Yellowstone Country Safety * Winter Go-bag *

With the great snow and the colder temperatures, be sure to pack a go-bag to take with you when venturing into the mountains. A couple of methods of starting fires (matches, lighters, etc.), paper towels in a Ziploc (for tinder or hinder), water, some food, a knife, a compass, a small tarp and some rope are all essential if you become stranded.

Yellowstone Country Safety * Gas in Tank *

As the temperatures drop into the single digits, make sure to keep you vehicle’s tank at least half full. If you get stuck, you need the ability to keep you vehicle running and your heater on until help can get to you. Keep your cell phone fully charged when you go out as well. 

The Snow is on its Way!

The last of our summer neighbors closed up their cabin and migrated south to their winter home. Winter cabin shutters seem to be appearing with more frequency with each passing day as the weather cools. It is the secluded calm before the storms.

Every conversation between residents seems to include the acknowledgement of winter preparations yet uncompleted. Some of the most common are:

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1.     I need to finish cutting firewood.       
2.     The propane tank needs to be filled.
3.          The truck needs new tires this winter.
4.        Time to put up the summer yard furniture.
5.      I need to make sure the snow blower starts.
6.      Where are my wool socks?
7.       It’s almost time to put up the 4 wheelers and check the sleds.
8.      I need to have someone blow out my sprinkler system.
9.     If I don’t organize the shed/garage, I won’t be able to find anything this winter.
10.         We are going to be in trouble if my husband doesn’t get the roof on our house this week.

Sheri and I took a drive up Sawtell Peak Road on Sunday and found that winter had arrived up high. The serenity of nature’s beauty was tempered by the realization that winter is on its way and there is still much to do.

Yellowstone Country Safety * Clear Driveways *

It is not too early to begin removing rocks, wood or other objects from areas that you intend to have snow blown or plowed.

It’s all in the Preparation

In the winter of 2009 I was living in Pocatello when the local news announced an impending storm. The storm was labeled “the storm of the century” with forecasts for three feet of snow. Store shelves were emptied of food and water as residents stockpiled provisions in anticipation of the apocalyptic event. When the day of the storm arrived, we received about a foot of snow! What a letdown.

I was in Pocatello last week meeting with several clients. I was repeatedly asked about how I coped with the Island Park winter, especially the snow fall. They were surprised when I told them that I enjoyed the winter. It is fun adapting to the challenges of the lower temperatures and higher snow fall. I explained that one has to prepare for winter before it begins. Exterior cabin repairs must be made before everything is winterized and stored away. Firewood is split, stacked and covered. Propane tanks are filled. The pantry is stocked and winter clothes are replaced if necessary.

I explained to my friends that the trick to enjoying the winters in Island Park is to be ready for them before they arrive. That is why when we get a three foot snow, the shelves at Robin’s Roost remain stocked.

The residents of Island Park have learned how to avoid crisis through preparation. I have benefited from good friends who continue to teach me how to make winters enjoyable in the high country. I am sure that without their help I would have been jumping from one winter crisis to another instead of enjoying the beauty of Island Park’s winter white cloak. 

Yellowstone Country Safety * Fall Driveway Clearing *

Remove rocks and debris from areas that you want to plow or snow blow this winter. Today’s rocks are next month’s projectiles!

The White Warning!

Winter preparations are more demanding during my second fall in Island Park. Cabin steps, several porch posts and decking had to be replaced. The exterior needed a coat of stain and a drainage system needed to be installed along one side of the cabin. My visits to Island Park Builder’s Supply are almost as regular as visits to the post office next door. In addition, my neighbor committed to construct a garage this fall and needed help clearing trees. And I still have a few more cords of firewood to cut!

Just to remind me that time is limited; Mother Nature hit Island Park with several inches of snow while I was clearing trees. It was her way of exhorting me to pick up the pace. I feel like a squirrel gathering every possible pinecone before the snow entombs them.

I enjoy logging and cabin repairs but I’m not sure that my body concurs. I found myself anxiously awaiting my order of Bio Freeze to arrive at my PO Box.  I have been away from a gym for too long! I must start lifting again or I am going to drop like a pine that I recently felled.

I am reminded of a line from the movie Jeremiah Johnson. “The mountains got its own ways. Whatever you learned down in the flat will serve you no good up here. You’ve got some work to do.”

While continuing my education, I am hoping for a few more weeks of decent weather before the winter hits. There is a lot of work to do.  

Yellowstone Country Safety * Winterize The Vehicles *

It is time to check the antifreeze and window washer fluid. It is getting cold and time to winterize the vehicles.