Winter Caretaker’s Blog Volume 7
Greetings from Gangler’s! It’s been 6 months here in the Sub-Arctic and spring is trying its best to spring!
March remained a chilly month, but full of sunshine – with only five days all month that our power required the generator. We are now over 30 days in a row running on solar power only. The weather brought a few more inches of snow, and added the same to the ice on the lake. We are drilling through over 40” of ice right now, traveling further out on the lake to fetch our barrels of water and avoid hitting bottom with the auger.
The full moon eclipse was a sight to see with clear skies and a great view. The addition of wolves howling out on the lake only added to the experience. We had a brief visit from wolves, stopping by the neighborhood for a few days making their presence known but keeping out of sight.
At the end of March, we saw hunters come through again in search of the caribou herd using Gangler’s as a pitstop as they traveled further north on the hunt. We had the chance to chat with one gent, Tommy Bird. Originally from Brochet, he had traveled all the way from Saskatchewan on snow mobile joining family and a few others for their spring hunt. It was great to speak with him and learn a little more of their history and traditions here in the “Barren Lands” of the Manitoba north. He travelled over 750 km (466 mi) round trip. Their skills and endurance navigating these hunts continues to impress. 12 hunters and 3 separate groups all arrived the same day at various times, bunkering-down in the cabin together, sharing the warmth, food and stories. All were very grateful as Ken is kind enough to have the internet service running, giving everyone a chance to touch base with those back home.
With just over a month to go before the plane is set to arrive for our departure, the waiting and watching game begins, specifically the snow melt as we will need the runway to be clear of snow for landing. My snow meter has reached 90” of snow so far this year! We are traveling further out onto the lake for water now, as our usual spot in the back bay has frozen to the bottom. Water collection will be more strategic in the coming days as we expect the snow out there to turn sloppy. Currently we are packing the snow down to maintain the trail and to keep our path to the water hole, also providing a trail for the wolves to traverse the lake on the hunt for food.
Our wee hunter Dashlee (one of our dachshunds) will be back on the leash as the warmer weather entices her to travel further out on the trails, always on the lookout for those pesky squirrels, birds and rabbits.
Looking forward to warmer weather and what comes next at Gangler’s North Seal River Lodge!