March 16-17 Osprey Cabin Pulk Trip

Steve and Mike Fogarty, and Tim Zietz spent an overnight at the Osprey cabin. Mike used a pulk to haul some gear. The pulk harness and fiberglass traces meant that the sled stayed behind Mike uphill and downhill. The pulk worked great! Check out a few pics and videos of this St. Patrick's day outing. 

On the way to the cabin..

  

At the cabin....

A late night fireside chat.... Steve and Tim discuss the nature of space and time. 

A nearly full moon at 2am. Brilliant!

On the way back...

Panoramic shot

Tim

(L-R) Mike, Steve, Tim

While taking a break, 

Tim presents his best parade wave! 

 You know, even senior citizens can enjoy sledding. Take one out today!

Cold, Dark and Windy.... An Arduous Osprey Out and Back

It's been many years since I stayed in a modern cabin at Lake Metigoshe State Park. Just a few months ago the guys and I spent a night in the Yurt, as did my wife and I on another fall occasion. The Yurt was great. And of course the Osprey cabin is a favorite of ours as well. We've been there many times. In fact the first time was maybe around 7-8 years ago, maybe it was longer. I don't recall exactly. But a year or two later we were the first people to stay in that cabin in the winter time. 

I had wanted to get some xc skiing in after having recently purchased some new skis, bindings and boots. So I thought renting a nice modern cabin with a shower would be perfect. I rented the Loon cabin. It's a great cabin! Here's a quick tour.

 

Once the registration was confirmed I let my brother Steve, and my friends Dave and Bob know. Dave thought he'd join me driving up after work. Steve and Bob had other ideas. They thought they'd rent the 'off grid' Osprey cabin and invite Tim to go with them. One thing about renting a cabin at Lake Metigoshe State Park is that they are not so easy to get unless you reserve way in advance. This means that you're not really sure what the weather will be like when you actually use the cabin. Just a few days before we arrived, the area had super high winds, a few inches of snow, and then the night before temps around or below -30° F. This meant the trails were not in the usual fantastic shape since park staff had other things to worry about.

We drove up together, had a bag lunch at the Loon then Steve, Tim and Bob set off on foot for the Osprey. I hung out at the Loon enjoying the quiet, reading, relaxing and making supper later waiting for Dave to arrive. My plans to get some skiing time were set aside because of the trail conditions, and a foot that happened to be giving me some problems at the moment. Getting older has it's disadvantages in aches and pains at times. About an hour after I finished supper Dave showed up. He unpacked his gear and we visited for a while. Earlier we had talked about skiing out to the Osprey to see the guys and have a hot chocolate, then ski back to the Loon. When Steve, Tim and Bob arrived at the Osprey about an hour and 20 minutes after they left the Loon earlier in the day on foot, they texted me (there is cell service there) and provided me with a trail conditions report that didn't sound all that great. In fact, Steve's trail report consisted of two words, "What trail?" Then he sent me a video that showed it took some work to get to the Osprey. It was a video of steam coming off of Bob's wool hiking pants as he warmed up by the wood stove! Check it out.

I shared Steve's report with Dave and we thought about it for a while as temps dropped below 0° once more. We checked the wind. It didn't seem bad. 

"OK" we thought, let's ski (or try to) out there and back. I texted the guys at the Osprey saying we were getting dressed to ski out there. We asked more questions about parts of the 'trail' to get a better idea of what we were getting into and Steve suggested we bring an extra layer or two in a pack along with other winter necessities, best to stay safe. Twisting an ankle (or knee) at night in the middle of the forest in dropping temps can have consequences. In addition the weather forecast was for changing wind direction and increased speed later. Bob jumped into the texting conversation and shared his opinion about our coming out there, 

"My opinion only: I'm not sure about you guys trying to ski over here. The trail is a wreck in places. Personally, I don't think it's worth it, but that will be your decision, of course", Bob suggested. His opinion gave us pause. Dave and I looked at each other. 

Dave said, "How bad could it be?" 

"OK", I said,"let's go". 

We got dressed, threw some extra gear into our small packs, turned our headlamps on, texted our departure time, and took off. It was slow, difficult going. We soon understood Bob's recommendations, and Steve's advice about bringing some extra layers.  

