by Patrick Shea
Noah felt chagrined and said, “Well, as for what I’m doing, I’m settled in for the night because I can’t get the RV to move in the snow. As for my radio, it isn’t on because I forgot I had one. To tell you the truth it just never occurred to me. More importantly, where in the world did you come from, how’d you get here, and why?”
Ben got out of his winter coat and boots, and Noah could see he was shaking from the cold. Ben said, “Do you have any hot coffee brewed? I’m freezing and that would really help. I’m going to call Sam and let her know I found you and that you’re not dead.”
Noah smiled and grimaced at the same time. He smiled watching Ben try to react as an adult and grimaced because he knew this mistake was his. In retrospect he couldn’t believe he had forgotten he had the radio in the RV.
He listened to Ben succinctly tell Sam that they were together, that Noah had forgotten he had a CB radio, and that they were going to start out again as soon as Ben warmed up.
As he replaced the radio mike Noah said, “What are you talking about, how did you get here, and how are we going to get out of here?” Noah could only surmise that Ben was either on a heavy duty snowmobile or a snow cat, neither of which would help since he wasn’t about to leave the horses here alone.
Ben looked up and said, “I drove a road grader out here. The road is now clear enough for you to drive on. If you stay behind me I’ll keep it clear in front of you. I’m here because Sam decided you were probably going to need help getting through the blizzard. She has a snow plow and is trying to keep the road in the park open by driving back and forth from the lodge to the entrance.”
Just then Sam came over the radio asking for Noah. He picked up the mike and said, “Hi Sam, this is Noah.”
“Noah, I’m in West Yellowstone and I need to know if you have enough mountain winter clothes?”
“I just have what I brought with me. It isn’t made for this kind of snow though.”
“Yeah, I know the feeling. Let me have your clothes and shoe sizes. Ben and I outfitted ourselves in West Yellowstone and while I wait for you I’ll pick up some winter stuff for you.”
Noah gave her the information and said, “If you haven’t picked up large white windbreakers and powder pants you should probably do that. Three of those specialty sleeping bags that are good for glacier sleeping ain’t a bad idea either.”
“I cleared the shelves of the sleeping bags on our last trip but the white gear is a good idea, just in case. I’ll see you in West Yellowstone. I’m going to wait at the entrance to the park so I can clear the way for you and Ben. That grader could save someone’s life if we leave it there.”
Noah said “We shouldn’t be too long since Ben will be backtracking over a road he has already cleared once. We could be there in a half hour.”
When he had signed off he said to Ben, “I’m impressed with her. She seems to know what she’s doing and doesn’t hesitate at all.”
“You’ll like her. She really knows a lot and she thinks of everything. And she’s as nice a person as I’ve met in a long time. One of the things I like about her is that she knew exactly what you meant about getting white lightweight gear, and she didn’t have to ask any questions, so she didn’t.” He looked kind of abashed when he continued, “But I didn’t understand it, could you let me know what the two of you were talking about?”
Noah smiled and said, “I’m sure if you weren’t so cold the thought would have come to you. I’d like to have the gear for camouflage in the snow, just in case we ever need it. We probably won’t, but better to be safe than sorry.”
“Okay, let’s get started. I’ll have to turn the grader around and I have chains in case I need to pull you over that snow against your front bumper.”
“You go ahead and turn the grader around. Give me a couple of minutes and I’ll get a shovel out of the horse trailer and dig the front end out. I think that might be safer than wrapping a chain around an axle.”
“Okay, and don’t worry about visibility. I’ve got six lights on the front of the grader and two spotlights on the rear cross bar. I’ll keep them on but shining on the sides of the road so they don’t blind you.”
They had no trouble getting started and thirty minutes later they pulled up behind the snow plow parked at the entrance to the park. Ben got out and walked up to the cab. Sam also got out and they introduced each other.
The only thing Noah could see of Sam were her eyes, and he noticed that they were a startling bright green. He said, “Hi Sam, I wanted to meet you before we started out again. Thank you for deciding that you and Ben should help me out. I couldn’t have been here without the two of you. I was locked into the snow, probably until spring.”
Sam smiled through the snow and said, “I only did it because I knew you were the kind of man that would do the same for Ben or me. Please don’t prove me wrong.”
Noah returned the smile and said, “You have a lot of things to worry about Sam, but that ain’t one of them.
Sam said, “I’ve tried to stay up with the snow but I haven’t been able to. About halfway to the lodge the snow is much heavier, and much deeper on the road. I’m not sure we’ll be able to get through this tonight. I think we might be better off staying here in West Yellowstone and waiting out the storm. Tomorrow we’ll have three of us plowing, which should make it easier. That’s assuming the snow stops. If it doesn’t we’ll have to give up on wintering at the lodge.”
Noah responded, “I’m really sorry that I’ve created this problem for you. Without me you and Ben would be at the lodge weathering the storm.”
“Don’t feel too bad, there always seems to be a reason for everything. Those RVs over there belong to Ben and I. Let’s take the time to put the horse trailers next to each other and park the RVs on the two sides and across the rear doors to the trailers. I think that’s as much protection as we’ll be able to give the horses. Is your trailer heated?”
