Overcome by Mother Nature

Sunday, February 4, 2018

It had snowed a couple more FEET since we were last at camp.  The snow up in Piscataquis County is no joke - the average annual snowfall of our town up there is 93" (7.75 feet) while the average annual snowfall of the entire US is 26".

Getting stuck in the snow was a real possibility.  An off-road recovery/tow would probably cost hundreds, if not more, so was therefore out of the question.  One of the neighbors we met said they'd gladly help us out in a bind with their bulldozer if need be, and though duly noted and appreciated, we'd prefer to figure out a way to manage by ourselves.  That being said, we creeped and crawled and spun our way cautiously down the trail, hoping that our previously made tire tracks from the other visits would aid us in staying on the trail - incredibly tricky, white-knuckle driving conditions.

The trail leading in to camp

Finally, after about an hour, we reached our land.  We thought for sure - hooray! We made it!  However, that elation proved to be short lived.  We got stuck halfway down our driveway...  Seriously stuck.  It was around noon that we arrived.  Darkness falls around 4:30 p.m.  We decided that since we were in it for the night anyway, we would work on making food and gathering firewood.  We would tackle the task of getting unstuck tomorrow.  The forecast only called for "a bit of snow" so we didn't think that was much cause for worry.  How much can "a bit of snow" be?

Sometimes things don't go as planned, so you have to adapt.  Surviving is all about adapting.  We'll be okay, despite the feeling of desperation creeping into my psyche.

Looking north up the driveway towards camp from the stuck truck a bit behind us

As the evening wears on and we prepare for dinner and bed, we hear in the distance the chorus of a pack of coyotes.  Over the course of the night, we could hear them move north across the frozen river, and then back south, parallel to our land to the west.  A friend once told me that owls will often "hoot" at the boundaries of their territory.  I wondered if this applied to coyotes as well, and if it means they'll stay over there..  We haven't seen any paw prints in the snow on our land, and had only seen deer and canine prints to the west on the neighboring property before we bought the land.

To be honest, the coyotes were a bit unnerving for me.  Growing up, I always had this unreasonable fear of the dark, and the things that can come out of the dark to get me that I can't see until it's too late.  The only thought which gave me comfort was that the forest had a blanket of snow at least 4 feet deep, so I didn't think the coyotes would come through the woods to get us, and that they would stick to the path of least resistance.  So I kept my focus on the driveway whenever I had to exit the tent.  And while Tyson is protective of his family, I've heard from multiple sources that coyote packs sometimes send out a female coyote to lure unsuspecting prey away from safety, only for the unknowing prey to be ambushed and attacked by the pack.  Coyotes are typically solitary animals, but in the winter they form temporary packs to make hunting larger prey easier - there are few small mammals around in the winter so the coyote's menu is limited.

That evening as we lay in bed, we hear snow falling.  As mentioned before, only "a bit of snow" was called for, so we didn't pay it too much mind.  Until we kept hearing it continuously snow lightly; like a heavy flurry.  It was so cold that every bit of moisture in the air was freezing.  AND IT KEPT SNOWING.  What is this "bit of snow" they speak of?!  We woke up to an additional 4 inches of snow!  Knowing we were still stuck in our driveway, 2 miles into the wilderness, 2 miles away from the closest neighbor, we made haste of breakfast, bundled up in our warmest gear, and went out to  get the truck unstuck - because let's face it, there was no "try" about it.  We HAD to get out!

As we approached the truck, the first thing we noticed was one of the tire chains was missing...  MISSING!  Where is it?!  Each back tire had one!  It must have flung off when the tires were spinning as we made a weak attempt at getting out yesterday when we initially arrived.  We can't get out without it...  So I had to take a shovel, and walk up and down the driveway, jamming the shovel in to the snow, waiting and praying for that "chink" sound of metal hitting metal.  After short time, thankfully, victory was mine!  I almost wept.  I found the tire chain.  We're back in business.

Now I had to dig the entire tire out of the snow in order to put the chain back on.  It's much deeper than it appears in this picture.  Additionally, there is a hazard lying in wait for us - along each side of the driveway, there is - again - deep ditches for water diversion.  Those small pine trees line the ditches.  But we don't know where the ditches end and begin because of all the snow!  If we lose our back end down into the ditch, even a little bit, there's no getting out without help.  Incredibly stressful.  Incredibly.  But R and I stood strong together and pressed forward.

