The Happy Trappers...

Dried Straw Hides Trap Boxes

2012-01-30T12:36:00.000-08:00

Bryan makes these boxes up in the off season and we collect dry straw in the fall and store it in cardboard boxes in the green house. It makes the set more natural. There is a non nailed board to add bait without taking the whole set apart.

Bryan Made it to the Sutlahine River

2012-01-30T12:08:00.000-08:00

Last night Vikki waited and waited. It was well past dark. Well past the time Bryan usually calls in. At 6:25 Bryan called on the SBX. She could hear in his voice his excitement. "I have pictures of the Sutlahine" "I stood on the shore" "You would not believe how different it is here. Lots of small birds, lots of animal tracks, but still a lot of snow. Must be at least 6 feet." (It is a lower elevation and further south west then here).
We'd made it there 2 years ago in the late spring.....last year there was not enough snow ...... now he was there and it was still trapping season.
He said he'd stay one more night out on the line and set out more traps. "Be back Tuesday".
He said..... no promises but with the weather looking like it will warm up on Thursday maybe you and the dogs can make the trip and spend the night. NOW THAT IS SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO. Vikki has only been on that run once this winter and that was only to Walkers Valley line cabin. In past years she went every time.

New Frangelled Gadgets. What is nice, What is a waste of Time...

2012-01-30T11:55:00.000-08:00

When you are out in the bush for 10 months at a time..... somethings make your day better.
The first couple of years out here, we didn't have a internet computer. But it sure has made our lives easier. Ordering supplies, relaying weather for incoming flights, keeping in touch with friends and family, Doing and submitting Income Tax, looking up health issues, Blogging diary. We'd hate to lose it.
The first year we didn't have a wash machine. No matter how hard you wring them, they still take days to dry. In this last cold snap we lost the machine for awhile (ice formed in the lines) and Vikki was reminded of the time without one. The trappers before us didn't have a hand dug well or a machine and didn't get to wash their bedding for 6 months at a time.
Books...... we read a lot at night during the long winter. But the generator is usually off and so it is by Coleman lantern or oil lamp. There is also a battery operated CD Player with battery operated speakers at Walkers Valley Line cabin and in Bryan skinning room, which is really nice.
Vikki ordered $200. of used books and they should arrive in the next supply load.
In the dim light situation here....... these new e-readers and audible books just might be a great Gadget.
Vikki has spent the last little while buying a new Kobo Touch, a used Kindle pre-loaded with lots of best sellers, a used i-phone, mini speakers, e-reader lights. Now she just joined Audible.com (this is a Amazon company) for 7.49 a month for 3 months and then 14.95 a month. Subscription can be canceled or put on hold at any time. Sounded just GREAT......BUT.
A 232.7 MB audible book "The Neon Rain" 7 hr reading time.... took 3 1/2 hours to download into the Manager Download file/itunes. Bryan is going to freak... that is a 1/3 of a tank in the Honda 3000. Also she hasn't an idea yet of how many CD-R Discs she will need to copy this book.
When we go out in the spring..... the Library in Atlin has hi speed internet. But then you are using their computers so how can you load onto your own itunes.
This looked like it was going to solve our reading problems..... poor light, no books...... but now Vikki is starting to wonder. Maybe this is all a waste of time.

The Difference between being Safe or Sorry!!!

2012-01-26T20:27:00.000-08:00

Bryan had headed out at 3:30 pm to use the new trail grader/groomer on the bottom of the trail to Walkers' Valley. He said he would "Be Back Shortly".
Vikki had made up pizza dough for 3 L and put all the fixings on.
Now it was 5:30 and he should have been back. It's a 2 1/2 km trip along the lake to where the trail begins up into the high valley.
Vikki had this terrible feeling........ after 5 min. her snow cloths were on and off she went along the lake in her little Tundra 300.
It's getting dark now and she could see no bright skidoo light breaking the dim.
Vikki went up the trail..... but as she passed the corral, she stopped and turned off her machine and listened. Could she hear the 800 Skandic or what????? It seemed she could and then she couldn't.
It is incredible how much light the snow reflects. She could see every tree trunk for 100 meters.
Here she was with no diesel or matches to start a fire with if she got stuck. A new coat had come in on the heli and she had grabbed it instead of her normal coat. It was only -7 cel. Not terribly cold, but once she started up the hill trail she was committed. She did have snowshoes and a flash light.
Vikki knew Bryan had diesel and would lite a fire as soon as he got cold and also he was not one too panic.
Should she go ahead..... to see what the hold up was or should she sit and wait for awhile. She wished she had thought of the lighter before.
But now "good judgement" was needed. She is not prepared to be way up in the Mountains alone. Vikki decided to wait another 1/2.
At 6:25 she had a feeling of great relief as the trees started to light up.
Bryan said he'd taken the grader up to the first Moose tree stand and unhooked it and carried on breaking trail to swamp 3 (5Km). Everything went well until he headed back home. He got stuck for an hour at the 1st Bridge. He had the grader down when he went into the steep V bridge and it got held up on the 2nd bump before getting out. The 800 Skandic was tilted down onto the grader and wouldn't go up or back. It took a lot of shoveling.
He was only 1/8 km away from Vikki. Vikki's machine could have towed him out.
SHE SHOULD HAVE GONE...... BUT THEN SHE SHOULDN'T HAVE!!!!

Side Notes.....   Bryan put a small container of diesel in Vikki's tundra before he left again to head back up to Walkers Valley for 5 days.
Vikki put lighters in her new coat and skidoo.
In previous years we always traveled together, but now old Hannah, our good dog, has to stay at home and so she needs someone to look after her.

The Air Strip

2012-01-25T16:43:00.000-08:00

The limbs of a small spruce tree work great. They are only about 2 feet tall and soft. Once the air strip is laid out we can keep it maintained. So even if we get more overflow we just keep packing this same strip til it becomes hard and deep ice.

A Fisher and A Marten

2012-01-25T16:26:00.000-08:00

Now... that looks like something.
Bryan dug it out and it was a beautiful dark male Fisher. A real old timer. It had 5 porcupine quills still stuck in it's bottom jaw. They were broken off but still a 1/2" long.

3000 Honda Generator..... getting ice and dirt out.

2012-01-25T16:08:00.000-08:00

There is ice and dirt in the fuel tank. Probably from condensation in the 5 gal jugs he fills for Vikki to use.
This cleaning out ..... should have been done in the summer time. Then Bryan would have been able to pour hot water in it and let it drain out the bottom and used cotton swabs to clean out the dirt......... instead of having to dismantle the whole thing. Quite the job.

Fuel tank is in the warm cabin ..... the ice turned to water and drained out.

Bryan cleaned these with either.

Either for cleaning small parts. It took about 3 hours to take it apart and put it back together, but there were lots of going back into the warm cabin to get his fingers working again. The generator worked great again. This 3000 Honda uses 1/4 the amount of fuel the 5000 Honda does.

Windy Pond ....finishing the inside of the line cabin

2012-01-25T14:49:00.000-08:00

The Buffalo Stove that Bryan and Henri made up last spring. For instruction look up "HOW TO MAKE A BUFFALO BARREL STOVE".

Bryan said there is now three levels of cupboards above the cook area. 5 feet x a feet.

Wood was cut the day before with the Alaskan Mill and stored in cabin. -33 cel. that day, so a good day to stay indoors and finish the cabin interior.

Bryan uses a hand saw and hand plainer.

Double bed on left, then stand for SBX Radio (5' x 2' x 1' deep) etc. Bottom bunk is made on right and wood for table top and top bunk standing on bottom bunk. He will need to mill up at least 2 more logs to complete the table and shelving out in the wood porch.

Coming back to Walkers Valley Line cabin, on the way back to base camp. Someday we hope to have a 100 km circle.

Walkers Valley Heavy Snowload

2012-01-25T14:10:00.000-08:00

Bryan looked terrible when he finally got back to base cabin. He'd waited til the sun had been out for a while and then made the 2 hour trip. He got here at 5 pm.
That night it was back to -33 C (a damp coastal cold).

There are the pictures he took of Walkers Valley Line cabin. The 550 Tundra Long Track is 3 feet higher than the door step. Remember that cabin was built 4 feet up on logs.

He has to duck to get under the SBX Radio antenna

Here he is digging out a Wolverine Box. Took him an hour to free it up and set it higher.

Tundra didn't make it the first pass up the long steep hill. Bryan just about got to the top but no....

-33 for 4 days..... generator will not work

2012-01-19T18:00:00.000-08:00

The 3000 Honda quits after 10 minutes.... so we are busy getting water out of the well and then the 10 minutes to get the internet up and running ..... and bang. we are in the dark again. The wine froze down in the crawl space. We have 4 oil lamps plus the propane Buddy Heater going. Right now we are trying to use the 5000 Honda. It was in the cabin warming up for 4 hours. We will see. This is book reading time.

BURRRRRR

2012-01-16T16:27:00.000-08:00

At 8:30 the generator quit.... Vikki restarted it but it only ran for 2 minutes and quit again. She pulled the generator into the cabin.... it is on a trolley. The cabin was way too hot but that is the only way to keep the crawl space from freezing. Bryan reminded her to put 2 gallons of boiling water down the gray water sink and not to let small trickles of cold go down.
At 10:30 Vikki went upstairs into the cold loft but it was far too warm to sleep.
At 11:30, 2:30 and 6:30am she was down stairs adding more wood. But the water froze at 2:30.
On the SBX this morning Bryan said he would be coming back today......
The 3000 Honda Generator still would not run properly this morning. It was just too cold for it.
Down in the crawl space there were 3 candles, an oil lamp and a Coleman lamp all going. Thermometer read plus 1 C.
At 2:30 this afternoon temp rose to -27 c. and the generator would work.
Vikki was cabin bound and needed fresh air and took the dogs out for a walk. Old Hannah got 10 feet out of the gate and set down on her rump with all four feet in the air and would not budge. She was taken back into the cabin and only Ishi went.
Hopefully Bryan will be back soon.

Trees Popping...... Temperatures Droping

2012-01-15T16:27:00.000-08:00

At 3 am last night Vikki could hear the trees out back. It sounded like someone was out there hitting them with the blunt end of an axe. Bryan said this morning while talking on the SBX radio to Vikki that he got woken up a dozen times last night with the popping in the newly made line cabin. He said it sounded like a war was going on.
Last night the temperatures fell to -29 c or -18 F. It is suppose to keep falling for the next week.
Up north a bit..... they are having -35c with it supposing to end up near -45 c which is the same in F. We are nearer the coast and are hoping we don't get this.
Bryan is busy at Windy Pond Line Cabin making cupboard shelves, bed frame etc. He cut the wood yesterday with his Alaskan Mill and stacked it in the cabin yesterday. Nice he has an indoor job today.
On the trip up there Bryan said there was 5 feet of snow coming up in front of his 550 Long track and 2 feet off to the sides. There was 3 feet of new snow. Every half a km he had to stop and clean off the running boards. They would get to be 60% angle and hard packed from him moving one side or the other. He just got the clutch engaged..... used 1/2 tank of gas (3 to 4 gallons). The SWT would have used 2 gals. but would not have made it out there. He had to leave the toboggan at the bottom of the first steep hill. After he broke the trail to Walkers' Valley Line Cabin he had to ride all the way back to get the toboggan.
He spent one night there. Said there is 8 feet of snow on the ground now with 7 feet on the cabin roof. Out the back where the door is there is a mushroom cap sticking 6 feet out and it is 7 feet deep. He used ashfault shingles...... so the roof does not slide. This was planed. Tin slides off when you are not expecting it too. Bryan just about had his number up a few years ago, when the snow slid off the back of the chicken/skinning shed.