“Yes it is. I’ve fed and watered mine for the evening, and the heater is on. But I’ll check on them one more time.”
“Good, Ben and I will do the same thing and then you can pull your RV across the rear doors. I think that’s the best we can do.
“Our only option would be to find a hotel or house to stay in and I’m not keen on that idea.”
“I agree with that. I just buried my friends yesterday and I’m not ready to go through that again so soon. That’s why I was heading to the park. It’s been closed since late September and no one stays at the big lodge during the winter. I think the ranger station at the north entrance is the only place that’s manned all year long, and I doubt any of the rangers stayed on duty until the end.”
“Okay Noah, I’m glad you made it this far. I’ll see you in the morning.
The next morning Noah was up early. They had left enough room between the horse trailers to be able to use the side doors. Noah checked on the horses and spent some time giving them fresh feed and rubbing them down. The heater had worked well but it was still chilly in the trailer.
The blizzard was over and Noah could see the stars clearly. Unfortunately he could also see about four feet of snow. If it was heavier in the park, getting to the lodge was going to be difficult.
Sam came out when Noah was with the horses so he helped her with her horse and with Ben’s horse. By the time they finished Ben had joined them.
Sam volunteered to make breakfast and Ben volunteered to clean up afterwards. Noah told them he would make breakfast tomorrow. While Sam cooked they talked about how to start.
There was plenty of snow removal equipment in the D.O.T. barn. They decided that the snow was so deep that they needed to do more than just plow it aside. They went back to the equipment shed and found a front loader and a large dump truck. The truck had a plow attached to the front.
They started digging through the snow towards Old Faithful and the main lodge. Ben used the road grader, Sam drove the dump truck and Noah used the loader to scoop snow from the middle of the
road bed and drop it in the dump truck. The loader had been built for snow removal and the bucket was on hinges of a sort.
When Noah filled the bucket with snow, he lifted the arms supporting the bucket. The arms were built to move through 180 degrees, so the bucket would end up facing the rear if Noah wanted. He moved the bucket backwards until it was up against the top rear of the truck Sam had backed up to the loader. Noah then rotated the hinges until the bucket emptied into the truck.
Ben was to use the grader to clear the roadway after the heavy equipment had moved the snow. After a short time they realized that Ben was wasting his time by waiting for longs periods while Noah and Sam moved the snow. Ben went back to the equipment shed and traded the snow plow truck for another dump truck.
When Sam’s truck was full and she went to dump the snow, Ben backed his truck up to the loader. Once each of them got the knack of what they were doing things progressed fairly well. Noah was surprised that he stayed as warm as he did, working the loader was work and he stayed busy.
Each hour they took a short break and warmed up and then traded positions so they each had a turn working the loader, which didn’t have an enclosed cab. At noon they stopped for lunch and to check on the horses.
They realized that at the rate they were moving it would take all of two days to get to the lodge, and if the snow started again it could be spring before the lodge was accessible.
They made good time during the afternoon and they worked until well after dark. Unfortunately the farther they went into the park, the deeper the snow became.
When they finished for the day, they returned to the RVs in Ben’s truck. They debated the advantages of staying at the entrance or moving the RVs into the park as far as the road was clear. They decided to stay at the entrance since getting snowed in halfway to the lodge didn’t make any sense at all.
After dinner in Ben’s RV, cooked by Sam, they took the snow removal equipment to a filling station and filled the tanks for tomorrow.
When they returned they met again in Ben’s RV. Noah asked if they had a plan B prepared in case there was no fuel in the park. Sam told him about the sled and the extra barrels the townspeople had provided. Noah was amazed at the thoughtfulness and decided to tell them what he had been through to get his RV.
Sam said, “Well, that explains why you aren’t registered on the RV spreadsheet. I’m glad you called us though, and I’m glad you’re here. Jack Sweeney has asked me to contact other people in this region to make sure they have somewhere to go. Ben and I could use your help.”
“Noah smiled at the way she automatically included Ben in her plans, and how Ben expected that to happen. He didn’t know how long they had known each other but it was obvious that Ben was captivated by her.
Noah responded, “I’ll be happy to help the two of you with that. How do you know who to call?”
“Jack was going to email us a list early today. I haven’t looked yet but I’m sure it’s there. I’ll go and get my laptop and we’ll take a look.”
Ben said, “Stay there Sam, I’ll get it, Noah, do you want yours?”
“Please, it’s on the console between the seats.”
As Ben went out Noah said, “You know it’s an amazing world where a cowboy from a South Dakota Res, a cowgirl from a ranch in Montana and a high school age outdoorsman sit down together with their laptops to conduct business.”
Sam laughed and said, “It is indeed. But I’m pleased that all of us are computer literate. That makes things a little easier.” Sam liked the easy way Noah accepted both her and Ben for exactly what they were. No pretenses, no concerns and no issues were apparent. She knew she was going to get along well with him. He was on the quiet side, and he seemed tough, but she had spent her entire life around quiet, tough men.
