After a very wet and stormy September, the weather in October turned much dryer and warmer here in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. That turn started the last two days of September, with highs reaching into the eighties and continued on through the first two weeks of October. Looking back through the data shows that it wasn’t until the fourteenth of the month that the temperature hit at or below the average. Even then, a below average chill only lasted for a couple of days and by the sixteenth temperatures jumped again well above average reaching up into the mid-sixties and even the lower-seventies. But by the twentieth we returned to the reality of an October in the Northland as temperatures dropped into the mid-fifties and upper forties. This longer lasting cold spell has brought us our first nightly hard frosts as well with mornings seeing readings in the mid-twenties. I’m not sure how my neighbors feel about it, but I’m quietly glad things have gone cold finally. We skiers get a bit nervous when what should be a transitional month toward the cold snowy days ahead that we love so much continues to feel like summer. A warm fall can often be a bad omen for the winter to come.
All of this nice weather has been good for us caretakers working outside around camp! With the help of evening cook and now semi-seasonal caretaker Cody Keys, some extra painting was completed around the grounds. Painting time is one of the hardest things for us to find at camp because all of the prime painting season is off-limits due to the overlap with camp season. With Caretaker Jack retiring at the end of the summer of 2020, the short painting season dilemma has only been exacerbated. But Cody’s willingness to stay on for a couple extra months past his usual season end date and the nice fall weather really helped take the pressure off Andy and me, allowing us to take some vacation time before the full force of winter struck. Cody was able to prep and paint peeling areas of the Doll House and the Swamper Jop, and with the help of Andy (after a well-deserved two-week break!) did a complete paint job on Range Cabin Dogwood. After I returned from my own vacation, I spent most of October’s ridiculously pleasant weather splitting the equally ridiculously large pile of cut wood that we had accumulated over the Camp-Season-That-Wasn’t. The wood splitting chore is one that we usually do in early November after leaf blowing to fill the CNOC wood pile and the friendship fire stores. But the pile seemed awfully large and I thought it would be a good idea to get a head start on it so we weren’t working on it into heavy snow season (although we have been snowed on plenty of times while splitting in November!). I’m really glad I did the splitting early. Sure, I was at it for nearly three weeks, and I did have to work through the occasional bit of rain, but my hands and feet stayed warm the whole time, something that is never true while splitting wood in November!
And finally, one last positive that came from this unusually warm and pleasant October is that caretaker Andy has been able to pile up the miles on his motorcycle after work!
Praying faithfully to the snow gods for a full and deep ski season ahead, it’s Caretaker Joe At Camp.
Looking forward to s’mores around the fire next summer!