Don Taylor's Winter SBX "On Sched" Rose Creek More troubles

2012-01-13T14:04:00.000-08:00

Remember that SBX radio conversation I told you about last week..... well there's more to the story. Last night we heard Rose Creek on the radio again.
After Don has called all the places on his list, he always says "Any other station wishing to call, please go ahead at this time."
"514, Rose Creek here. Have you heard from Bear Creek on the radio".
"No" said Don.
"Well, there are 3 of us out here now and the new guys' skidoo has broken down and we want to get out of here before the coming cold snap arrives." ( temperatures are suppose to drop in the next few days to -30/-40 cel or -23/-45 F.)
"What do you want me to do." Don replied.
"Call Alpine Aviation and ask them to fly in here as soon as they can." Rose Creek said.
"Just hold on and I will look up their phone number."
"I have the number right here in front of me." Rose Creek replied.
Don said "I have them on the line and they said to be ready first thing tomorrow morning."
Rose Creek replied "We'll be ready at first light, Thanks again Don. Rose Creek out.
"Roger, No problem and Good Luck. 514 over and out"

Trail Grader is a Success!!!!!!!

2012-01-13T13:17:00.000-08:00

Bryan was full of smiles... he was so happy!!!!! The only thing he would change would be a longer tongue to make it easier to hook up and the back ski's need to be connected to the frame by chain so that they don't flip up in deep tree wells.
He used it on the 2 km of open lake trail and it made it like a park walkway. He used it in the 3 km narrow windie trail off the east end of the lake. It scuffed up a couple of trees but the bumpers moved the grader over. Lots of tree wells and slight side hill.
Vikki moved the post about the trail grader just below this post so that you could see the pictures.. We also have a bunch of photos of every step. Bryan figures it cost him about 300. to make plus his time. Remember it all had to be take apartable so that it would fit into the Beaver Bush Plane.
Bryan will be making up a blue print for our friend Don. We might ofter it for sale on this blog if anyone is interested in making one up. (Maybe a PDH file or something)

The front angles cutter cuts the bumps.... the back swinging block levels the trail... And it works like crazy.... took Bryan 2 or 3 years of thinking on this off and on ... he had nothing down on paper, just all in his head.

THE GRADER TYPE TRAIL GROOMER...... PAINTING AND ASSEMBLING

2012-01-13T12:41:00.000-08:00

THERE IS A CUTTING EDGE AND BEHIND THAT A SWEEPER BOARD. THESE ARE MOUNTED HIGHER THAN THE SKIS AND DO NOT ENGAGE ON LEVEL GROUND. NOW WHEN THE FRONT SKIS GO OVER A BUMP, THE SWEEPER DRAGS THE LOOSE SNOW .... THE SNOW FALLS OFF IN THE LOW SPOTS. THE BACK SKIS ARE SOLID TO THE FRAME. THE FRONT SKIS OSCILLATE AND STEER. BECAUSE OF THIS THE GRADER WILL STAY RELATIVELY LEVEL.

WHEN GOING UP HILL THE BLADE AND BOARD CAN BE FOLDED UP.

THE TONGUE INCORPORATES AN EYE-BOLT 12" LONG WITH OLD VALUE SPRINGS (OFF AN OLD CAR ENGINE) FOR SHOCK ABSORBING.

THE BLADE AND SWEEPER ARE ANCHORED TO A HEAVY COIL SPRING SO THAT IF THEY HIT A SOLID OBSTACLE THEY CAN BEND BACKWARDS.

THERE WILL BE STORAGE BOXES MOUNTED FOR HAULING TRAPPING SUPPLIES.

Which Should Vikki Buy.... an i-pad, or what

2012-01-11T15:35:00.000-08:00

Now Vikki needs advise.... so one of you out there probably has more of an idea then she does. The young heli pilot had a i-pad which she said was a computer and a phone. She also had a kobo e-reader. Now both these sound like a good idea to Vikki but she looked them up on the Internet and got really confused....... She does not need very many bells and whistles . It does not need to be the latest and greatest....

What Vikki buys needs to be really easy to use. She does not have time to study a big manual.
She would like to store her shopping list on this little hand held unit. It shouldn't be too small or she won't be able to see the writing.
If it could be a cel phone she could use that when she is out shopping in Whitehorse and Bryan could contact her. Her old cel phone won't charge anymore from being left unused for 10 months of the year.
If it could be a e-reader that would be handy also. But she could get a one that is only for reading books.
We do not have a router on this satellite computer system here. Vikki bought one but is afraid to hook it up encase it makes the whole system not work.

Any suggestions would help her a lot.

Santa Arrived By Helicopter This Winter

2012-01-11T15:00:00.000-08:00

The second Helicopter was coming back to the lake empty to pick up half the shoveling crew and Norm offered to bring in our mail.... It filled the back seat area. So we had Christmas unwrapping a light late but was really great fun. The little cabin was full of paper and boxes. Bee kept on jumping into the empty boxes, Ishi started tearing up the paper. A real mess!!!!!
Bryan settled down with the B.C. Trapper Magazine. Vikki with a Seed Catalogue. No parcel from the Texans or my Mum. Probably on the next flight in here.

Two Heli's, and Company for Vikki

2012-01-11T14:36:00.000-08:00

There's a big beautiful Lodge here on the lake which needs it's roof shoveled off in the winter several times. Usually we would have a compact strip made for the DeHavellan Beaver to land on..... but with the mild winter it is not even safe for the heli to land. It just hovered and the Taku River Tlingits jumped out. Bryan had checked several times and under the 3"crust his chain saw bar did not touch ice. He figures there is a foot and a half of slush under the crust.

And so one of the Helicopters had to land on our Heli Pad and the pilot turned out to be a woman and so Vikki had company for the day. Paula had lots of interesting stories. She's been working out of Whitehorse, Yukon for the last 3 years, also worked down at the Vancouver Olympics and with a Heli logging show out of Bella Cola. She's now helping Norm at Discovery Helicopter out of Atlin, BC

Digging Out and Shoveling off

2012-01-09T12:23:00.000-08:00

With snowshoes on Vikki was able to walk right up on the snow to get close.

Heavy Snow and Lots of it.... -7 Cel.

2012-01-09T11:54:00.000-08:00

Don Taylor's Winter SBX "On Sched" Does it Again.

2012-01-07T14:45:00.000-08:00

Three nights ago after Don Taylor had called "On Sched" at 5 pm PST. on SBX 4441 and had given the weather, the correct time, the date and called all the remote trappers on his list, he then said.....
"Is there any other station who would like to call at this time"...... away in the silence a small voice was hear...
"514 this is Bear Creek..... have you heard Rose Lake calling on the radio?" "He went out 2 weeks ago trapping and didn't call in when he should of a week ago. Don, you are only coming in 2 x 2. I am in a bad location for receiving signals."
Don Taylor (514) replied "No, I have not heard Rose Lake but I've heard you the last 2 days in the morning calling Rose Lake."
Now another small voice joined in the transmit.
"514 this is Rose Lake..... my skidoo is broke down, there is fuel coming out of the carburetor and I've tried to fix it but can't..... and I am going to walk out. It is going to take me 3 or 4 days but I can do it."
Don Taylor relayed this on to Bear Creek.
Rose Lake called to Don....... "I can't hear Bear Creek's reply"
Bear Creek had said he would skidoo part way on Sunday, stay at 30 mile and be there Monday"
Don relayed this to Rose Creek...     Rose Creek replied "What day is today". Don said Thursday.
So it was all arranged and they were to talk again through Don Taylor at 10: am the next morning.

Friday morning at 10 am Bear Creek called Don Taylor and said "A Beaver bush plane is coming in to get them this afternoon at 2:30.
Don Taylor called Rose Lake......   a far away voice said "Rose Lake here".
Through Don, Beaver Creek was able to tell Rose Lake that the pilot was bringing in 5 jerry cans of fuel and would bring them both out. Said that the other Artic Cat had been repaired but needed to be paid for, before the mechanic would release it.
What "On Sched" accomplishes is that everyone knows that people will be on the SBX around that time. If they have a situation they know they will have people listening and passing the info on. It is important that there are people in all the areas so that someone can hear the remote small voice....... and help if they can. Right now it is at 5 pm PST but if the signals get too poor it is moved to 4 pm or 7 pm.
This winter it started out at 4 but most trappers are still out on their line at that time so it was moved to 5 pm.
There's now more to the story....
January 12, 2012
After Don had called all the places on his list, he always says.... "Any other station who wishing   to call in at this time, please go ahead."
"514, Rose Creek here. Have you heard Bear Creek on the radio?"
"No" said Don.
"Well, there are three of us out here now and the new guy's skidoo has broken down and we want to get out of here before this coming cold snap arrives." (temperatures are suppose to drop to -30/-40 Cel or -23/-45 F in the next few days and stay cold)
"What do you want me to do?" Don asked
"Call Alpine Aviation and have them fly in here first thing tomorrow morning" said Rose Creek
Don said "Just hold on a moment and I will look it up in the phone book"
Silence.....
"Rose Creek here, Don I have their number right in front of me"
Don "Rose Creek, I have them on the phone right now and they said they will come and get you out at first thing so be ready".
Rose Creek replied... "Roger, We'll be ready at day break. Thanks again Don. Rose Creek over and out."
Don replied "And Good Luck, 514 over and out."

Heavy Snow Fall and SBX signals heading into space

2012-01-05T11:35:00.000-08:00

Been -7 C or 22 F for the last 5 days. Probably 3 feet of snow in that time. Vikki couldn't get the snow off the greenhouse......this pic is taken when she first started. She used a long pole which has worked before but this snow is just too heavy... but she did manage to clean off the temporary tarp shelter where the two quads are stored.

Our daily walk in the fresh snow had Bee howling. She still wanted to come but was really distressed so Vikki went back and picked her up. She walked the last 100 yards back to the cabin.

Vikki checked with Don Taylor about that Comment by Anonymous about SBX signals staying up in space and coming back down again a year later. This newspaper article might have been dated April 1st.
This is what Don Taylor, who has called "On Sched" for the last 30 or more years and who has a lot of knowledge about different signals said.
"High Frequency signals often skip over great distances as our signals bounce back to earth off the ionosphere, so do not be too surprised. But they are almost instantaneous, so unless someone is playing with a recorder of some kind, it just has to be a hoax. Our signals are trapped around our earth, so to speak, and can not penetrate the ionoshpere into outer space."
This morning on the SBX Bryan said he was going to run the window etc down to the other line cabin. Said he might come back to base tomorrow. Vikki is going to try to make Donuts with Cream Filling today.

Skandic and Tundra Skidoos....all flown in here.

2012-01-04T10:46:00.000-08:00

- 7 Celsius or 22 F. When we first came here in April 2007 we fly in Vikki's smaller 2006 Tundra 300 by dismantling it all and putting it in the Beaver. Bryan Skandic Super Wide Track 800 "Miss Piggy" was helicoptered in. She weighs 720 lbs dry.
Then the next year we brought the Skandic 550 Long Track in. Again by taking a lot of parts off and flying it in the 1 hour trip.

When we heard that Bombardier was stopping the production of the Ski-doo Tundra 300 in 2010 we had the dealer find us a new 2009 and it was flown in. We also had our good friend Ray down south send us up Tundra 300 parts..... engine, etc. So this little wonderful machine should be around for along time. It only weighs 300 lbs.

