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!