Our Journey Living In Nature – Part 21, Section 1 – Winter Camp In The Fall

The beautiful Clearwater River that runs along the town of Kamiah.

Within a month, the Clearwater River began freezing up.

October 12, 2018 – Friday

It was a pretty good night last night. This morning is 30 deg. I was feeling mixed feeling about today, good and bad about what the winter will bring? It was a planned adventure as far as camping in the winter in nature, I just did not know how it would turn out? Would we be camping in the woods somewhere or on someone’s private property? The latter would be much safer, but the former would be much more adventurous. And there could be many variables in between. But right now, we at least have a place we can stay and camp for the winter.

The property we will be camping at is just outside of the small city of Kamiah (I see it as more of a town), and along the Clearwater River. We will be camping about a couple hundred feet elevation from the river elevation.

Kamiah is at an elevation of 1,250 feet. It is part of the Nez Perce Reservation. At least what is left of it. It is now just scatter pieces of land that this mighty tribe once had. I am not too impressed with the city, but as like with camping, I will soon see it as home to me and the boys.

On our arrival to Jeff’s place, we had a nice welcoming. He showed me where we could place the tent, and where we had water and electrical access near by. Jeff had a small hunting dog, a very high energy English Springer Spaniel that liked the boys, but the boys were not used to the high energy of their new friend. They did get along though, so that was a good thing.

Jeff trimmed the grass for us at our tent site, and I set up our small tent until I got our winter tent set up. We had a pretty good level site for the 12 foot by 20 foot Outfitters tents, with a 6 foot by 10 foot vestibule attached to the front of the tent. I chose a large tent for comfort and for long term camping in the winter of Idaho. The tent is a Cabela’s Alaknak Outfitter’s tent.

Since I have never set up this tent, I am not sure how long it will take to put up?

Jeff made me a hamburger for dinner. He was very accommodating to us.

October 13, 2018 – Saturday

On many mornings we would experience heavy fog, bit soon would clear when the heat of the sun would burn it off.

We slept pretty well, and waking to our first Idaho frost. It was in the low 30’s this morning. If the rain stays away, I suspect we should have the tent set up hopefully tomorrow or Monday.

I had coffee with Jeff. I think Jeff was enjoying the boys, but he hates wolves, and because the boys look like wolves, he sees them as wolves.

We had mostly on and off light rain most of the day, I didn’t get much done in setting up camp.

October 14, 2018 – Sunday

Looking up at the tent ceiling, I saw it covered in frost. Another cold morning, and with winter coming soon. I am staying warm in the tent using a 20 deg sleeping bag, the inner liner, and fleece and wool blankets.

The first signs of winter

Outside we had white frost covering the the tips of the branches of the blueberry bushes, and on the tops of the wood fencing on the property. It is a beautiful piece of property to make this our home for the winter. We are close to Jeff’s log cabin home, but far enough to feel a sense of privacy.

We were set in a small valley with foothills and low mountains as part of the landscape that surrounded us. Jeff said we were on 20 acres.

I heard the echoing sounds of gun shots through the valley. The boys didn’t care for it, but soon got used to it.

The birds don’t seem to mind the cold with their joyful singing.

The boys and I took a walk down the road about 50 feet below our new homestead. It felt much colder on the road then above where our camp is.

October 15, 2018 – Monday

This morning we drove down to the market to pick up a few things, In town we found a source for firewood for the winter. We will start out with a cord of wood. I am not sure how much we will use.

I asked Jeff if it was okay to have a campfire outside and he had no problem with that. I used an existing partial fire pit that was already next to the tent, and added some stones to finish it off. If we can, I would like to spent as much time outside that we can. The canopy will give us some protection from the weather, and we won’t be stuck in the tent most of the winter.

I got the large tent up with no problem, and set up the wood burning stove in the tent. I will put up the vestibule tomorrow, set up the stove pipe, and slowly begin moving in. I will also take our other tent down. The thought of not having to move camp for six to seven months sounded nice.

I wanted to do a lot of writing here, as with reading while being stuck in camp for most of the winter. And I will contact the Nez Perce for any possible volunteer work for the tribe, whatever that might be. Maybe helping the elder in some way, like delivering food to them. And spending a little time in town to get a feel for this small community. I had a feeling the Native Americans and the non-natives stayed apart from one another. There was a tension and mistrust of the two groups of peoples. One such tension was the hunting and fishing rights the tribe had by treaties made hundreds of years ago. The non-natives felt it was not fair that one people can have special rights, and another doesn’t. They also felt we (the non-natives government) are giving them financial assistance. This is a common complaint with the non-natives everywhere in this country. They feel the tribes are getting special treatment by the government. They even get to build Indian Casinos. They never think about what we took from them. Kamiah does have an Indian Casino in the middle of town that I want to check out, and talk with the tribe if the casino is really helping them?