Each machine has it merit. The Skandic SWT 800 is very fuel efficient and can carry large heavy loads. But it is very heavy and not any good on side hill. Your ground needs to be relatively flat. Because of the 720 lbs dry weight, then fuel and the rider..... and the large ski covers you can not use your weight to correct side hill like you can with the Skandic 550 Long Track and the little Tundra 300.
We use the Skandic 550 Long Track for breaking new trail and when there is a heavy snow dump.... like 30".
This morning on the SBX Bryan said he wishes he had the 550 with him today. The snow is now up to the window at Walkers' Valley Line Cabin and 30" higher than the door. This cabin was built 4 feet up on logs. It snowed another 8" last night and it is still falling. Bryan headed out empty at day break to break the trail to Windy Pond Line Cabin and widen the trail returning for the second load. Then returning to Walkers' tonight. That is hard work!!!!!
We heard a trapper on the SBX today say that it is raining this morning down near the Skeena River where he is. He has 3 feet of snow there. We are hoping the rain stays down south.

Window on back of "Miss Piggy" going to Linecabin.

2012-01-03T15:37:00.000-08:00

-7 Celsius or 22 F............ yesterday another foot of fresh snow fell and so Bryan used the 550 Long Track to break the trail up to the first Beaver Ponds. He left his chainsaw up there to be picked up today on his way by.
Bryan is packing up the Alaskan Mill, and stuff for finishing Windy Pond Line Cabin. He will install the new window, make a table and bunk beads, cupboards and kitchen area.

He drilled holes in the plywood and is wiring the plywood down onto the frame of "Miss Piggy" the Scandic SWT. These 3 pieces of precut plywood are to finish the floor and also one piece is for a table top.
The window is secured on top of the plywood.

Ishi is tied up because she will run after Bryan.... Nothing she likes better than the running behind the skidoo. The picture below is her heading out when she is allowed to go. But for this trip she is staying home.

Just after Bryan left at noon the snow storm started... Heavy accumulating snow.

Beaver Fever

2012-01-02T12:57:00.000-08:00

Beaver Fever in humans is a diarrhea infection of the small intestine by a single-celled organism Giardia lamblia.
Giardiasis....
Unfiltered stream or lakes that may be contaminated by animal wastes are one common source of the inflection. We really try to stay away from drinking ponds where Beaver lodges are present. We look from small high mountain streams or seepages off hill side.
Prevention........ Boil the water for a least 3 minutes.
Once inside the body, the parasite cling to the lining of the small intestine, reproduce and are swept into the fecal system. As the liquid content of the bowel dries up, the parasites form cysts, which are them passed in the feces. Once excreted, the cysts can survive in water for more than 3 months.
2/3 of infected people exhibit no symptoms. Symptoms occur a week or more after infection. When present, symptoms include explosive, watery diarrhea that can last for a week or more and in chronic cases, may persist for months. High temperature and Fever is also present.
This parasite is all over the world.

Our Wish For You..... This Coming 2012

2011-12-31T12:48:00.000-08:00

May Your Fridge Always Be Full.....
Your Power Supply Never Cut Off......
The Health and Good Sense To Enjoy Each Day.....
but just encase...... have candles, oil lamp, matches, an axe, and dried food.
HAPPY NEWS YEARS..... TO ALL OUR FRIENDS AND FOLLOWERS

Weather Warmer on Average of 6 degrees Cel. this Winter

2011-12-30T13:20:00.001-08:00

Trappers are good recorders of events. Their calenders stack up year after year on the nail beside their chair. Each day they record the morning temperature and what snow came that day. Looking back over many years one trapper told us all "On Sched" that the daily temperatures this winter are 6 degrees warmer than normal.
Down at the Inklin River this is really noticeable. This River is usually frozen over by now. It is full of crystallized ice but it is still flowing ..... in some spot 5 km an hour in faster spots 12 km. an hour.

Lots of deciduous trees down here along the River.

A Good run.

A 3 1/2 Pound Rubber Mallet...

2011-12-27T11:44:00.000-08:00

When the lake is covered in overflow..... the mists hang over the valley.

Bryan cleans the Tobbogan and all the skidoos after certain snow conditions. This 3 1/2 pound rubber Mallet does the job right. We can also hoist up the back end of the skidoo and race the track.

From experience Vikki has learned to clip both her "Lynx Paw Snowshoes" together and then bungie them down. Also the first aid kit is clipped to the snowshoes. The big plastic scoop shovel is held on by really heavy wire. Those small under your hood snow shovels are like using a spoon. More than a couple of times, she has looked back to find things missing.

Getting Water...... at Walkers' Valley Line Cabin

2011-12-26T15:08:00.000-08:00

Now we could melt snow but we are going out to push the trail further and will be passing a Glacier fed stream.... no Beaver Fever in this water but it might be hundreds and hundreds of years old.

Bryan fell through the bank but lifted his feet in time.

It is not very often when Ishi, our puppy is exhausted..... but after chasing the skidoo's for the day, she is pooped. Bryan would stop and say "Get On".... Finally the last 2 km she said "Let Me On That Skidoo"
This was the first night up there at the line cabin. Only 1 feet of new snow.

Merry Christmas Everyone.

2011-12-24T20:53:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas...... May all your trails lead home....
A special greeting to all those that have been following our trails for awhile now. Especially John, Scottie Brian, George, Ken, Evan, Michael, Cathie, Mike, Steve, Stef, Randy, Gregg, Gary, Mark, Matt and Kara, Marlene, Bill and all the rest. Your comments are like friendly waves from a near neighbor. A Big Hello back to you and Merry Christmas.

All We Want For Christmas Is To Get Back to A Cabin..... Any Cabin!!!!

2011-12-24T14:48:00.000-08:00

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let It Snow!!!!!!!! Continuous snow fell over the 2 days at about an 1" an hour.... winding up with 4' of new wet snow on top of the 4' that was already there.
We packed up old Hannah, our cat Bee and headed towards base camp, a 13 km trip. "Miss Piggy" the 800 SWT had 3/4 a tank, "Poncho" the little Tundra 300 had 1/2 tank.
The SWT was acting like a snowplow ..... the snow out 6 to 7 feet in front was moving. Behind a trench 30" deep was left. The snow was coming up over the hood... the head lamp was buried.
We had to shovel 3 feet of snow off 4 to 5 hills. One 75 feet long and one 40 feet long. This picture below shows the shoveled hill before we skidooed up. Hill is at a 35% climb. Bryan is 100 feet from top of hill.

Bryan would unhook the Toboggan , take over weight Hannah out ..... try to get "Miss Piggy" to climb and then back up again. Over and Over again. The 13 km trip which usually takes an hour was now 5 hours and we were still 3 km away from the lake. We finally abandoned the Skimmer.
At dusk we were still at a point where we could turn the skidoos around and go back to the line cabin, but there was the consideration of the fuel consumption. Once we started to go downhill towards the lake we were committed to keep going down.
Vikki thought for a few minutes that they might be curled up by a fire for the night under a tree but Bryan said NO!!!!! we are going to be in a cabin tonight. Which one he didn't know.
As we started to loose elevation the new snow fall was less. Only a foot. The going got better.

Ishi ran most of 9 km. Once we started to go down she was able to sit in the box with Hannah. Good thing Bryan never travels without his trusty chainsaw. It is wrapped in the used chicken feed bag to keep the snow out of it. Two blow downs across the trail.

We made it to the base cabin that night. It was the very best of Christmas presents.

Heading Up To Walker's Valley tomorrow

2011-12-20T22:02:00.000-08:00

Tonight we checked the weather forecast and for the next two nights it is going to be near -1 cel. at night and so our supplies down in the crawl space and the chickens should be fine. All of us are going up to the line cabin for the next couple of days. Vikki , Bryan, Hannah, Ishi and Bee.

Cabin Bound......Vikki

2011-12-15T14:56:00.000-08:00

Still not enough snow for Vikki and the dogs to do with Bryan. He's gone back up to the line cabin and will probably come back Friday.
Vikki had drawn this picture of their pansies last summer and now with 4 days of not having to clear off the kitchen table.... she is doing some oil painting.

Ishi's New Snow Suit

2011-12-15T13:53:00.000-08:00

Ishi gets cold... She doesn't have an undercoat yet and after a bunch of running she starts to shake and it isn't even that cold yet. Vikki sorted through the rag box and couldn't find anything that wouldn't get real wet fast. We had this vest which was a little too small for us and so with lots of thought and the trusty old sew machine....and some saved buckles... She is now fitted out.

Ishi stayed in the box behind the skidoo until she was out of the back land and then Bryan let her run. She can cover the land in no time at all and loves it. She would race beside the skidoo just having a ball. Vikki watched them by telescope as they traveled along the lake shore. Bryan said he would put her into the box every mile or so for a break but then she'd want out again to run. Upon returning by to the cabin she was still not puffing and you could tell she was ready for more. Oh... to be so young again. ps Thanks John for the nudge to continue on.... that is exactly what Bryan said on the SBX.

Fur Council of Canada and Furisgreen.com

2011-12-14T13:28:00.000-08:00

In the opening statement of the Fur Council of Canada... it reads
A Canadian Heritage Industry in Harmony with Nature. When we buy and wear fur we support thousands of people living on the land and maintaining the centuries-old artisanal skills and knowledge.
This is a non profit information group. It is well worth checking out their web site for more information on the subject of Furs. They have an interesting part called furisgreen.com

Why We are Trappers of Furs...to Lars Kullberg of Sweden

2011-12-12T15:13:00.000-08:00

We're really sorry you live in a world that's been destroyed by human kind for thousands of years. You should not be comparing your situation in Sweden to ours in Canada. You have no idea of what you are talking about and for that matter neither do a lot of the people who live in large cities. When people lose personal contact with the land , they tend to get this great big Green inclination to save it, when in fact 95% of Canada is uninhabited and does not need saving.
We have the best record of any country in the world for looking after our public land and it's inhabitants, be they floral, fauna and humans alike. We have almost no endangered species and if they were endangered, they would certainly be protected. We did not kill off the Buffalo, the Passenger Pigeon, The Trumpeter Swan or the Natives, and the list goes on and on. Canada is relatively new as compared to other parts of the world and it's rule makers had experience on what had happened in Europe and the US etc regarding land and floral and fauna and they made better rules to protect all of the above.
My point is, we in the rural area of Canada do not have the guilty conscious of the rest of the civilized world. We have been trapping for 450 years in Canada on an on going and steady bases. If you look at the number of pelts harvested, there has been no decline.
Our trapline is 1300 square kilometers. You can walk North for 200 kilometers and not hit a dirt road. You can walk for 1,500 km south and 110 km west and no roads. We are the only ones who can trap this large area. In the U.S. a trapper could trap anywhere. This led to lack of accountability which Canada did not want.
People in cities have their Hench men to do their dirty deeds for them. They mostly live in a glass bubble and are protected from getting their hands dirty. In a lot of cases they have lost touch with reality.
All animals whether it is chicken, beef, fish or a fur bearing animal die of unpleasant and violent death. Humans reached their level of status in the world because of being a top predator.
Wild land has a carrying capacity. Most of the animals that die each winter are not - so called weak or sick. They are the young and inexperienced. These are the targets of trappers. A large portion of our small fur bearing predators die in their first winter. They don't learn in time how to hunt their prey (mostly rabbit and mice) in the deep snow of winter which is 7 months. That's the ones a trapper takes. To come up with the silly conclusion..... If there is so many dieing why take any? This would be the obvious question. The reason we trap is because it is a renewable resource, if managed properly
Harvesting the surplus animals stabilizes the population and as young juvenile male predators are without a home territory and driven from one area to the next with the threat of death from older established males, these young males are the targets of trappers. Trappers monitor their catch. Record and avoid female established areas. They are constantly moving to different areas, leaving large areas alone. We know that trapping can go on indefinitely with no loss of numbers for the fur bearers. Can this be said for Plastic and cotton clothing. Some person gets a little stain on them and they are hucked into the garbage. These used to be cut up and used for rages, woven rugs or quilts but most people are too lazy to do that now. They think it is beneath them.
Wool sweaters used to be unwound, reballed and made into socks or mitts. Not any more. Just threw it away.
Fur gets made into something you cherish and love. It keeps you warmer than anything. When it is no longer good for wearing, it is cut up and used for smaller things like boot trim, collars, gloves, mitts, boot liners, throws, etc. You don't see fur in the land fill.
If you think you're Green because you sort your garbage and put it out on the curb.....you need to rethink what you are buying. Garbage cans full of food waste that used to be feed to your pigs, chickens, dogs etc. Nothing went to waste. The so called recycling uses more energy and manpower than it returns, but it makes the consumer and the seller feel good.
People should buy local vegetables if they can't grow their own. But really there is no reason for anyone not to have some sort of garden. Buy sustainable products. Don't over consume and for goodness sake don't throw good stuff into the land fill.
If we all were of your mind set, who would be the hench man ..... the butcher, the logger, the undertaker, the oil driller, the farmer, the miner, the fisherman and the list goes on and on. All the good people who do your dirty work for you. I know there are too many people for us all to live Green, but you would be hard pressed to find a greener person than this trapper who does all of his own dirty work including butchering the moose and digging the potatoes and feeding his scraps to his chickens.
So maybe it's time you give your head a shake, instead of trying to shake ours.

