Extended Shoulder Season
My favorite Skookum season, winter, is slow coming on. There has been just enough rain and snow to make driving in impractical. Since hiking in is more of a commitment, I prefer to spend the night. One of the benefits of nights at Skookum is the beautiful sunrise.
The view of Bridger Bowl (left photo) during the hike in reveals minimal snow. Wylie’s enthusiasm for hiking versus driving reads like a book in his expression.
My progress getting the wiring done is pathetically slow. Part of the plan is to build small wood frames around the ceiling lighting electrical boxes. In the left photo I’m testing the fit of the conduit (white plastic) to the groove I cut through the frame using a Sawzall and chisel. The right photo shows a batch of frames that have been stained but not yet sealed with polyurethane.
Wylie assembled chairs for a small table and chair set, one of the details that will make the cabin more comfortable.
I plumbed in the sink (left photo) and there’s now hot and cold running water (right photo), a huge improvement over last year. So far I haven’t found any leaks. With cold weather coming, I’m nervous about freezing pipes. I pour antifreeze down the sink and blow out the water supply lines with compressed air when I close up the cabin, but I can’t see how well the water is actually blown out.
I installed a small cupboard above the countertop and a hood above where the stove will go. The venting and wiring should be completed sometime this winter.
All the wiring to the breaker box is done, although there’s plenty to do on most of the circuits. The North wall of the bathroom houses the breaker box and it is stained and has one coat of polyurethane. After one more coat of polyurethane I’ll install the front panel of the breaker box and — gulp! — maybe even connect the breaker box to the inverter if I can overcome my cowardice.
This is the first view of the cabin on the winter hike route, coming from the North. The hike in takes about an hour.
On November 15 nearly all the snow had melted for our hike out. But the sun is low in the sky and snow should be staking out its rightful habitat before long, covering the sagebrush and downed logs to make for a smooth ride on our skis during the months ahead.
Looks like Wylie gets a little bigger every post you make! 🙂
Looks like Wylie gets a little bigger every post you make! 🙂