The Day after Christmas

Well it's the day after Christmas and yesterday seemed to stretch out so long, being here without Elaine, Kaia, Shaba it just didn't seem like home or much of a holiday. It was a very lonely week and it isn't because I haven't tried to get out. The snow is just too deep for me to get through on the ATV especially going up hills right now. I've spent many holidays and days alone and it has never bothered me but this time all I wanted to do was to be able to share it with Elaine, instead we were apart and have been for the majority of this holiday season and it just hasn't felt like holidays. Now I normally look at everyday as a holiday but for the first time I feel very restricted in what I've been able to do this winter. Breaking the Ranger so early in the season has made things even more difficult to get around, that and the fact that they have only groomed out to Trinity one time so far this year. That sucks real bad since they say they have a schedule and like to keep the trails close to the snowpark groomed yet leaving the further trails alone when those are the ones that most people want to go ride on. Last yr they groomed every 7-10 days and this year they have groomed out here one time and that is all. At this time there are lots of trees down from Grouse Creek on but it just doesn't take that long to remove them especially with the equipment they have to work with. Personally I'm not sure what is going with them but one thing I do know is that they don't groom what needs to be groomed and spend alot of time grooming the same things over and over limiting where people can go which isn't close to what is available here for all of the winter sports that could be happening out here.
I know that the dog sledders haven't been able to go very far on their outings because of what has and hasn't been groomed, they are less than a month away from the Cascade Quest Sled Dog race and haven't seen one team out this far this year, and yet I know they have been practicing down by Fish Lake. When it comes to who is really reaponsible for the sno-parks it seems that no one wants to take the lead, the forest service turns it over to Pacific Mountain Services and leaves it up to them and the Rec Club as to what gets groomed and when and so far it hasn't come close to being done on a schedule or anything else for that matter, but they spend alot of time doing the routes close to Fish Lake.
On Thur my friend Bob is going to start heading out this way with chainsaw and sled and is going to work his way down to Trinity. He is going to cut the trees that they say are down and go as far as he can and if it gets too late he'll go back out and then start back in the next morning so hopefully I'll get to see Elaine one way or the other this week. That is my goal. The other one is to try and find out who really has the say about the grooming out here. This time out here wouldn't have been bad if Elaine would have been here to share it with instead of being apart during all of this time, and being divided in spirit, loving being at home but at the same time wanting to be with the person I Love, Elaine. Everyday is a learning experience it's what we do with it that counts.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

It's The Day before Christmas

Well it's Sunday mornig the skies were clear last night no snow fell but the temps sure did, perfect conditions for grooming. This holiday season has not been quite like I thought it would be especially since Elaine came into my life. I thought we would be spending the time together and getting with family and friends for this time of year, instead we have only seen each other 2 times since Thanksgiving for a couple of days each. Right now the snow is too deep for me to get out on the ATV expecially when it comes to going up hills and there are plenty of those between Trinity and Fish Lake. I did hear that a couple of friends tried to get out here yesterday but they said there were too many trees down and they could only get to Grouse Creek campground which is still 18 miles away from Trinity.
Every morning I get dressed and go out to check the road to see if it has been groomed and since the snow last week that dumped about 3-4' of new snow and dropped many trees has not been groomed since the first time back on Dec 6th. They are supposed to have a schedule they keep but it seems to me that they work on keeping the trails closer to Fish Lake cleared and groomed but the more adventurous trails have been left alone and ungroomed, affecting many sledders, dog sledders and skiers that use these groomed trails. I still haven't seen or heard of Kaia & Nashaba for over 10 days and that concerns me. I know they use the groomed trails but they aren't groomed for them to get home and I still can't get to them. I'm just believing that Elaine and I will be together for Christmas and will get to make up for the time we have been apart. This is a time to be with family and friends and know that Love and Peace should be given to all we come in touch with. My desire is for the the Trinity pack to be reunited back home at Trinity.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours. Namaste'