Whales, Canadian Seals, Rare Earth Metals, Fish Farming

2011-12-12T13:45:00.000-08:00

It all comes down to whether or not it is sustainable. Right now Whales are not sustainable so there does not seem to be any reason to continue killing them. It is just not right.
Canadian Seals are not endangered.... there are plenty of them. In a world a 7 Billion people, there has to be diversification so that the whole world can eat. Not everyone can eat meat. Not everyone can eats vegetables. If some of everything that is available is used, leaving the population a sustainable number the world can go on. Seals eat an awful lot of Atlantic fish. If there is a market for Seal meat and Seal fur it adds to the world feed and clothing problem, and leaves the Canadian Seal at a reasonable number and gives the people in that area of Canada a living. We are in favor of Canadian Seal hunting. The PR people use a film clip from back in 1970 and it offends anyone who sees it. But things changed... white seals are not hunted now, only large adults. There are controls and rules, like any business. Recently Ashley MacIsaac, a world renowned Cape Breton fiddler confronted PETA. Talking to reports he said there a 3 million extra seals than can be naturally sustained.
Rare earth metals. Now is this sustainable? All these computers, robots, cell phones etc. People think nothing of getting the newest model and then throw the rest in the storage. We've heard that a company now wants to mine the moon for rare earth metals. Just how does one justify that cost.
Fish Farming.... Norway is forbidden to have Fish Farms in their own country because they are afraid of it killing off the Atlantic Fish. Our British Columbia, Canada government allowed Norwegian Fish Farms to come to the B.C. coast, which is proving to be very wrong and should be shut down. Fish farming of Salmon here in Canada is not sustainable in the fact that it is killing off the natural Salmon in our viewpoint.

It's Raining...It's Pouring... The Old Man is Snoring.

2011-12-05T13:16:00.001-08:00

" This was the best decision I've made all year"... Bryan said as we looked out at the rain. It is plus 4.8 Cel. and been heavily raining for 7 hours and does not look like it wants to stop. "If it had been like this yesterday I would have ____ my pants". Bryan would have been stuck on the other side of the lake... his only recourse would have been to walk around the lake or go back up to the line cabin and suffer cigarette withdrawal.

Wolves Kill Wolverine.

2011-12-05T12:34:00.001-08:00

There was blood everywhere on the trail. At first I thought it must have been a Calf Moose but then on looking closer the intestines were too small. I found the top and bottom jaw and part of the front skull... all the rest had been eaten. It was a old female Wolverine. She got caught right out in the middle of a large alder patch and had no trees to climb. We would have thought a Wolverine would have been able to hold it's own against a wolf but with 2.... it lost. There was not a hair left.

Down on the Inklin River a Common Merganser was fishing in the river. The current is quite strong but this bird had no trouble. It would dive down and come up.

The Wolves also tried to get into the back of the Wolverine box. They don't like the looks of the front but they sure tried digging into the back.
Came back to camp with 6 Marten from the Walkers' Valley and Inklin Trail.

A Ripple in The Water Got Our Attention

2011-12-04T15:49:00.001-08:00

The Dolly Varden are spawning right in front of the cabin. These fish are in the Char family. They are very colourful fish, Orange, Blue with White leading edges on their lower fins. They are covered in whitish to pinkish spots. This bunch looks about 18". A few summers ago, I caught a 32" Dolly and released it back into the water. Hannah and Vikki watched this show for an hour or so. There were 15 or so fish. Mostly males with a few females.

A Major Mild..... and Overflow

2011-12-02T13:36:00.001-08:00

-2 Cel. this morning. Where Bryan crosses the lake is like a big pond now. At noon you know the sun is out there because it silhouettes the high mountains but we won't get direct sun on the cabin until January 22 and then only for 20 minutes a day.
Talking to Bryan last night on the SBX radio he said "You wouldn't believe it, Vikki. Did it ever snow here. A good 3 ft of few fluff on top of the 4 that was already here. When I looked behind the 550 Tundra Long Track, it was like someone had dragged a finger threw the snow. No track, just a thin line. The 800 Scandic SWT or the 300 Tundra would never have made it. The machine tipped over 3 times and I had to shovel it out. I picked up 2 Marten and the Wolverine boxes are buried under 3' of snow. I lost my shovel on the way back to the line cabin so will go searching for it first thing in the morning. Did you have a good day??? .......etc etc. Good Night."

Oil Lamp and Over Flow

2011-12-01T14:52:00.001-08:00

We have gone threw too many candles and only have tea lights left and Vikki hates running the Coleman White Gas lamp because of the hiss. Bryan is showing her how to trim the wick. It is important that the wick be cut round and all the burn and frayed ends cut off.

Only have a small amount exposed. Wait for the wick to soak up the oil before starting to light it.

After lighting the wick turn the trim knob down until there is a small flame and no black soot streaming into the air.
Put the glass globe over the flame and put lamp in a secure spot. If this lamp tips over the oil goes everywhere along with the flame. This is not a safe lamp for around children.
When filling this lamp turn the container on its side.... the oil does not chug a lug but pours smoothly.
Trim the wick each time before lighting or there will be black soot all over the globe and on your ceiling.

Off Bryan goes again to check the Walkers' Valley trap line. There is over flow all over the lake. This happens after a big dump of snow which pushes the ice down and water comes up through the cracks. Over flow deserves great respect. Once you are stuck in it a few times you really try to avoid it. There are hints to how to get unstuck.... look up over flow on left side list.
Bryan will be back in 2 days. Hopefully after that Vikki will be able to go along also.

"Welcome Back To The Fort"

2011-11-29T16:01:00.001-08:00

On the SBX Radio Bryan told Vikki he was leaving the line cabin and not to worry. There was 16" of new snow but he'd be alright. 2 and 1/2 hours later he showed up with two beautiful dark Martens. After having lunch off he went again to check the Inklin Trail .... after 3 hours he came back with a few more.

He's Not Coming Hannah!!!!

2011-11-26T15:36:00.001-08:00

She waits and waits. The puppy plays and sleeps but not Hannah, our 14 year old McNab Sheppard, Blue Healer, Australian Sheppard Cross. She knows Bryan should come back soon. Vikki finally had to drag her in... she is shaking so much for the cold.
Bryan called on the SBX Radio and was full of excitement. "There are Marten, Wolf and Moose tracks everywhere and a Fox is staying under the cabin". He said he got stuck 6 times and finally abandoned the shimmer toboggan 2 1/2 km from the line cabin and broke the remaining trail before it got dark. At the line cabin, he found that the SBX Radio Antenna had fallen into the 4' snow. It took him a bit to get it dug up and back up. He said it is really winter up there. Heavy snow hanging in the trees and for every inch of snow we get here on the lake probably 6 " up there.

"Have Some Faith In Me", then off he went.

2011-11-25T14:10:00.001-08:00

With those words..... Bryan tried to head off Vikki's frets and concerns.
For the first three years here we went together, but we've learned that the beginning of the season with no broken trail and not much snow that it is better if he goes it alone. It is 10.2 km to the Walker's Valley Line Cabin where Bryan will spend two nights. If all goes as planned he should be there in four hours. He'll break the trail and put out Wolverine and Marten boxes out. He'll talk to Vikki on the SBX Radio tonight.

This trip "Pedro" the 550 Skandic Super Long Track is going. In the Skimmer Toboggan is the black trapping supply box... behind it some Marten boxes and then a cardboard box of straw for hiding the Wolverine Boxes (these are all stored up near the line cabin). That Margarine container you see on the side of Bryan's machine is screwed on. In it he keeps his Lure.

Inklin River......Now a Stopping Block.

2011-11-25T13:43:00.001-08:00

The Inklin River is 7 km away from our base cabin and has turned into a big stopping block for getting out into our trapline from that direction. Three years ago the main river was not right against this bank like it is now. Then we could skidoo carefully on the ice shelf and get by the 300 meter long cliff which is about 1/4 km along this shore south.

In this picture above you can see the small creek joining to the big one. Well, that is were the big river used to be. Now the side channel is the big river.

That white cliff you see at the right up in the picture is the stopping block... All the water in the Inklin rushes right below that cliff.

Marten Handling Fur....Part 1

2011-11-24T19:48:00.000-08:00

Marten ...Part 2 Splitting Tail, Boarding and Pinning

2011-11-24T18:48:00.000-08:00

Marten..Part 3.Splitting tail, Boarding and Pinning

2011-11-24T17:22:00.000-08:00

Split the tail and put fur on a stretcher. Put in belly board. It takes about 30 pins to stretch it onto the Marten Board. All boards including Marten are designed to exact measurements. Contact your fur Auction handler to get these . Male and female marten take 2 different sizes of boards.

Marten Lure

2011-11-24T16:02:00.001-08:00

For Marten I use Beaver castor, fish oil, oil of anise and glycerin. I use the already collected Marten feet tied with a small piece of wire as a Lure Bob for dipping lure onto. The Lure stays on the fur well and can be used over and over again. I hang it right by the box near the top where I cut a small round hole for the scent to move into. Lure is more important for Marten than bait type. Fatty meat is the best as it still smells in cold weather. Beaver meat is #1. Bait should be replaced about once a week because it drys out and looses it's smell. I cut up the fresh Beaver and let it mature in my trapping room for 2 or 3 days so that it just starts to get ripe but not too ripe. Then it goes outside in the cold. I wrap each piece in wrap so that it is easier to get apart. Do this when you first cut it into 2 to 3" pieces.
I also use canned Salmon that Vikki does up in our canner. Dried fish does not seem to work for me either.
You can get Anise Extract from your grocery store in the baking section. Mix a few drops in a tablespoon full of strawberry or raspberry jam for a good Marten lure. Smear some of this on a strip of cotton cloth near your set.
If you can get glycerin or glycol add it to your lure to make it more effective in cold weather.
Skunk essence mixed with a base of lard or Vaseline is very effective.
Hope this help A.B Trapper...

Our World Opened up today....Skidooed across the Narrows

2011-11-24T15:31:00.001-08:00

It's been 6 days since the Lake froze over on November 18. This morning Bryan marked a 4" line on his chainsaw and went and checked the ice across the narrows. He did this so that he did not make overflow unnecessarily.

Then Bryan went with Vikki's Tundra Rotax 300 to see if he could get to the start of the Walker's Valley trail. When he came back he said "It looks like I can head up there tomorrow". Last year we did not reach the line cabin up in that high valley until Feb. 4. It looks like all our hard work this summer and fall is going to pay off.

