Adventure 7: Priest Lake Revisited

Same Spot; Same Photo: New Visit

Until we got to my cousin's cabin, we thought the storm we witnessed on the St. Joe was an isolated event. How wrong we were! We were only just beginning to learn of the range and devestation of the storm. Being part of the most fortunate few, we drove straight from the St Joe river to Priest Lake. It had been our intention to surpirse Douglas and Nora by moving furniture and things back into their cabin before they arrived for the weekend. After ten years, they had had both the inside and the outside of the cabin painted, so furnitiure and things were piled high in the garage. As we drove from Priest River, the twenty-eight miles to the lake, we began to notice an amazing amount of trees blown down. There was evidence that people with chain saws had cleared the road where trees had blocked highway fifty-seven. The closer we got to the lake, the more debri we saw. When we pulled down into the Hoisington driveway, we couldn't believe our eyes. A downed tree cradled by a metal guy wire had clipped the corner of the garage. Damage was minimal because of the guy wire, but the two-hundred foot fully mature fir tree was a massive presence nonetheless. The butt end of the tree, about three feet in diameter was wedged between the roof and the wire. The pressure on both was precarious. Two other large pine trees were down in front of the cabin. One had squashed a good portion of the dock. The other lay across the foot path that runs along the front of the cabin. the cabin itself was spared. In the lots on either side, many trees were down, some hanging in what the loggers call "widow makers".

We were able to situate the trailer, and then I called Douglas. Douglas, who had been in range of electronic information was aware of the situation, but not fully aware of what had happened on his poroperty. I filled him in. It was then that the angel arrived.

His name was Jerrod. He and his parents live on the other side of the lake. He is a linesman by trade and had been taking a week off when the storm hit. It turns out that as a teenager, Jerrod made money by cutting and selling firewood. Now, as an adult, he was offereing his services for quite a little (as it turns out) pocket money because as he said, "A guy can sit on his duff for only so long." The upshot was that I hired him on the spot to limb and buck the fallen trees. He worked hard and well, so well that when Douglas arrived, he hired him for another two days.

We also managed to help Douglas bring his furnishings back into the cabin, and I spent another three days (You call this camping?) helping Douglas stack the fallen wood. The trailer would remain at the lake for much of the next month, including a full week when we had the cabin to ourselves.

That week was highlighted by a visit from our brother-in-law, Kel and his youngest daughter, Kate. Kate took up residence in the trailer while Kel, Judy and I stayed in the cabin. Shortly after that, our grandson made his visit. In all, the trailer rested at the lake for nearly a month. Again, there is no better place to enjoy a life that's good, especially today.