The Progress Continues

So much has happened at Kapikik in the last two weeks and we have lots planned for the week ahead of us. It is now crunch time! Less than five weeks until opener!

During the first week of April, they made several trips to the cabin. The flooring is now finished and the snowmobile is unstuck! Once the flooring was done, they were left with no more material to work with. It was time to get more material to the cabin and the majority of it was at the Springpole Mine on Birch Lake. If you read my blog entry about our winter road trip "Battling the Elements in the Great White North", you will understand why. We have been waiting for better conditions to hire a large airplane to fly everything over from the mine to the cabin. Finally, last Tuesday, our day had arrived.

The "Big-Rig" Ready to Head to Sioux Lookout

I pulled the 24-foot enclosed trailer full of supplies up to Sioux Lookout to Slate Falls Airways. We packed their Turbo Otter full of panelling, doors, mattresses, and even a generator. The pilot headed North to Kapikik where he would meet Dad, Chris, and Chris' uncle, Jack. It was a bright sunny day, mild temperatures, but cool enough so that the snow wasn't too soft.

Perfect Conditions for Flying

After unloading the first load at the cabin, they took three trips back and forth from the mine to Kapikik and were able to move all of the material and supplies. At the cabin, they were able to use the snowmobile and a sleigh to move it all from the airplane up to the cabin. Their pilot, Morgan, was awesome and the guys at the mine were incredibly helpful. My parents are so grateful for everything they have done for us.

Loading the Airplane at the Mine

Unloading the Plane at the Cabin

After a very successful day, Dad, Chris, and Jack stayed overnight at the cabin. During their stay they were able to start putting panelling up in the bedrooms, install the kitchen cupboards & countertop, build the bar, and put together the bar stools. The cabin is looking incredible... the pictures speak for themselves.

The Kitchen is Coming Together

Our Hand-Made Bar Turned Out Beautiful

The Living Area

This past weekend, both my Mom and Dad stayed a night and finished the panelling in the bedrooms, and finished staining the kitchen cupboards.

Putting Up the Panelling

Mom Staining the Cupboards

Now, I know lots of people are wanting to know what our weather and ice conditions are looking like. Since my Dad has been flying so much lately, he's had a good look at all of the lakes around us. For the most part, the ice is turning brown from the amount of runoff going onto the surface. Brown ice is good as it melts fast. However, since the middle of last week we've been stuck in another cold-snap and have even seen some snow flurries! Not to worry though, starting mid-way through this week, the forecast is on our side again with sun and warmer temperatures.

The cold weather is not all bad for us. Dad and Chris are going to take full advantage of it. They left tonight to stay over in Ear Falls and they will leave early tomorrow morning to take on the winter road one last time. We have two brand-new, 16-foot Crestliner boats, two mattresses, and some bed frames that need to get to Kapikik. They have been waiting for the conditions to turn just right to take on the treacherous road and long, rough trail across all of those lakes again. Fortunately, tonight and tomorrow morning are supposed to be very cold, which should provide a good crust on the snow and keep them out of the slush. Our fingers are crossed that they don't have another adventure like the last! I opted to stay home this time :)

We will keep everyone updated on the ice conditions. Towards the end of this week or middle of next, I will be flying up there with my Dad and I will take some aerial shots of the ice so you can see what we are talking about.

Stay tuned :)

Until next time,

Meagan