My Journey
- Thread starter YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
- Start date
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
It was 4:00 a.m. on January 10 that I made the knee jerk decision to head home.....my hip was bothering me pretty good that morning but honestly it was more than that that pushed us north. I felt like I wanted to spend a winter in Montana.....or at least a part of a winter. We drove north.....mostly on the Interstate highways.....I pushed and I pushed and eventually we drove more than one thousand miles that day. At 11:00 p.m. I pulled into my driveway and immediately got the rig stuck.....18 inches of snow was a bit too much.....
The following morning.....temperatures were probably near zero, and possibly below.....I called a snow plow. Fortunately for me, he was there within an hour and after an hour of plowing, we were finally home.
The gate lock.....frozen. The barn doors.....frozen. My hands & feet frozen. Fortunately I did a good job of winterizing the cabin before we headed south.....the water pipes.....were not frozen.....
The neighbors tell me that it hit minus 45 degrees while we were down south. The coldest we endured, in January, was minus 33.....
The days were too short.....and the nights were too long. The snow was too deep.....and the snow lasted too long. The air was too cold and the cold lasted too long.....
I struggled with life in the cabin.....honestly I often thought of leaving.....the dogs saw things differently.....
The following morning.....temperatures were probably near zero, and possibly below.....I called a snow plow. Fortunately for me, he was there within an hour and after an hour of plowing, we were finally home.
The gate lock.....frozen. The barn doors.....frozen. My hands & feet frozen. Fortunately I did a good job of winterizing the cabin before we headed south.....the water pipes.....were not frozen.....
The neighbors tell me that it hit minus 45 degrees while we were down south. The coldest we endured, in January, was minus 33.....
The days were too short.....and the nights were too long. The snow was too deep.....and the snow lasted too long. The air was too cold and the cold lasted too long.....
I struggled with life in the cabin.....honestly I often thought of leaving.....the dogs saw things differently.....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
I tried to keep myself busy.....work continued on the inside of the barn.....working when it's 10 degrees presents quite the challenge.....
I built myself another wood end table.....now adorned with some of my favorite paperback books and several wood statues that I acquired decades ago while working in South America.....
.....and I added to my collection of vintage climbing gear & books.....
I enjoyed the wildlife that often passed by the cabin.....
.....and that would sometimes rest not far beyond our fence line.....
I learned to enjoy the birds.....they now fascinate me and I'm often out filling the feeders.....
I'm especially fond of the game birds that come to feed daily.....morning & night.....
I built myself another wood end table.....now adorned with some of my favorite paperback books and several wood statues that I acquired decades ago while working in South America.....
.....and I added to my collection of vintage climbing gear & books.....
I enjoyed the wildlife that often passed by the cabin.....
.....and that would sometimes rest not far beyond our fence line.....
I learned to enjoy the birds.....they now fascinate me and I'm often out filling the feeders.....
I'm especially fond of the game birds that come to feed daily.....morning & night.....
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ITTOG
Well-known member
I am glad to see you are okay and made it through the winter. Hopefully the hip healed with the reduced activity.
The end table looks really nice and I really like the barn.
The pictures were great. The pink in the clouds and Tanner sleeping were my favorites. We were in Breckenridge in March and I got a good photo of a fox.
The end table looks really nice and I really like the barn.
The pictures were great. The pink in the clouds and Tanner sleeping were my favorites. We were in Breckenridge in March and I got a good photo of a fox.
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
The neighbors.....81 years & 76 years in Montana.....they tell me that this winter has been one of the toughest in a very long time.....
The snow & the cold.....I swear it never goes away.....
But the first signs of spring are finally here.....
The days are longer.....and the nights are not near so long.....
This winter during those darkest hours.....I was taught a lesson about life......something to always be grateful for.....never to be taken for granted.....even in the darkest hours.....love life.....
.....the dark will pass and the sun will shine again......
The snow & the cold.....I swear it never goes away.....
But the first signs of spring are finally here.....