Wayne Sharpe's Good Lure Recipe

2011-11-23T12:45:00.001-08:00

Bryan found this in an old BC Trapper magazine and we hope Wayne Sharpe, the North American Fur Auction agent in Prince George doesn't mind us passing it along.
He said he really likes it for Wolf, Wolverine or Marten. We like to keep the lure different for our Martens so that we do not let the Wolverine become trap shy. Bryan made some up in the shed last night.

1 pound Lard, heated to liquid stage. Add 1 oz Skunk . Let solidify again.

Now this is real simple and sounds good.

Super Wide Track Skidoo.... Maintenance.

2011-11-23T12:35:00.001-08:00

The Super Wide Track is still in the shed and Bryan's been using the Tundra 300. Not using the SWT yet this year because of the lack of base forming snow. Only 8" of fluff so far.
You're right Steve... It's time for an oil change and to change the gear case oil. When we were OUT this last summer we ordered a Manuel for "Miss Piggy" and also a new fuel filter. Because the Super Wide Track Skidoo is fuel injected they have a sophisticated fuel filter. If this ever plugs .... obviously you are done skidooing . Our machine has about 4,000 km on it now.

Storing Root Vegetables Over the Winter

2011-11-23T11:45:00.001-08:00

This Stellar's Jay comes to the bird feeder each day along with a Magpie and three Whiskey Jacks. In - 25 Cel they are all puffed up trying to keep warm. This bird has white over it's one eye. Can't tell if it is frozen ice or what. Been on it for a week.

Every month the root vegetables have to be checked for spoilage. This includes the apples, oranges, lemons, onions, cabbages, carrots, beets and last the turnip and kohlrabi.
Vikki had sealed this normal bag and look at the mess. All of it headed to the compost. In the fall we had cut the tops ofs the carrots down 1/4" into carrot and should also have cut off the tips because they have started to rot.

We tried storing them in these "Keep your vegetables fresher longer" bags. We closed the bag and it started a lot of spoilage. Now these carrots were rewashed and dried and the bags rewashed and dried and the bag is being left open this time. We will see what has happens by next check up time.
These are all stored under the cabin in a crawl space which is about -4 Cel.
The cabbages have been wrapped in newspaper and are doing okay so far. Found 1 rotten Onion, 1bad lemon.

If you have advise..... let us know. We don't have a root cellar here.

Mountain Goats, Wolves and Moose

2011-11-22T13:21:00.001-08:00

Four days ago down on the Inklin Trail Bryan came across 6 or 7 Mountain Goat tracks. They came from the North and traveled the trail east for awhile and then headed South. This is probably the group we see from our cabin in the summer north east of us. They are heading to their wintering grounds, the mountains where the winds blow strong enough to move the snow and keep the feed within reach.
Two days ago down on the Inklin Trail Bryan observed three Wolf tracks heading up the trail from the Inklin and they came to our high mountain lake. Bryan was down the Inklin trail for about 3 hours and upon his return he came across fresh Moose tracks, with the three wolf tracks following the moose on the trail. The Wolves must have flushed out a Moose here above the Lodge and were slowing pushing it down to the River. None of them where running. Once down on the River other pack members would probably join the push.
Today Bryan has gone by skidoo up the Lakeview trail which he is opening for the first time. We had 4 sets out west of here and now that we can't boat he has to get to them that way. One set is going to be a 1/2 mile walk along the shore from the nearest skidoo spot. This morning we spent some time getting a fire starter kit ready, for his jacket. A small container of Diesel, beard moss, fire lighter. It is hard to not go out on the 4 day old ice because of the thickness of the bush along the shore.

Ishi and the Open Water

2011-11-22T12:47:00.001-08:00

Last week as the lake froze over, and as it got to -25 the creek near the point was still running but just. Ishi just kept walking out.... further and further. After the second picture below I had to stop the taking of pictures and get her away from the open water. It is 5 feet deep there, a real drop-off and four feet of 1" ice that she went out on. Vikki would have had a terrible time getting her.

Ishi is 5 and 1/2 months old now.

Skimmer Toboggan Hitch Problems

2011-11-21T13:20:00.001-08:00

Here's a hint for those of you who pull skimmers ( Toboggans) with snow machines.
Most skimmers have an A Frame type tow bar mounted to the sides of your skimmer. On some of these skimmers, the tow bar is mounted too high on the sides, making the skimmer upset on sharp corners. If you have that problem..... drill new holes and lower the tow bar to within 4" from the bottom of the skimmer.
I have a box, mounted in the center of my eight foot skimmer, this is where I put anything I don't want shuck up or broken. When going over bumps, the front and back of you skimmer slam down violently, even at slow speeds. So it's a kid on each end, and the eggs in the middle, ha, ha.

"The Loonie, The Eagle and the Soft Underbelly" by Bryan

2011-11-20T11:15:00.001-08:00

If only I'd got a shot.... what a picture that would have been!!!! Back on July 6, 2011 I became aware of frantic Loon calls way across the lake. I was busy in the yard and just looked over and thought it was a Sea Gull bothering the Loons..... but the ruckus went on and on for 20 minutes and I looked again more attentively and realized the whites I'd seen were the head and the rump of a mature Bawl Eagle.
The spotting scope always being handy in the summer, I zeroed in on the action. The Eagle was making large circles and diving down at the Loons with outstretched talons. This pair of Loons refused to dive and flee. (We've watched this happen with ducks. They would dive and the Eagle would follow them from above and grab them as they finally had to surface.) Only a few inches apart the Loons would rear up, their whole body was out of the water, their feet thrashing the water... thrusting their long heavy duty rasher sharp 4" bill skyward like spears.
I watched as the Eagle made several more attempts before the inevitable happened and contact was made. There was a small puff of feathers, one Loon tumbled for a meter or two and the Eagle, veering wildly almost hit the water. With powerful wind beats, it regained control and flew off out of sight into the trees. It was obvious to me that it was the Loon that had made contact, since the pair put on quite a victory performance for the next couple of minutes. I've seen Loons dance before but never quite like this. A frantic little show of defiance.

From Boating to Skidooing in 16 Hours....Woow!!!!

2011-11-18T14:58:00.001-08:00

Last night it was -20 cel. (-5F) and no wind... It froze both the lakes and creeks overnight. Yesterday we went boating and checked out traps... today Bryan went and got the boat motor. We will drag the boat back to the cabin once we can travel safely with skidoos on the lake.

A female Bufflehead Duck. Vikki saw a far away bird but couldn't see if it was the Juvenile Loon.

Everywhere in the water we could see floating ice crystals...It is the first time for us to witness this fast freeze up.

Every time we drive by this cliff we expect to see the slice has fallen into the water.

There is only 8" of Fluff for snow. Last year Vikki went out when there was only 6" of snow and she got herself hurt pretty badly when her skidoo threw she onto a tree. Bryan is heading down to set traps towards the Inklin, on Vikki's 2009 Tundra 300.

Checking the Marten Traps

2011-11-16T11:44:00.001-08:00

A Beautiful day and so Vikki went with Bryan, Hannah and Ishi to check the Marten sets. Bryan had to take the Johnson into his shop overnight and work on it to get the water that had accumulated in the motor over the year removed. Today it ran quietly and smooth.

We use the old chicken feed bags as catch bags... Looks like one in the bag.

Now there's no trap in box and something dark hanging there.

Trumpeter Swans Resting..... heading South

2011-11-14T12:11:00.001-08:00

At first light this morning we looked out to see if the small lake was frozen and had this surprise. What a joy they are to see.

You can see them just past the last line of ice a little to the right. They are still there at noon....resting.

Quading in the Snow

2011-11-13T15:10:00.001-08:00

The full Moon and no windy has frozen up the Narrows and the small lake is getting smaller. We still see the Juvenile Loon flying low between the two lakes. Hopefully it will now spend the night in the bigger lake otherwise it will be in serious trouble.
Vikki is still not going with Bryan during the day. But that allowed her to do up the Stone Sheep Hunt and work on computer clean up etc. She is going to have that hunt made up into a soft covered book for Bryan for Christmas... by sharedbook.com (Blog2print). Also a few copies for the kids.

Bryan has been quading over to the boat and finishing the trail work. Today he is tired and so is putting out some Marten boxes. Fur is prime and full here.
He mentioned last night that his ATV (Honda Foreman 500) starts better in the cold than Vikki's Honda Foreman 500 with power steering.

Taking Out "Yee Old Luninum Icebreacker

2011-11-13T14:28:00.001-08:00

Now this is dangerous...... and so Bryan is going it alone. He has his Mustang Flotation Jacket on and is proceeding very slowly. Ice in the narrows is about 1" thick here. He would go ahead of few feet and let the aluminum boat settle on the ice and the weight would crack the ice, then he would proceed alittle further. He got to where the creek flows out which is still open. Then he only had 300 feet to go through more ice to make it to the bigger lake. Vikki was not going to tempt fate and she put the camera back in the cabin and walked along the shore .... watching

From the creek on was slow going. Ice is a little thicker and Bryan would get the boat up on the ice, then have to walk to front of boat and rock the boat.. the rocking would make the large pieces of ice move off to the side. The whole trip through the Narrow took him about 45 minutes. As he reached the open lake he gave Vikki a raised closed fist. She had one for him too.
That night Bryan didn't come back that way. He left the boat on the open lake and walked the 1/4 km back to the cabin.

Out of There.... Day 14 August 10, 2008

2011-11-11T14:32:00.001-08:00

After coffee we packed up camp.....At 9:30 we could hear the bush plane coming....

There were hand shakes and big smiles and he said "Now That Is A Good Ram".

Heading back to our cabin we could see the lake coming through the rain.

The photos below are the Beaver ponds east of the lake.

Our cabin is right at the Narrows

Not bad for two sixty year olds.
Later when we had the Compulsory Reporting Inspection done it was drilled and a metal tag plug put in. Measured 37" with 15" Bases.
We came back with over 95 lbs of the best meat.
Got
2 Pkgs of Tenderloin
8 Pkgs of Back Strap Steaks
1 Pkg of Nuggets
9 Pkgs of Rump steaks
1 Pkg of Minute Steaks
1 Pkg of Large Rump Roast
Also canned
8 pints of meat plus 1 quart.

Side Note...............We'd never thought of the cap.... just left it there for the birds and animals. We were later told we could have got 5,000. for it. But we had no regrets.... it was hard enough getting the meat out.
About these Diaries.... We had taken a small notebook. Each night Bryan would sit down and record what the day had held for him.... and then on the other side Vikki would write down what she remembered ...... all these blog pages have been a combination of the recordings.

Back At Base Camp Day 13 Aug 9th

2011-11-11T14:23:00.001-08:00

Our Base camp was untouched. Vikki had some Rum and Bryan some Beer. (These had been in the stored bags left in the tree, along with fresh clothes etc.) We are real tired. Bryan made sticks to hold ribs on grill over fire. Then were fabulous!!!! Off to bed early. Our pilot friend is an early riser so he could be here at 9 tomorrow.

The Long Haul Down Day 13 Aug 9, 2008

2011-11-11T13:56:00.001-08:00

Up at 7. Bryan called our pilot friend our good news... He said he will fly in tomorrow at noon, if weather is good. Bryan sawed off back of skull and tried to make it lighter.

We headed down the 4 km. hike to shore at 12. Vikki with her pack of about 35 lbs plus her 270 Winchester Featherweight. Bryan's freighter was at least 80 lbs. Then second Load in Game Bags was 60 lbs plus bucket was 15 lbs plus his rifle. Hannah had a pack also.

