It’s Almost Time for Our Winter Dock Project!

January 26, 2016

In most cases, the cold weather (-12¬∫ C today) and snow stop us from doing too much work outside in January. The outposts are closed up, planes are out of the water, and we’re happy to take in the beauty of the snow-covered wilderness while we’re busy taking reservations for the upcoming season in the office. But this winter is different ‚Äì we’re about to put in a new dock at the base!

The old dock was in service at Nestor Falls Fly-In for 30 years and took quite the beating from the winter weather over the years. It stood up well, but it’s time for a re-do. We’re replacing our old 300′ docks with new, wider floating docks. We’ll even be able to drive a four-wheeler down them if we want, which will make loading and unloading the planes much easier!

There’s not enough ice out here on Pine Lake yet to start the project, but if we’re able to get more, it’ll be perfect for building the dock. At the moment we’re plow the lake whenever it snows to help thicken the ice on the water. (The snow insulates the ice. But if we remove the snow, the ice will be able to freeze better.)

Soon, we’ll build the dock on the ice, and then when the ice melts, the dock will sit on top of the water. Then we will anchor it to keep it from floating away.

And YES – we can drive on the ice! There are even some temporary ice roads on the lakes up here.

Until we’re ready to build the dock, we’re happy to do some ice fishing and snowshoeing. Stay warm!

Escape to the Wilderness,
Dave & Michelle