It’s time for the SPRING addition of the Tilly Jane A-Frame cabin newsletter. Winter is winding down although there is still plenty of snow at the cabin for you diehards along with plenty of availability at the cabin. This is a great time of year to get up for a stay!
This year saw another interesting winter! While we had a November dumping that allowed the resorts to open, it didn’t hold at the cabin and my first two trips in December and January saw us walking up. Once at elevation, there was very little snow. The January trip had us beating the cold down low with balmy temps at the cabin and above. Things got interesting in February with the first big storm to hit Portland in many years. Winter really didn’t take hold until March, and April has been GREAT. But alas, the season’s changing and most folks are beginning to make spring/summer plans.
The cabin saw a strong year of reservations with all Saturday nights booked from January through April. We had roughly 530 renters and collected just over $10k from December 2013- May 2014. It also saw a very small number of cancellations. Overall, people appear to be taking care of the cabin, carrying out the garbage that’s generated and “going easy” on the structure. We had one incident with the glass door in the woodstove. It was broken, whether by roughhousing or simple accident….things happen! Of course you/I/we’d be upset if it was broken intentionally but I suspect it wasn’t. This is the second time we’ve had to replace it. The hardest part of the replacement process is coordinating getting someone up to make the repairs. This year, I relied on the next scheduled renters and got them to carry the item up and make the repair. So, the lesson learned is, and my ask of all you: if something happens during your stay, PLEASE e-mail: tillyjanecabin@gmail.com explain what happened and what needs repair. Otherwise, the people that stay after you may not have a good trip. This allows me to coordinate a fix, and in the case of the broken glass, the stove doesn’t operate properly so it’s imperative that it be replaced ASAP. This would be the same case for a broken front door lock hasp or broken window. My goal is to have all you (the user community) looking out for the cabin and taking care of it. I’m just the guy who coordinates all the needed activities. It takes a community and we are it! So, enough said, please report problems with the cabin otherwise, it could take up to 4 weeks to affect repairs.
I’d like to take a moment to recognize something special. Specifically, we have an active group of folks within our ranks. They all share a love of the outdoors, skiing and THE CABIN! They are known as “The Split Borders”. They hold a yearly split board festival and this year, they held a raffle drawing with all proceeds being donated to the cabin. They collected and donated over $735 dollars to the cabin. I was invited to their after festival party and giveaway drawing by the event organizer, Geoff Guillory to accept the gift on behalf of the cabin. Unfortunately, I was out of town and couldn’t attend. The donation will be added to the cabin bank account which brings it to roughly $29k. I’m a broken record here, but: All rental receipts and donations will be used expressly for cabin maintenance and rehabilitation efforts. Please join me and acknowledging these wonderful people! THANK YOU!, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
I’m beginning to make plans for the upcoming maintenance season with the main focus of getting some contractors up to look at the outhouse and provide us with guidance on what options we have for a long term solution. I’d also like to make a final pass of marking the ski trail with blue diamonds. Other work includes general cabin maintenance and trail tending work. As you know, last year was challenging to coordinate work weekends due to the road closure. I’m told that the Forest Service expects to open the road this drive up season. The hazard trees were brought down last fall. Although they still have some “clean up” work to finish and the snow needs to melt, they do expect to open the road. So, we don’t know exactly when it will but I’m told they plan on allowing access to the general public. This means that the campgrounds will be open AND it’ll be easier for us to gain access to the cabin. We’ll also be holding the annual wood haul and stacking party in early fall so keep this in the back of your mind. I haven’t landed on dates yet for these two events but I’ll send out a “hold the date” notice once I confirm with the FS.
Finally, are you interested in getting more involved? Please respond back with areas of interest. Time commitments are minimal and every little bit helps. Tilly’s a very special place and deserves to be maintained and IMPROVED! If we don’t do it, no one will!
Andre’ Oregon Nordic club