Remote snowbound living ... and possibly alone

[hnash53]

I am thinking about moving up to my cabin at 8000' elevation in the western Wyoming mountains.

5-6 months of snow....access by some kind of snow machine during that time...upwards of 5-7 miles.

And it might just be me living there.  Am I crazy or what?  Occasional work 2-3 days a week commuting to town 20 miles away.

Anyone lived alone in such a situation?  A few people live up there year round...a few.

Any thoughts?

[MountainDon]

What kind of snow machine? We found out this winter that a regular snowmobile can have troubles with deep (22" @ 8500 feet) powder snow. There are some that handle it better than others from what my local Polaris dealer tells me. But the used market around here is very limited and a new one is too expensive to justify for the limited number of times we'd actually use it.

I'd love to have a real Sno-Cat, but even used ones are expensive too.

So I'm sure it can be done with proper preparation. If in/out access is needed on a regular schedule, snowfalls may cause problems, depending on the machine.

How, and how often do the few who live there all year get in and out?


We enjoyed the weekend though. Very beautiful and peaceful in all the snow.

If I had my food stockpiled and no needs to go work I wouldn't mind spending the winter up on our property.

[lonelytree]

Newer 550F Tundra. Fan cooled. Great suspension. Starts easily. Pulls a load too!

I bought a 2008. Great machine. Change the carb boots every 2 years.

[hnash53]

I think a Rhino or Mule with Mattracks on it would probably get me in and out.

As for how often others get in and out, I really don't know.  Would be a good thing to find out.

[MountainDon]

I think a Rhino or Mule with Mattracks on it would probably get me in and out.

It all depends on the snow density. Member MaineRhino (I believe it was he) has tracks on a Rhino and has had it stuck IIRC. And yet I recall him telling once of a time when they were out on a lake (snow) and his buddy stepped out and ended up sinking to his waist or something like that, while the Rhino with tracks simply sat there on top.

[rwanders]

Consider whether your winter route would traverse any avalanche prone slopes or chutes. You would want to scout a route that would also avoid most ravines or patches of alder or similar brush----I have fought alder thickets when snow machining in Alaska many times (skis like to get caught under alder branches buried in snow drifts).

[WoodSprite]

Consider whether your winter route would traverse any avalanche prone slopes or chutes.

Great advice, of course.  When we lived in the wilderness we were often snowed in for weeks at a time, which we expected and were prepared for.  But any time of year, we never left the place without chainsaws & prybars, etc, in the truck in case of rockslides or other unforseen events during the 45-minute switchback crawl down the mountain.  Right after we left there the main "road" out was completely obliterated by a rockslide, and the decommissioned logging road which was the only other way down was buried by a mudslide.  The place we'd been caretaking was inaccessible for six months, during the fire season.

It's the most wonderful way to live if you're healthy, self-reliant, and don't have to be anywhere. But if you need to commute, be sure you've got a lot of flexibility.

On the other hand, I know a guy who's the irreplaceable head of IT for a really high-strung tech company.  He lives on a mountaintop only accessible by snow machine much of the year, and his presence is REQUIRED at work at least 6 days a week.  He manages.

[NM_Shooter]

Hmmm. 

Anybody depend on you being alive?

Just thinking that if you are remote... snow or not, that even a minor heart attack could be serious.  Do you have any sort of communication equipment? 

Once my kids are out of the house, I'd do something like that in a heartbeat.  As a kid, I read the book "Traplines North" and would fantasize about remote solo travel.