The days are longer.....and the nights are not near so long.....
This winter during those darkest hours.....I was taught a lesson about life......something to always be grateful for.....never to be taken for granted.....even in the darkest hours.....love life.....
.....the dark will pass and the sun will shine again......
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Riversdad
Active member
Welcome back Jerry. You were missed. Hope the hip is feeling better and you will continue to take us along on your travels.
billum v2.0
Active member
Tanner/Trapper:
Good to hear from your caretaker. Read like this particular long, tough, cold, dark winter began for him around January 17th;
"I lied down in the soft, tall grasses that somehow seemed to personify the meaninglessness of life as it waved in the morning winds....."
Then radio silence for months. And then, today;
"This winter during those darkest hours.....I was taught a lesson about life......something to always be grateful for.....never to be taken for granted.....even in the darkest hours.....love life...."
followed by;
"....the dark will pass and the sun will shine again....."
You're a couple of good pooches. If I may:
Tanner: Remind the two legged member of your trio, with those big, brown, soulful eyes of yours, that this is a better place with him around (not talking about the forum...................well, not just the forum).
Trapper: Just be your goofy self. Amazing what a good chuckle/eyeroll/facepalm does for us bipeds.
Good to hear from your caretaker. Read like this particular long, tough, cold, dark winter began for him around January 17th;
"I lied down in the soft, tall grasses that somehow seemed to personify the meaninglessness of life as it waved in the morning winds....."
Then radio silence for months. And then, today;
"This winter during those darkest hours.....I was taught a lesson about life......something to always be grateful for.....never to be taken for granted.....even in the darkest hours.....love life...."
followed by;
"....the dark will pass and the sun will shine again....."
You're a couple of good pooches. If I may:
Tanner: Remind the two legged member of your trio, with those big, brown, soulful eyes of yours, that this is a better place with him around (not talking about the forum...................well, not just the forum).
Trapper: Just be your goofy self. Amazing what a good chuckle/eyeroll/facepalm does for us bipeds.
Arjan
Fossil Overlander
We lost our Golden Famke last month while we were in the process of getting a 7 year young puppy.
Meet Miya.
A rescue Golden that lived in a bench for the past 6 1/2 years only to have puppies when possible. She knew nothing and has been nowhere.
Now living the time giving in a - we hope - happy home and she loves going out with the Land Rover !
Meet Miya.
A rescue Golden that lived in a bench for the past 6 1/2 years only to have puppies when possible. She knew nothing and has been nowhere.
Now living the time giving in a - we hope - happy home and she loves going out with the Land Rover !
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Arjan.....real sorry......they die way too young.....Miya is beautiful.....we need more pictures.....
Spring has finally come to southwest Montana.....and it couldn't have come soon enough for me.....the Bald Eagle that I often saw hunting in the thickets, along the canal, just beyond the back fence line.....he has moved on I see.....
The Pheasants seem to come and go.....there was a pattern in their daily lives.....
.....but without the deep winter snow, they too have pretty much disappeared.....
The deer are still here.....I'll often see as many as a dozen of them grazing in the fields..... now void of all snow.....
Sparrows, I believe them to be, are everywhere.....as they begin to claim my birdhouses and provide me with a bit of entertainment.....
The last storm of 2023.....and a welcomed neighbor.....
Spring has finally come to southwest Montana.....and it couldn't have come soon enough for me.....the Bald Eagle that I often saw hunting in the thickets, along the canal, just beyond the back fence line.....he has moved on I see.....
The Pheasants seem to come and go.....there was a pattern in their daily lives.....
.....but without the deep winter snow, they too have pretty much disappeared.....
The deer are still here.....I'll often see as many as a dozen of them grazing in the fields..... now void of all snow.....
Sparrows, I believe them to be, are everywhere.....as they begin to claim my birdhouses and provide me with a bit of entertainment.....
The last storm of 2023.....and a welcomed neighbor.....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
I'm not so sure that both of the dogs see the world the same as me when it comes to this whole winter thing.....