One tire dug out; time for tire chains

Despite the 4 degrees F outside, we worked so hard trying to get the truck unstuck that I was down to a light fleece with a long sleeve shirt and tank top underneath.  When we went back to the tent for a quick break, it was a balmy 36 degrees F - so warm it felt that I had to take off my layers until I was in just a tank top until my body acclimated again.  I've heard of other people taking days for their body's to readjust after going on multiple day winter fishing camping trips.

Though I'm not amused, you must always stay positive

Looking south towards the trail; the truck is stuck just behind us

At one point, after about an hour, R walked down the bend of the driveway towards camp to get some waters for us.  I was at the truck with Willow and Tyson, resting for a minute, listening to the silence of the snow covered forest.  It was amazing how quiet it was in the forest.  Almost like you have cotton over your eyes, but it's over your ears, muffling sound.  A few moments passed when I saw R returning, however this time he had my .22LR and his 12 gauge resting on his shoulders as he trudged his way up through the deep snow.  I said, "Good job.  I guess it's a good idea to have the guns with us."  This isn't your suburban backyard and there are real predators around.  He responded with a bit of a start, "You didn't hear the coyotes?"  I said I hadn't.  I said it's only 1:00 pm in the afternoon.  He said that while he was down around the corner about 100 feet away he could hear the coyotes like we had heard them before - starting south of the river, moving north of it, then back south - yipping and howling and making a heck of a racket.  I was sitting - in silence - with Tyson and Willow - LISTENING - and did not hear a PEEP.  My mind was blown.  Not even Tyson or Willow seemed to hear anything.

Willow loves the snow (I think more than Tyson!)

As we toiled away, it kept snowing "a bit."  All.  Day.  It was late afternoon now, and we still were unable to free the truck from it's prison of snow.  We'd done a hell of a lot of work, but it hadn't been enough yet.  After pausing to catch our breaths, we decided that we *had* to get out of there.  We had to leave that night.  We could not spend an additional night like we had intended.  The snow was not stopping.

At one point, when R was using the snowblower to clear the driveway as best he could (it was rutty which made the going tough), Willow became uncomfortable.  She could only hear the noise of the machine because R was down the driveway, and did not like it one bit!  She told me, in so many ways if you pay attention, that she was ready to go back to camp, so I started to walk back with her.  We got halfway there when R appeared from around the corner with the snowblower going.  In the video, that's when she stopped and looked back (after I fell on my ass 😂).  She saw it was R and realized there was no threat afterall.  After I stopped recording, Willow actually started walking back towards R and the truck, and no longer felt the need to go back to camp.  Smart girl. ♥

Let me just say that when we finally got unstuck, after FOUR HOURS of hard effort, I almost wept again.  It was such a sweet victory.  I don't think I've ever felt so victorious in my entire 34 years of existence.  It was nearly dark by then, though only about 5:00 pm.  We were OUT of there!  We were so physically and mentally exhausted, but we certainly couldn't stay another night.  Just because we got unstuck from our driveway, our tire tracks from the ride in were nearly filled in from the "bit of snow" that had continuously fallen over the last 24 hours.  It would be tough, but we'd do it.  Plus, it was Super Bowl Sunday.  I would play The Game on my phone as we drove home to help stay awake.

As we drove out of our road after making it successfully through the trail portion, we laughed because the main streets up there had only one line of sand down the center of the street.  No salt, and not both sides of the street.  At least there was no traffic.  We made it home in around midnight, I think, safely.

That was an experience we will never forget.  Now we know what kind of punch Mother Nature can pack up there.  If we have any thoughts of visiting next winter, which we do, we will have to acquire a snowmobile.  We could park at one of the first neighbors houses and then tow our supplies in on a toboggan with a snowmobile.  What an adventure all on it's own!  I can't wait!

The First Overnight Adventure

January 27, 2018

It takes us about 5 hours, give or take, to drive the 300 miles to camp (plus an additional half hour to get down the trail to our land).  We left our home before dawn and arrived at the Kennebunk Service Station at sunrise.  It was beautiful (albeit exhausting because I am far from a morning person).

Sunrise at Kennebunk

We had loaded the truck up the night before with a slew of supplies and building materials.  This will be our first time winter camping overnight, and our plan is to tarp in an a-frame made from 2x4s with plastic sheeting.  We purchased a small wood stove, too.  Unfortunately, though the former owner built the shell of a cabin, it appeared far from safe, and we'd yet to inspect it further.  We were up for the adventure anyway - experience something we've yet to experience.  That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.