The park uses a tracked ATV to maintain the trail. Since it had been so cold the previous night or two and no one had been to the Osprey, the inside of the cabin was about the same temp as the outside air. Park staff had called Steve that morning to ask about his ETA at the Osprey. They had wanted to start a fire to warm the cabin some for their arrival which was simply fantastic!  The trail we took was the same one they took to the Osprey and back to start that fire. It looked like the tracked vehicle had gotten stuck, or nearly stuck several times really messing up the trail in sections where there were larger snow drifts. This is what Bob had referred to. At times we tried to ski in the ATV tracks, other times it was better to stay off to the side of those tracks, most of the time, it was difficult to keep your skis going straight while your body worked to maintain balance and move forward. It was hard work.

We arrived at the Osprey tired, with Bob at the door demanding an admission fee!  HA HA! Typical Bob. Steve made some hot chocolate and laid out a couple of snacks for use to consume while we took off our outerwear and extra layers so we could warm up in front of the nice wood stove. Both Dave and I had new skis and after a while the guys wanted to see them. So Steve opened the door to grab the skis and you could feel and hear that the wind had picked up. We stayed a while longer, but the increase in wind speed was a little concerning so we finished our cocoa, got dressed and left. It was colder out and the wind stung especially in some of the more open areas. 

Skiing into the headwind was no fun, but the tracks we made on the way in were still there for the most part so skiing back out in them helped. In the open areas though we had a hard time seeing the trail at times because of the wind and blowing snow. Both Dave and I fell once on the way back as the footing was tricky on the polished snow at the top of hills in open areas. We got back to the Loon cabin about 11:30 pm. The batteries on my headlamp were almost done, having been drained from the cold and having my light on high to help see the snow surface better, noticing undulations, subsurface dips in the trail etc. . It was an arduous outing as evidenced by the story Dave's face told when we finally got back inside!

I used KT tape on my face to help block the stinging cold. It actually worked fairly well. Without having to wear a face mask, my clear sport glasses remained nearly fog free, until we got inside the warm cabin. This KT tape isn't the most fun to take off of your face. If it's really cold, I still think it's worth it when xc skiing.

Pics from the guys at the Osprey........

Home sweet home

Bob, clowning with the glow sticks he places in the outhouse for nighttime visits. 

A nice fire at the cabin

Fresh deer sausage awaits!

Nothing like firewood smoke in the morning.

A messy bedroom!

Steve and Tim eat a hearty breakfast. The hike back would be a cold one with AM temps at -24°f but warming slowly as the day progressed.

Steve, Tim and Bob, all suited up for the hike back to the trailhead.

A view of the lonely tundra

That's Eramosh Lake in the background.

I wonder what it would be like using Ski-shoes (HOK skis.. bushwhacking cross country snow skis)

 to follow a canoe route to the cabin in the winter time..... now there's an idea!

 (The park rents them!)

Fatbikes, a Forest and Four Friends

This trip had been anticipated for quite some time. Mike got his fat bike last December, partially as a Christmas present from his wife, and partly because they had (amazingly) just gotten one in his size at the local bike shop. XL size bikes don't become available all that often, particularly this year. Bob and Dave each found used fat bikes, a smart move at a time when new bikes were a rare commodity, and still are. Steve found great pleasure in his ebike, the newest bike in his stable. Once everyone had a capable bike the main question was, when was a backcountry ride going to happen?

Nine long months went by, then this past week that question was finally answered. The destination? The Osprey cabin of course! Smoke and ash from Canadian fires were present in the sky that day. Breathing was less than ideal, still the excitement prevailed. Steve and Bob rode in daylight, arriving early enough to enjoy the cabin for the entire afternoon. Dave had to work, so he and Mike arrived at the trailhead at nightfall, they were excited about riding at night. Rangers had warned Bob and Steve about bears in the area. That concern was relayed to Mike and Dave but no bear was ever sighted. Here are a few pics from the event. 

Pre-ride carbo load... Sub-WAY!

After arriving at the cabin Bob demonstrates how to light a flashlight, 

and how to relax after he failed (thankfully) to

 light his flashlight. Ha!

