Blizzard 2022
Last week featured a good deal of snow that was topped off with even more snow and high winds that created blizzard conditions for a couple of days. I have heard about totals exceeding 40 inches over the course of the several consecutive days of the white stuff. We easily picked up over two feet here in Chassell which kept me busy moving snow. Ahead of the blizzard we had at least 8 to 10 inches that were very fluffy and easy to move.
Once I got into a repetitive cycle of removal, I really have no idea just how much fell. Then the high winds kicked in bringing blizzard conditions. At one point on Friday night, the furnace would no longer maintain a continuous cycle which meant the vent was drifting over on the roof. I grabbed the extension ladder from the garage and climbed up there in the dark to shovel it out. We stayed put until we found the stairs to our back deck drifted in.
The dogs were a bit perplexed by the circumstances they found themselves in, so I got out there and dug out a path for them. While the dogs may not appreciate all this snow, getting a large amount in December provides a great base and helps assure an outstanding ski season!
Finally with a break in the weather, we spent Christmas day on Sunday having dinner with a group of our friends and then stopped in to see other friends on our way home.
On Monday, sunshine returned to the Keweenaw so we headed up Calumet to ski at Swedetown ahead of volunteering that evening at the Keweenaw Nordic Ski Club’s Luminary Ski at Maasto Hiihto in Hancock. The snow-painted trees at Swedetown along with the sunshine and patches of blue sky provided an awesome environment for a ski!
From Swedetown we headed over to the 4-Seasons Chalet at the Houghton County Fairgrounds where we met up with other volunteers to bag up the luminaries for the evening’s Luminary Ski on the St. Urho’s Loop at Maasto Hiihto. We then snowshoed around and distributed them onto the trail from ice fishing sleds. We then set up the refreshments and started two bonfires where participants could warm themselves.
You could tell that people had to have felt cooped up by the recent snowstorm as we easily had over 400 people turn out for the event. I even had the opportunity to meet yet another remote worker who I was not aware of around one of the bonfires. We will feature him in vignette down the road, but he is in a very high technology field working remotely from Freda.
I got out and skied the lighted trail with my friends Mark and Wolf, but we added additional distance by skiing out to Tomasi Drive and back. The weather and ski conditions were awesome which had to be a big plus for the turnout. After the crowd departed after 8:00 p.m. we headed back out on the trail to retrieve the luminaries and boxed up the lights for next year.
Do you embrace winter and have the ability to work remotely? Would you value living in a place with ubiquitous natural beauty that has NO congestion and lower crime? Consider locating in Keweenaw! Learn more by visiting the Remote Workforce Keweenaw website at https://remoteworkforcekeweenaw.com and learn about those who have made the decision to locate here by following the Remote Workforce Keweenaw Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RemoteWorkforceKeweenaw.