Vikki did the 4 km trek, Bryan did the 12 km trek. It took an incredible amount of will power to hike back up and get the second load. He did it in 200-300 yard stages. Bryan told Vikki to just keep walking down but she would wait each time he went back up the hill. Taking the freighter off each time was hard work in itself. We were down by 5 pm. Ram was hauled a total of 9 km from where it was shot.

"Now The Real Work Begins.... Part 2

2011-11-10T15:42:00.001-08:00

Bryan deboned the Ram. Vikki lay the pieces out on Balsam Bows to case up and she kept the flies away with a switch all the time keeping an eye out for Grizzly.

We had the Meat Bags loaded by 5 pm. Hannah's pack is 10 lbs, Vikki's is 25 plus Gun. Bryan has 60 lbs Meat plus 30 lbs Horn.

Now Vikki can try to get some photo's of the amazing alpine plants. This one looks like a wild Cyclamen... she looked in her reference books and hasn't found the name yet.

It took 3 hours to reach the top where we head down. We took lots of breaks..... Then another hour to reach Alpine Camp. We'd planned on having sheep ribs for dinner but just went to bed after first hanging the meat bags way up a 20' balsam. Bryan put horns near tent up in a tree. He said "No way some bear is going to get these".
Hannah kept guard snoring on a balsam bed outside the tent.

"Day We Got Our Stone Sheep" Aug 8th 2008 Part 1

2011-11-10T15:01:00.001-08:00

Up at 5:45 and had last of the porridge and biscuits. Started up at 7 and made it to the top in 45 min. Hid in rock blind and at 9 a Ram came towards us. It might have been legal but we watched it go by. Shortly after Bryan saw a Big Ram heading away from us up left of the Limestone Mountain and it bedded down. Bryan decided to stock up on him. He was over 3 km away and 5 to 600 ft above us.
With the Midland Radios Vikki kept Bryan aware of the Ram. At 11 (after the 1 1/2 hr stock) Vikki could see them of them close.
Bryan was on the bench 35 yards at a 45 degree angle above the resting Ram. It would sleep for 5 minutes then put it's head up. Bryan would duck. When it's horn went down Bryan would peak out again. They are extremely aware of their surroundings. He counted the annuli growth rings over and over again. He watched the Ram for 20 minutes. Deciding he was going to take this Ram Bryan got up on his elbows and aimed the .30 06 Ruger with Leupold scope. The next time the Ram looked up Bryan didn't duck. The second it stood up and looked around down the hill, Bryan knew it was going to run. Bryan shot and then immediately stood up and watched the Ram run over the hill 75 yards and disappear out of sight. Vikki was watching all this through the Swarovski 20-60 80mm HD Spotting Scope. The Ram looked at Bryan and ran off and then she heard a low shot. She's figured Bryan had taken a running shot and she thought.... "You Wait Until It's Up and Running and Then You Shoot". Vikki watched the Ram heading over the bank and down.... then it crumbled 100 yards down the shale slope. Well, on the Midland Radios Vikki called "He's Down.... You Got Him!!!! Good shooting!!!..."But why did you wait til he was running away from you to shoot. Bryan had to explain to her that he'd shot as the Ram was looking at him. It took that long for the sound to reach Vikki. Sound travels at 700 miles an hour .... we were 3 km or 2 miles apart.

This is looking back at the 3 km walk from the bottom of the Mountain where Bryan was dragging down the Stone Sheep. It looks like that is grass but the bushes are 4 feet high. Vikki had packed the two pack boards, and her gun and Hannah had her pack also.

Bryan had gutted it at the top of the hill and then dragged it down the 45 degree slope ( 1/2 km at least to the bottom) Treacherous ground covered with rock and big boulders in between...a talace slope

He was a real Beauty.. Now the real work begins.

Stone Sheep Hunt Day 11 Aug 7, 2008

2011-11-10T14:40:00.001-08:00

Up at 5:45 am, headed up at 7:20 and reached top in an hour. (30 - 35 degree grade) Without her two walking sticks Vikki is sure she couldn't do it. The top is barren and the sheep see you from miles away.

We hunkered down in a hollow with the wind taking our scent away. At 10:30 Vikki nudged Bryan awake. Away over on the Limestone Mountain one Light coloured Ram had appeared. Then within 20 min. another dark Ram appeared way down by the pond. He joined up with the 1st and they headed straight towards us. The Light Ram had a tight curl, the Dark ram looked just about legal. Bryan let them pass. He made a rock Blind and Vikki collected moss to line the shale floor with to make it silent. It became quite windy!!!! so we headed down. Got another sac of water from the snow pack. Back in camp at 3:40. At 8pm we spotted two Rams on the East mountain above camp. During the day we had also seen 6 Ewe Sheep and 1 young Caribou, also had a Robbin in camp.

Stone Sheep Hunt Day 10 Aug 6 "DAY OFF"

2011-11-10T14:19:00.001-08:00

Well... It is really only a DAY OFF for Vikki. Bryan is hiking down to Base Camp for Coffee and more supplies. While he was gone Vikki collected fire wood and tried to get snow but got too frightened of the slope... she got to 20 ft of the top of the snow but that was it.... she chipped the last snow from near camp and had a possible bath. The only problem with camping in the Alpine is having to haul water back down the steep slope... real hard on the knees. Vikki re braided her hair. Norm, the helicopter pilot flow over our camp and headed back north.
It's too bad our camp is so far from the top. Bryan's starting to mention his knees and yesterday he hit a rock hard on his left knee. It is 4 km down to Base camp. Bryan was back by 1:40. Bryan had cleared more of the trail. He mentioned a grizzly had chewed a lot of our trail ribbons down and shit right in the middle of the trail... Bryan said "I never took a gun with me, so he missed his chance... Ha Ha."
After resting and a big pot of real coffee, Bryan made a bench and table. He also went and got the snow Vikki was too chicken to get.... We filtered the melded snow in an old pillow case (game bags now). Had rice, beans, corn and sausages Stew. Early to bed.

Bryan Scoping the hillsides.

Stone Sheep Hunt Day 9 Tues. Aug 5th

2011-11-10T13:56:00.001-08:00

Up at 7:30 to a Beautiful Clear Sunny day. Ate Porridge and made lunch. Started up hill. Just as we reached the top Bryan spotted a huge dark Ram on the ridge looking at us. It was gone before we crested the ridge. Saw 5 Rams at top of basin and one looked real good, but they got our wind and spooked. They circled way around us, headed down into the valley and then up onto the white limestone ridge west of us. Off we went the 2 1/2 km west. Vikki scoped while Bryan went to the top of that mountain. Vikki watched 4 hunters along way away to the east. Lots of orange and yellow lichen and small flowers everywhere.
Bryan's story when he got back to Vikki...
I headed off to follow where all the Stone Sheep seemed to disappear. Our side was a talace slope with rocky benches. The other side was a bowl like Box Canyon covering about 50 acres and 300 feet deep .... a real boulder field with moss growing in between them... quite slippery, dangerous and steep. with a hundred places for sheep to hide. Trails everywhere, caves half way up the cliffs. Boulders as big as large cabins with shelves .... an impressive sheep hide away. Sitting way up high looking down I could see so many places where Stone Sheep would be resting... There was water dripping everywhere.... green grass down in the bottom. It was very dangerous going and I kept on reminding myself that I'd left Vikki back there sitting.... way out in the middle of nowhere.

Vikki is heading back with Hannah watching Bryan take the photo.

Headed back to "Alpine Camp at 5... really windy going. Bryan made campfire Biscuits and we had spaghetti and sausages.

Stone Sheep Hunt Day 8 Mon. Aug 4

2011-11-10T12:24:00.001-08:00

Up at 7 to a beautiful sunny day. We had already packed yesterday so after coffee and porridge, up we climbed. Left camp at 9:10 got to top at 11 and immediately say a big Ram west of us on the Plateau grazing and heading right for us, but it was a little shy of horn. Really exciting. Saw 5 ewes and 6 Caribou.

This snow pack is near our Alpine camp..... but no running water from it. Bryan filled up the sac with snow.

You can see Alpine Camp on right hand side of photo just past the gray.

Vikki's Pack on ground..... Bryan filling day water jug.

Moss Campion
Lots of flowers but afraid to use up camera battery too soon.

Grizzly digging up Columbian Ground Squirrels or Pikas???

We hiked west over to where the Guide Outfitter had gone and looked around and then had lunch. Saw Sheep on Far East High Mountain so off we went again 2 km E. We were glassing the ones we'd seen and all of a sudden we saw 7 Rams bedded and 3 more above them closer to us. Two Big Dark ones with Brownish big horns all broomed off. They were about 1000 yards away and no way to get closer without being seen. Two of them looked legal. Bryan dragged himself on his elbows straight towards them for 300 yards down a saddle. Then when he was out of their sight, he made a good stalk up a saddle onto a knob at 100 yards. This took about 45 minutes. He lay and watched the rams for 20 minutes. The two big ones looked real heavy but not above the nose so he passed. Vikki was watching through the spotting scope and when she saw him light a cigarette she knew he didn't want any of these.

In the above photo Bryan has already crawled down the slope and is that black shadow (look at word crawled in the first line and then look up into photo). Stone Sheep are above word is that in first line. They are around a large blackish bolder.
Hannah found some Pikas to chase. Coming back we watched the 3 big Caribou in the snow pack.

Bryan collected nice water in one of Cabelas' 20 Litre "Sea to Summit" water proof Sacs and added that to the back pack. Half way down he was walking backwards to help the pain. Back at camp at 8:30. Had Tea from Snow ice. Ate Kraft dinner and Sausages. Sun went down at 9:30 pm. Just at dusk 2 cow Caribou and one baby came into the valley we look out at. A Really Good Day!!!!

Stone Sheep Hunt Day 7 Aug 3, 2008

2011-11-09T10:27:00.000-08:00

Cloudy, very windy this morning but it might blow off. Even though it is August 3 one has to wear long underwear and wool sweaters and hats in the morning. Saw a Big Blond Grizzly in this valley that we look out on. Probably the one we saw in last camp. Melted snow for coffee. Looking through scope Vikki though she was looking at another Columbian Ground Squirrel but it was the Grizzly standing up looking East. All of a sudden 3 Big Caribou were coming from the left...... the Griz hi-tailed it up onto those gray rock slides then back tracked above the caribou and left the area.
Had flat bread and cheese slices and pepperoni for lunch.
Bryan made lean to and fire pit and collected lots of wood. Both of us happy to just scope and rest. Bryan brought a big sack of snow from up the hill 200' for camp. The caribou stayed in this valley all day. In the heat of the sun they lied down in the snow. Bryan made up a walking stick for Vikki out of green balsam which he peeled so it would dry out, now she has the Cabelas one and the longer 4' wood one. Vikki collected more little flowers (over 30 now). Had scalloped potatoes and sausages for supper. Vikki in bed by 7:30, Bryan 9.

Stone Sheep Hunt Day 6 ''ALPINE CAMP Aug. 2, 2008

2011-11-09T10:24:00.000-08:00

Relaxed in camp til noon. Made new trail up into the Alpine. Beautiful day... no wind or clouds. Found a better campsite on edge of basin. Moved camp up. Took til 9 pm. We will have to pack water now, but away better spot to see animals. We rehashed what we'd seen and we're getting excited to go up again. Now it's only 1 hour to the top.

Stone Sheep Hunt Day 5 Aug 1, 2008 "OPENING DAY"

2011-11-08T19:36:00.000-08:00

Opening Day.... up at 6, had coffee and porridge and then up we climbed out of the treeline. At first Vikki was just about wanting to crawl up on all four. Bryan kept saying "Stand Up" and he had to hold a laugh in. Up, Up Up.... Bench after Bench. Vikki just kept her world small.... just looking at the ground in front of her and never behind. Bryan kept on saying "Look at that View" . Well, no way was that going to happen.

