SNOW LOAD
Backwoods Blog;
in the woods and on the road…
Last week it was time for annual backwoods winter maintenance, which translates, “Get the damn snow off the roof…” If you want more specific details, check out backwoods blog entry #69 from last winter and you will see why. In the same post, I tell the story of my father skiing in each winer to shovel the snow-load off his cabin located at Harvey Siding. A couple of weeks ago I came across several color slides from my father’s gray metal storage box of the Hutchinson camp in winter and I’ve included them in today’s post. We’ve had a modest snow year thus far (51 inches according to my unofficial casual measurings), but it still requires prudent snow removal and monitoring. All in all, it gave me an excuse to ski to the cabin, start a fire, spend a little time in the woods and shovel the snow away from the stove pipe for one more winter. I have reprinted the account of my father’s annual winter routine below. Enjoy winter.
When my father had his woods camp at Harvey Siding (1950s) he skied in once a winter to shovel off the roof. He parked his vehicle beside the railroad crossing at the Siding and from there he skied to his camp at the bridge where the Meduxnekeag River crossed. Even though it was less than a mile from Harvey Siding to his camp, the ski gear was nothing like it is today and I imagine it was a trudge. Once he arrived the routine was always the same; get a fire going, shovel the roof, cook a hot meal from the supplies he lugged in and then take a good nap. By the time he got back home it would just be getting dark. While the trip had a practical purpose and provided an excuse to take a day off from work, I always got the sense my Dad enjoyed the extra effort it took to accomplish the task. It was the only time my father experienced the camp, and that part of the Maine woods in winter. It was also a trip into solitude – just himself, his thoughts and whatever was in his pack that he brought with him.
In the woods,
Dave
February 22, 2023
Taking your advice and going back to blog .69, I discovered my own comment in addition to your winter roof maintenance blog from last year. I hoped that this year you would have given at least a hint about how much snow you found on your camp roofs. I don’t really worry, but I do wonder how our camp, sugar shack, and “barn” are faring. Though the weather in Florida has been great this trip, I do look forward to getting back to a snowy solitude in March, complete with roof-raking, icy camp road, and tapping the maples. Somewhat disturbingly, my brother in Saco started his taps a couple of weeks ago and has had a pretty good run. Hope its not over before I get back….
So nice. Love the photos of that sweet little cabin.
Thanks David.
Posted by Paula S