It was September 22nd, Me and my grandfather were planning on going to cut some trees down out in the Turnagain pass. The reason being that we were running low on firewood and there was plenty out in the wilderness. The wood out there was nice and dry and the forest was filled with dead spruce trees just waiting to be cut down. The woods were calling, and every dead tree out in that area had our names carved into their side. We woke up early that morning, so as to not be late. We ended up leaving late after having to clean up our dog's accident. The poor thing was deaf and blind, and didn't know about its surroundings. After loading the equipment into the back of the truck while making sure that there was enough room to be able to load at least a Cord of wood in the bed, we were off down the Seward Highway. Going with the traffic and watching the sunrise to our East. The Highway is long and windy, carved out from the side of the looming mountains on each side of the pass. Occasionally passing by the awestruck tourists pulled out to the side of the road or into a rest stop. And occasionally being able to get a glimpse of a mountain goat or a beluga on either side. As we pulled away from the water and the terrain around us started to turn into grassy hills and mountains, we started to be on the lookout for a good spot to pull up beside and start cutting. After what felt like a good 30 minutes of driving, we pulled up to a spot next to the ditch and hopped out. Unloading our tools from the back and grabbing the wedges, chainsaw, and ax. The smell of sap filled the air while a mist rained down on the valley. We started our trek through the deep brush, getting whacked in the face a few times from a branch pulled back by the other. Upon getting to a decent tree, we decided that the trek was a waste of our time as it was too difficult to traverse through the brush. We marched back through the bush and went back to our truck. We grabbed the fuel and oil, deciding to take it with us this time, and proceeded with walking back through the branches and leaves, which smell great when they’re getting whacked into your face. As we went through the forest, we ended up finding a few hollow spots, some being a few feet deep, finding that out the hard way. We continued trekking along the path and after falling into some more mini sinkholes, we finally decided to go back and find another place.
We hopped back in the truck and drove down toward a small creek that ran just outside of the woods. We got out and I fell into the creek. And so began our trail of bad luck that day. After finding a decent tree we began making the necessary cuts to fall the tree in the correct position without having it land on another tree or fall into the road. The tree ended up landing directly onto another tree, and in such a position that we had to hook a line, consisting of chains and a strap, to the trunk. We pulled the tree down with the truck and hauled it out next to the road, being cautious of any oncoming traffic. Afterwards we diced up the tree and threw the logs into the back, taking up about a third of the bed, which we knew was not nearly enough. So we got back in the truck and drove down the road to find a more suitable spot. After finding another decent place, we got back out and refilled the chainsaw with fuel and oil before heading back out into the woods. We eventually found a good tree to cut down and started with the same cuts we used on the other one. This tree fell pretty good, landing right parallel to the highway. But, unfortunately, not without a cost, the chainsaw got stuck as it started leaning and the two parts pinched the bar, which is where the chain goes on a chainsaw. This resulted in an abnormal rotation of the chain that was unreliable and dangerous. The chain would constantly come off while in operation. This was not only unsafe, but also expensive. so we brought out a screwdriver and pried and hammered the bar back into a usable shape, still not reliable though. We continued on with dicing the wood up, throwing it out to the ditch to be able to be neatly placed into the back of the truck. After that tree, we decided to cut down one more. We packed our things back to the truck and drove a bit further down the road to be able to find a bit more of a suitable spot where we could easily fall a tree next to the road instead of near it. Improving our ability to move around and lug the heavy logs to the truck. We pulled next to an avalanche area end sign and got out. We were determined to get this right this time, without losing or damaging anything. We started walking around the outer edge of the forest and found a decently sized tree, I’d say a good foot and a half diameter. We started making the usual cuts into this tree, but while preparing, the chain came off and got my grandfather in the hand. We finished the cutting and the tree fell down next to the road, just as we had hoped. We walked over to the fallen tree and started dicing this one up as well, stacking it near the bed of the truck to be able to load them in the back. I hopped up on the back and hit my shin on the back of the tailgate, then started loading the rest of the wood to make sure that none of it would fall out on the drive home. Once we finished loading the wood into the back, we had completely filled it and still needed room to be able to put the gas, oil, bag of wedges, and the ax in the bed. After configuring where everything would go, we hopped into the truck and made our way home. The thing about the drive difference between a drive somewhere and a drive back is that the drive back always seems shorter than the drive there. We ended up having enough wood in the end, thankfully, and we didn’t have to go back out to the pass. For a couple weeks.
