Schierly Living

The ranch is finally snow laden, at least on the south east end. Seven to eight inches of fresh powder landed amidst the mildest of winds. The slow building snow, with the slow movement, did create drifts whereas it snowed lightly for twelve to fourteen hours.

The weather blew in from the south west and the north east at the same time, sandwiching the ranch in a heavy mist with only periods of breaking before dusk. Most accumulation was to occur in the overnight.

It may have snowed heavily at times, I shall never know; the silence, the space, the peace, the solitude has all returned me to sleeping like the dead. Time vanishes, I arise rested, but nary a clue as to what transpired in between.

The ranch is snowed in. I am snowed in, at least. The sun returned in full glory by ten this morning, so the batteries are now fully soaked and the system started floating by two this afternoon.

The winds have again abated. All is quiet. I shall wait to see if they arise before laying tracks down Schierl. If you lay them too soon the wind soon removes your evidence, so today just the snow blower made its first appearance such that the old dog can roam a bit and do his dailies. For the first real snow of the season to be this late in January? Snow me in! I am enjoying the feeling today!

There has been a stillness upon this mountain top as of late. My own little oasis has become a bastion of silence. The past couple of weeks there have been stretches, long stretches, when not a lick of wind is moving. The Earth is eerily still and, whereas I normally arise before daylight, not even the animals are stirring. It is a quiet, calm, magical feeling to explore the outside in utter silence.

For twenty five years the folks in the cabin behind me have lived here year round. They are known, well known by first name alone, upon this ranch. Their depth of knowledge and experience here is unrivaled and I was lucky enough to watch them last winter. A chance to see how they move upon the snow. What routes they take. How often they maintain the track trails we come to depend upon.

My neighbors are no longer wintering on the mountain. They come back, they visit, they explore, but this mountain top is now, after a single season, transferring from one caretaker to another. I will do my best to tend the ranch, the roads, and the gates from afar, all the while remembering the footsteps of those who walked before me. Much can be learned, if one cares to open their eyes, ears, and their heart.

Today’s post is a reminder for anyone coming to visit their homes or lands within the ranch.

Regardless of time of year, bring shoes, hats, gloves, or appropriate clothing to walk from the gate to your property. These roads eat tires in summer, and can be heavily snow laden at times, so you should be prepared for emergencies. Every time you lock the gate you should ask yourself, “Am I prepared to walk in, or walk back out?” If the answer is no, get what you lack, and try again.

You should always bring food in with you, all foods for the visit. You should also carry some food and water that can travel with you if you do have to leave your vehicle. Hydration is key at this elevation, and hunger causes one to make poor decisions.

Footwear is its own item. You need to keep your feet warm, dry, and slip free. Yak tracks or boot chains, snowshoes and walking poles, etc. but if summer, appropriate hiking footwear. Our roads are briefly muddy, but mostly either sandstone and dust, or snow buried. Comfortable feet are your best friend if you suddenly are on foot.

Carry a chainsaw and a strap to help you move logs. Since the Spring Fire, with all the burned trees, we are sure to lose a few upon the road you’re heading for. You cannot simply assume a neighbor is already there and already clearing the roads.

Lighting is an item many often overlook. If you come in early or late, or end up walking early or late, having lighting to guide you is a very practical idea. I also always care a sidearm for wild animals.

I would also suggest carrying a shovel (spade or snow) in case you get stuck. A chain is handy in case someone happens along to help tow, but doesn’t have a chain. Year round, I also leave a couple lighters and candles in each vehicle in case I need to keep warm overnight for some reason. A car battery self-jumper, a tire pump or compressor and tire chains round out the other items one should readily have available.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, tell someone you’re coming or going. Have a buddy you can ping not only at the gate, but at your property. Having a person know you’re en route can be an invaluable safety feature, not only mentally, but physically. If you don’t arrive, you know someone out there knows that you missed your target. This time of year, it could be days or weeks before another happens along. You can NOT expect your phone to work on your entire route, so again, be prepared to walk, even if only for a signal.

Take care of yourself. This isn’t mean to sound survivalist, but it is in fact the case. We are pretty much on our own out here. We are a community and will take care of each other, but we also must take care of ourselves.

Whilst only my second January in the ranch, it is a strange January simply for my twenty plus years now living in Colorado. The weather has been oddly lovely this week, but abnormal in some ways. Temperatures peaking in the high thirties to low forties, spectacular crystalline Colorado blue skies, and for two days in a row, winds speeds of literally zero miles an hour. Yesterday morning I went outside to light a match, just to see that it really did continue to burn, unimpeded by any lick of a breeze upon this mountain top.

Snow is in the forecast for tonight, but even this year, the neighbor’s weather station, the most accurate I’ve ever had, seems to change its mind on a near hourly basis. Three inches in an hour, then two, then four, then two inches over four hours. We shall see. That is my only accurate forecast this year. We simply shall see what happens.

The roads are melting off. The electric company has utilized Schierl three times this week, each time a pair of identical envy inducing Snow Cats float by and pack, open, and flatten the roads. I recently pushed all the trees back for mine and my neighbors little track machines, but these beasts surely keeping things flat and packed.

The weather has eased things in a simpler way; start the new consulting gig on Monday. The new laptop arrives today, and it’s not a matter of safety merely to get to the FedEx depot, whereas Moon Bug only needs to get me two miles down, and two miles back instead of all the way to the railroad gate compared to last season at this time.

The season of Winter arrived last month. The temperatures of Winter arrived last month. The winds of winter arrived in November, but finally since New Year’s weekend, the snow is starting to accumulate.

An eight inch storm blew in over new year’s, and less than half melted off in the subsequent warming of last week. The heavy relentless winds have stripped patches bare and filled in every gap, creating drifts over a foot deep in areas.

A few inches landed again this weekend, adding to the total, and ensuring that, seemingly until late Spring, Moon Bug is now required to navigate the pass down the hill to get out of the ranch. Large trees, untouched from the Spring Fire, line both sides of the road there and it simply will not melt off this time of year.

The freezers are bursting with literally no room for a single extra stick of butter. The fridge is stuffed from a trip out just last Wednesday, so I am stocked for the winter as I was last October, so I should be quite fine, supply wise. Even had an opportunity over the Christmas break to do more pressure canning, so I am ready for the isolation, including a bit more snow expected for the coming weekend.