I personally think the casino’s are a bad idea. It can bring in corrupt, divisions between the tribe, and it has no social benefit to the community. But it does bring in money to the tribes, even if it is only a small amount.

October 16, 2018 – Tuesday

Each day I feel the grips of winter coming, and of course the boys are enjoying the cold. We will continue working on our tent and camp today. The plan is to have food storage in the vestibule at the entrance of the tent, then a small writing area for me just inside of the entrance, so I could look to the outside while in deep thought in my writing, and to watch the boys. To the right and across from my writing area I had a small area for firewood, and the wood burning stove. In the rear of the tent would be our sleeping area. With the large tent area, it didn’t seem cramped. Along the sides of the tent I used it for storage of my clothing and other items I may need during the winter. And as being a block between the boys and the tent fabrics. Takota had already put a small hole in my screened door in the back of the tent. Our kitchen will be outside under the canopy.

Our campsite

October 17, 2018 – Wednesday

On our first night in the new tent, we slept well. The boys enjoyed their sleeping area next to me. The space in the large tent felt comfortable and not cramped. We had enough room for all our needs. My only concern is the boys staying a safe distance from the hot stove, and knocking down the two support poles in the middle of the tents. I wrapped small Christmas lights around the poles so the boys don’t bump into them at night. I under estimate the boys at times, and they alway surprise me on how well the adjust to things.

I did start a small fire in the stove to test it. I could feel the warmth of the stove throughout the tent. I would start a fire at night to warm up the tent, then let it burn out. I stay comfortable under my bedding without the fire. I would only have a fire in the morning for writing, or if we were stuck in the tent due to bad weather. We would spend most of our time outside. At least that is the plan.

I decided to use my new cot for my bed so as to stay off the ground, and allowing the heat of the stove to flow under the cot. I put my new foam pad with a used pad for more comfort and support on the cot. I was using my 0 deg rated sleeping bag and liner, and two blankets if I needed them. If that didn’t keep me warm, I could use my -40 deg rated sleeping bag. As long as the tent stayed up, we should be good.

Jeff questioned how well the canopy would last, and I told him, “we will see?” In a worse case scenario, I could use the overhang of the cabin next to camp or inside the cabin for our cooking. I will just have to adjust with the weather we get. I think the biggest challenge will be getting to town for resupply when winter hits.

It was in the upper 20’s, to lower 30’s in the morning. Once the sun comes out, it warms up quickly. I tried getting a sense of the weather we will be getting in the winter as far as snow fall, and temperatures from Jeff. He would always say, “I will let you know tomorrow.” He did tell me the snow fall can very from a few inches to six feet. It just depends on Mother Nature.

Jeff also would refer to us as “squatters” to his friends.

I didn’t have internet connection on my laptop, but I had good phone service and internet on my smart phone, so that was good. I can always go into town if I need it using the library or restaurant across the street.

I should have my tent and camp finished up today with the exception of a desk for my writing spot (office).

October 18, 2018 – Thursday

We woke to a beautiful morning. I hope to get everything finished up in camp today, so we can settle down and focus on the important stuff.

I thought I would set up my gun rack today in the tent. I had a replacement rack for the one that was damaged. The damaged one I thought I could tape the side pieces together with duct tape and that would make my desk top. And it was perfect for my needs. The tent was complete. I was looking forward to getting some writing done.

On the update on Takota’s eye, it doesn’t seem to be getting any worse and doesn’t seem to be bothering him.

One I was done with what I needed from the trailer for our winter stay, Jeff showed me where I could park the trailer for the winter. I would also park my truck there for easy access getting out of the mud and snow. Having the truck next to the tent, I would surely be dealing with constantly getting stuck in the mud or snow.

October 23, 2018 – Tuesday

We were settling in fine with our new camp. After a long separation, our friends the juncos are back, and feeding at our camp.

There were a lot of animals in our area. A lot of white tail deer, wild turkey, quail, pheasant, and a few hardy birds braving the cold of the winter.

October 26, 2018 – Friday

With the forecast of rain predicted for the past few days, we only got nice weather with very little or no rain. Late Thursday afternoon the rain did finally come. It was mostly light on and off rain showers. We got a little rain through the night. At 8:00 am we were still getting on and off light showers. I was looking outside of my bedroom screen, enjoying the view of the beautiful landscape of the gentle sloping grassy hill side and the stand of Black locust trees. The sky was constantly changing forms with the cloud cover of Fall resting on the hill sides and mountain tops.