Rest stop at Kennebunk Service Station

Finally, we arrived to camp.  However, we had one of many trials and tribulations straight ahead of us.  While the road is not maintained by the town, there are about four year-round residents at the beginning of the dirt road-turn-into-trail.  One of those residents plows the first half mile of road for the others.  However, because of the road design with ditches on either side of the road for water run off and melt, and because no one else has ever traveled further down the road than that during the winter months, the resident leaves the plowed mound of snow smack dab in the middle of the road.  Thankfully, we anticipated this and brought metal shovels and a snowblower.

Willow supervises as R clears the trail.

After we were able to conquer that obstacle, we were on our way.  In the snow, it took us nearly an hour to travel 2 miles.  And even though our lifted truck with 35" tires and tire chains is more capable than the average truck, it was still a bit nerve wracking!  Without locking differentials on the truck, it's not *true* four wheel drive so in deep snow, it can still get stuck.

Camp is half a mile down and to the left from here

The area of trail in the above picture was actually the worst part because of the field to the left/West.  The open field allows for huge snow drifts along this area of the trail.  We made it through, but have known a neighbor to get stuck at this point.

The snow bends many of the weak birch trees

Me chopping a low hanging tree down with a hatchet

We made it!

Once we arrived at camp we had to make fast work of getting a shelter up and chopping wood to keep us warm that night.  R did great working putting together the shelter for us.

Darkness closes in very quickly in the winter

Almost done..

Unfortunately, I didn't get any good pictures of the finish product.  Work to survive took precedence over taking pictures.  We were mostly warm that night even though we had to wake up to feed the fire every few hours.  But what a glorious adventure it was!

Before we left we took a closer look at the cabin shell to see how salvageable it is.  It turns out, the local porcupines (who I recently learned tend to hang out IN THE TREES!) took a liking to the glue found in the particle board the former owner was using to build.  What a sight to be seen!  We were wondering why the former owner had started to wrap the cabin in vinyl siding - apparently it may have been to discourage the little buggers from feasting.

Porcupine gnaw marks - right through to the vinyl siding!

There is a whole lot of work to do to the cabin before it's safe enough for us to inhabit.  Thankfully we've been squirreling away wood here and there, so pretty much have a small lumber yard in the back of our primary residence.  Hopefully we won't need to buy much, if any, wood.  I can't wait until I can start hitting up yard sales for camp items!

The Search

For months, my husband - we'll refer to him as "R" - and I perused sites like LandWatch.com and LandandFarm.com for raw, undeveloped land in Maine.  We viewed so many pieces of land online that our eyes were crossed.  I did so much research on town laws and ordinances to see if our plan would work.  Our intention was to stay within 300 miles of our home so we could easily travel there on the weekends.  We plan to visit a couple of times a month until my stepdaughter - we'll refer to her as "N" - graduates college in a couple of years, at which time we'll relocate permanently.  In the meantime, we'll build an off-grid cabin, establish a garden, build structures for small livestock like goats, chickens, turkeys, pigs, etc.  R works in the union construction field and may continue this path after we move.  I work behind a desk as a secretary and never want to work behind a desk again.  Our plan is to eventually trade in our mid-size truck for a full-size truck and get a plow, in addition to getting a skid steer for a potential plowing business.

October 7, 2017 - Burnham

The first place we visited was in Burnham, Waldo County, Maine (257 miles, 4.5 hours, same-day round trip).  The land was 20-some-odd acres with one border along a beautiful stream, and the road was an actual paved road (unlike those to follow), however there was no driveway, so that is a process in and of itself.

Burnham, Waldo County, Maine

Wanting to get the lay of the land a bit, we started bushwacking where we thought the land was situated (there were no boundary lines that we could locate from the street, and the realtor was not meeting us for the viewing).  After a short hike through pretty thick brush heading in the supposed direction of the known creek, we found a bit of a path that we followed for a ways until we ran into a nice man and his friend who informed us that we were, in fact, on his land (the second time it's happened to him since the land went up for sale).  We apologized and explained the situation, so he showed us the property marker at the edge of the creek and we explored a little more from there.  The land was low, and the neighbor told us it often floods out from the river and can be very wet.  We weren't really impressed with the land, despite the breathtaking autumn view, so we headed back to the car.

