Staking Shoal Lake
Shoal Lake is close to Lake of the Woods, at the border of Ontario and Manitoba. It is a large lake and the first day we were able to get fairly close to the property using ice roads. (I must admit I was a little leary to drive my truck out there, despite knowing the ice was plenty thick.)
The Crossfire with ice fog on the horizon of Shoal Lake
Due to a few "mishaps" with the Bearcat snowmobiles (which are meant for work), we had to use Bjorn's new baby, the Crossfire. The first day was rough on it because the wind had sculpted the surface of the snow into a rough, bumpy terrain. This meant, not only was it a rough ride, but the snow was so hard there was no powder to cool the machine down. We had to go slow and stop occasionally to spin up some snow to cool it.
Jess in an open ash swamp - see the eagle's nest above and to the left of my head. (In the summer this flooded swamp would be a real pain to walk around!)
Although, it was terrible conditions for the snowmobile, it was awesome for claim staking: no snow in the trees, beautiful sunny day, and a good crust for easy snowshoeing. If only staking were always this great! This is only the first day, unfortunately the next day, the weather changed all that...
Day 2
On our way to work the second day, we could see ominous clouds on the western horizon. A few hours into the work day, it started snowing and never stopped. By the end of the day, we were in a blizzard and visibility was minimal. Both of us were soaked and warmed ourselves by a fire before making the long ride back to the hotel.
We knew the highways were closed by the long line-up of trucks. The hotel parking lot was full as well, as Falcon Lake was the only place around. We waited for two hours for our supper. At least we had a room, many people had to sleep in their vehicles.
We knew the highways were closed by the long line-up of trucks. The hotel parking lot was full as well, as Falcon Lake was the only place around. We waited for two hours for our supper. At least we had a room, many people had to sleep in their vehicles.
Day 3
Preparing for work in the morning outside the hotel. Note the snow on the truck.
Our third day on the job was beautiful and sunny. This made up for the snow in the trees and on the ground. We used a snowmobile trail to access the property for part of the job. It was nice to leave right from the hotel, but it made both of our backs sore, as the Crossfire is only meant for one person. Still, it was good we were able to use the trail as the highways were closed for a day.
To start my day, I walked 1200 metres of my line from the day before. You can see how much snow accumulated overnight on the claim post.
The claims went right to the Manitoba border. This post is where the border is supposed to be. I'm taking the photo from Ontario, looking at Manitoba.
The last day I had to take this shot, just to show how miserable it was. We were completely soaked only half way through the day. This isn't hard to imagine when you see the bush and how much snow is in the trees.
Waiting to be picked up on Shoal Lake. It was windy and desolate.
This job was fairly painful and I was ready for a break. The next few days I spent ice fishing, enjoying one of the best times of the year. You can read that story as well.
