April 25-27th at Hurricane

April 2013 and a cold spring it is. I figured I had one more trip into the cabin before all the snow melted and I called it a season for hauling materials in to the cabin before summer started and I could go back in and start to use up some of the materials I’d hauled in. Well it was a good thing I did as the snow was melting fast, or at least it was.

Two weeks ago when Jake and I when down and hauled 20 bags of concrete and other items in, the snow was still great, this time It was hard packed and melting. I drove down Friday morning figuring I’d have an easy day hauling stuff in and relaxing and then get started on stuffing insulation in the ceiling and maybe even the walls. Well shoot, there I go thinking again, always gets me in trouble.

The spot I parked at was totally bear of snow and I had to ride down a dirt road for a few hundred feet and listen to all that nice gravel flatten out my new skags and make towing loads a bit difficult. By time I made three trips from the truck to the cabin I figured I had enough for one day and would finish up in the morning.

Got up Saturday to another windy day, Oh, I did mention that it was blowing like all get out on Friday didn’t I, you know there’s nothing like a 25 MPH wind and flat light to make a trip enjoyable, yeah right. So as I was saying, Sat AM was no different and I figured I’d work around the cabin and take care of few things like the plywood covers for the windows, get some measurements I need to stabilize the post and even do a little work on the deck. At around noon I decided to go get the last load I had and it was all concrete, another ten 80# bags and the wheel barrow. Easy, one load and done, ha, the loading went good and even the hauling into the cabin was fair.

No problem, piece of cake, well it was until I tried to pick up those bags of concrete. Dang nab it, I guess I waited just a bit too long to get that last load. The temps rose to just around 30 above in the shade and a bit warmer in the sun. So of course all that snow that was falling into the tow sled that the bags of concrete were in was melting. By time I got to the cabin all that melted snow soaked into the bags of concrete just enough so that the when I tried to pick one up it split open and broke.

Now I have 10 broken bags of concrete, oh joy, I was able to save 4 of them with a little duck tape, about 4 or less more by using the 3 five gallon buckets I had and the rest is now sitting on top of the snow waiting for the big melt down. Hey, with any luck I’ll have a small concrete pad about 20 feet from the cabin, hiummm, maybe I can use it for a fire pit base, we’ll just have to see how it turns out come summer.

So thus ends my last trip to haul material into the cabin. Now if this dog gone weather would just warm up. I love the snow when it arrives after moose season, but not in the last day April when I’m trying to get my ATV out.