Burnham, Waldo County, Maine

October 21, 2017 - Bradford

The next property we visited was in Bradford, Penobscot County, Maine (299 miles, 5.25 hours, same-day round trip).  This land was located on a discontinued town road that had been converted into an ATV and snowmobile trail (which we were thrilled about given that our family already has a passion for riding).  A discontinued road is not plowed or maintained by the town, but the property was located a short distance from the road - less than 1/4 mile I think - so we weren't incredibly concerned.

Bradford, Penobscot County, Maine

The land was owned by a logging company at the time (which is common in Maine, we found).  They'd done all they'd wanted to with harvesting the trees from the land and really left a mark..  The cleared areas were rampant with raspberries and there was a beautiful babbling brook through one portion of the land, but there were also a lot of other wet areas which may potentially hinder our intentions of having a garden and small livestock.  We checked this place out twice because we really liked the location, but in the end it didn't feel quite *right* so we continued our search.

Bradford, Penobscot County, Maine

November 11-12, 2017 - Amity

The third piece of land we visited and deeply considered was 40+ acres situated all the way up off Route 95 Exit 302 in Amity, Aroostook County, Maine (426 miles, 7.5 hours, two day trip).  Since this land was so far away and we spent an extended period of time exploring, we decided to book a local hotel in a nearby town that accepts pets since Willow and Tyson accompanied us (as they had for the other land-seeking trips and a few other unrelated overnight camping trips).  This was going to be their land, too, and we felt it important for them to be involved in the search.  We are a family of adventurers! (Side note - we went on a 900 mile round trip journey to get Tyson when he was 12 weeks old, and years later when 9 week old Willow came in to our lives, we drove 530 round trip miles to scoop her up!)  It was their first experience in a hotel room, and they both behaved extraordinary.

Tyson and Willow at the motel in Houlton, Maine

This was the first property we looked at that had an existing structure.  The cabin was in very rough condition, but we try to see past the surface to the bones.  It had potential, despite the massive amounts of trash and animal excrement...  Plus, there was twice the amount of acreage as the previous pieces of land which was an incredibly big draw.  We even saw a moose print at the end of the driveway, and spoke to a local who said there was a moose who lived in the area that you had to watch out for - moose can be incredibly dangerous.

Amity, Aroostook County, Maine

There was a second structure used as a shed. We were intrigued, and very interested, but the property left us with questions which left us uneasy that could not be answered because it was a bank sale and the property is sold "as is" without disclosures.  Thankfully, I like to find answers to questions, and when browsing a forum, I came across information regarding the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory.  You can go to this site, plug in an address, and it will tell you if there are any wetlands present and if so, what kind of wetlands they are.  Thank all the gods that I came across this information because when I plugged in the Amity address, it turned out that 90% of the land is considered wetland.  I was blown away, and we were very discouraged, but onward we trod!

The cabin is in the bottom left corner; the only portion of the land not considered Wetlands

Found At Last

It was on Craigslist, of all places, that R found our gem in the rough located in southern Piscataquis County.

Piscataquis County, Maine

November 23, 2017

R and I first visited the land on Thanksgiving.  We decided to forego the standard Thanksgiving celebration with one a little less conventional, thinking of it as a celebration of dreams.  Tyson and Willow came along, as they had to our other land visiting adventures.  They fare well in the truck, and Willow has even learned to utilize pit stops like the rest of us.

There is a local motel up the road a mile that we rented a room at for the weekend a couple of times before we were situated at camp.  We were very pleased that it accepted pets.  Willow and Tyson were both very well behaved guests.

Willow waits for dinner at the motel.

We weren't exactly sure what we were looking for because we weren't provided with any pictures.  The land is located about 2 miles down an unmaintained town road (i.e. jeep trail) with a spattering of off-grid, nearly most appearing abandoned, camps along the way, so we narrowed it down to two of which we thought one were the right parcel...we just didn't know which at the time.  We initially ended up at the neighboring camp.  It had seen better days and had likely been uninhabited for a while, but had a killer view of the stream.

The neighboring property overlooking Bog Brook

Willow the Grey Ninja

Tyson looking handsome in his Weatherbeeta jacket

We checked out the second parcel which turned out to be the one.  The previous owner had, so far, just built the shell of a cabin, but completed a lot of culvert and water diversion work.  A Starcraft Satellite camper was left behind and is in pretty good condition.  It has some potential with a small fridge that runs on propane which will be helpful in the summer, in addition to a small apartment size stove that runs on propane, too.  We could hook up our generator to it, but we don't want to listen to the noise.  Candles, headlamps, and lanterns work just fine.

Driveway looking out to the trail

First view ever of our future homestead

It has some potential, but needs a lot of work obviously.

