Over 7 feet of snow fell in the Hume Lake Basin in early 2023.  See photos taken by our neighbor at Lot #3.  Lucky for us, the cabin weathered it with no hiccups that we know of so far!  Tract roads are still snow-covered where they are not washed out. Thru April, USFS is only allowing entry by permit - & only for repairs.  Keith & Carol hope to head up to the cabin in late May.  As we execute a long-planned log chinking project, we might monopolize summer visiting times.  If you have specific times you'd like to visit this year, be sure to discuss it with us!  We have flexibility and want to be sure the whole family has access.

The last time I wrote in this blog was May 2020.  All hell broke loose after that - losing Grandbud & losing Swanton to The Fire then losing Redwood Canyon to fire, not to mention all the other close calls to fire.  It's been rough...  but the cabin is still here & still has so many family memories.  Our mission has been to restore it to a point where your visit doesn't have to be all repairs!  I think you'll like it.

     Our Lot 3 neighbors ventured up to Hume on 2/23/19 and shared this photo with us.  The road is not plowed beyond the Christian Camp's dining hall but a winter cabin visit could be worth the trek!  But please prepare!  

    Several cabinowners & their families have taken the time to visit the cabin in the past few years.  It'd be awesome if they would share photos & post about their visits in the guestbook!

    Our cabin is in excellent repair.  Roof insulation makes it cooler in summer & warmer in winter.  We have new, reliable electrical, septic & drains.  Hiking around here is amazing - the landscape in the southern Sierra is incomparable, in spite of fire, dead trees and smoke.  Dead & downed trees throughout our cabin tract & the Hume basin & the parks & monument have been a huge issue but our cabin lot is in very good shape - we keep working on it!  A quick summary of a few recent projects:

2016

• Trimmed loft - all except west end
• Continued Electrical upgrade
• Added fill & graded over road & waterline, did not add rock to save many $$$

2017

• Finished electrical upgrade, including service drop (twice)
• Repaired, replaced guts & reset toilet, snaked vent
• Varnished drainboard
• Replaced septic tank & leach field
• Returned ChipMous - thanks to Dennis & Michelle Webb

2018

• Refurbished refrigerator
• Installed our Lot 4 road sign & refurbished Lot 3's sign
• Hand-built removable wood-frame screens for 3 strategic windows
• Re-caulked kitchen sink
• Re-habbed fire hydrant at junction of Yellow Hammer & Aspen Hollow

We would really appreciate any feedback, positive or negative, about past & future projects!  Please share your cabin experience!

Sharing the cabin can be challenging, given the users' varied interests and expectations.  To help cabin visits be easier, safer and less confusing, let's all contribute to this list of tips, tricks & ideas.  Many issues are those we've learned the hard way!

• Occupancy Limit - 8 including dogs & children, there is only bedding for six
• Dogs must be under control at all times - clean & vacuum thoroughly if you bring a dog
• Recommend you keep a front door key in your pocket at all times so you don't lock yourself out
• Don't use wood cookstove or fireplace when fire danger is high - check with USFS
• Bedding:  Upon arrival, visitors make beds with clean sheets using their own or sheets from the Hume bag or storage bins. At departure, remove sheets & pillowcases & take them with you to launder but please replace bedspreads on beds and pillows into shams for dust protection.  You may wish to bring your own sheets & towels.  
• To avoid attracting Bears & other vermin:
  • Don't leave any food between visits - (check for spilled dogfood)
  • Clean all spills from floor, cooler, refrigerator, microwave, oven & burner drip pans
  • No messy, drippy broiling or baking unless you are willing to clean it thoroughly.  Don't forget to clean burner drip pans, too!
  • Keep BBQ clean & stored in shed
  • Take odorous kitchen trash to dumpster every night
• Cooler:  Note vent covers, upper & lower. If removed for cooler use, please replace covers to help keep dust & spiders out of the kitchen.
• Winter Use:  Our cabin is in the Hume Lake Summer Tract. The tract gate is locked from November 1 to May 31 unless USFS opens all gates. Any winter visitors should be prepared to provide their own firewood, water & toilet facilities and should be well-versed in protecting plumbing from the cold.
• Firewood:  Check the weather forecast – July & August are rarely cold but be prepared any other month.  There is a prepared firewood supply at the cabin and there is a lot of downed wood in the tract. If you burn the cabin stash, please make arrangements to replace it - try to use hardwood, cedar or pine.  White (piss) fir clogs up the flue.
• Fireplace:  Watch for fire restrictions in the summer.  If fires are allowed, build up heat in the fireplace slowly to avoid damaging the rock. Don't build large, hot fires that risk rollouts – smaller fires are safer and more efficient. Leave ashes so they can be cleaned out when very cold. Do NOT dispose of ashes on the ground or in the dumpster.
• Dumpster:  May - October only, there is a private dumpster for tract use at the corner of Aspen Hollow & Starling.  Household trash only – no building materials, ashes, pine needles, etc.  Please take care of your own recycling.
• Hume Lake Christian Camp offers:  meals in cafeteria, paintball, ropes course, kayak & canoe rentals, coffee, burgers & shakes - all for reasonable fees.  Check with their always friendly administration office.  During the summer, they offer a free breakfast on Tuesday mornings at Inspiration Point (near Needle Dump)
• The crowds of HLCC campers are a lot less annoying when you understand their schedule and their mission.  The campers arrive Sunday afternoon on big buses. Sunday night is noisy but far away.  Mornings and dinnertimes are very quiet. Afternoons are crowded on the lake.  Thursday night after dinner they have very noisy games on the lawn across from the dining hall - lots of cheering & roaring, feel free to go watch.  About 7 am Saturday morning the buses roll in.  From mid-morning Saturday until Sunday pm, it's wonderfully quiet, in spite of the USFS campground across the lake.
• In case of car trouble, try Michael's Towing in Reedley, AAA certified:  1-800-464-2423.

The roof project is done!  It looks great! A huge thank you to contractor Duane Warkentin who did a fantastic job and kept us well-informed with pictures.  Thank you, too, to all who contributed $$ to accomplish the project.  The cabin looks amazing - see more in Roof Project and Gallery.  It looks even better in person - Keith & I took a quick trip up in early Nov to check it out and were delighted with the roof job.  The new roof insulation helped keep the cabin much cozier.  I hope we can keep up some momentum on cabin projects and I really hope others plan to visit soon.  Please leave comments!  

Carol

Keith & I have done a lot of cleaning & restoring at the cabin in the last few weeks.  We refinished the kitchen floor, restored damaged door jambs and cleaned out storage areas, to name a few of our projects.   The cabin is a little gem - our intent is to polish it & make it shine so every visitor will treasure and care for it.   Check out interior photos in the gallery.