You see that far lake ..... on the right side of photo in the dark ..... down in the valley below. That is where we started 4 days ago.
We were up on the top at 11 am. It is a 1 km hike up. We saw the cow Caribou again. Bryan was walking ahead with Vikki with Hannah on leash 50 ft behind. As Bryan crested a small hill.... there were 6 Rams right in front of him about 30 feet away. One was maybe legal. They both just stood looking at each other. Bryan turned and waved for Vikki to hurry up. By the time she got there she could just see their butts. Really exciting.
We sat down for lunch and spent time looking through our new Swarovski 20-60 HD Spotting scope. Vikki said "I see a man way over there but he keeps standing up and then lays down quickly." Well, Bryan took the scope and couldn't see this man. Vikki took it back and said "There he is again". This time Bryan found what she was seeing and it was a Columbian Ground Squirrel. This is a great Spotting scope.
So then Vikki started looking East along the ridge and said "This time I really see a Man". There along way off was a man standing looking over the cliff. About an hour later the Guide Outfitter and two others came along on horseback and we had a good chat. He said " There are lots of good spots for us to go so we won't bother you here" which was very good of him.
Going back to camp was slow going.... Bryan was more than patient with Vikki. Got back at 4pm. Light rain. Had Biscuits and scalloped potatoes. Sunny at 7 pm. Made more plans.

Stone Sheep Hunt Day 4 July 31, 2008

2011-11-08T19:33:00.000-08:00

7 am. Grey skies, windy and low overcast. Vikki put on silk long johns and a wool undershirt. We ate porridge for breakfast and a gray jay checked us out. This will be our camp and so we will come back to our stuff here. We headed up trail to the left. Up in the alpine there were lots of small flowers. We spotted 4 Mountain Caribou, two of which were really big ones. It is terribly windy and so Vikki sat on the hillside while Bryan went up the 1 km to the skyline. Along the ridge he saw 11 Cow Caribou.
That evening we had Macaroni and Cheese and Sausages. Bryan showed Vikki how to make Biscuits in a Bucket. Inside that aluminum bucket is a small rack. In this batch he'd forgot the tinfoil under the batter so some fell through the grate. We washed socks and had a possible bath. The view from here is amazing but Bryan told Vikki ..."Wait til you get up top"

Stone Sheep Hunt Day 3 "CAMP GRANADA" July 30, 2008

2011-11-08T19:32:00.000-08:00

Broke camp and slashed trail to timberline. Saw a nice blond Grizzly in basin near us. Made camp 300 yards from a small creek. We can't decide to stay here or move up the Mountain higher. No rain today. Bryan did a little scouting which left Vikki a little time to rebraid her hair for the first time. Dirty socks were hung in the bushes about 50 feet from camp on any game trails and tonight Hannah is sleeping outside the tent as bear guard.

Stone Sheep Hunt Day 2 July 29, 2008

2011-11-08T14:31:00.000-08:00

Had bean sandwiches for breakfast. Collected water. Bryan makes a spout with a piece of alder bark he had peeled off a small tree. He makes a hole and puts a twig through the bark and into the dirt to hold spout.. Then letting the water clear for several minutes before he filled the bottle.

9 am and we are packed and ready to head up the hill again. Lots of times Bryan went back for both of our full packs. Hannah started to avoid her pack.
5 pm..... Vikki is getting tired, clouds are making it dark, but we can't camp here. It is wet moose meadow and lots of red flying bugs and mosquitoes. Saw one whisky jack. Heard a Beaver bush plane land at the east end of the lake around noon and later in the day saw a boat down on the lake looking for horses.
Finally found a good spot to camp. Had Corn Beef and Bread for supper. Bryan made another great balsam bow bed. In bed by 9 pm.

Making balsam bow mattress.

Small tent and sleeping bag goes on top of orange tarp

Getting stored cache of food from up in the trees next morning.

Stone Sheep Hunt Day 1 and 2 July 28, 2008

2011-11-08T14:03:00.000-08:00

Our friend picked us up and flew us to an area that looked promising for Stone Sheep. You can see the high Mountains in the picture. That is were we are hiking to. He dropped off our supplies and said to us.... "If I don't hear from you I'll be back to pick you up in 14 days".

Made base camp and will spend 1 night here. We went and made 500 yards of walking trail up hill. Left one pack on the trail and 1 gun and headed back to Base camp.

Sitting by the campfire at 9 pm Vikki said "What's that in the water?" A Big Brown Grizzly was swimming away from us, 180 meters away...... just it's head showing. We also saw a sandpiper and a small brown duck gave us a scolding for disturbing her spot. We had a good sleep (rained all night) and were up at 6 am. Low clouds in the sky.

Bryan's pack is about 70 lbs, plus pail which has day food in it, Hannah is packing her dog food, Vikki's pack is 30 lbs.

Packed up camp .... stored Base Camp supplies up in a tree. We did leave the fly tarps up encase we had to come off the Mountain fast. They also gave a start for rescue to find us if need be.
Started up the hill about 9 am, slashing trail with a 28" camp axe (2lb head) and relaying gear until 7 pm. We marked trail with ribbon so we could find our way down again.
Can opener and spoon was stashed away and so Bryan opened the can with his axe and made a spoon out of the lid and a stick.

Cut Balsam bows make a wonderful bed. You use only the tips and they are stuck in the ground at a 45 degree angle. You start at the top and work your way down. They create a lofty mattress. Hemlock or cedar or moss can also be used. There was no water near here but we are too tired to go further....tough going for old dogs and people. Caught rain water for coffee overnight off the tent-fly.

Stone Sheep Hunt from our Diary July 28, 2008

2011-11-08T14:02:00.000-08:00

Now we are not spring chickens but Bryan had always wanted to hunt for Stone Sheep and we needed the meat. Vikki was not too sure about the whole adventure because she hates heights.... but we started planning and getting ready. These are the original packing lists.

We had no time schedule and so didn't exactly know how many days to plan for (6 to 14 we'd hoped)..... and then you always have to allow for bad weather when a bush plane can't come and get you out.

Growing Celery.... Indoors????

2011-11-06T14:13:00.000-08:00

Does anyone know if Vikki puts this in the dark or in the window... Vikki had planted celery plants this year as an experiment and they grew great. She canned up a bunch. But in the book "Putting Food Up" it mentioned root cellaring celery but standing it up in a pot of soil. We can't put it in the crawl space below the cabin or it would get far too cold down there.
Photo is of Vikki and her Mom... they had a small holiday together this last summer. She is 83 and Vikki had a hard time keeping up.

New Stove Pipe Put in Unsidedown

2011-11-06T14:04:00.000-08:00

We'd bought new 6 " stove pipe and when the barrel stove was moved from the greenhouse to the trapper shed/chicken coup this fall the new stove pipe was installed. Well, we found out a few days ago that we put it in wrong. You can see how the creosote has dripped down threw the seams. Bryan took it all apart, turned it the other way and scrubbed off the stuff on the outside. Quite a messy job.

Chickens..... Didn't you wonder why we needed more?

2011-11-06T13:44:00.000-08:00

We'd lost our last chickens to Marten who had dug a hole under a 2 foot log and strangled our laying hens...... just for the eggs. The Marten left the dead birds..... it was not interested in them at all.
The Chicken coop is fairly secure.... we thought. It has screen, then chicken wire and topped with chain lick fence that goes down into the ground all around the shed.... but we never considered the digging under a two foot log.

Now for the last 2 weeks Bee our cat has been chasing and cornering and fighting with Marten each night. In the dark you can hear the hissing, and growling and thumps... Vikki has been begging Bryan to catch those Marten now, before they kill Bee also.... but he wanted to wait until they were prime and worth some money to kill them. (Last summer a Fisher killed our 6 chickens and 4 Highland Lynx cats).
Well, last night after coming back from trail making Bryan took out 3 boxes and set some traps along way back in the bush... He said there are tracks everywhere but no sign of cat tracks back there. This morning when Bryan checked he had 2 large mature males and a juvenile female.

The double door system to the warm chicken coop is now nailed shut on the outside and also on the inside. Now even on warm days we can not let them out into the enclosure .... Bryan will build a wood floor in the outside enclosure in the next few weeks when we can't go boating, quading or skidooing yet.

Lake is starting to Gel

2011-11-06T12:59:00.000-08:00

Just like making candy..... once the liquid reaches a certain temperature it starts to gel.

The Narrows is like a big slurpy...

Soon we will not see the sun unless we are way up in Walkers Valley.

Fixing The Johnson Four Stroke Outboard

2011-11-05T11:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the throttle was frozen open. This morning in the little skinning shop Bryan took the throttle cable apart. It was all bent and installed poorly (over crimped the casing). He stripped the cable in half, rerouted the throttle cable and took the bend out of it....either by poor design or bad assembly the throttle cable was bent at a 90 degree angle up and over the control arm. He also found where the water was leaking into the throttle cable allowing it to freeze.
Bryan went to his junk bin and found a aluminum tube from inside a coffee perch . (You know the part that you put in coffee and the water comes up the tube and into the grounds).
He split that tube ... filled it with shoe glue and folded it around the cable.

Because we are having to carry too much all ready...... grub hoe, axe, chainsaw gas, oil, files, wedges and thermos, Vikki is carrying the QuikClot in her jacket.

The Beavers are still hard at it.

The Lake here is like a figure eight and our cabin is located at the Narrows. The Narrows is the first to freeze up and the first to go off in the spring. We had to break our way thru the 1/2 " inch on the way out but it was just about gone when we come back at 5.

Juvenile LOON Getting Ready to Fly

2011-11-04T10:45:00.000-07:00

You could see the heavy splashing as the young Loon tired to clear the water. It covered 300 feet and was still pumping away. These are heavy birds and they need lots of area to finally get off the water. There is only one baby Loon on the lake this season. It's parents flew off about a month ago when other adult Loons came to our lake. There is quite the ceremony when the Adults met and join up as a pack to fly south or to the coast. It amazes us that Mother Nature is telling this Juvenile Loon that it had better learn to fly real quick.

The lake here will be frozen solid in less than two weeks.

The Johnson 9.9 will not start. Bryan is grumbling away about how his old Merc would still start in the cold but these new plastic motors are no good in -10cel. He finally put it away for the winter and got the small Johnson four stroke. It seems to be okay.

The sun is getting lower and lower in the sky.... it hardly clears the high center mountains now. We finally got underway at 1 pm to go make trail.... a late start but we can still get in 4 hours of work.

This is across the Narrows from our cabin... you can see the ice forming 20 feet off the shore.
We did 200 meters of trail and got back to the boat at 6. The throttle is frozen open. Bryan pushed in the choke and started it up.... the second it went he pushed in the choke. Off we went with a slow rush. But at least we didn't need to row the 2 1/2 km back to camp. Motor went into the trapping shed to warm up for the night. We are heading out again this morning. The ground is still not frozen solid yet and we can still move logs..... but that will end real soon.

Taking Down the Salmon Creek Run

2011-11-02T10:31:00.000-07:00

Heading over to Salmon Creek to take down the traps there we came upon the two Trumpeter Swans and also two Merganser Ducks who have been feeding on the Coho eggs.

6 Muskrats for 6 traps.... and no Beaver or Otter. We are happy trappers. Bryan had done the two Old Timer Otters for Taxidermy and that is a big job. He said it was harder to do than Wolf or Wolverine. The paws have webbing and no difference between the hide and meat. We were really happy to just get the 6 rats. We closed down this run because the snow is coming and it's a 1 km walk both ways.

