Camping in October? Be prepared!

[Yukon]

Well, I just stumbled across some pictures of my '06 8 day hunt in the Moose River plains and I figured I would share. It is a visible testament to the many changing faces of northern weather. Sunny and 60 one day, an inch of rain the next day, and two feet of snow the next. It took us 14 hours to carve our way from the Indian/Squaw lake area to the Limekiln gate. Along the way we came across some people who were well prepared, and unfortunately a couple of people with Jersey plates in a work van (plumbers I think) woefully unprepared, hopelessly stuck in the snow, and unwilling to leave their ride behind and catch a ride to Inlet,. At least we convinced the fella shivering in damp sweatpants to change into dry clothes before he really hurt himself... at any rate here they are.

Otter brook



Otter brook after the rain


and a couple of our way out

[adktyler]

Yes!

Thanks for the refresher! I'll be camping in two weeks, and it's nice to have a reminder to be prepared!

[Tuchov]

I'm honestly amazed it's not snowing yet. As soon as I heard it was the first day of fall, I expected a foot of snow up there within 24hrs. I guess global warming is keeping it at bay.

[stripperguy]

Mr. Yukon,
All I can say is WOW!! Just goes to show how quickly things can change around this time of year. My business partner started a canoe trip in T shirts, and stopped for dinner with 4 inches of snow later that same day.

How about some more photos?
BTW, I skied in central Vermont that day, there was 3 1/2 feet of heavy, windslab there...

[pondhopper]

Great show of contrast with just a few pics!

I think, that may have been the snow storm, which knocked all the balsams into the upper end of the Indian River. Glad I canoed/mostly carried the Indian up to Northrup L & Brooktrout L a few times, BEFORE it hit.

Btw, the guys really appreciated the fact somebody had broke trail & cleared the road just a short time ahead of them, after leaving our tent on the Indian R. (easterly from Indian L.) to head home. Sorry, come to think of it- we don't usually go into the tent, until Nov...so, there was a later storm, either that year, or before..where a similar snow storm came in & the guys followed someone out.

[redhawk]

Is that the same storm that trapped a lot of people in the moose River plain? Didn't someone die of a heart attaack because they couldn't get him out for aid?

Little different geograph but on our trip west in June last year, we spent one day in wonderful warm weather and the next we had to leave Glacier NP because they got 14' of snow.

We woke up in our tipi in Browning, Montana the following morning in about 4" of snow. It was beautiful.



Hawk

[Yukon]

Yep, that was the storm you are thinking about Redhawk. Looking back at the situation we should have just stayed an extra day instead of driving out. There were quite a few times trees fell around us while we were working and once we had one fall in the six feet or so between our trucks. The forest sounded like it was filled with gunfire from all the trees/branches breaking.

[Gipper]

Memorable Day

Those pictures bring back a few memories. I was back in Brooktrout Lake the night before the storm and woke up that morning to my tent buckling under the wet snow, there was at least 16 inches where I was. I made the decision to head out and started my hike out for the Brooktrout trailhead Parking area at 6:30am reached the car at 9:45am. The small stream that I could rock hop over on the way in a week earlier was now waist deep rapids. Lost the trail 6 times on the way out, couldn't even see the tree markers which were completely covered as well as the trail itself which had every branch bent over blocking it. Yukon I may have been part of your crew I had a White Blazer and a Stihl chainsaw that never stopped only to refuel. I remember the Van and the unprepared guy's shivering. I mostly remember the 24 ft trailer stuck blocking the road trying to get up along 7th lake Mountain. Between that chainsaw and some strong back guy's from Batavia we made it to the Limekiln gate at 2am Sunday morning. The chainsaw has always been the first thing I load into the vehichle before I head out. Unfortunatel I never took a single picture from that weekend i'm glad you did.
Gipper

[Yukon]

I remember you Gipper! What a trip that was. There was also the guy who had the Bronco that kept stalling, the guys in the big Ford truck, and the two brothers. One in an old Bronco/Blazer and the other brother in (get this) a Chevy celebrity or some such nonsense! We gave him about a 0% chance of getting out, but with his bro and a tow strap he did. And that dang trailer. I wonder if the guy who left that trailer there knew how close it was to getting knocked over so we could get by. I bet we cleared it on the one side by 1/2 foot or so. I also remember someone abandoning a truck on the road, right in our way. The tranny was shot, but he was nice enough to leave the key so we could nurse it off to the side to get around.

As for the pics, the only person who had the time or energy to take pictures during the great escape was my buddy Mark. He hurt his knee pretty bad the day before and sat in the truck drinking Black Velvet while everyone worked. He escaped one of the hardest days work I have ever been involved with, but he did need surgery on the knee so I guess we are even.

We will be back in the plains for a week starting Sunday and there is no doubt I will have the Husqvarna handy.

[alombard]

Thanks for sharing those pictures. I remember that day well. Left the house in Potsdam with a nice fall day, to arrive in the high peaks to two feet of wet snow.

[Connie Bear Orion]

I remember that snow storm, made an hour drive home, like 2 hours, and a lot more interesting.

But I was not crazy enough to be sleeping in a tent back in the woods.

[ccockrell]

Many thanks for the reminder that "flaky" weather occurs in the fall as well as the spring. And in the Adirondacks, summer and winter as well!

[skichucky]

I remember skiing deep POW-POW from that storm here in Northern Vermont. Let's get another please!!!!