May 1969: Building the Cache

May 1969: Building the Cache

May 18, 1969:
Today would be a warm one and it was getting an early start. I would work on my cache today so as to be near if Babe did come. The first course of logs notched and nailed to my planks. I cut notches for four floor stringers and hewed them to fit. I will add the floor when I take it apart for moving and assembly on the top of the nine foot posts.

Eleven logs in place and the floor stringers in. Pretty good for a start. If I work on it tomorrow by evening it will be shaping up pretty good.

May 19, 1969:

Another day to make chips and I made a lot of them. Notches all a pretty close fit. Tonight finds thirty in place. A total of 29 inches high. I must go at least 36 inches to the square.

May 20, 1969:
A day for more cache building. 40 logs and three feet high to the square. An eight in. rise in the roof and eight inch eaves. The gables built up and the ridge log in place. Now for some roof poles which are cut to length and waiting to be dressed up a bit. Everything a good snug fit. I hope it goes together with no trouble when I climb the ladder with all the pieces.

May 21, 1969:
One year ago today I came to Twin Lakes. It was a beautiful day. Babe and I sat on the gravel bar at the upper end of the lower lake and had quite a visit before he cranked up the little black bird and flew for home and I loaded my pack board with the first of two loads that I would pack that day. The ice ready to go out and I walked the beach. More snow on the beach now than then. The sun bearing down – I picked up a sun burn from the sun on the snow. Eight new lambs on the face of Falls mt. then as there is now. A bull caribou on the Cowgill benches. That was the first day of what I believe was the most interesting year of my life. What will the next year bring?

Another day to make chips and saw dust. The floor poles to cut to length and the roof poles to dress up and put in place.

More rain – not a day for working outside. I needed to rip a pole for caps on the eave ends of the roof poles, planks for my door frame. 1 1⁄2 inch planks for my 20 x 23 1⁄2 inch door. A stump cut up to make the hinges. The woodshed was the place for that – let it rain and blow.

May 22, 1969:
The sun finally came out and I worked on my door hinges.

The hinges done I was ready to take my little log house apart and move it up to the cabin and its nine foot stilts.
My scaffold up and no. 1 log resting on top of the posts. Ten past six and time to call it a day. Tomorrow evening should see the cache back together and some of the finishing touches done.

May 23, 1969:
Today I would put the cache on stilts. I was anxious to see how it would go. A good bearing surface on the posts for the lower logs. I mixed up a batch of glue and saw dust to get a real good fit. Two sixty penny spikes in each corner. I had salvaged some 1 inch square tubing from the Tripacer. I augered a 7/8” hole through each log on the four corners and on down into the post. A real tight fit and I drove the tubing with the heavy axe. Three quarters of an inch off from square. A line from one front corner to the opposite rear corner pulled it square. The logs fit perfectly. A 40 penny spike in the heavy ends and 16’s in the small ends. Up to the square. The eave logs on, the gables and ridge log. The floor stringers and deck poles in as soon as the first four logs were in place. The roof poles on and the ends trimmed. The cap put over the ends and it was noon. I hardly expected it to go up so quickly. It looked good for size and proportion.

Now, the door. The logs forming top and bottom of the door opening were already inletted so all that was necessary was to cut the logs in between. My homemade 10 inch plank four and one half feet long made more than enough for the 23 1⁄2 X 20 in. door. Some wood to remove to get the hinges in position. The door hung and it looked even better. Next the roof covering. A course of tar paper. A sheet of polyethylene and moss on top plus the poles to hold it in place.

May 24, 1969:
Today, plug the slots between the roof poles over the eave logs – the tar paper and the polyethylene. Trouble with the tar paper. It had layed on the gravel floor under the bunk of the guest cabin so long that it stuck together on the lower side and it took a dozen wraps to get a wrap that wouldn’t tear. A good calm day for the polyethylene and I had no problem there. A search for a good patch of suitable moss. Six loads was enough. Poles to hold it in place and a rock on each corner until the poles get bedded deep in the moss. Looking better all the time. Now a door handle and latch. Some scraps from my hinges would do that job.

May 25, 1969:

A big stack of hotcakes and I was ready for the new day. I had thought of taking the day off but if I worked I could finish my project. I was anxious to see it complete so I turned to. The fancy door handle and latch to put on. I’m sorta proud of that piece of work. Ready for the chinking. A little okum and a lot of moss. A small cabin and it was soon finished. The deck poles dressed up a bit on the lower side for the benefit of the ceiling watchers. For all practical purposes it was complete. I took my scaffold down and got my cameras. The sun just right to get the most from the pola screen. I went out on the ice for a couple shots.

Some odd jobs to do – repair my shoes which are to good to throw away and not good enough to keep… My tools to sharpen – saws to file. Get cleaned up for this is Sunday.

May 26, 1969:
Now I have a cache but no ladder except my 15 footer which is to long and I don’t want to shorten it. I would make an eleven foot ladder of a different style.
Back to my ladder project. I had a real good pole well seasoned. I would rip it down the center and with flat sides in, use it for side rails. The steps would be short lengths ripped and the flat side up and level when in position. A ladder a person could walk up instead of climb. Back to my ladder but I knew it wouldn’t be finished today.

May 27, 1969:
Today I would finish my ladder and it was cool on fingers working bare handed. Before I finished it started to snow and the wind decreased. The longer it snowed the bigger the flakes. Surely it was only a shower. Soon the ground was white and no sign of let up. My ladder done and a few pictures while it snowed I declared it a letter writing day… The snow continued – two inches then three and more than four before it called it enough. What a beautiful sight – if only the sun would come out before it dropped from the trees or melted from my cabin and cache roofs. The cloud cover broke and the sun tried to brighten the upper lake country. I was ready and waiting when a big blue spot finally turned on the lights. I needed a couple shots from the lake and with the 35 mm wide angle I could get the cabin area and crag mt. too. I hurried up to Spikes cabin and took the canoe out of retirement. I was happy to put it away last fall and just as happy to slide it in the water again. A good wide channel all the way down from the point. With my camera aboard I paddled out to the area opened only this morning. A narrow neck of snow covered ice between me and shore. The snow on the trees, the roofs and the mt. behind it was a picture & I hope that I did it justice on film. As if waiting for me to finish the light failed.

May 28, 1969:
A 12” band of tin around each leg of the cache and 8 inches from the top. I would like to see mr. squirrel bypass that barrier. A new gravel path to the cache, the brush pile to burn on the beach and the remainder of my building chips to clean up.

May 29, 1969:

Today would be moving day… The canoe for hauling my load and it was a good load with all the good worthless empty boxes. Then a sorting and transferring job. Large near empty boxes and sacks emptied in to smaller ones. Winter clothes to box up and put in the back corner. A gas can box with shelves for bacon grease, syrup, cheese, milk, etc. My sheep skin and horns. Caribou hide. The lima beans into a flour sack – and a few worthless but good empty boxes. Room to spare, not for a large moose perhaps but for another good ram, yes. There it was and with the ladder down not even a mouse could get in. I only hope I didn’t pack one in.

HABS photo by Fred Hirschmann