Hard to Know what is Happening

This past week has brought more changes at Trinity, mostly more snow. It has been more difficult to get out right now because they haven't groomed out this far. Now this is part of the state sno-park system and according to the maps it is a groomed trail. On the latest update they say they groomed out here on Sat which just didn't happen. People tried to come out here and ran into many trees down on the trails. I've been going out everyday since it snowed so heavy and no groomer has been out this far, I've been trying to get out to see Elaine and right now don't know what the condition of the road is coming out here, there are a couple of slide areas I was told that people tried to come out here on Sat but could only get to snowcone because of the downed trees. So I'm confused. They have a schedule that says when they will groom but so far the only time they have been to Trinity was on Dec 6 a week after they were supposed to be here originally. Last night we got an additional 6-10" of new snow and it is still snowing at this time. I'm just looking fot the opportunity to go get the snowmobile instead of having the ATV in here right now, it would be much easier to go in and out right now and much quicker, but it would be nice to know the condition of the slide areas before trudging out that way. Everything happens for a reason and today this is another lesson learned.
We found our Paradise hope you find yours...

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Still Missing Kaia & Nashaba

Things just don't seem quite right with Kaia & Nashaba still not coming back but since it hasn't been groomed or no snowmobilers coming out this far to give them tracks to follow that are still out at the other end of the road. I haven't heard from anyone lately that they have been seen or spotted so not sure where they are, I just have to trust that they will be safe. Everything happens for a reason but it is in how we look at things that decides what we will experience. This winter has brought many new lessons to be learned but I believe the biggest lesson I have learned is that I can either choose to have Peace of mind (Love) or conflict (Fear). "If we change the way we look at the things we look at will change" and everyday that becomes more of a reality for me. Some people think we are crazy because of way they look at being out here, we see it as beautiful touched by the hand of God, perfect just as it is, yet others look at it as harsh and unforgiving something to be afraid of, yet we are all looking at the same place. In this time of being alone I know that I am not alone just not present with all of our pack, and realize how connected we really are. Elaine is getting a walking cast today so that she will be more mobile but will still be few weeks away from being able to come home and get around comfortably, the day I am looking forward to happening but must remember to live in today to get the most out of life.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your too.

Phelps Creek

This is what Phelps Creek looks like that runs under our auto bridge. It's still flowing but parts of it are freezing up . Last Thur the dam was shut down because of a snow dropping and blocking the inlet to the dam. I was on gas generator for 27 hours which is a very short time compared to what many residents of WA and OR are experiencing right now after the bad storm passed through. These were taken the day the snow stopped.
I still haven't been able to get out yet waiting for them to groom the road to Trinity, no one made it out this far this past weekend so not sure if trees are down or if there were slides between Trinity and Fish Lake the conditions were definitely ripe for slides.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours.

Many new changes @ Trinity

This week has been an interesting one to say the least. I came home on Monday evening from seeing Elaine and drove through 2-2.5' of new snow and almost white out conditions. I was just getting a handle on the trails around Trinity when another big storm moved in and in 2 days got another 3-3.5' of snow. It was snowing so hard that I could hardly see the powerplant from my house about 100yds away. The temps had been staying around 28-33 and it just dumped and then with all the new snow the plant shut down after an avalanche at the dam cut off the water supply to the powerplant. I had to dig out the gashouse door so that I could get the backup generator out and set up to power a few things here. It took about 27 hours for the water supply to get back to normal and since last night it has been running fine, more than many people in Washington & Oregon. They are still without power many places, I'm up a running. The snow finally stopped around dark last night and since Sun evening we have received about 5.5-6' of new snow. Last night the temps dropped to 10 and it was a beautiful night here. I am just waiting for the groomers to groom the road from Fish Lake to Trinity because of such deep snow and possible avalanches along the way it just isn't possible to get out to look for the kids Kaia & Nashaba or to go see Elaine, maybe tonight it wil happen. Then again if there are snowmobilers out this far today I'll know they made it past the slide areas just fine. It is beautiful today with the sun shining bright and all the snow on the trees looks like a winter wonderland and it is. To beautiful to be in here writing I've got to get out and play today. The only thing to make it a perfect day would be Elaine being here to share it with.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your too...

