains on all 4 wheels to get back in later in
the day, and I still have them on! I have been plowing for the
past couple of days getting the road back as wide as I can. The
chains are causing the ice to roughen up a bit and hopefully I can take
the chains off and have the road in pretty good shape soon!
I managed to get the tractor stuck today while plowing.
I was turning around and got down over the bank. I was fortunate
to have it go over the bank on the high side and not on the side with
the larger drop off. I tried and tried to get it out under its own
power, but you know that was just not going to happen! I walked
back to camp to get my truck and some tools to extract the beast.
I took chain and a heavy duty set of come-a-longs.
After hooking the chain to a tree across the road I
attached the come-a-long to the rear axel and started cranking.
When I could no longer gain anything I started the tractor and tried it
again. Nope, it was not budging. Finally I left the tractor
in reverse and was standing behind it cranking as the tires were
spinning. I know, a good way to end up run over, but I figured
that if I were fast enough I could shut it down as it went past me!
I could just imagine getting the chain wrapped around me and having it
drag me across the road, over the bank and have it sitting on my leg
with the tire chains chomping away at my hide!
I am happy to report that when it finally got up on
high ground it was still spinning and I had to walk around it, get in
the drivers seat and rock it a bit to get it the rest of the way out.
(Much easier that re-hooking everything and cranking!)
I was once again faced with the dilemma of having two
vehicles over a mile from camp. (This seems to be a regular
problem of mine for one reason or another) It was either drive one
home and walk back for the other or come up with an alternative plan.
Plan "B" was the most sensible option. I simply drove the tractor
up against the trailer hitch and chained it to the back of the truck!
I started up the big hill and found out that I could not pull it up,
even with the chains on. It was just too darn heavy. Being
the resourceful sort of guy that I am, I went back and put the tractor
in low gear started it up and let the clutch out. It started
pushing the truck along at a very slow rate of speed. By tugging
just a bit and allowing it to come along as it pleased I was able to get
to the top of the hill without any further problems.
The rest of the way home was a breeze! When I got
to the top of the hill I just kicked it out of gear and towed it along
as slick as the ice on the road! The things we do up here in the
woods!
Tomorrow I will finish the road up, getting ready for
the next storm. (It can stop snowing anytime now as far as I am
concerned)
On my walk home I saw where an otter had slid down over
the ridge. It is amazing how often I see their tracks along the
road into camp. They travel over land much more than people
realize I guess.
As I was driving back to the tractor I saw a set of
huge coyote tracks on the road. (I knew they were fresh as they
were in the fresh plowed section!) I reckon that they will not
bother me too much, they are pretty nervous around people.
Now the wood stove is cranking out the heat warming up
the old bones. It was a beautiful day outside today. The
snow stopped mid morning and we just got a heavy dusting. More
snow forecasted for tomorrow and Wednesday, but it does not look like it
will amount to more than a few inches!
It looks like about 18 inches of snow on the ground
here at camp. I will take a measurement tomorrow if my memory
allows! I noticed a picnic table that is setting out of the wind
with the snow piled up on it. I did not think we had quite that
much, but unless the squirrels and hares have been playing tricks on me
that is what we have!
It has been a fantastic winter for the hurting deer
herd. Warm temps and not much snow makes for an easier winter for
them. If it continues like this then the survival rate this winter
should be good.
There, I think I have you all caught up on events for
up here in the woods. The Golden Road is ice covered these days,
but not too bad to travel on.
Until the next time, enjoy your winter! GT
January 24, 2012
This has to be the craziest
winter weather we have had for some time! The temperature jumps
around like me trying to walk across the dooryard in my bare feet!
(I have tender feet you understand)
We had a few snow storms of late, not much snow
usually, but enough to plow. The thermometer would plummet to -15
for a bit, never warming up much past the single numbers if it even
managed to get there. Then it would warm up in the 20's and only
hit around zero at night.
Sunday it was -20 degrees up here when I left for town.