Hannah and the rest of us are all wet and tired.

MARTEN IN THE BIRD FEEDER

2011-10-31T14:22:00.000-07:00

Sitting at the table having coffee this morning.....and noticed something strange at the bird feeder.

Walked out of the cabin and there was a young Marten...

Sitting back at the table the Marten came down off the tree and started across the ground. Bee (our Japanese Bobtail cat) was right after it..... away they both went.

Frustrating Satellite Phones

2011-10-30T14:58:00.000-07:00

If anyone knows how to get messages off a Satellite phone other than standing on the end of the wharf for 4 hours each day for a week let me know. I have 22 new messages on this phone from the last time I checked it 2 months ago and it is as frustrating as it gets. First you have to wait for the signal which is about every 20 minutes for a satellite overhead.... then when you finally get thru to your message box it does not receive the button selection to go on to next message and erase last message.

Finally the voice will come on the sat phone saying try again later.
If there is someway to access messages ..... like by Skype or Internet let me know.

Bud's Getting Ready for Spring

2011-10-30T14:37:00.000-07:00

End of October and it looks like spring. All the plants and trees here are budding out. Because the growing season is short here they start now. Then the heavy snow protects them over the long winter and then in two days after the snow is gone everything has come to life again.

Vikki's Favorite Cookbooks for Remote Living

2011-10-30T14:05:00.000-07:00

Lazy Man's Cabbage Rolls is from Company's Coming Ground Beef Recipes... but it has moose meat instead.

Whole Wheat Bread is from Blueberries and Polar Bears... now this is a great cookbook.

Cottage Pudding is from From The Pioneer Kitchens 100th Anniversary.

When the oven is heated it makes Bread, Dinner and Dessert..... so that propane is not wasted. Oven is only used about every 10 days when it is bread making day.

SBX RADIO WINTER "ON SCHED" STARTS NOV 1 AT 4PM

2011-10-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

If you are a Trapper, or a remote winter dweller and have SBX Radio tune in to channel 4441.0 from Nov. 1 on ...... at 4 pm. Changed Nov 5 to 5 pm Don Taylor has been providing this free check in service for 30 or more years. It gives a time when everyone is listening and if you have a problem Don can contact RCMP, relatives etc. Don can make a phone call for you also. There is also a chat time after.

A GOOD DAY TRAPPING

2011-10-30T12:49:00.000-07:00

The 1 km trek into the bush each way is full of shouting and telling those bears we are coming. Fresh scat says they are still here catching the fall COHO Salmon that are spawning here late this year. (but this scat is full of vegetation)

Two old male Otters.... The first 3 years here we didn't go after Otter. But we saw the numbers jump and this lake can not support 15 Otter. In the winter we would come across 50 to 100 small fish laying on the shore with one bite out of each. Otter are also great predators of baby beaver.

This is a 60 lb Male Beaver.

Beard Moss is one of the best fire starters out in the bush. The blacker the better. Also never use wood off the ground for starting fire. Go to standing trees and pick the small dead branches off the tree. Coffee Matte is also a good fire starter.

Vikki thinks this is Kinnikinnick Inside is pulpy and white and not sweet.

Winter Monkey Grip Gloves are the best for water work, when it's still not too cold.

Late fall Coho Salmon spawning. They are blackish with a white strip down their fines.

On the 2 1/2 km trip back to the cabin we travel close to the shore. The boat is heavy with all the packs.

CHECKING BEAVER SETS....BRING A BACKBOARD

2011-10-29T10:03:00.000-07:00

Vikki is bring the I SPOT plus the bear spray this time. Bryan has the gun.
These Beaver that we are after damn up the Salmon Creek and have to be removed each year. This helps the Department of Fisheries. A lot of people don't realize how many trappers are employed by towns and cities for animal control.. There are some funny stories we've heard about trappers out in city parks down in the creeks and stream and people not being aware they are there. Beavers can bare a park in no time at all.

Wolf scat full of moose hair on the trail. Also fresh bear sign.

A NICE 40 LB MALE BEAVER

Juniper berries that Vikki is collecting while waiting for Bryan to check the traps.
She is interested in trying some of the Juniper recipes from The BOREAL GOURMET.

A 40 lb Beaver is like carrying two large bags of white flour, so we bring a backpack. It is 1 km each way.
Today we are going to check the sets again and will both bring pack boards.
The Trumpeter Swans have been on the lake for a week feeding up before they head further south. We see lots of Canvas Back, Old Squaw, etc traveling south now.

SATELLITE COMPUTER.... NOT EASY

2011-10-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

WE HAVE HAD SATELLITE COMPUTER NOW SINCE 2008. IT COSTS US 115. CDN A MONTH. THIS LAST YEAR IT HAS BEEN HARDER TO DOWNLOAD PICTURES ON THE BLOG. WHEN WE WERE OUT THIS SUMMER WE TALKED TO THE DEALER ABOUT BETTER SERVICE. SEEMS LIKE THEY WANT 325. CDN A MONTH FOR HIGHER SPEED SATELLITE SERVICE. THEY TOLD US THAT THERE ARE SO MANY REMOTE PEOPLE OUT IN THE BUSH NOW A DAYS THAT THE SERVICE IS OVER WORKED. WE HAVE TO STAY WITH THE 115. A MONTH. SO BE PATIENT IF WE DON'T GET BACK TO YOUR COMMENTS QUICKLY. IT TAKES 30 MIN. TO DOWNLOAD A POST AND WE CAN'T HAVE THE GENERATOR ON VERY MUCH. TODAY VIKKI IS PAYING BILLS ETC ON THE COMPUTER. THERE ARE DAYS WHEN THE COMPUTER IS TOTALLY FORGOTTEN. WE REALLY ENJOY YOUR COMMENTS SO DON'T STOP.... BUT IT IS HARD TO RESPOND SOMETIMES WITHOUT IT TAKING TIME WE DON'T HAVE. BRYAN IS OUT TRAILING BY HIMSELF.
TODAYS TRAPPERS HAVE IT A LOT EASIER THAN IN OLDEN DAYS. WE HAVE LOTS OF OLD BOOKS WRITTEN FROM YEARS AGO AND THEY HAD IS REAL HARD. THEY WERE AS TOUGH AS IT GETS. TODAY WE HAVE SKIDOOS, GENERATORS, PROPANE STOVES, CHAINSAWS, QUADS AND SATELLITE PHONES ETC.. PUT IT IS STILL HARD COMPARED TO WHAT MOST PEOPLE WANT TO DO TODAY.
SIDE NOTE..... LOST SATELLITE RADIO AND ISPOT WERE FOUND LAST WINTER BY VIKKI IN ANOTHER WATERPROOF BAG. SO BRYAN HAD NEVER LOST THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE. VIKKI APOLOGISE FOR BLAMING HIM.

LAKE BEAVERS

2011-10-25T13:52:00.000-07:00

THE BEAVERS ON OUR LAKE HAVE ENOUGH ENEMIES WITHOUT US TRAPPING THEM. NOTICE THE BIG STORE THEY ARE GATHERING IN FRONT OF THEIR LOG. AFTER THEY STORE THE GOOD STUFF, THEY PLACE HEAVY ALDER TREES ON TOP TO PUSH THE GOOD STUFF DOWN WAY UNDER THE WATER. WE HAVE WILLOWS IN FRONT OF THE CABIN AND WE HAVE DOG HAIR BAGS AND CLOTHING ETC. TIED TO THEM TO SCARE THE BEAVER AWAY FROM THEM. THEY CAN BARE A SHORE OVER NIGHT.

"ON SCHED" STARTS NOV 1, 4 PM

2011-10-25T12:44:00.000-07:00

DON TAYLOR'S (OUT OF WATSON LAKE AREA)WINTER "ON SCHED" STARTS NOV. 1 AT 4 PM PRECISELY. HE'S BEEN PROVIDING THIS SERVICE FOR 30 YEARS. IF YOU ARE UP NORTH AND OUT ON THE LAND GET HOLD OF AN SBX RADIO AND TUNE IN to channel 4441.0. THIS SERVICE IS TO HAVE A PERIOD OF TIME THAT ALL REMOTE RESIDENTS ARE LISTENING AND IF SOMEONE HAS A PROBLEM IT CAN BE ADDRESSED. DON WILL GIVE THE EXACT TIME, DATE AND COMING WEATHER. FOR ALOT OF REMOTE PEOPLE THIS IS IMPORTANT. DON CALLS EACH BASE BY NAME AND GIVES A MOMENT FOR THAT BASE TO REPLY AND SAY HELLO ALL IS WELL HERE. THEN ON TO THE NEXT. IF YOU ARE NEW JUST WAIT UNTIL THE END OF THE ROLL CALL AND DON WILL ASK IF THERE IS ANYONE NEW OUT THERE. AFTER "ON SCHED" (SHORT FOR ON SCHEDULE) REMOTE BASES TALK TO EACH OTHER. TIME LIMIT IS ABOUT 10 MIN. THEN LET SOMEONE ELSE TALK. WHEN YOU HAVEN'T TALKED TO OTHER PEOPLE FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME IT IS GREAT FUN.

SETTING OTTER AND BEAVER SETS

2011-10-25T12:34:00.000-07:00

TIME TO TRY TO GET SOME OTTER AND MAYBE A BEAVER. BRYAN IS WEARING HIS MASTER GUIDE SERIES HIP WADERS AND VIKKI HER XTRATUF. THESE ARE BOTH THE BEST OF THE BEST. THE AREA WE ARE GOING TO IS DOWN A CREEK AND LOTS OF FRESH GRIZZLY SIGN. THEY ARE HERE FISHING OF COHO SALMON. WE SHOUTED AND BANGED THE PAIL. HERE WE COME!!!!!!! YOU CAN ONLY SEE 30 FEET AHEAD AND IT IS SCARY. THEY CAN RUN AT 40 KM AN

HOUR. BE IN YOUR FACE BEFORE YOU CAN BLINK. BYRAN HAS THE 45-70 BUT HIS RIGHT HAND IS CARRYING THE TRAP POLE.

TRAP PLIERS, MACHETE, LONG RUBBER GLOVES, WIRE, CUTTERS, RIBBON.

YOU CAN SEE THE FRESH BEAR TRACKS ON THE LOG THAT IS CROSSING THE CREEK .... ALSO ON THE SAND ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE.

NOW ISHI IS YOUNG AND IMPATIENT ...SHE WANTS TO FOLLOW BRYAN, EVEN THOUGH VIKKI IS YELLING AT HER NO!!!! SHE JUMPED UP THE HILL AND FELL TOTALLY INTO THAT BEAVER HOLE (THE DARK SPOT TOP OF PICTURE) EVEN HER HEAD WAS WET. SHE CAME BACK AND SET BY VIKKI. A GOOD LESSON WAS LEARNED.

THAT WORRIED LOOK HAS APPEARED IN HANNAH EYES AS SHE WATCHES THE SALMON CREEK BEHIND US. THEN YOU CAN HEAR THE GRIZ SPLASHING IN THE CREEK. VIKKI YELLS AND MAKES LOTS OF NOISE. SHE WAS REALLY GLAD TO HAVE BRYAN BACK FROM ACROSS THE POND.... EVEN THOUGH SHE HAD THE 45 - 70 READY.

MORE SIGN OF FRESH GRIZ SALMON FEAST ON WAY BACK. VIKKI WAS HOWLING LIKE A WOLF AND BRYAN WAS DOING A BIG BABOON HOOT.

LOTS OF FRESH MARTEN SIGN ALSO. WE WERE ALL GLAD TO GET BACK IN THE BOAT.... WE'LL HEAD BACK IN TWO DAYS.