Fairbanks snowmageddon

[Dean Romig]

Words to live by in the winter.


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[LtCol Henderson Marriott]

Richard:
You probably know the folks at Wright's Air Service. They fly me into my homestead area SW of Nenana just below Wien Lake. Miss taking my 450 AK or other Model 71s into the
bush after moose every year. Glen Gregory is no longer with us. The Toklat grizzlies don't miss me...

[Richard Flanders]

Oh yeah, I know the kids who now own Wrights very well. When they were starting to build their business and before they bought Wrights, I used them for my taxi service at the research station I ran on the North Slope. I gave them all the business I could and would even house overnight and feed their drivers on their way south when I had passengers for them, which worked out very well for both of us. Incredible bunch. Their Helio Couriers really get a lot of work during the hunting season around this part of the state. I'm sure I've seen your homestead near Wein Lk. I've flown through there many many times and always take note of cabins and such. Are you on the NW or NE corner of the unnamed lake 982, or maybe lk 665?

[LtCol Henderson Marriott]

We are due S of Wien lake about 10 miles-about 10.5 from the cabins at Wien Lake. Near Ose Mtn named for Duane Ose who trapped along toward Minchumina until his wife from Canada-Rena-died about 5 years ago She did the skinning and hide prep work.

Gas prices now are out of the roof. I flew a Maule and Super Cub up there W/O a ticket.
Prefer a lever action like a Wincheter 1886 or Model 71 because of fast handling in the cold interior and bears. Last moose taken with a 348 Ackley Improved which is like a 35 Whelen as to ballistics.

Now have a 3rd gen AAHE and a XE, BE and Super Fox-along with a Smith Long Range. All backed up with two Win M-12 heavy Duck guns. Can't have too many guns when in the frozen North. Friend of Phil Shoemaker-guide out of Wasila.

Ridge Marriott
LTCol-USA-Ret.

[Richard Flanders]

Could be Square Lake, but that's pretty small and I don't remember any cabins on it, but I could well be wrong. On Google Earth Ose Mtn Lodge is shown to be, I think on Ose Mtn, which may not be a recognized name by the USGS mapping folks. Ose Mtn is shown 6mi west of Square Lake, which is 10mi south of the southern end of Wein Lk. I knew of a couple that lived permanently out there on one of those lakes for years. They had a couple of kids that she brought to the July 4 party at Minchumina one year when I attended. I was told that her husband worked shifts on the slope in the oilfields. Is that the folks you're speaking of? I know their place when I fly over it. Richard Wien is a friend also.

[LtCol Henderson Marriott]

You are right, that was Dennis and Jill with their kids on the small lakes near Bear Paw-about 6 miles SW of Ose -close to my place. They split up a few years back.
There was an old sourdough named Oliver Cameron who wintered up there in his 70s and they helped cut his firewood. Shoemaker kept hunting sheds and plywood hunting
hutches out toward Minchumina until the fires got to them 10 years ago. Cameron was the real deal-like Ben Lilly in N. Mexico.

[Richard Flanders]

None of this is making any sense to me. Take a look at this and tell me where these places are if you can.

[LtCol Henderson Marriott]

Map is correct-I used Bear Paw as only a reference. If you look at the 4 lakes a couple
of miles almost due S of Ose Mtn-that's where Cameron and Jill/Dennis had their
homesteads-Lake No 3 counting from the N to S. My Place is bear damaged just N
of the bigger N lake of those 4 lakes. Swans mate on the North Lake. As I remember, there is a homestead couple on or near Square lake that Duane Ose could reach from his place to them by radio/phone. Ose's place was a two-story house with basement that he completed in about early 2005. He asked me about a roof earlier and I said metal because of snow load and the distance to the nearest fire dept-if he used wood/birch/cedar shakes-with yukon stove cinders. The 2007 moose I shot became his
winter meat supply-and was covered on part of his roof-to keep the ravens out.

Now he had a raffle and his home went to a British couple-who were figuring how to handle US Immigration issues. I need to get back up on the trail that goes from Oses to Wien Lake. Ose had a strip there just N of his place about 200 yds-for Helio Couriers.
One of his friends had a white Taylor Craft that would drop in. "Keep your nose to the wind and eyes along the skyline."

[Richard Flanders]

So, Ose's place is up on Ose Mtn and not on a lake? That's where it comes up on the Google Earth search. I was thinking that had to be a mistake, which is not at all rare on GE. That's pretty unusual out there. If no one has been on his strip lately it may be too overgrown to use by now, unless it's on a sand dune.

We do our pike fishing through the ice on East Twin Lake 18mi NE of Wien Lk. It's a very popular spot to fish. Lots of big pike in there. The big females like this one go back down the hole - this one just barely fit down my 10" hole. There's a 37# pike from here mounted and hanging in the Fairbanks airport. An additional pic of a fishing party. This spot gets fished way too hard and is fished out way too early. There were 9 planes there eventually. I fish on the other side of the lake.

[LtCol Henderson Marriott]

First rate. Ose used to use the closest S small lake for float plane re-supply. Then he cleared a strip which we all used.Yes, its probably overgrown and again home to wolves, bear and moose.
Just like it used to be. The black bears are back, and if they take off in a hurry-
you know what kind of bear is chasing them off............