What adventure is next?

Phase 3: retirement years (our retirement, not the kids)

Now, we are retired and looking to spend more time at the cabin. This means we would like to build a pole barn and a new cabin. We now need to have access right to the cabin by truck. No way were we moving enough building supplies by ATV and trailer or by boat.

Following some lengthy research and looking into the process for improving our access trail we contacted the Ministry of Natural Resources for our jurisdiction and they were able to help us out.

We needed to have a work permit to improve the road and to install a culvert where the treacherous water crossing was. We received the work permit in early summer of 2018.

So the work began:

We purchased the appropriate size culvert and moved it from our home location to as close as we could get to the water crossing by truck and trailer.

Some site preparation was needed at the water crossing before moving the culvert into place. Some large beams we were previously trying to get out to the cabin needed to be moved. Moving the beams was not a simple job. Adventures and challenges abound but those stories are for another time.

The summer of 2018 was an exceptionally dry year so we were able to do all the work on the creek crossing with no water running in the creek! A large amount of debris, old logs/timbers and stones needed to be removed from the old crossing.

A trench wide enough and long enough for the culvert to fit in needed to be dug. The grade of the trench was important to ensure the water would flow the right direction once we were done and it started raining again.

 

We moved the culvert to site with a Kubota tractor pulling a small trailer with the culvert tied on top.

Moving the culvert from the small trailer into the trench was challenging to say the least. Some ingenuity and brute strength was needed.

There was a near miss from a serious injury when the culvert went sliding down the trailer narrowly missing Dan. But it was eventually in place.

Painted stakes were placed at either end of the culvert to ensure correct placement of the culvert as the back filling is done.

 

Then the work of back filling began.

Gravel was screened and separated. The larger stones were screened off and placed on the sides of the road as cobble protecting the road and preventing erosion. The smaller gravel was used to build up the center section.

Once most of the gravel was in place a packer was used to firm it up. The packer is very old so several small mechanical issues cropped up during the process. Small amounts of gravel were added as needed to level the road bed.

Eventually the culvert is completed and we now have vehicle access right to the cabin.

Now that we have road access to the cabin, what adventure is next?

Eventually it became easier to access the cabin.

Many years later some logging was done to the north and west of “our” lake. The roads built for logging this area opened it up to traveling by vehicle. We were able to get much closer to “our” lake and no longer required a 4×4 vehicle. However we still needed an ATV to move our supplies from the vehicle down a trail about 100meters to the boat. Load the supplies and kids in the boat, travel across the lake to our dock and then carry all the supplies up the hill to the cabin. More stories and memories made during the many times traversing this trail.

Eventually, exploring the existing road and trail system led us to find an easier trail into our cabin. We now had ATV access right to the cabin door. We could only drive the truck so far and then needed to move all the supplies from the truck to the ATV. We used a trailer with the ATV but often needed to make more than one trip. Of course we had adventures along the way: mechanical issues with the vehicles, trees down on the trail, a water crossing that was treacherous, hills, mud and more mud. Oh the stories I could tell (for another time).

Phase 1: Early years, during the time the kids were babies and toddlers

Originally, accessing our remote cabin in the wilderness of northwestern Ontario was a challenging adventure. It was challenging even before we had children. Once the children came along it became even more difficult especially during their baby and toddler years. Oh the stories I could tell.

The route from our home started out on pavement, turned to gravel and once you traversed 3 different sets of railway crossing it turn into a sandy road. A few kilometers down the sandy road you turned into a trail requiring a 4×4 vehicle and some skillful driving.

The trail was narrow from the trees and brush constantly trying to grow into the open area. It was hilly, and sandy in some areas, rocky in some areas, and muddy in other areas. There was a water crossing with a makeshift bridge I was always worried we would just slip off of and be stuck with water and mud up to the truck doors. Not a pleasant feeling when you have two little ones with you. Once you made it past all these obstacles you arrived at the first lake.

Now it was time to transfer all the supplies (and the babies/toddlers) to the boat. Oh yah, and the dog. We always seemed to have a dog that loved to tag along with us on these adventures out to the cabin.

Once everything and everyone was in the boat we traveled across the lake. Once on the other side we removed all the supplies from the boat and carried them over to “our” lake. However removing all the supplies and babies/toddlers from the boat was not an easy task as the landing area had a large, sloping and slippery rock to maneuver up. More than once someone or something would end up in the water. Ask Dan’s Uncle Norm, he remembers this rock fondly.

We then had to carry everything across the portage. The portage had sections of mud, slippery rocks, trees, tall grass and cat tails, and even some wild life to look out for. You can imagine how difficult this was when the children were babies and toddlers. Many stories and memories made over the years of falling in the mud, sliding off the rocks into the water, getting to the other side and a group of 4 people had borrowed our boat and motor and was out in the lake fishing and drinking.

Transfer all the supplies to another boat (if it is there and no one has stolen (the thief’s word “borrowed”) it). Cross “our” lake arriving at the dock. Unload the boat and move everything up the hill to the cabin. Finally arriving at our little piece of paradise.

For numerous years this was the only way into the cabin.

Accessing the cabin in a remote piece of Northwestern Ontario has changed over the years. Initially (phase 1) access was extremely challenging especially when the children were small. But the work was all worth it to spend some time in this beautiful spot with family and some times friends. Eventually when logging opened up the area to vehicle travel, accessing the cabin became a little easier (phase 2). Phase 3 is our retirement years and with a lot of work we are now able to have vehicle access right to the door of our cabin.