Our view at the rear of the tent and enjoying the beautiful Black locust trees while they are still here.

We didn’t get up until 9:00 am when I heard a voice calling to me, yelling, “Hey you down there, you up yet?” I yelled back to this raspy voice from a distance, “getting up now.” I said. Jeff replied, “Come on up and I will buy you a cup of coffee.” I replied, “Will be right up.”

I wanted to take the boys for a walk, but thought they could wait a bit longer. I tied them up in camp, while I had some coffee with Jeff in his warm log cabin home. The log home was built by his dad. We talked mostly about horses, hunting, fishing, and shared experiences in nature that we reflected on from our past. Jeff had some pretty good stories growing up. While we talked, I would pause to look out the large picture window to observe critters walking by, and the beautiful landscape of the countryside. Jeff doesn’t have a deep connection with nature as I do, but he does love being in nature on the surface, like many do in our culture. It was interesting talking with him. Returning to camp from coffee with Jeff, I took the boys for a walk. The boys were alerted to sounds in the nearby wooded area of the locust trees next to us. I thought maybe it was pheasant, then a loud tapping sound of a woodpecker appeared.

We did indeed luck out in finding such a place to spend the winter.

Once I had my writing spot in place I would spend the mornings and evenings writing. During the evening I would spend time to rewrite my journal so I could read it, and then would go back to create our story. At one point my laptop screen stopped working. It has happen two other times before with this laptop. It was a wire connection from the main laptop unit to the screen. I was hoping I could baby it along before I had to find a place to get it fixed. If I could get it fixed?

November 13, 2018 – Tuesday

We have mostly black locust in the close surrounding areas. Jeff wants to cut them all down. I find them to be a beautiful tree. Some have the figure of a decrepit and snarly old man that can grab the unexpected with it’s long pointed thorns. They live to be about a 100 years old. Supposedly they are a fire hazard.

November 15, 2018 – Thursday

It is harder getting motivated to get out of bed in the morning due to the cold weather. Watching the moisture coming out from my breath at each exhale. It was cold.

The days and nights became colder and colder. The days became shorter and shorter. And the nights got longer and longer. I would be preparing our dinners now at 3:00 pm. Once the sun fell below the mountain tops at around 2:00 pm, darkness of night would soon follow. And at 4:00 pm it would turn into night, with the temperatures falling enough it warrant making it time to climb into the tent after taking the boys for a short walk. I would then start a warming fire in the wood stove. The nights became very long. Most mornings I would start a fire outside and sit next to the campfire while enjoying my coffee. The boys enjoying the cold.

Where we enjoy the warmth of a nice campfire

My wonderful companions relaxing at camp

When I had to relieve myself in the middle of the night, I dreaded having to get up in the cold. I would put some clothes on and step outside into the cold dark night. Once I was outside, I thought, “this isn’t so bad?” While I was relieving myself, I got to enjoy the chilly starry night sky, I actually was enjoying it. I got to a point, I went out just with shoes and a coat on. It was always a pleasant and beautiful experience peeing in the woods at night, even with a light snow falling. I always felt refreshed after I was done. I would look up into the starry night sky, and ponder in amazement in the beauty of our planet. Once in a while I experienced a shooting star. Maybe a sign, we are being watched over, and protected on our journey.

This morning the temperature was 35 deg. It is overcast. It is getting a little bit warmer from the 26 deg to 30 deg temps we have been experiencing for the past week and a half. I am getting acclimated to the cold weather, once again. But I know these temperature won’t last. It will continue to get colder.

This has really been our first journal entry since we got here. Most of the entries will be short. The photos will tell our story.

I have been having morning fires outside to take the edge off the cold. I could have them inside the tent, but I prefer being outside in nature. We do burn more wood outside then inside, but it is worth it. We received our first cord of firewood a week and a half ago. It is nice having a good supply of firewood. I would split the logs into smaller pieces for the wood stove, and stacking a small supply next to the wood stove. The rest of the wood was stacked under the overhang of the unfinished cabin next to our camp, hopefully keeping it dryer. I felt like a pioneer of the past. I don’t have any idea how long a cord of wood will last? Most of the wood we were burning was fir, and pine, which burns fast. If I knew, I may have bought two cords.

I will soon find out later when I order firewood in the middle of winter, the harder it will get, and the wetter it will be. This whole process of camping in the winter in a tent will be a good learning experience for me. So far, it has been amazing.

Our wood pile

During these early evenings, I would watch documentaries I had on DVD’s.

