It was bitter cold. There was a fierce wind coming off the mountains and snow was already falling. Although I put little trust in the weatherman, I knew we were going to see some snow and possibly a lot of it. It always amazes me how soft falling snow can lull you into oblivion then leave you stranded and fighting for your life the next. But I promised you a Christmas at the cabin and with care we could still make it.
Traffic was light, as the storm had kept most indoors. The Jeep was warm and well stocked. I was glad that I added the tire chains and covered the winch as we headed out. Soon the city began to fade into conifer stands that swayed under their coats of snow. It was usually a thirty-minute drive, but today it would take near an hour. Our chatter was light and humorous. We both wanted the privacy and seclusion that the cabin held.
Finally, we reached the pull in to the cabins drive. Well you could call it a drive. In summer, if you were brave and had patience you could drive within a hundred feet of the cabin. Most of the time it was a hike, ATV, or by snowmobile. None of this mattered though as the trip was half the fun.
You headed to the shed and upon opening realized that the snow machines were not there. In fact, one was in the garage at home waiting for a new tread and the other was on loan to a close friend who needed to get his moose hauled out. He had promised to drop it off the day after Christmas.
You're not planning on hiking in this weather are you?
No, we have the cross-country skis remember. We bought them last year when the skidoo would not start and it took us all day to get to the truck.
We both smile as we remember that day and the poor deer hunter who had quiet a show as we enjoyed the snow. Soon the skis are on and I shoulder my pack. I will have to pull the toboggan too as there is a bit more supplies than I remembered. The snow is getting heavier, but the wind is dying down. Flakes the size of half dollars drift lazily down around us.
Thankfully there is a decent trail broke by the borrowed snowmobile. We make good time and in under an hour we can see the cabin. To my surprise, there is smoke coming from the chimney. Good ole Gunter, he always came through unexpectedly. He must have made a Quick detour from his moose hauling to warm our cabin and break trail.
I had made some modifications to the cabin while on my last hunting trip that I had not told you about. I could not wait to see the look on your face. It was an old cabin built into the side of the mountain. Oddly, the back of it was the entrance to an abandoned mineshaft. We used the mine as a storage area, as it was sealed off by a long forgotten cave in about forty yards in.
The rest of the cabin, made from logs that were hand cut and chinked to keep it sealed against the worst that Mother Nature could through at it. The wooden floor we had added and there was even a heated outhouse now. Something about -7 and the call of nature seemed to say build a heated outhouse. I had hauled in propane tanks to provide the heat for it, and there's a cook stove for summertime fish fry's.
Opening the door, we are hit with a warm wave of air. The old cast iron stove has been well stoked and the cabin is toasty. I begin to store our provisions as you begin to see what we men had done to your cabin during our hunting trip. I hear a squeal as you find the bathtub and gas fired water heater we snuck in. An old claw footed high back tub nearly killed me and did kill the tread on the skidoo as we drug it up the trail. A solar powered pump provides our water, which is now heated making bathing more enjoyable.
Your really going for extra points aren't you.
Well I try; besides, I get to scrub your back and anything else that looks dirty.
You just want to ravage me in new ways I know.
Hey, check out the back porch. We have a new toy.
I had finally finished the wood-fired hot tub. It was project that I saw in woodworker's magazine and had been working on for nearly a year. The well would fill it and then the fire would warm it to a toasty temperature for our bathing pleasure.
You finished it! I thought the termites would eat it before it was ever done, but you did it. No wonder you did not get a deer this year. You must have been here all the time.