It warmed up so that I could actually work outside with bare fingers by
the time I got back. (I needed to do some tractor repairs and
needed a hydraulic fitting because it was a different size that all of
the others that I have around here!)
I burned a bit of wood during the cold snaps, but all
in all I have managed to stay warm and toasty here in the house.
When one heats the entire house with a cook stove that likely was made
in the late 1800's or early 1900's you are bound to burn some wood.
Those of you who know about this sort of thing realize that the firebox
on a cook stove is very small. It does not hold enough wood to
last all night, which means that someone has to get up during the night
to fill the stove. (That would be me boys and girls!) But
hey, I do not mind, it keeps me from getting too lazy and complacent!
I just went and set 6 mouse traps in my truck!
The varmints have decided to move in and eat the stuffing out of my
truck and chew up my fuzzy gloves! I could hear them munching on
something in there tonight, so I pulled out the gear and set up my trap
line across the floor and seats! Nothing like setting the trap
line when the pelts are prime! (I wonder how many of them I will
have to catch to get a hat made?)
January 25, 2012
I just went out to check the trap
line. Now a lesser man than I may have managed to catch a mouse in
a truck, (maybe even a couple) but me, being the wise and knowledgeable
sort of guy I am, I caught three of the critters. It all has to do
with proper tension on the pan of the trap, finding the trail that the
quarry is using, (have you ever tried to track a mouse across the seat
of a pick-up) and proper bait and lure. (peanut butter, (crunchy
of course) and a small amount of what we purchase as cheese these days)
It would take many of these to make a decent hat for
sure. I figure that I will need at least 50 of them to do the job
properly, maybe even 75. Not sure how long it will take as I want
to only use prime pelts and only those caught inside my vehicle!
Wish me luck on that!
January 26, 2012
Jed and I discussed my
thoughts of taking the hand sled out for a spin on the ice covered
roads. One could literally ice skate from camp out to the dam.
It is two and a half miles of ice and one of the old runner sleds would
reach near mach speeds on the hills.
After much consideration and contemplation, I decided
that one missed turn going down the hills would result in much pain and
the possibility of broken bones. The snow banks are not high
enough in many of the areas as I plow them out as far as I can and the
snow drops off over the edge of the road. (Some places it is 30 feet or
more to the bottom)
Dodging the trees out there would require more luck
than skill if I left the ice as they are much too close together to miss
at the speed I would be traveling. (That and the fact that I still
remember quite vividly when I was in the third grade and hit the only
apple tree in a field at the little one room school that I was going to.
The runners broke through the crust and I was not actually on the sled
when I hit the tree, but the resulting scrapes from the crusty snow and
the sharp limbs and rough bark of the apple tree are one of the reasons
today that my hair is as gray as it is. So you who know me now
realize just how bad that accident must have been!)
It looks like more snow predicted in the forecast for
the weekend. Starting tonight, possibly some rain mixed in with it
from time to time. Cold weather coming along and them warming up
again. All in all it has not been too bad at all. Below are some
photos I took on my trip on my trip to town on Sunday. I hope you
enjoy them!
I have already posted them on Face Book, so if you have
not signed up to "like" Frost Pond Camps fb page, now is the time to do
it. After you get your Face Book page you can comment to me from
there! Lots of fun and you can set your Face Book settings so that
you do not get lots of junk and you do not have to do anything else with
it!
January 15, 2012
Well, so much for my New Year
resolution, here it is the 15th of January and this is the first journal
entry I have sat down to do!
I think the last one was December 19th! But hey,
better later than never!
Christmas is over for another year and we can put the
commercialized part of it away for a long time now. (Well, it will
seem like yesterday that we was doing it by the time it rolls around
again, but calendars do not lie)
Jed managed to get everything he wanted, even if he did
not know that he wanted what he got. Well, actually he knew he
wanted it, but did not think it would happen. We managed to pull
it off without him knowing that he was getting it, which is real hard to
do. He wanted one of them new fancyfied music boxes, the kind you
can get on the internet with and all. When he got it he was
impressed, as he said to me that he had mentioned it at least 3 months
prior and how could I possibly remember something like that when I have
a hard time to remember what happened yesterday! Great confidence
builder for the failing hermit memory of mine!
