"The Ripple"

“Spring work is going on with enthusiasm.” -John Muir

While late spring/summer/fall is generally known to be “camp season”, some of our busiest days are in early spring as we gear up for “camp season”. Once the snow melts and we have some consistent warm weather, opening season begins!

Spring cleanup is made of many big tasks. The cabins that we don’t use during the winter season are always drained every fall to avoid having to heat them and keep the water lines from freezing, and one of our first tasks in the spring is getting the water going to them again. Once the water is going, each cabin is thoroughly “spring-cleaned” – walls and ceilings washed down, every shelf, corner and surface washed, windows washed, all dishes and utensils washed and cupboards washed out, all linens that were put away in the fall get a fresh wash, etc. This also reveals any needed maintenance tasks, and equipment, supplies or furniture that needs fixing or replacing. We power wash cabin exteriors and decks as needed and just make sure that all of our buildings are in tip top shape and looking great!

Yardwork and landscaping are another big task. Snow plowing all winter can sometimes do a number on lawns, so there’s always rocks to pick ahead of grass mowing season. We try to rake and mulch as many of the fallen leaves as we can in the fall, but sudden fall snowstorms guarantee that we will always have to rake the majority of the property every spring. We are fortunate that some years we’ve been able to partner with local volunteer groups or sports teams looking to do some work to in exchange for a donation from us, so that usually means we get a good size group who comes and gets most of the yardwork done in a day or two. In those cases, we have a BBQ to feed everyone as well.

Once the ice finally melts and the lake is “open”, we get to work on docks. We have a few floating docks that we move and tie to the main docks though the winter to avoid any damage caused by the ice, and those have to be moved back into place and re-connected. The main stationary docks are always inspected for any damage to the decking or cribs, caused either by the ice or by high or low water the previous year. Once docks are in and fixed, the next big task is getting boats out of storage, serviced, cleaned out and ready for summer rentals. Kayaks, canoes and paddleboards also come out of their winter storage and get cleaned up and ready for summer use!

Major maintenance projects are completed in the spring, though that may have started in the fall when things closed down. One of those happening this year is new siding going on our duplex cabins (#6 & #8). Last fall, the old siding came down and we are in the process of putting the new siding up now! We also did some updating at the beach, pulling out the old retaining wall made of creosote railway ties. We will finishing that up with some spring landscaping work to have it all ready for this season.

Now while it’s mostly hard work all spring, we sometimes do sneak in the occasional day out on Crow Lake for some shorefishing for Lake Trout. There’s usually a short window where Trout are hanging out just off shore before moving out into deeper water as the temperatures rise. We go out and sit on an island and set some lines, or we may or may not even set up a line off one of our docks while we get the camp work done (pop cans make great alarm bells to let you know your line has moved). Work hard, play hard, right?? 😊

Despite all of the hard work needed in the spring, it truly is one of our favourite times as it is a time to refresh and renew, and we can’t wait for you to come enjoy this wonderful place with us once it’s ready to go!