Jeff had a medical emergency this morning and was taken to the hospital. He was in the hospital for two days, he then broke out of the hospital, like a prisoner escaping from jail. He called a friend to pick him up. Once back home he then began taking down trees next to our camp. I hated to see the trees coming down, but I could use the cut trees for firewood for the outside fires.

I have been having some rough mornings for the past few weeks since we have been here getting motivated in writing. It was time I really need to get some writing done, so I will begin rewriting my journals, so I can decipher what I had written in the journals. Unfortunately my journal writing was not always easy to read or understand at times. It can be a very long process to rewrite.

November 16, 2018 – Friday

Last night I received news from my sister that her and her husband had lost their home in Magalia from the devastating Camp Fire in Paradise. Me and the boys were just there for three weeks during Christmas of last year. It was the beginning of our journey heading north. It only took me 20 years to visit her and her husband there. She loved living up there. As with all such fires, they lost everything, but the memories the house once brought through all the photos on the walls and trinkets of family.

Beauty can be seen everywhere in our natural world. Winter is a time for renewal, a time for rest. I am grateful for the time we have had, and what nature has provided to us. It has been truly a gift being able to experience nature with the boys. What will the next year bring to us on our journey in nature?

November 19, 2018 – Monday

I woke up and looked outside to a heavy frost on the tree branches of spike like icicles hanging from the branches, creating tiny winter ice sculptures of wonder. It is 27 deg with a fog laying low among the surrounding foothills. At 10:00 am the blue skies then appeared once again slowly bringing a bit of warmth to the winter day.

In the early morning the blankets slid off my sleeping bag where I could feel the cold reaching to my body. Then grabbing them to regain the warmth. It gets cold in the tent with the chill of moisture in the air making it miserable getting dressed. Once outside it actually feels warmer. I never start a morning fire in the tent unless I plan to do some writing. I am not sure how my laptop does inside the cold tent. I do cover it, but I don’t think it helps much. I just prefer being outside next to the fire with the boys enjoying the cold. It seems they are made for the cold weather.

We are suppose to get colder temperatures later this week with chances of light snow.

Today I will cut up the wood into smaller pieces to fit in the stove, and keep a small pile next to the stove ready for a fire in the evenings. I also need to clean the stove pipe and spark arrester before bad weather starts. They tend to clog up faster with soot from softer woods especially if they are not completely dry.

I heard a gun shot earlier this morning when it was still dark. Then a few minute later I heard a truck drive off. When we went for our morning walk, the boys pulled me towards the mailbox along side the road. They smelled the scent of blood, and I spotted blood on the ground with a blood trail going up the hill. It was probably a deer? Because there is so much game around here, I am sure this happens a lot. We hear gun shots going off in the morning hours almost every morning.

November 20, 2018 – Tuesday

Got up at 7:30 am, sunny, 26 deg. Everything is covered in frost. On our walk I had to quickly shed my heavy coat. The warmth of the morning sun quickly warmed me. I talked with Jeff after our walk, His personality showed a lot of anger in him, and can be quite moody.

The beauty of the area we find ourselves in, and to experience in all her forms.

November 22, 2018 – Thursday

It is Thanksgiving day. We got up at 7:45 am, cloudy, 30 deg.

I made coffee, fed the boys. At 11:00 am the sun broke through the clouds, it was 41 deg. No plans for today. I will try and do some writing, and misc. stuff in camp.

Takota was favoring his left paw, so I checked it for any stickers, back at camp, and did find one. I removed it, hoping that was the problem. It usually is.

I did some writing on the laptop during the evening for about a hour and a half. It was a slow process rewriting what I wrote in my journal. While I was writing on the laptop, my screen was acting up. I hope I am not having issue with it.

November 24, 2018 – Saturday

We got some rain last night and this morning. We got up around 9:15 am and went for a walk after the rain had stopped.

After our walk, we went into town for coffee, gas, and to buy some reading glasses.

In town I noticed snow on the foothills, and low mountains to the north of us. The signs of winter are here. I have know idea how much snow we will be getting this winter.

With not cutting my hair or beard for over a year, it was time to get cleaned up. I feel like a new me.

November 30, 2018 – Friday

We got our first real snow that covered the ground. It snowed most of the late afternoon, and evening with light snow. A heavy fog came in, in the evening as well. Although the snow fall was light, I have a concern about driving in it going up and down the drive way, and on the roads. We do get our roads cleared of snow, when it gets bad enough. I only have two wheel drive and the back end of the truck is very light, with little traction in snow, and mud. I got stuck a couple of times in the mud already. Going up the driveway can be tricky. If we get heaven snows, that could be a big problem.

The Outhouse Jeff let me use. Not really!