December 2, 2017

The next time we visited, we went there with a purpose.  We knew for sure which land we were viewing this time, and since we planned on bushwhacking through the woods to see the stream frontage and to get a better lay of some of the land, we decided to leave Tyson and Willow back home to hold down the fort.  Without them, while we missed their presence, we were able to cover much more ground and really absorb the beautiful, magical forest.

A snippet of the views we see driving in to camp on the unmaintained town road.

Looking out to the stream through the woods.

Black and white birch are abundant

Looking out towards Bog Brook

Facing west

Facing east

Looking back towards camp from the stream

Now that we knew for sure we were in the right place, we also inspected the cabin and the camper a little more, but both were locked so we just peeked in the windows.  The camper appeared to be in decent condition inside, like it was kept relatively clean, and we didn't see any glaring leaks or evidence of past leaks.

The cabin shell is a little bit of a let down. R has worked in construction for decades, and he's already built a garage at home, and I am a capable gal as well - so we were planning on starting from scratch when building our final cabin, but it would have been nice if the existing cabin shell were salvageable.  However, we're not too sure at this point, and venture it will at least be good for burning.

R and I are optimistic with what we've seen.   The land is beautiful.  We don't have much of a concern for the camper and cabin, and figure we'll find something useful to do with them in the least.  Time to contact the owner for negotiations!

The First Official Visit

Saturday, January 13, 2018

It's been a couple of weeks since purchase, and this is the first time we've access the land in the snow.  We rented the same motel as we did the time before because we weren't sure what we were walking in to.  The camper is a Sunline Satellite.  It's in acceptable condition.  We found a few rodent nests, but the inside of the camper did not smell offensive.  

We did some cleaning and disinfecting (as much as we could do with frozen cleaning products because it was so cold) and took stock of what we needed to do to prepare for our next stay when we plan on Winter Camping instead of renting the motel room again.

The camper has hook-ups for a generator and propane, a small fridge that can be hooked up to electricity or propane, a kitchen sink, a small stove and oven, a bathroom with a toilet, sink, and shower.  Once the snow thaws, we'll figure out how to utilize all of these options.

Finally Ours - The Dream Begins

Friday, December 29, 2017

The four of us - R, me, Tyson, and Willow - awoke at 2 a.m. with excitement in our hearts and sleep still tugging at our eyes.  Tyson and Willow could feel the anxious energy and waited with their own anticipation as R & I packed our bags into the truck.  It was a 4 1/2 hour drive to Treworgy & Baldacci, real estate closing services, in Bangor who would be handling the purchase.

Tyson and Willow do extraordinarily well in the vehicles.  We take them when we go crawling off-road in the trails with our lifted 4x4 Tacoma, and we take them on hikes, too.  We traveled hundreds of miles when we brought them each home into our family.  Tyson came from western New York; Willow from northern Vermont.

Tyson, naturally, gets out and does his doodie at the appropriate pit stops.  I have a 13x9 tupperware container with a lid that Willow uses as a litter box when she can't find a good spot in the wood chips or grass.  She's pretty good at using the stops to relieve herself, and will give us subtle clues if she has to go sooner.

We arrived at the lawyer's office on time and everyone was present.  Bing-bang-boom, a few signatures later and they keys to the camper are in our hands!  Afraid to be excited because it seems too surreal, we head northwest from Bangor to our new land.

By this time of the year there is already some snow on the ground.  It was winter, cold, and the camp is not set up for habitation, in addition to the fact that our truck's four wheel drive function was broken so even though there was not a whole lot of snow on the ground, the truck would not make it the two miles in to camp on an unplowed road.  So making the best of it, we rented a room at a nearby motor lodge that accepted pets, with plans to spend the new year exploring our new town.

Willow naps in her carrier at the motor lodge

We drove around town getting ourselves acclimated with the area, talked to locals, had meals at some local hot spots.  Everyone was very friendly.  Much to our delight, we learned that 2.5 miles away is access to Maine's Interconnected Trail System (ITS), which has thousands of miles of snowmobile/ATV trails - some that go in to Canada!

It turns out that our new land, while very isolated and situated 2 miles down an unmaintained town road with the nearest neighbor a mile away, is actually only about a 10 minute ride from the end of our road to gas stations, grocery stores, Dunkin Donuts, Ace Hardware, local eateries - most anything we'll ever need.  There is even a hospital and a vet within 20 minutes.

We have so many good feelings about this place!!!