Concern for the Kids

Tonight I received an email from the Peggy, Nashaba's mom that brought him to Trinity 1.5 yrs ago, so that he would be safe. After reading what I had been told she was very concerned and couldn't understand why anyone would want to hurt the Kid's. Neither one of them have a mean bone in their body, Kaia loves to meet people and loves snowmobilers and hikers, but as I have mentioned she is a con too. Nashaba on the other hand looks on from the trees in all of his majesty and always watching everything that is going on. I still haven't been able to confirm what I was told at this point but am trying to learn the truth. I appreciate those that have cared for and kept them safe and just hope that the weather breaks long enough and the groomers come out so that I can go back in towards Fish Lake and bring them home. Without Elaine and now the kids being gone too it just doesn't seem right here at Trinity. I'm glad Elaine is at her Son's house and safe , now I just want to know the same for Nashaba & Kaia until I can get them back home. We found our Paradise , hope you find yours too.

Having a hard time believing

Well the snow continues to fall another 12+" overnight and with 30+" before that since Sunday night thru Tues morning. When I got home Monday evening I found out Nashaba wasn't here and heard from the owners that he was acting a little weird over the weekend. They said when they left he had been barking alot which is something he never does. They also told me they saw his tracks about 2-3 miles south of Trinity and they dissappeared. He likes to travel on groomed trails but now I've heard he's out at a friends toward Fish Lake with all of the new snow he's not able to come home. I've also heard the the groomers have been told to kill Nashaba & Kaia if they are seen. I haven't been told this personally but am trying to find out what is going on with that. Many people come out here to see them and they are Elaine & My kids out here. Kaia never meets a stranger and Shaba just watches out for her and right now with all the new snow I can't get to them and they can't get home. I hope to find out this isn't true but if it is I want to know what kind of person want to kill someone's kids. Now do they look like something that needs to be killed if that has been the order given? They might need your help too.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

Back from visiting Elaine

Well I just got home last night after coming in during a white out and 30" of new powder on the way in. I was visiting Elaine in E. Wenatchee where she is recovering from a broken ankle, she's in a cast and on crutches . It snowed all night and left an additional 4-6" we now have 7' of snow on the ground.
This is Elaine with Austyn and this is the snow we got in the past 36 hours. After all the new snow now the sun is shining somewhat through the clouds. It has ben hard being seperated from Elaine while she is recovering but you know what they say" absence makes the heart grow fonder "and during this time apart it has really been true for us, it has made us closer than ever. Right now we just have to see what the weather is going to do so we will know when we can get together again. I wanted to bring in some things and so came on the ATV instead of the snowmobile which after taking the trip in would have been the wiser move. Everyday is full of lessons and it is what we do with them that counts.
We found our Paradise hope you find yours too.

More Thank You's

After not being able to get out this past week because of the dam and powerplant going down for 3 days, some more untimely snow and Bob's rig going down since last Saturday when we first came in. We got things taken care of here so that I could finally attempt to get out to go see Elaine so Friday morning I attempted to leave but was only able to make it about 1.5 miles down the road before turning back. I wasn' t thrilled but figured if it was meant to happen then a way would be provided. Well it came in the form of Eric & Michelle friends that I first met 3 winters ago when Eric came out to the Trinity TH to shoot his pistol. I thought they were shooting at my wolfdog Tiva. Well he was with Michelle this time and they had been playing and were here for a craft show at the Rec Center this past weekend. After some coffee and conversation they decided it was time to head back to get ready for Sat. I decided this would be as good a time as any to go so told them I would follow them out and use their tracks to get past the deep stuff, they had mentioned it was pretty good in so I headed out to see Elaine and arrived there Fri evening. So Thank You from both of us as you helped reunite us after a very difficult week of being apart.
I ended up staying an extra day in E Wenatchee with Elaine and Sun morning I left the house with Chris, Elaine's son and we were going to meet some of his friends to break trail for us. Lance wasn't able to get his sled off the trailer but Chris, Clayton & Billy with me headed in to Trinity trying to cut out the snow to make it easier for Bob's tracked ATV to go out. Not only that but they broke trail all the way up to the dam. We got there to a mess ice everywhere which explained why we had shut down when the temps dropped to 7-9 ovenight for 3 nights. We got it cleared and cleaned the screens. That was such a blessing and will make it so much easier to keep it cleared and maintained and that way I will feel better when I go to see Elaine while she is recovering from a broken ankle. She's got about 5 more weeks in a cast which means she can't get home right now.
Thanks to everyone that has helped us out this past week and especially to get back to see Elaine, that was the most important thing on my list. Eric, Michelle, Chris, Clayton, Billy & Bob I wouldn't have been able to do it without all of your help this past week especially getting out to Elaine and getting to the dam and setteling tank. We'll never forget it. Hope you enjoyed your time here. We found our Paradise, hope you find yours.