Bob explores the border with Steve, who took these photos; 

Bob at the border and a view of Eramosh Lake from there.

Blue bikers, Dave and Mike arrive at the trailhead and prepare to head out.

The start of the trail is an uphill effort. Dave and Mike felt it best to walk 

the loaded bikes up the hill.

Bright bike lights illuminated the trail.

Riding at night was fun!

Dave and Mike arrive at the cabin.

The blue wheel lights were originally given to Dave and Mike by a friend as kind of a fun joke. It turned out that they left them on. The lights enhance the visibility of the bikes, something that's handy around town at night, and they actually do light the ground directly around them. 

Supper time!

Next morning, breakfast is over. Time to pack up and get ready to ride back. 

Steve's eBike and the four amigos.

Ready to go!

Mike videos Bob and Steve riding across the bridge.

Fallen leaves carpet the trail

Near the west end of the Kings Highway trail, just as you ride past a 

grove of spruce trees, there is a fun little side trail. It's a 

loop, so you end up where you started. 

This was the first fat bike overnight trip we've taken. The fat bikes were really fun to ride through the forest. The big, soft, fat tires smoothed the trail, and carried our gear with ease. What a great time!

 Hiking the King's Highway to the Osprey Cabin

Mike Fogarty, Steve Fogarty and Tim Zietz took advantage of the amazing fall weather (80 degree temps, sunny skies, and light winds) to hike the King's Highway trail to the Osprey cabin at Lake Metigoshe State Park. There's a small parking spot right at the King's Highway trailhead towards the north end of the park road. There is enough room for two cars there. 

It's about a 1.4 mile walk on wide gentle trails that starts with a short uphill effort. These trails are well maintained for hiking and mountain biking and they are groomed in the winter for cross country skiing when there's enough snow. The cabin is well equipped for a comfortable night's stay with propane lanterns, bunks with vinyl covered mattresses, a warm wood burning stove, chopped wood, and a table with 4 stools. Outside living accommodations include the great outdoors along with an outside deck, picnic table and fire pit. Also included is a small portable outdoor propane grill. Oh, and yes, there's a nice well stocked outdoor toilet as well. Bring everything else you'll need for your stay. 

Tim gets a couple of final pack adjustments from Steve prior to leaving the trailhead.

Tim helps Steve identify the difference between an Aspen and a Birch tree. 

Beautiful fall colors

Beautiful Osprey Cabin

After a nice break at the cabin that included some afternoon tea and a few snacks, we went down the hill from the Osprey to check out the lake shore and then went on a walk to the US-Canadian border. 

Steve and Tim check out the shore area down the hill in front of the cabin. 

There's evidence here that beavers have been busy!

Mike at the border

The sun was getting low. Time to head back to the cabin for supper!

After returning to the cabin we had a relaxing and tasty supper of freeze dried food  (well, tasty except for Mike's meal. His was surprisingly way less than not good.) that was topped off by donuts, exotic teas and fruit.  Next we readied our sleeping bags and sorted our gear for bedtime then we went for a midnight walk back to the footbridge that separates Eramosh Lake from Rost Lake. Sometimes you can navigate between the two lakes via kayak or canoe, but not at this time. The bridge area however presents itself as a fantastic place for star gazing, and on this cool, calm and crystal clear evening it was spectacular! Steve is our resident astronomy expert who spent the next two hours pointing out stars, planets, constellations and all manner of heavenly objects along with space trivia.

The bridge between Eramosh lake and Post Lake,    The heavens were spectacular!

Noticing that it was 1:00am we thought it was best to head back to the Osprey cabin. It was late, and one never knows what creatures lurk in the forest at night.

While the 1:00am encounter with "dark man" was chilling, the beginning of the return hike the next morning began with a bright ray of light illuminating Tim. (Tim was the dark man... senior citizens shouldn't be serious all the time!)

What a fun, relaxing overnight outing! Many thanks to the Lake Metigoshe State Park staff for the work they do that makes the trails, the cabin, and the rest of the facilities there enjoyable!

https://www.parkrec.nd.gov/lake-metigoshe-state-park