Trapper was made for the winter.....she spent hours playing in that snow.....
Tanner not so much.....
Me.....I was pretty much good taking it all in from my dog themed recliners.....
Those snow capped peaks out the back door seem to bless me every day.....
I was recently thinking how great it is to be alive.....how grateful I am.....and what a wonderful world it is.....I wish I could choose.....
Trapper was made for the winter.....she spent hours playing in that snow.....
Tanner not so much.....
Me.....I was pretty much good taking it all in from my dog themed recliners.....
Those snow capped peaks out the back door seem to bless me every day.....
I was recently thinking how great it is to be alive.....how grateful I am.....and what a wonderful world it is.....I wish I could choose.....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
ITTOG.....In March they gave me less than thirty days.....in April it was down to two.....and here I am posting again on XP. I got real unlucky.....then I got real lucky.....and now I have a renewed gratitude for life.....everyday is a miracle.....and that's all I've got to say about that.....
And yes, I spend way too many hours of my life gazing at those mountains and the skies above and everything in between.....no two days are alike.....and everyday is simply amazing.....
Books.....well, this is what I've been up to.....
Blue Latitudes .....not a bad read.....it took me forever to get through.....no fault of the book.....
The Last of His Kind .....Bradford Washburn was an incredible man, a climber, a photographer, and an adventurer unmatched by few others.....and anything written by David Roberts of course is a great read.....highly recommended.....
Limits of the Known .....another book by David Roberts so of course I loved it too. But honestly, this one was more than "loved it".....it was probably the best David Roberts book yet (I believe this is the 15th of his for me). It's a mix of his life as an adventurer & climber, as well as his battle with cancer (which he eventually succumbed to), and it's also about what makes us want to adventure & explore, and there are many stories of past adventurerers and what drove them to do what they did.....I saw myself many times living the life of David Roberts.....I really connected with this read.....
The Snow Walker.....I'm a huge fan of Farley Mowat having now read at least a half a dozen of his books. I found this one at the Used Book Sale at the local library and had no idea what I picked up.....I'm loving this book too & it's a great read.....every chapter is a differnt story....."All of these stories deal with survival, whether they are fact or fiction, whether they speak of the earliest life in the Arctic or the most contemporary. Mowat's stories describe not only the hardships of life in the Arctic and the almost invincible snow, wind, and cold; they also celebrate the beauty of the North and the hunan endurance and courage that withstand its most fearsome elements".....
And yes, I spend way too many hours of my life gazing at those mountains and the skies above and everything in between.....no two days are alike.....and everyday is simply amazing.....
Books.....well, this is what I've been up to.....
Blue Latitudes .....not a bad read.....it took me forever to get through.....no fault of the book.....
The Last of His Kind .....Bradford Washburn was an incredible man, a climber, a photographer, and an adventurer unmatched by few others.....and anything written by David Roberts of course is a great read.....highly recommended.....
Limits of the Known .....another book by David Roberts so of course I loved it too. But honestly, this one was more than "loved it".....it was probably the best David Roberts book yet (I believe this is the 15th of his for me). It's a mix of his life as an adventurer & climber, as well as his battle with cancer (which he eventually succumbed to), and it's also about what makes us want to adventure & explore, and there are many stories of past adventurerers and what drove them to do what they did.....I saw myself many times living the life of David Roberts.....I really connected with this read.....
The Snow Walker.....I'm a huge fan of Farley Mowat having now read at least a half a dozen of his books. I found this one at the Used Book Sale at the local library and had no idea what I picked up.....I'm loving this book too & it's a great read.....every chapter is a differnt story....."All of these stories deal with survival, whether they are fact or fiction, whether they speak of the earliest life in the Arctic or the most contemporary. Mowat's stories describe not only the hardships of life in the Arctic and the almost invincible snow, wind, and cold; they also celebrate the beauty of the North and the hunan endurance and courage that withstand its most fearsome elements".....
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