Guest Cabin

This is all you can see of the guest cabin and part of our front porch.

A Very Big Thank You from Elaine & I

Elaine and I would like to thank some very special people that helped not only reunite us with Nashaba & Kaia after they went looking for us, but also took care of them and even invited them in their houses. Some were friends more like family and some we never met before but they helped our animals, for that I'm grateful They were abandoned when the weather here dumped 14" of rain in 2.5 days then started snowing on top of that shutting down the plant.

We were in Tx with family. When we arrived back here we wer told that the kids were out looking for us. Not knowing where to look first went to the Alder Creek tribe's house. Then went home hoping they went back after we looked around where they had been seen the day before. No they weren' t here. A couple of days later a friend of ours John heard where they were and went to get them off Brown Rd past Lk Wenatchee. He got Kaia in the truck but Nashaba doesn't like to ride so with flashers on and window down so he could tell passing vehicles what was going on and that he had a wolf following him, John drove back to Alder Creek with Nashaba following, it took several hours. There they were met by the rest of the Trinity pack, Mocha & Willie who actually live at Alder Creek . They kept and took care of them until we could get out which ended up being the day before Thanksgiving. We arrived at Alder Creek and found out that Kaia & Nashaba had been gone since the day before. They ended up on Pine Tree something not sure but they ended up at Bob & Kathryn Dickinson's cabin and stayed around there until the Sat after Thanksgiving due to my transmission going out in the Ranger on Fri. It's hard to find the words to properly express the gratitude I have for all of you and for Bob my friend who went to get them on his rig because he is also part of the Trinity tribe. They followed him home all the way to Trinity it took them about 5 hours to get back here and if it hadn't been for everyone helping me to get in on Sat by breaking trail it would have taken so much longer like the next day, we didn't have to walk in. We are very greatful to everyone this past weekend . These pictures are because of a request fro Kathryn. This is how we meet people living out here. It's these things and so many more that make this Paradise, we hope you find yours. Namaste' & Blessing to all.

Lots of New Powder

The last 24 hours brought many changes to Trinity we now have 6' of powder, baby fine powder, great for skiing,snowboarding, and sledding with the right sled. We got 18" of new snow yesterday and last night but it stopped for about 3 hours while we went out to Bob's rig and got it dug out and found out the problem bent an anti-torque arm, got it being overnighted. No snow so far today and the temp is up to 25. We actually can see sunlight on Massey & Buck Mtn. Going to see where we can get to today after letting our bodies recover. We found our Paradise hope you find yours.

