March on the Mountain
Predictably Unpredictable
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On the first of March, Curt left to take care of business on the coast. I spent two weeks by myself and snowed in. On March 1st as we rode down to his truck on the snowmobile, the world was thawing. The road was so icy that on my solo ride back up the mountain, I got stuck.
The track spun on the ice, but I was getting nowhere. With the strength I’ve garnished since moving here, I was able to shuffle the machine over to a patch of dirt and got some traction. Just like that, I was off again and happy about the small success of not being marooned. As I headed up the mountain, another problem presented itself. The temp light had come on.
The cooling systems in snowmobiles usually depend on snow being thrown into the underside of the machine to cool the engine. Riding on all of this ice had allowed for none of that, and now I had a new predicament. I stopped, opened the hood and saw that my coolant was overflowing. I’d have to wait this out and let it cool down. As I waited, I sat quietly and took in my surroundings. Only mildly frustrated by the situation and knowing I could walk home if need be.
In the distance, I could hear Curt’s throaty exhausted Tacoma, presumably driving away.
Thankfully, that wasn’t the case! He’d heard me having trouble getting traction on the ice and decided to check on me before heading down the highway. In a funny parting activity, he towed me on the snowmobile halfway back up the mountain. Once there, we shared a laugh and once again parted ways. With plenty of snow to now ride on, my machine had cooled enough to make it the rest of the way home.
I Made Chairs!
The weather has a funny way of changing as soon as he goes, and this time was no exception. The temperature outside took a dramatic drop to sitting around -10C. Just too cold to sand all of the parts of my new chairs outside. I quickly made a mess of the house as I happily sanded sitting on the living room floor. They’re a super simple design, two pieces that slide apart for easy storage. I used beetle kill wood from the property and love the character the wood has, with colourful grains and the occasional beetle hole.
The Cat Came Back
With fresh snow on the ground, it’s always interesting to see which animals travel through my yard. I mostly see wild hare tracks, the occasional weasel and sometimes deer. In November something different came through. A big cat. Since then I hadn’t seen any other sign of it, until now. The tracks I discovered in the snow came down the road, stopped at the end of the driveway and stood looking up toward the goat pen. Creepy. But also very cool.
It’s easy to forget that here in Canada we have cougars, that can easily weigh more than me. I always bring the shotgun to the outhouse as a precaution, which seems like overkill to some but it’s something I will certainly continue to do.
Hot Days
After two weeks solo the weather turned warm again just in time for Curt’s return. It was easily over 20C for a few days and with such a swing in temperature, shorts became compulsory. In hindsight, sunscreen would have been a good idea too. The sun is stronger at this elevation, and the light reflecting off of the snow magnifies it like being on a boat. I now have the beginning of an awesome tan in time for summer!
False Spring Fooled Me Again
After a week of warmth, sun, and even rain, I got very excited for summer projects. The green yard began to show, birds were singing and the sweet smell of cottonwood buds was in the air. Then of course, it snowed and then snowed some more. It seems the only thing it hasn’t fooled is the snowshoe hare, which are still entirely white.
The road is bare in places and covered in deep snow in others. I put over 30 hours on the tractor to ensure the deepest areas at the top are clear. Now it’s time to stop getting stuck on the snowmobile and wait for the rest to melt.
Exciting Times
Though ‘false spring’ fooled me yet again, the world is waking up. The buds on the aspens are getting fat. Soon enough the branches will be covered with leaves, quaking in the breeze. The bunnies have furry nests full of babies, and my doe goats look like they’ll pop at any moment. It’s an exciting time!
The birds have returned. I’ve seen more already this year than ever before. Mostly Juncos, Robins, and Grosbeaks. Have you noticed more birds this year?
Thank you for sharing. As a teenager nearly 50 years ago, I dreampt of living off the grid. While that never happened, my wife and I traveled west to the Rockies and spent just shy of 50 nights backcountry on extended backpacking trips. Following your exploits has been very enjoyable. Continued good fortune to both of you.
Totally enjoy your writings, your life there is live and learn, you will learn things that many will never experience or even think of. God was and is the perfect engineer, I spent much of my life out in countryside, still do, always amazed by what I see and learn.
Anyway, yes better safe than sorry, like the shotgun idea. I prefer a semiautomatic at my age, when I’m hunting in remote Wyoming, also carry pepper spray for bears, more effective for bears, which we have seen both bears and cats.
Enjoy, and be safe.
Jeff