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ICC
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2024 08:46pm
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Well, I snuck home between windstorms and all. It is Spring! It's time to see how the cabin fared over winter. My niece has a new (to her) 4x4 truck, and a pair of chains. Her part of the family has a cabin on the same acreage as the rest of our extended family and she wanted to see how her truck did. There has been some snow in the past week, but there has also been some melting. So off we went. However, a half mile down the never-plowed forest service road that leads to our property. Below are two images of what we found ourselves in. Past this point, the road is more twisty and up and down with few places wide enough to turn around. Lots of north-facing sections that never see direct sunshine. So, we retreated for a week or two.
So Spring may be here officially but that news has not made it into our mountains yet.
yes we have chains
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snow deeper in some places
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gcrank1
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2024 09:12pm
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Decades ago I got my 1st 4wd, a 72? International Scout. It had all season tires not luggy at all. I went into a couple places that I should not have....didnt need a recovery but I should have  , young and dumb.
I did learn that for me leaving it in 2wd was smarter, if I got stuck I could put it in 4wd and get out. If the 4wd got me in too deep it was going to take at least another 4wd to get out.
Fools go where angels fear to tread!
And we got a late season snow too last Tues-Wed. I was supposed to get 16yd of driveway gravel delivered and spread on Tues; looking like maybe this Mon (hope). Im already 2wks behind on prep for our new pre-built delivery!
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toyota_mdt_tech
Member
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2024 09:52pm
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I always tell people who have 4WD, locker diffs both ends, chains, winches, hi lift jack and loads of other gear, all that stuff means is they will have further to walk.
gcrank, you are right, go in, 2WD, get stuck, toss in 4WD to turn around and go home.
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 6 Apr 2024 10:24am
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This was the first winter I can recall that we’ve spent more time at the cabin than the house. Couple of reasons: the small house city (50k) seems to have turned into more a maze of cars, shopping and general congestion than before. Or it could be just me getting more old, cranky and less tolerant.. Secondly I spent over a decade building the cabin and property, might as well enjoy it while I’m still breathing. I like being able to walk out the door, yell like a fool, take a piss or whatever, and no one around to see or hear. We’ve been making one or two day trips to the city for supplies, medical appointments or whatever but can’t wait to return.
Anyway, it’s had its moments: vehicles stuck, fixing outdoor things in the cold and wet, endless firewood scrounging, cutting and wood stove going almost constantly, plus the big Hawaiian storm that came through and put a tree through the roof, killed solar panels and littered the property with trees and branches.
You guys, and this forum have been a tremendous outlet to read and share the events while sitting out the dark days and nights of winter. Super happy to be a part of it.
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Steve_S
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# Posted: 6 Apr 2024 11:00am
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After 4 days of intense Snows, Rains & Hails I got a lovely 50cm accumulation. Then yesterday afternoon the Rains started & stayed as we crossed into the + temps... +7C and sunny now, that 50cm shrunk to 25cm of Near Slush ! The ground was thawing before all of this but maybe only 4" deep, so now with all this melt, even my driveway (on a slope, hi & dry {supposedly}) is like stepping on moosh... I don't even want to drive on it as it will leave ruts in the gravel...
As a lovely Side Bonus, I got a lot of tree falls.. 1 against my Woodshed (an old poplar) and a few big cedars (old growth) that didn't make it. One came down right along side the house missing it by < 1 foot ! There are a lot of Widow Makers hanging in the trees too, so this will be a Team Effort - never cut trees with Widow Makers hanging overhead and no extra eyes & hands @ the ready. That is a Bad Day just waiting for a fool without a spotter.
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paulz
Member
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# Posted: 6 Apr 2024 11:40am
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Quoting: gcrank1 Decades ago I got my 1st 4wd, a 72?
My first cabin commute truck is this Blazer, still sitting here at the ready. But it’s supercharged 350 is lucky to get 10, so a couple years ago I got this 99 Ranger (nothing over year 2,000, against my religion). Even that thing has been a myriad of electronic sensor, computer related crap issues. The transfer case is electronic shift, I have to hold my hands and prey before heading up the hill to the cabin. But the Blazer is always here for backup, nice big manual 4wd lever.
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Grizzlyman
Member
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# Posted: 6 Apr 2024 05:42pm
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We’re waiting as well. Wait f for the ice to got out in N minnesota. Should be about any day now. Planning on first trip since February 2 weeks from today.
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gcrank1
Member
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# Posted: 6 Apr 2024 07:21pm
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I have a daily flip perpetual calendar with WI history stuff at the cabin. I always read it up to the date we leave, it's a nice way to keep track of the last visit and history too.
We went today, 1st time since the last snow, I was a little surprised to see last was 3-28, and that was me alone. Got quite a bit done regarding the new cabin prep. Pulled all my elec wiring & fixture stuff out, disconnected and removed the lp furnace and line. The big one on that was moving the 400ish# lp tank away, my rigging on the tractor pallet fork worked great.
We are ready to start pulling siding now for the deconstruct.
Tomorrow is rain and 44*ish F compared to todays 55* and sunny (boy, did that feel good), Mon should be back to sun and 65ish.
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shingobeek
Member
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# Posted: 7 Apr 2024 12:01pm
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Not far now.....I am in Isabella and yesterday the ice was blowing around. We are water access so it has been a really strange winter where we have not gone to the cabin half as usual due to poor ice.
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