Mt Ryan Foundation

Since we got the materials into the 1st cabin site at Chulitna, we figured we might as well start hauling the foundation material into the Mt Ryan site so Dean could start work on his foundation there. This should be a cake walk, heck it was too easy getting the lumber into Chulitna, the trail was easy and the Siglin hauled like it was being pulled by a semi on a paved four lane hwy. We spent more time loading and unloading then on the trail. So the run into the Mt Ryan site should be easy, just a bit longer, 6.5 miles instead of 3.2 miles. Ha, that’s what we get for thinking.

We loaded up 8 Railroad ties for our first load, around 1000 to 1500 pounds, and the trail was OK for the first 3.5 miles, from the Hwy it was pretty windblown and some bare ground those first few miles along the top of the ridges, then it got better, or so we thought. More snow, better riding, yeah right, we rode on hard pack windblown to the consistency of concrete, and then you’d drop off 3 feet on the leeward side into sugar snow, a little gas and up again onto the next hard pack drift. Now as long as you could power up and get on the hard pack it was ok, but then every once in a while, like 8 times, the hard pack on the next drift would bust under the track, drop the sled into that sugar snow and there you were.

Every time the track broke through, the running boards would settle down on the hard pack. So you ended up sitting on top of the hard with your track spitting out all that sugar snow and getting no traction. Pull, yank, swear, nothing worked except to dig the hard pack out from around the sled and as soon as it settled back down she’d take off again. Had plenty of power, just had to get the running boards and tunnel off the hard pack and on the same level as the track. Never thought I’d have to worry about getting high centered on a sled, or maybe I should running board centered.

I mention all this as we figured it’d be a short and easy day. Left with the first load in at 11:00 AM, figuring we’d be heading home by 1:00, maybe 2:00 PM, NOT. We didn’t get back to the rig to get the 2nd load until 4:30 PM and at which point we were already pretty tired and just wanting to get the load in.

So we loaded up 8 Railroad Ties and two 8×8 16 foot beams, say between 1500 and 2000 pounds of material. No problem for the Bearcat to haul with that Siglin sled since we got the trail busted open, it pulled great. The problem started on the one steep downhill grade we had to traverse. We got to the top and Dean suggested we drop half the load and make two trips, me I just wanted to get it in and be done.

So off I go down this steep grade thinking it’ll be an easy downhill pull and it was until the Siglin decided to jack knife on me. Next thing I knew I’ve fallen off the Bearcat, which then rolls over me and keeps pulling the Siglin with rolls over me as well. Guess it wasn’t to bad considering. I was able to get up on my own power, albeit a bit sore and feeling like I was rode hard and put up wet, Dean said he was thinking it’d be a Medi-Vac call after he saw my head get buried by the Siglin. All I can say is thank the lord for helmets. I now have a 7 inch groove on my face shield right about where my right forehead, eye and cheek would have been. The skags from the Siglin just scratch right across it. Had I not had my helmet on I’m not too sure I’d still have a right eye and know I’d be sporting a nice long scare along my cheek and forehead.

Anyway, at this point I had to agree with Dean and we spilt the load up and hauled 4 RR ties and one beam at a time. So after two short trips we got all the material in for his foundation. We did decide that hauling materials into the Mt Ryan site was definitely a summer project and best done on ATV’s and figure we’ll get stingers and plywood in come May or June, after the snow melts.

I was pretty sore all day today (Sunday) and the bruising isn’t as bad as I thought it’d be and that gouge in my face shield will be a good reminder to always wear a helmet, even on warm days. I just hope the new windshield, hitch and mirror don’t cost to much.