Preparing for a Winter Snowed In on the Mountain

This morning, I noticed a fireweed plant across the pond is finished flowering and already throwing its fluffy seeds, making me think I’d better get ready. There’s a whole month of summer left, yet preparing for winter on the mountain is already at the forefront of my mind. I’m excited for the change. Things have been too dry for too long.

I consider winter on the mountain to be from November to April, and I need to plan to be snowed in for that time. Nights have been cool, often dipping below 10°C, making me hope it’ll be early. After that, life will become about skiing, snowmobiling and snowshoeing.

During winter, laundry is done less often, showering is less frequent, and the bunny population is smaller, so less water is needed. I like to store 4 totes of water. It’s not a lot, but it can be supplemented by snowmelt. Having survived with much less before, I think we should be okay.

Water has been a challenge all summer, and it won’t get better before the snow flies. With the natural spring dry, we’ve had to start trucking water up from town. We can bring 600 litres at a time, which is the most we can carry without flipping the truck on the steep, uneven road. The place we get it from, however, closes on September 21st.

If we have to cart 4,000 litres up, 600 at a time, we’d better get serious about bringing water up for winter soon. That’s a lot of trips up the mountain, especially when there’s still so much else to do before the snow arrives. I’m trying not to think too hard about how many times we’ll have to make that drive. I’m still hoping for rain.

I sincerely hope to be snowed in for at least a couple of months this winter. We’ll try to plow or pack the snow on the road until Christmas, then let it happen. After that, life will become about skiing, snowmobiling and snowshoeing. The snow machines will need a tune-up before then; the snowblower we use for walking paths could use a carburetor cleaning as well.

We’ll start topping up all of the jerrycans and propane when it gets colder out and the fear of wildfires has subsided.
Here’s the fuels inventory list;

• 6 - red cans for gasoline

• 4 - yellow cans for diesel

• 3 - 20# propane tanks

• 2 - 30# propane tanks

• 2 - 100# propane tanks

The gas is for the snowmobiles, snowblower and generator, which sees more use in winter. The diesel is for the tractor. One of the 100# propane tanks will keep the freezer going all winter but having the second full is good, just in case. The other smaller tanks are for the stove and the on-demand water heater.

At the end of the day, as long as my snowshoes work, I know I should be okay.

My goal is to live as self-sufficiently as I can this winter and eat exclusively from the land. It feels like an especially steep goal, especially given the unusually dry summer, but I haven’t given up on it yet. Instead of having a specific goal for how much I want to have in the pantry, I’m preserving as much as possible and looking forward to sharing what life will be like.

The garden has been mostly a success. Potatoes have done well, and the tomatoes will start producing en masse very soon. I’m going to experiment with drying some of the potatoes for use in winter months, while the tomatoes will become sauces. Thank you for all of the amazing tomato preservation ideas Ashley Adamant .

The pantry to-do list;

• Dig up potatoes, carrots and beets and prep for storage

• Freeze (rabbit) meat and pressure-can broth from leftovers

• Wait until frost to dig up carrots

• Figure out what to do with amaranth and other wild grains

• Can tomato sauces once tomatoes ripen (another couple of weeks)

• Pick gourds once ready

• Daily foraging and storing (usually drying) berries, mallow, plantain, salsify and more

I’m putting away foraged foods for the rabbits, ducks and chickens, but having store-bought kibble in case anything happens to it seems prudent. No one’s starving on my watch. There will still be store-bought kibble for the kitties, and I’ll reserve some offal if I get a deer this hunting season. For us, staples like flour and rice will be store-bought, as will salt and sugar.

I’m struggling with whether or not to buy coffee or start solely drinking my yard tea.

We’ll need around three cords of firewood to stay warm through winter. With so much to do, I know it’ll be put off until the very last minute. We’ve made some logging friends who have said they’ll reserve dry, dead wood for us, which will hopefully lighten the workload. It’ll hopefully be my preferred type, too; that would make life significantly easier.

The chainsaws could use a tune-up as well, but the axes are as ready as I am for cooler days. Something I’ve always been aware of but never fully appreciated is how differently the sun rises and sets from summer to winter. The solar array is doing well, but will need to be adjusted as the angle of the sun changes and the days become much shorter.

I’m sitting in a camping chair in the shade, writing about the impending winter, being entirely distracted by the ducks. They seem to take comfort in being around people. Close, but not too close. It’s nice since I feel the same way. They simply sit and stare at me in their funny-duck way.

Summer 2026 on the mountain was different in a way that has had me on edge. I’m looking forward to winter immensely, perhaps more than I ever have before. There’s something comforting about knowing what’s coming, preparing for it, and then letting the snow close the road behind us.