Hello, it’s time for your Fall update on the goings on from the cabin. Overall, we had a busy summer season and have quite a few accomplishments that you’ll be interested in hearing about. First and foremost, the ONC board has agreed and the FS supported the transition from a year to year lease to a standard 5 year lease. Our new lease will expire on 12/31/2019. This will be very helpful from a paperwork/fire drill perspective since we always seem to get behind the eight ball during lease renewal period.
The hazard tree reduction project that kept the Tilly Jane/Cooper Spur FS road closed last year was completed this year and the road was re-opened to the general public effective August 1st. They’d expected to have it opened earlier but were delayed until this time. While this was great news, it did cause us to adjust our mid-summer work party. We’d planned on making our way to the cabin over the July 19th weekend but instead, shifted our efforts to the swampy section of trail located about a quarter mile above the Tilly Jane winter snow park on the TJ Ski trail. We had 15 participants come up and help dig perpendicular ditches across the trail in an effort to begin drying out the three different swampy sections. We spent the majority of our time on the largest section digging said ditches along with a few lateral ditches. We also cut and placed logs in a “boardwalk” fashion thereby helping travelers pass through this section. The FS came through after our initial work and placed a culvert on the lower creek crossing. They also plan on coming back and “improving” our work with the larger section. It was a fun day filled with playing in the mud and testing our engineering skills. We hope you’ll appreciate this work as you travel through the area.
Over the past three seasons I’ve been coordinating the A-Frame management activities, 2014 is shaping up to be the strongest usage year to date. Yes, it’s only been three years BUT the cabin seems to be getting more popular! As of this publication, we’ve seen 658 user days, for a total of $13,278 in rental income for 2014 (and there’s still 2 months before year end). We’ve also been averaging around $2000 in expenses with the main expense being the annual firewood supply. This will be slightly higher this year due to some roof repairs. As of the end of September the cabin’s bank account is sitting at $32,667.18. This doesn’t include the bulk of the 2014 expenses. So, we’re doing VERY well from a financial perspective. Although the needs are much greater!
Now, to bring you up to speed concerning some other developments with the cabin: The FS provided a nice, heavy duty picnic table for out back. We’re also working to obtain an official fire ring but this hasn’t been delivered yet. We ended up creating a rock ring fire pit with the idea that people won’t keep building fires anywhere and everywhere! I was getting concerned because the pits were getting closer and closer to the cabin. REMINDER: we have a wood roof which is old and at the end of its life cycle. An inadvertent spark could destroy the cabin and NO ONE wants that. If you want to build a fire, please use the fire ring! We also provided a stack of wood near the pit.
Please be respectful of the structure. Sometimes, things sound really cool in the moment but upon further reflection, are NOT good ideas. Please remember….we’re dealing with a diamond in the rough. The cabin is the only place open year around and allows for amazing access to the upper mountain. Please “go easy” on it while still having fun. We’d like to see it be around for another 78 years! If you see something that’s inappropriate, we rely on you to say something. Sometimes people just aren’t thinking and need a gentle reminder or a voice of reason. We’re not cops BUT we’re all stewards of the cabin! It’s gonna take us all to make sure it’s treated gently and remains available for everyone to use.
The annual October wood haul and stacking party was a HUGE success. We had over 40+ volunteers attend this year. Everyone enjoyed a potluck style lunch and beverages donated by our friends at Base Camp Brewing. The cabin and campground were also open for people to stay over. The weather cooperated and everyone had an amazing time. My personal “thanks” go out to everyone who volunteered over the past year. You earned your free weekend cabin passes! We hauled and stacked 4 cords of seasoned firewood! We had another crew working out back to manually cut and split another half cord of wood for use in the new fire pit. Please avoid using the woodstove supply in the alcove, it’s earmarked for heating the cabin. If you have a fire outside, please split wood from around the cabin area and/or use the stacked wood located next to the fire ring. There’s tons of additional wood out there and axes/splitting mauls are located in the tool locker! This will help “clean up” the area too. We also had a team working to clean the inside the cabin. We even had a generator and vacuumed the loft! Work began at 10am and we wrapped up around 2:30pm.
As I mentioned, the roof needs replacing. Until this is done, we coordinated having our friends at Wells Construction, replace some of the roof shingles with the goal of limping along until we have a firm Rehabilitation Master Plan. To this end, we also had an Architect volunteer within our group. Andrew Houlihan is currently working on creating detailed plans which will be used to establish a Master Rehabilitation Plan! Thanks Andrew! On another note, please do your best to use the outhouse facilities over in the campground. We’re trying to limit the on-site facility usage as this will be an issue when it fills up. Remember, the FS has indicated that they won’t allow it to be dug out as it has been over the years. It’s a looming issue that has the potential to shut the cabin down.
Finally, if you’re planning on making a reservation, do so sooner than later! While you won’t have a problem booking during the week, most Saturday nights are already reserved. There’s still some availability so check it out and book now! Overall, we’re making small improvements and planning for much larger projects. This isn’t possible without your help! You and your friends are the keys to keeping the place going. Please continue to answer the calls for volunteers and keep an eye on the place when you’re there.
As always, please respond back if you’d like to be removed from the distribution list. We’re also always looking for folks that are interested in getting more involved and have unique skills. Send me a note with your interest and skillset. I have a running list of people that we can call on when the need arises. Let’s continue to grow the community!
Do your best snow dance and enjoy the upcoming winter season. We’ll talk next spring.
Andre’ Oregon Nordic Club