Snowshoes and Trapping

[Haggis]

I know it is really too late to continue snaring canines, but it gives one something to do and a good reason to be out everyday for an hour or two on snowshoes. Herself and I plan to use this year's pelt's (all red foxes thus far) for ruff's and trim on homemade cotton Anorak's (the sort from the store look exactly as do the sort sewn at home, but those sown at home cost 1/7th as much). One dreads to see the end of winter coming, and knowing that with it comes the end of snowshoeing for very many months.

I've a friend who was for a bit a government trapper, a beaver trapper, and I've plans to be out with him, after the ice goes, and snare up a few beaver pelts for mittens, and such.

Seems a shame winter being so short, or does winter merely seem shorter when one is enjoying it?

[bowdonkey]

Haggis, what type of cotton material you using and where are you getting it, if you don't mind me asking? And what about a Pattern? On the sewing forum here they posted www.thegreenpepper.com for patterns. I was thinking about the Ranier or Fairbanks patterns.

[Haggis]

I actually got my pattern from a friend in Red Lake, Ontario, but he had copied it from a book titled Snow Walker's Companion (I have since purchased a copy of the book for my own collection). My friend tells me it took him two try's to get it right, and he is a fellow who has never before sewn anything; his ended up costing $30 total for the 6.3 oz. canvas and the thread.

The Duluth Pack Store now sells cotton Anorak's, but there is no ruff nor zipper for attaching same. Empire Canvas Works sells a nice Anorak, and it may be purchased with a coyote ruff.

http://www.empirecanvasworks.com/arcticanorak.htm

[Haggis]

By the by, if one were to look about a wee bit and find a source of 4oz. Egyptian cotton, of the sort used in making tents, one would have the finest sort of material for an Anorak.

[bowdonkey]

I have that book, also have their Beyond the Paddle book. These are some folks that know what their doing. There is some light materials out there, try www.denverfabrics.com, www.duckworksbbs.com, www.seattlefabrics.com,www.sailmakerssupply.com. The problem is the real light fabrics nowadays still contain sythetics. It may be an imaginery one, maybe a little polyester won't hurt. I'm also looking into some kind of slippery material as a liner. I also have around 75 deer hides left that I've braintanned over the years and will be making one from that also.

[Haggis]

I've an Anorak from Cabela's, it is very warm but I shouldn't want to wear it on an extended outing; moisture cannot get through the synthetic liner, and if it did, it would be again trapped by the synthetic outer shell; then too, the synthetic outer shell would never stand up the rigors of life in a primitive camp.

To be honest, I've only dabbled in brain tanning, I've "soap tanned" a great quantity of skins and hides over the years. It bothered me for no few years, this business of using soap, until one day, when rereading a passage from the Journals of Lewis and Clark, I happened upon a bit about a sort of tree they were burning which did not leave ashes enough to make the soap to dress their hides for clothing. (Apparently they were making lye soap with which to tan their skins and hides, my method, or rather the soap method, was immediately bona fide.)

I was given a number in Canada werein it is said one may purchase "Indian tanned moose hide" put up in the old way and therefore able to breath; this I should like to try for mukluks and mocassins. The temptation would be to get up a moose hide Anorak, but one fears the weight of it would be burdensome on a long snow walk.

There is one such snow walk I should enjoy trying before Herself and the bairn's have me believing I'm too old for anything but the rocking chair, or the grave. I should like to start out on the BWCAW's Snowbank Lake, easterly of Ely, at the end of the road so to speak, and from there to Parent lake, on to Disappointment Lake, then passed a few smaller lakes to Ima, then overland to Kekekabic. The distance would not be far, perhaps 15 miles in, but it would be a great walk. Make a week of it, two days getting in, two days getting out, and three days of fishing and no sled snowshoeing the surrounding lakes. One cannot begin to imagine the landscape of Kekekabic in winter, under a heavy snow.

Thanks for the links.

[Cabin Fever]

Ya know Haggis, the old "Kek" trail hasn't been maintained by the Forest Service for many years. What maintanace that has been done to the trail is by volunteers who love the old trail. I hear tell that much of the trail is no more than a deer path. So, if you do ever hike it...don't get lost!

When I spent time with the Inuit north of Churchill, Manitoba I saw many of the anoraks that they made. They were always two peices an outer wind-proof layer, similar to the ones you make (I suppose) and then a wool duffle inner layer that is only worn during cold weather. Wool duffle is almost identical to the wool in a Hudsons Bay Blanket (ie, you don't need to hem it after cutting it to size...it won;t unravel) only thicker.

I'm wondering, do you wax the canvas you use for your anoraks?

[Haggis]

I've wanted, more many years, to walk the Kekekabic Trail; everything I hear says it's so poorly maintained that getting lost is certain (an inconvenience at most), but more importantly, there is so much in the way of burned over timber and wind-downed timber as to make the walk a horror.

Plain breathable cotton of a very tight weave is the ticket for a proper Anorak; I've never heard of folk waxing an Anorak (for anything which might keep moisture out, would in turn keep moisture in, which would lead to chilling, and on to something much worse).