The other thing that he really wanted was a new Johnson
wool coat, which he knew he was getting cause he went with me to pick
out the right size. Bout drove him crazy knowing that he was
getting it and not being able to wear it!
Did you ever get the gout in your big toe? Man, I
gotta tell you, I am ready to cut it off with a dull ax any day now!
I seem to recall every old guy I ever knew who lived in the woods ended
up with the gout in their big toe! Must be something there, but I
am not sure just what it is! I blame it on the storms that we have
been having, but maybe not.
I have read up on it and there is so much information
how does one really know what to believe? It is a bit better
today, but I still have to be real careful how I step down. One
step without thinking and it just about brings tears to one's eyes.
(Course a lesser man would be in the hospital or at least have gone to
the doctors by now)
I have been plowing the road faithfully each and every
storm, just so as to not have it get clogged up too much. It takes
quite a few hours sitting on the old Ford tractor to do it, but it is
much better than shoveling!
Of course last year we got so much snow so fast that I
was racing to see if I could get it plowed before it melted in the
spring! I managed, but it was April before it happened.
Last night I ended up with a -15 degrees for the night.
Cold, but at least the wind did not blow like they were predicting, or
not as hard as they were calling for. Tonight it is already down
to -8 and falling steadily.
The stars are out in full force and if it were not for
this darn toe I would go out and walk around just to listen to the snow
screech under my feet. I love to hear that on a cold still
evening. I cannot say that it is for everyone, but silly people
like me sometimes like it.
Yesterday I went out to take some photos of the winter
wonderland. I did a very foolish thing at one point, but hey, that
is me. I was driving on roads that had not been driven on since we
got all the snow, not that we have a lot, but still, one should not
drive down steep hills covered with snow, cause you have to get back up
them!
I have never been known to be a person that has the
most sense when it comes to doing the smart thing with a 4x4, although
in my later years I have done much better I must say.
Anyway, I drove down in between these two big hills
with a bridge at the bottom. There I was, not able to back
up the hill that I just came down or able to get up the hill in front of
me. I kept at it until I got up the hill and was able to turn
around in a log yard. (I did end up spending a night in the truck
many moons ago in a similar situation, but it had more to due with mud)
Now I just had to manage to get back up over the
steepest hill, which I had my doubts about being able to do without
putting on chains, but with the pain in my toe, that was a last resort.
By driving up the hill as far as I could without
spinning and packing down the loose snow I was able to get over the top!
It only took about 6 tries to manage it, but it was better than putting
on chains! Boys will be boys! (I sure hope that my son
listens to me rather than doing as I do)
Down to -10 now, but still nice and toasty here inside.
I reckon that it will make it to the predicted low of -15 by morning.
It usually gets the coldest about an hour after the sun comes up.
I think it has to do with the warming of the air, which sucks the cold
air from all of the low spots as the ever so slightly warmer air rises.
At least that is my theory as it seems to do it every single day in the
winter. (Unless the sun is hidden under the clouds and then it is
not as noticeable)
There are more snow days coming this week, I cross my
fingers that the amounts will be minimal so that I can keep the road
open. I am not sure that I look forward to traveling on the Ash
and Moose hide for several months!
It is not too bad as long as I get my feet set right on
the snowshoes, but sometimes when I am hurrying I just shove my feet in
the harness and do not get them set at the right angle. Then the
tails of the shoe cross and one can end up staring up at the sky with
snow going down your neck! (Most likely you just end up with a face full
of snow as one shoe is on top of the other and does not move when you
take that next step)
(Some folks have even managed to do it with a small
child on their back. Although it did not seem to bother the lad
too much! Nope, "I" never did that!)
Well, here are a few of the photos that I have taken
this winter, I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed going out to get
them for you!
GT
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