The shoulder season, after the summer heat has gone and before the (hopefully) deep snows of winter arrive, is an optimal time to prepare Hišimy̓awiƛ for the coming cold.
Hut custodians are always on the lookout for possible problems: humidity, overly large snow boots, poorly performing generators, or inadequate storage. We also need to make sure the pellet stove is supplied for the season, and that the electrical system and backups are ready to go—the warmth and solar radiance of summer are quite different than iced over panels in the winter.
Our fearless leaders organize a heli lift each year to resupply the hut with these necessities. Another big job is to fly out the poop barrels under each outhouse. In times past we tried to compost the poop, but the altitude makes this impractical.
Instead, they get flown down to the parking lot to a friendly septic truck, the “milkshake machine“ applied, pumped out, garbage strained out, and then the empties flown back up to the outhouses, ready to receive more gifts. We also fly down garbage like toilet paper, abandoned food bags, and the like.
It takes at least 10 people to do this, plus the highly skilled pilot. Five people are down at the parking lot, prepping cargo nets with supplies - propane cylinders, lumber, and 1 ton of wood pellets. Five people are up at the hut, getting the poop barrels pulled out, unloading the newly arrived supplies, and flying down the garbage.
This year we were lucky to have a skilled pilot as we needed to replace the backup generator with a new, 450lb version. To keep it free of snow, we built a 5 foot high aluminum stand, bolted that to the concrete, and had the pilot lower the new generator directly onto the platform, only a foot or so from the side of the hut.
An impressive feat made easier by the fortunate weather that day, with little to no wind and blue skies. The main challenge of the day was persuading the many campers to keep the area clear - or, in one case, to remain inside the outhouse while the cargo was being placed.
Once the lift was over, we had chores remaining: build a new propane shed, upgrade the trail, clean the outhouses, update the weather station, and install the generator. This last task was one for Rob, our skilled electrician, and his assistant Vince. Suffice to say it is not just a matter of connecting some wires together! Ideally the generator is remote start, triggered when the battery levels get too low due to inadequate supply from the solar panels.
I helped with the new shed, ably designed by Jim and assisted by a number of young and old volunteers. My main task was to clear the foundation of dirt and rock, which involved splitting rocks with a pickaxe, reminding me of Minecraft. Turns out moving a lot of dirt and rock is hard work! My soft knowledge worker hands soon blistered. One must be very careful with cuts, as it isn’t possible to run off to a big box store to get more supplies. The difficult part if visualizing the shed in the depth of winter, with a gale blowing snow pellets horizontally, and ensure the design will be intact throughout those conditions, as well as the relatively mild weather of that weekend.
The work party is mostly fun of course, with games and music in the afternoons, a new dart board in the basement , and of course the natural surroundings to explore and enjoy. Weather came in Saturday afternoon and led to the fairly typical hut scenario of watching campers enduring the wind and rain while in the hut we were cozy and warm. With the lift a success, Hišimy̓awiƛ is ready for another season of skiing and adventuring in the snow.