Duffle is said to be great for lining mittens, mukluks, mocassins, and as you say, as a outer layer under the Anorak. I haven't used it. Tightly woven woolens: shirts and pants, along with wool base layers keep me warm enough; or rather have, given I've never been out more than a few days, and then the coldest night was but -38.

Here is a link to a source of duffle; it is quite dear:
http://www.nativecraftmen.com/Public...=45&Recherche=

[Cabin Fever]

Here are a couple of my photos from Eskimo Point, NWT (now called Arviat, Nunavut) from 1971.

Inuit with outer anorak:


On left, duffle inner liner for anorak:

[Haggis]

Nice photos, (charming lasses,,,, and you were of what age in 1971?) such wonderful memories as they must conjure up. There is some hard country in Northern Canada, and even harder peoples living and thriving there in spite of it. Of a certain they have much to teach southern folk about living peaceably with the weather and the climate.



I had my first anorak made by the mother of a friend not long after you took the above photos, (she was maker of canvas covers for boats). I had a wolf fur ruff put on it and wore it until the sun had bleached the ruff to the color of a sickly yellow collie (and the ruff was eventually worn to the point of seemingly having been taken from the coat of a mangy sickly yellow collie). The anorak itself was eventually bespeckled from stem to stern with the sparks of a thousand campfires, but it was dear to me. It disappeared one day and I've ever held Herself to some mischief concerning the disappearance (she denies it, but won't look me in the eye while doing so).

[alleyyooper]

Your comment on winters being short for those who enjoy it I found to be the truth.
So many today spend all their time complaining about the winter weather. When all they need to do is find enjoyable winter pursuits then the time goes by fast.
Those blond women & some of the men they hire for the weather and even the new who whine and complain all winter long drive me crazy. Well they all seem to be blond to me and they stand out side doing a news story with no hat on. I often wonder how many sit home watching them and stupid person put an hat on?
Why do such people remain in an area where they are so unhappy for 4 to 6 months of a year?
Are they really just hanging around to see if they can make the rest of us as miserable as they are?

We have had just beautiful weather here for about two weeks now. About every day has been a sunny one with the temps hanging right in the (yesterdays) 9F to the mid 20F range.
Nothing like (don't own sno shoes) x country skis then sneeking back along the creek to call youtes.

We only have about 18 inches of snow on the ground in this area. Thats a lot for our winters in this area too. All since January 1st. We had about that much but the Chrimas thaw got rid of it all.

Al

[Jackpine Savage]

Originally Posted by Haggis

There is one such snow walk I should enjoy trying before Herself and the bairn's have me believing I'm too old for anything but the rocking chair, or the grave. I should like to start out on the BWCAW's Snowbank Lake, easterly of Ely, at the end of the road so to speak, and from there to Parent lake, on to Disappointment Lake, then passed a few smaller lakes to Ima, then overland to Kekekabic. The distance would not be far, perhaps 15 miles in, but it would be a great walk. Make a week of it, two days getting in, two days getting out, and three days of fishing and no sled snowshoeing the surrounding lakes. One cannot begin to imagine the landscape of Kekekabic in winter, under a heavy snow.

Thanks for the links.

Great thread, brought back some memories and caused me to dig out my maps. I've been on a few winter trips in that area, never went past Ima, but had some great times fishing between Disappointment and Ima.

I've been wanting to put together some traditional gear as discussed here and in the Snow Walkers Companion. That really is a great book. I started winter camping in 1980, and discovered much the hard way.

[Haggis]

To the subject of snowshoes, my new webs only just arrived today from Faber of Quebec; 18"X39" Montagnais, They be of the sort fashioned and closely woven for deep powdery snow, and here in time for a brief February thaw; a thaw making the snow crusty and heavy.

Now to locate a few yards of lampwick or soft leather for bindings.

[Cabin Fever]

We prefer the long, narrow "Alaskan" snowshoe (about 12" x 48") for walking trails.

[IMG][/IMG]

[alleyyooper]

I would really like a set of the alaska type from Iversons in Shinglton Michigan.
But I am not in the UPPER enough during the deep snow, I can not justify to cost. The x country skis surfice here. I really would prefer the wider true x country skis to the narrow ones sold localy though.

Emerald ash bore has killed most of my ash trees I should make an attempt at making my own as well as some snow shoes.

Al

[bowdonkey]

Haggis, did you check out any of those links? And was their any material that looked suitable to you?

[Haggis]

Aye, thanks, I did have a look at each of the links, but as of yet nothing has caught my fancy.

[Haggis]

I finally snared a female coyote today, a mile and a half from the cottage; all going well, next winter my new, home sewn, anorak will have a coyote ruff of my own catching.

One assumes the pelts will ever be "rubbed" at this late season, but she showed no signs of rubbing. I had feared a bit of snagging a wolf, several of them currently leaving their tracks here and there along my line, but my luck, and their's, has held good.

[bowdonkey]

Wolf ruff would certainly be more classy than coyote though.

[Haggis]

Originally Posted by bowdonkey

Wolf ruff would certainly be more classy than coyote though.

Aye, but I fear I should not look so "classy" in prison garb if apprehended with a raw wolf pelt in Minnesota.