When Ben returned they all plugged in their mobile broadband cards and went first to the chat room on the survivor web page. Sam pointed out a note to her from ‘Lily’, a lady from Cheyenne, Wyoming who wanted join them at Yellowstone.
Sam called Lily and after she talked to her she decided they had to help her get to the park. The option was that Lily would spend the winter in or near Bozeman, where she was currently snowed in. She told Lily she needed to talk to Noah and Ben and would call her back.
After the three of them talked they decided they would be at the lodge tomorrow evening and could start clearing the road to Bozeman the next day. They guessed that it would take at least three more days to get to Bozeman. From what Lily had told Sam the snow wasn’t nearly as bad on her end so it would get easier for them as they got closer to Lily.
At some point the snow would be sparse enough so they could plow it rather than load it. Things would get pretty quick at that point.
Sam called Lily back and told her she would have to wait at least four days for them to clear the roads, but if she wanted to join them she was welcome to do so. Lily had no qualms about staying where she was for four days since she had nowhere else to go.
Sam asked Lily about her loved ones and the two of them spent thirty minutes talking about the pain of losing everyone. By the time they were done Sam looked like she was cried out, but Noah knew it wasn’t that easy.
Before they went to bed, Sam posted a note in the chat room asking if there were other survivors interested in joining them in the park. She told everyone that they were welcome to join the three of them, but if they came she expected that all of them would work together to make the park usable as a winter camp. She asked that anyone who tried to join with Lily should leave a note in the chat room. She didn’t want anyone stranded out there for the winter.
The three of them then said goodnight to each other and went to their own RVs
In the morning Ben volunteered to check on the horses while Noah cooked breakfast.
Sam checked the chat room and found that there were others interested in joining her group. She told them all the best they could do was to join Lily in Bozeman and wait for them to clear the roads. The one qualifier was the weather. Another blizzard and they would be snowed out of the park for the winter.
She finished by telling them to look for Lily on the Interstate. They could communicate via CB radio if need be.
Ben had moved the horses outside and was riding his horse and walking the others on halter ropes just to give them some exercise. After they finished with the horses they went back to clearing the roads.
At noon time Sam checked the chat room to see how Lily was doing. Lily said she had been joined by four other RVs during the morning and that others were coming. They would all wait with her for Sam to lead them to the park.
She called Lily just to talk to her and as they finished their conversation Lily thanked her profusely for being willing to work that hard for her.
Sam responded, “Okay Lily, but it’s not just me. I have two men here who are going to work hard to get you moving again.
“I’ll talk to you this evening and let you know how far we went today. I’m out for now.”
When she put down the phone Noah said. “A few of the posted notes are from people west side of Butte, and south on I-15. The option is to ask those coming from the west to use I-90 all the way to Bozeman if they can and then follow the same route as the others. That would be the best idea if I-90 is passable. The Interstate passes through the Divide and the Doherty Range so I don’t think that section of the Interstate will be passable.”
They continued to work through the afternoon and reached the lodge just as the light faded. They used one of the dump trucks to return to the RVs and horses and drove them back to the lodge. They had cleared enough of the parking lot so that they could again circle the horses with the RVs.
Ben took care of the horses again, while Sam and Noah opened the lodge and started a fire. There was plenty of firewood stacked next to the fireplace. When the fire was roaring they put more wood on and went to Sam’s RV for dinner.
While Sam cooked she called Lily and told her they had made it to
the lodge and that they would start clearing the roads to Bozeman in the morning.
Lily let them know that three more RVs had joined her during the afternoon. Sam asked Lily if any of the RVs had four wheel drives and were wearing chains. Lily said all of them had chains on; a couple of the men had made sure of that, but she wasn’t sure of the four wheel drive thing.
Sam told her she would like one of the RVs to drive west on I-90 to see if they could get through. Sam explained that they thought the road would be impassable, but they needed to be sure. The trip could wait until tomorrow of course, and she didn’t want anyone taking any risks. Lily told her she would talk to the group and let Sam know if anyone was willing to make the trip.
Twenty minutes later Sam’s phone rang and when she answered the voice on the other end said, “Hi Sam, my name is Warren and I’m with Lily in Bozeman. I’m from just north of here and believe me with a snow this bad the Continental Divide just east of Butte is going to be closed. The road may also close east of there, just south of the Doherty Range, but that would be due to drifting most likely. I don’t mind taking a look tomorrow, and I’ll let you know how far I get, but don’t get your hopes up.”
“Thanks Warren, I appreciate the call. I’ll look forward to talking with you tomorrow, but while we’re working I doubt if I’ll hear the phone. Maybe an email would be best.”
The next morning was bright, clear and cold and the three had an early breakfast, and then Ben exercised the horses.
Noah said, “Ben I appreciate you looking after my horses. It’s been a long time since anyone has cared for Palouse but me, but I know you’ll be careful with him. By the way, the two year old is Dutch. He belonged to a friend and I promised I’d care for him like my own. He hasn’t been ridden yet but he’ll be ready by spring, or even sooner if the weather cooperates.”
Ben grinned with delight and Sam smiled because she knew how much Ben loved horses. She was also relieved that Noah had so easily placed his trust in Ben.
