Winter rages on. Well, actually, it’s raining today and the temperature on my Outback thermometer read 9 C when I was out driving around.
But we had a solid snowfall last weekend and another forecasted for this Saturday. So yes, winter continues, and I’m putting lots of miles on my snowshoes.
However, I haven’t done much in the way of winter fly-fishing. It’s been a tad on the freezing side for casting flies.
Actually much of my favourite sea trout water has been frozen over for the most of this winter. I expect I’ll get more into angling mode as March moves forward.
One winter to the next can be so varied here on the Avalon Peninsula. Last year I doubt if I snowshoe trekked more than 10-miles for the entire winter. This winter I’d say I’ve driven 10-miles back and forth the driveway plowing snow with my quad.
The old 2004 Arctic Cat is earning her keep. I mentioned last fall that I bought a new Yamaha 700 Grizzly for moose hunting and general travel to my cabin. I decided to keep the Cat for plowing snow.
I don’t like the compromise in ground clearance resulting from the plow bracket attachment underneath an ATV.
It’s only an inch or so I know, but that triangle of steel protruding downwards seems to find plenty of rocks and stumps to ground on. I don’t like the knocking and banging one little bit, not to mention the odd solid hang-up.
So now I have a dedicated plowing quad. And I clear three big driveways so it saves a lot of wear and tear on my new machine. I believe the Cat needs an oil change. I’ll see to that in the morning.
I think you might remember me talking about pulk-sleding either last winter or earlier.
Pulk is a Scandinavian term for a small sled towed by human power utilizing either snowshoes or skis. In years past, wooden construction was most common but nowadays plastic is quite likely what you see folks using.
Generally the cargo is camping gear, outdoor supplies, ice-fishing outfits, or even children tired of walking. I’m sure we have all towed kids around on a sled and that is indeed a form of pulking, albeit not likely with a highly sophisticated towing apparatus.
I’ve been pulking my ice-fishing gear for years. I bought one of those pop-up ice fishing shelters and it’s way too heavy and bulky to carry in a backpack.
I have an approximately 6-ft long, heavy-duty plastic sled that I bought originally for towing out late-season moose by snowmobile.
I’ve never had the opportunity or requirement to use it for moose but it has served as a fantastic pulk for ice fishing.
All our gear, chairs, rods, buckets, grub and everything fits right on there and slides along easily with a length of nylon rope.
But ponds and lake have no hills.
I want to pulk winter camping gear deep into the backcountry where there are plenty of inclines, some of them quite steep, and often icy.
Have you ever towed a kid on a sled downhill? Even if you haven’t, it doesn’t take a degree in physics to predict the problem — gravity. Yes indeed, it pulls stuff towards the centre of the Earth. That means the sled you are towing will accelerate and crash into the backs of your legs.
That is most annoying, and amplified by snowshoes. The lower the friction between sled and snow the more severe the dilemma. I’m sure Labrador trappers of decades past, who towed their furs out of the woods by sled, were very well aware of this. I’m not sure how they dealt with this issue but I’d sure like to hear from folks in the know.
In my trapping days I towed a few beavers and otters by toboggan but I just used a rope and put up with the consequences.
This time around I planned to do some serious pulking so I’d need something better. Actually, my buddy Rod Hale and I are planning a winter hot-tenting expedition that involves towing our 10-by-12 Labrador tent and its central heating woodstove nine kilometres into the woods. Rod is towing the tent and I’m doing the stove and some other supplies.
There are others coming along but Rod and I are the designated hauling mules.
And yes, there are lots of hills.
We both have the same sled model, a basic three-foot long black plastic Pelican version, sale priced at Canadian Tire. It comes equipped with nothing for towing, as I believe its intended function is primarily for kids downhill sliding. We made tie-downs for our load by looping nylon rope through holes that we drilled along the sides. At the front we installed a connecting carabineer for attachment to our towing apparatus.
To solve the problem of gravity driven acceleration into the back of our legs, we utilized five-foot sections of half-inch rigid PVC-conduit. That’s the stuff they use for protecting electrical wires in harsh environments. We just threaded rope through the pipe and installed one-inch steel rings at each endpoint. The rings facilitate attachment to the sled on one end and a backpack or towing harness on the other. I decided to use a construction work safety harness for hauling and Rod opted for the waistband of his backpack.
A week ago we went out for a test hike of about three or four miles.
First off, I wasn’t impressed with my waist belt sort of harness for towing. It put too much load on my hips and it wasn’t long before I felt discomfort in my joints. That would not work for a long haul. Rod faired better using his pack because I think much of the load is transferred to the shoulders and higher on the waist. I discovered that my 65-litre Osprey pack has heavy-duty integrated loops sewn right in at the lower back corners, and I figure they are meant specifically for pulking. That’s what I’m going with on the camping trip.
I also had too much slack rope on my connection points and that made for control and manoeuvering issues. But that was an easy fix. All said and done the experiment went well.
We are ready to roll for a pulk-sled winter hot-tenting adventure. There’s snow coming this weekend. I’d love to do this on some fresh powder.
Stay tuned. And please contact me with suggestions and experiences around pulking.
Paul Smith, a native of Spaniard’s Bay, fishes and wanders the outdoors at every opportunity. He can be contacted at [email protected] or follow him on twitter at @flyfishtherock,