23 Aug 2017:
Today was hike-in-day for Simpson Lodge Preservation project. Met the group at a grocery in Dubois, Wyoming a little before 0800. From there drove to the first staging point up a steep winding road  where we left most of the vehicles continuing on  with the history Corp diesel and two of the participants trucks too second staging point. From there it was a truck ride five at a time in Diesel “beater” to third staging point and then hike in to the old log lodge at Simpson Lake. I volunteered to be in the first group to hike in and set up the area for the rest. Kian used her wrist GPS to track the hike it was 4.8 miles. Reasonably difficult it’s going to be harder to go out because the steep climbs are going to be against us. Set up our personnel areas pitched tents etc. Set up did not take long and by the time the others arrived we were prepping cabin walls for new daubing. When the others arrived some of them were pretty beat up. Unfortunately, supper included a cabbage salad. Not for me. If I would partake not only I would suffer, but all around me would also. Otherwise excellent meal.

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24 Aug 2017:
I “volunteered” to repair windows since no one else had a clue how to go about it. Linseed oil frames clean out old caulk etc. Window glass and other supplies arrived by pack horse. Two strings of pack animals and packers. Seven pack mules and one horse. Things went bad at that point. The glass they sent up did not match the frames and no glass cutter so I worked on removing three logs from the cabin using screw jacks and a jig to lift and take pressure off so old logs could come out.after raising the logs have to cut the spikes in the corners with a hacksaw blade.  I forgot to mention that toilet facilities are a squat slit trench about 300 hundred yards uphill from tent area. Some of the members of the group are really struggling with the altitude headaches no appetite shortness of breath etc. John, the group leader, used satellite phone to call in new called glass dimensions to headquarters, but has little hope that it will be delivered.

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25 Aug 2017:
Started making the replacement logs first step is to debark. It is not really for appearances but more that bugs are in and under the bark so remove it before placing in cabins. Picked them to size and then cut to length.  Using a crosscut saw something else I have some experience at, from building the deck on my house. Two person saw apparently there are new saws available but strangely no handles so they are locally made. From there its chisels and mallet to shape the notches. All this is done by hand without power tools because this is a wilderness area located inside a national forest.  No motorized anything not even a battery powered drill. The leader laid out the notches locations etc. and then we cut them. Heritage Corp has purchased some really quality tools the chisels etc are top quality. Several of the folks took advantage of an offer to have packhorse train bring in some beer. One of whom is becoming a friend and is willing to share since I foolishly failed to participate.

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26 Aug 2017:
I have decided that coffee is not such a bad thing. Since I am an early riser I have coffee the cup warms the hands and its not bad with lots of creamer. We have had frost each morning. Quite a varied group A flooring contractor and daughter from SD. A FedEx/history reenactor from Colorado. A retired phone guy from Florida (having altitude issues) he sleeps in a hammock instead of a tent. Retired construction supervisor from CSU. A young lady who is an iron man participant from Texas. Another who is a truck farmer in Connecticut. And, finally a Jewish girl who family did not survive the holocaust. There are two full time employees who lay out the program and do the cooking. Apparently, I will be back to glazing tomorrow we are told that the glass will be cut and delivered by packhorse in the morning. I suggested they also bring beer but the idea was vetoed. Oh well. Replaced three logs and two guys started in big sill log.  I am helping with the daubing process which is filling the gaps between the logs with a paste of mud or cement.

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27 Aug 2017:
The glass came today and it’s the correct sizes so back to work. I have help and we are getting it done. Ran out of glazing points so improvising with staple gun staples. Got some done so then installing them in cabins. Turned out that was easier said than done. The previous groups had labeled them as they removed them and some were not salvageable so new frames. Problem is the cabins had shifted with log replacement and they were not square to start with so it was resort to a saw and a block plane and make them fit. It’s a slow process but doable. We all took a break this afternoon. One of the guys packed in a solar shower so laid it in the  sun and had a short shower. Was going to shave but razor broke. Setting drinking a beer with lunch and a beautiful bald eagle flew over in long lazy sweeps beautiful sight.

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28 Aug 2017: 
We are working at a place called Simpson Lake in Wyoming. It’s around 10,000 feet at this point and about two miles from the Continental Divide. The lake appears to be quite shallow at one end but deep at the other. Beautiful old growth timber around here but as with much of the west pine beetles are killing them. There are three cabins two of which are divided into two rooms with bunks and small night tables and the third is a cook house with a large room to eat in and a smallish kitchen. The mess area has some beautiful tables slabs of wood that are 6 inches think 4 feet wide and 8 feet long. Amazing  piece of wood. And surprisingly unscarred with no initials or graffiti scratched into the top. There is graffiti names dates etc on the walls but people who have been here and broken in etc over the years have respected these. Also a great fireplace that some of the group “repointed” it.

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29 Aug 2017:
Finishing up the project people have been working on it for two years now, but it’s now complete. Finished putting in the windows. Two people made the traditional latch string for door. Put up the shutters and cleaned everything up. Bag the trash, old roofing. Packed up all the tools or rather located them where the packers could sort them into the pack sizes and shapes to go out on the pack train.  It will take at least a couple of trips. Swept and cleaned the cabins. It’s a beautiful day and big “campfire” to burn all the wood chips. Carried off the left over logs. The deer were back this morning. They are very tame. Never having been hunted.

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29 Aug 2017: 
Close out day. Up early an getting ready to hike out. I tried to figure out how to make coffee and it was relatively successful. We are the last group on a project that has spanned ten years and 6 volunteer sessions. Finished clean up naturalized out fires and latreen. Packed up cook tent and bear boxes and ready to pack out by 930. That was apparently faster than the last group who just had to leave no pack out.  Anyway got started and hiking out. I hate the idea of embarrassing myself so pushed hard and did well. I  finished the hike second to Kian but didn’t feel to bad since it turns out she competes in Iron Man sessions. I rode out to pickup with Ope and Camen and took ‘Don with me. Failure with the hook up with Bill at Salt Lake City so I took Don to Idaho Falls, Idaho so he could catch a bus back to Seattle. I went to Motel cleaned up and had a couple beers and cleaned and packed gear, tents, sleeping pads etc.