Thanksgiving at Trinity

This has been a very different year than last. Monday & Tues we had snow and sunshine then on Wed we went out to our neighbors at the other end of the road and the only other full time residents out here. We not only had a long ride out because the Ranger started acting up and it was snowing here all day some times very hard and big flakes. On Thur we celebrated Max's 2nd birthday and Thanksgiving which also brought alot of new snow. While we were in Tx a friend was supposed to be taking care of the place and the animals but because the weather got bad he ended up leaving a week before we got back and Kaia and Shaba went out looking for us and were found last Monday over by Lake Wenatchee at Karen Dickerson's about a 35 mile trip from home. Our friend John went and got them to follow him to his house but it was a slow and dangerous trip since it was snowing and cold with alot of traffic on the road. Then on Tues they decided to take another journey and ended up at Bob & Kathryn Dickinson's cabin which they contacted us via this blog they our wolves were there and they were enjoying playing with them. I made arrangements to meet him on Friday morning but the transmission on the Ranger went out aborting that trip. We got it back to the garage and made arrangements for Sat. Bob went and got the kids on his ATV and they followed him back to our neighbors. After a short rest and some much needed water we headed out for Trinity but since the road hasn't been groomed and we got about 28" of new snow weren't really sure what the conditions would be or if we could even get here. Things went smooth as I left first on a snowmobile and let Bob come with Kaia & Shaba following him home, but about 2.5 miles from home I came upon 5-6 powder junkies that had been out riping up the fresh powder and they were turning around and heading home and it looked as if I was going to have to leave the sled and walk in the rest of the way and that wouldn't have been fun at all since the snow was waist deep with no base.
At this point I meet Nathan & Ashley, Ryan, Allan & Shauna, and Ryan who broke trail the rest of the way to Trinty for me so no walking for which I will forever be greatful. They were definitely Snow Angels and so I wanted to take this opportunity the thank each of you for what you've done for us. Keeping our kids safe and not having Kaia picked up but enjoying them and caring for them and reuniting all of us. Then helping me to get home when it was not an easy task but not giving up when it would have been easier to say no and turn around but instead they kept at it and I made it home safe and in one piece. I had been waiting for Bob to arrive and had gotten into some dry clothes and warmed up a bit but it was dark and still no Bob or the kids. I had to try to get to the computer and webcam to get it working again and while doing so had Kaia come home but no Bob. 5 min later Shaba showed up but no Bob so I made arrangements for a friend to go looking for Bob and as I looked towards the gate I saw Bob's flashlight coming toward the house. He got stuck about a mile from here and walked in so we cancelled the rescue got warm and dry and kicked back for the evening. Elaine stayed at the neighbors to help and babysit so as soon as she gets home we will all be reunited for the first time in almost a month. Life is Good. We found our Paradise hope you find yours too.

Sunday Visitors

On Sunday we had a couple of visitors/neighbors from down the road. We already know John but he brought along a friend and neighbor that is the only other full time resident out here. He introduced us to Brad who spent his first year of life at Trinity, not only that but his family is one of the original settlers of this area and made this valley what it is today. We had a great time and since they were the first to snowmobile in thought we'd give them a spot on the blog, so here they are.

Making Trails

This morning was beautiful at Trinity, it started of snowing but then the sun came out so we got in the Ranger and made trails around Trinity and out to the Phelps Creek cutoff we also made a trail up to the Bowling Alley. The sun broke through for a little while and it was breath taking.
Elaine is having fun getting out in the Ranger and learning how to drive it with the tracks from Mattracks. It helps to stay ahead of the snow so there isn't so much deep snow to have to go through. We found our Paradise and hope you find yours too...

Knocking down the ruts after the snow setup after the sun shining brightly for the last 2 days. Had just put the track back on after it came off. 

This is the Ranger with the new Mattracks M3 tracks after we had to put the track back on from our trip in on Tues. The sprocket froze up and caused the track to come off. It can't be done by one person so our friend John came to the rescue 

Just got back from TX

We just got home from Tx and the place was a mess, the weather was crazy, we got almost 14" of rain in 2.5 days and then the snow came we had almost 4' when we got home after an adventure getting here.

The reason we went to Tx was to have an early Thanksgiving and Christmas visit with all of our family, both Elaine's and mine who are all in Tx, except Chris, Kerry & Austyn Jolie.

There was even a funeral for an uncle of mine and it helped me to see other family members that I haven't seen in way too many years. Overall the trip was great we had fun but at the same time it was stressful not being able to find out what was going on here until the Sat before we came home.

I want to thank Bruce and Reid for coming up and getting the plant back up so that we came home to having power and heat.
We found our paradise hope you find yours too. We are so blessed.

Now that I fed myself what is this stuff I think I like it alot. Avery sitting up in her Bumbo chair. We will be seeing them again in Nov and can't wait, we'll also be seeing Elaine's family then also. 

Much love between big brother and sister. Aren't they precious.