Schmit house is up, deck is on!

Ken Colwill, Ken Marlatt and I hit the trapline for a week at the end of September. Our plan was to get the outhouse up, build a deck on the cabin and do a little hunting. I also wanted to hit the end of Broken Bridge Trail and extend the south end of our marten line almost down to Silver Summit, which is in the bottom southwest corner of the trapline. And a load of wood wouldn't hurt either. I'd also do a little hunting/scouting closer to the cabin for the first couple of days before joining the boys who would be hunting off the trapline at lower elevations where there would be more game.

We arrived mid-day and after getting settled in, we spent the first night relaxing around the fire and taking in the remoteness of our location. This is high country and what lives here is the toughest of big game - moose, wolves and bears, both blacks and grizzlies. The creek flows cold and crystal clear at this time of year. The water's tannin colours of spring and summer are long gone now. Mornings see frost and the smell of hunting and trapping season is in the air. But first... a Shmit House needs erecting and a deck needs building.

In the morning, Ken Marlatt would start on the deck, while Ken Colwill and I tackled the outhouse. Ken Colwill hurt his shoulder quadding and was much like a duck flying around on one wing, but he's tough and in no time the one-armed bandit was breaking apart the old crapper.

Over she goes, the old outhouse is down for the count!

Off comes the door!

Ken Colwill, the one-armed wrecking crew!

Meanwhile, 15 yards away, Ken Marlatt was digging out the front of the cabin to accommodate the new deck while I was prepping the foundation for the new outhouse. We were accomplishing a lot in a very short period of time.

Making good time, almost ready to start screwing down the boards.

The outhouse foundation ready for the walls.

Once the foundation for the outhouse was ready, it was time to start assembling the outhouse walls. The three of us began the process of putting back together what Pete and I had previously built in his garage. Now to see how it all fit together.

Three walls up and so far so good.

Ready to put on the back wall

Before putting on the back wall, I installed the inside seat unit and linoleum flooring.

Almost ready for a coat of paint.

The Taj Mahal of trapline crappers.

While I was finishing off the inside of the outhouse, Ken and Ken worked away on the deck. We'd barely had a beer yet and we were already getting close to finishing. We'd be hunting a day sooner than I'd thought.

Boards are going on.

Cutting the last board to fit.

Ken Marlatt taking a well deserved break and enjoying the view from the new deck.

The last thing to do for the day was paint the outhouse and then it would be time for a few drinks and a good supper on the firepit.

Slapping on the paint. Once painted, the porcupines should leave it alone.

Looking pretty good!

I've written about the beaver living beside the cabin and how close she is on several occasions. Dakota and I battled with her for a year, breaking her dam over and over again to no avail. There is a saying though that if you want to get a redneck to do something for you, just bet him he can't do it and sure enough he'll give it a try. A small wager and the boys were off with pick axe and hoe in hand. Ken and Ken decided they'd name her Sally and give her a battle. I warned them she was a workhorse and that their efforts too would be fruitless, but they were convinced no beaver would defeat them.

Ken Colwill giving his one-armed best effort at removing a beaver dam.

I'm not sure how many times they returned to the beaver dam but it was a lot. That night before bed, they were convinced they'd won. We'd find out in the morning.

Passed out, but what's with the broom? We hoped he thought he was holding the hoe
and dreaming about Sally the beaver, not... well, you get the idea.

The next morning Sally and I declared victory; her dam was back together and I collected my winnings. Not sure what she must be thinking but her days are numbered. We missed catching her last trapping season but she won't be as lucky this year, at least I hoped. The beavers there are starting to dam up water in places it shouldn't be, at least if I still want to be able to get to my cabin.

The boys hit the road, heading down to lower elevations in search of game. I started off on foot from the cabin. I wanted to check out a few areas closer to home that I hadn't been to before. In short order, I encountered a doe and a fawn, but they were safe from me. There are a few deer around the area of the cabin but they aren't in great numbers. Usually if you see a doe she is without fawn. It was nice to see this one was still alive and well.

Ken and Ken returned just before dark. They had seen little in the way of game but had seen some beautiful country. They had encountered a big, fresh grizzly track not too far from the cabin as the crow flies. Makes you feel awake and alive when you encounter a grizzly's track when you are hunting. They are big and dangerous animals if you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The bear track beside Ken Marlatt's hat. Like humans, bears are heel walkers as opposed to toe walkers.

And so the first few days went, with little sign of game. It was time to make the journey to the far south end of my trapline. I wanted to get down there and see what kind of marten country there was. Judging from where our existing route ended, it looked excellent, but there really was only one way to find out. Traveling around a trapline on a quad isn't necessarily fun, nor is it fast. A snowmobile is the way to go but without snow, quads it was.

A long ride later, we accomplished what I wanted to do and now I have about another 10 miles to add to my trapline route. The country down there is big old growth forest that I'm sure the logging companies have their eyes on, so I'll start harvesting the excess young-of-the-year marten population that arrives in search of new territories each winter. The grouse population this year is in good shape; both spruce and ruffies are everywhere. We also came across a big bull moose that was sporting a bell about two-feet long. We also watched a beautiful big black bear munching away in a cutblock. Not sure why I don't have a picture of the bear, but I got one of the moose.

Look at the length of the bell on this moose.

Would have been about a 250-yard shot.

The final couple of days we spent scouting new areas in search of elk. Ken and Ken found a place where an elk gutpile lay from a lucky hunter but we weren't so fortunate. They also found my trapline neighbour's cabin and dubbed a road Pig's Head Road, because there actually was a pig's head laying on the road... the road to Jimmy's Hill, where "no girl tires" are allowed.

The turn to what is now known as Pig's Head Road.

Not sure who Jimmy is?

Ken Colwill had to leave a day early; he bought a new truck in Athabasca and was now going to make his way across country to get there to pick it up. We managed to get a load of wood and see some of the northwest country off the trapline before he left. Ken Marlatt and I stayed the night by ourselves, enjoying drinks and a steak supper over the open grill.

Relaxing at the firepit.

A happy trapper.

The big mudhole on Cabin Trail Road is getting pretty bad. Ken and I had to winch me out of the hole, as the trailer got hung up. Soon it will be frozen though and a different part of the trail can be used. In another month, I'll most likely be on a snowmobile.

The hole is getting longer and deeper.

Nothing a winch can't handle.

Thanks to my two good friends, I had a lot of fun and now I've got some upgrades done to the cabin tnat will make this trapping season that much more enjoyable.

Until next time!