Top Floor Walls Are Up

The weekend before Easter five of us headed back up to Lake Louise. It was a sunny but fairly cold weekend with temps running just above 0 at night and up to 15 above during the day.
Chuck Ardizzone, my brother Ed, Tom Kron, Tom Pelfrey, and myself were the crew. Tom P and I headed up to the Lake on Friday morning. Ed worked at the uncle's cabin all week and also cut bracing blocks, rafters, and puttered around getting things ready and all cleaned up and sorted out. It was a big help to walk onto the site and just get to it without having to look for materials or tools.


On Saturday Chuck A and Tom K along with Tom P laid out sill and top plates and started nailing walls together. We went to work about 1 P.M. and by 7 we had 2 walls up and one built and ready to raise. On Sunday we got started about 9 A.M. and had the fourth wall up before noon. We stored the materials and tools then fired up the snow machines and headed back out the trail 6 miles to the road. Now I have to get back up quick as possible and get the roof up. Tonight we leave at about 6 P.M. for Lake Louise. We will haul in a 100 amp panel and a bunch of other small materials for the wiring. The cabin will have 115V AC and 12 V DC throughout. A solar panel and batteries will produce the DC, a gen set will produce the AC.

This will probably be the last week we will be able to access with the sleds. The snow is going fast. In about 2 weeks the trails up north will be mushy and have bare spots. This summer will be walk in or 4 wheeler.

I will upload pictures as soon as I get the digitals from Tom and from a roll of film I am getting developed.

Cabin Coming Along....Slowly

Tom Pelfrey and Chuck Ardizzone have been up to help with the cabin, as has my brother Ed. He has been up about from Seattle for about 2 1/2 weeks. He stayed up at the lake this past week to finish cutting out the rafters and to put BCI blocking between the joists. While staying at Cousin Fred's place he declared war on squirrels and nests. He has been chasing the wildlife out of the cabin and tossing their nesting materials out too. He has been boarding up holes the little varmits have chewed through the walls and generally aggravating the pests as much as he has been aggravated by them.

Last week Chuck A, Ed and I put down 4 sheets of new 3/4 T&G. I had to run to Glennallen, a 93 mile round trip by road, 12 round trip out to the road and back. Four sheets of the OSB had swelled about 1/8" to 3/16". We nailed down the flooring and adjusted the floor around the BCI josts where the stairwell is framed out.

When we went to pull the tarps up, they are 30' x 40' the wind came up. For awhile we were wondering if we could get them laid down and tied in place. The four bad sheets of OSB were good for something.

Ed worked on Cousin Fred's Honda gen set. He gets vexed to find gummy rusty goo in the sediment bowl. I think he may buy Freddie a filter which takes out water and contaminants when fuel is added to the Honda tank.

Two weeks ago Susan, Tom P, 7 year old grandson Isaiah, and the wife, Susan, went up. It was 30+ Saturday and we got quite a bit of organizing and hauling done. Sunday morning we woke up with the cabin at 48 degrees and the main propane tank empty. We thought it would make it through until morning. Got up and changed it at 0530. It was -34 degrees. We left for home as quickly as Tom and I could haul the loaded freight sled from Fred's to my place and back. I'm glad we had the foresight to load the sled and haul it to Fred's the evening before.

Tomorrow Tom picks me up at 0900. We are leaving the Jetta for Chuck A and Tom Kron to drive up to the lake. They will be up Saturday. We are hoping to get up a couple of walls. Four would be nice, but would be a push. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. If I can get the wall up I will try for the ridge in a couple weeks and then can go in to put sheething, felt paper and tin on later.