One of the casualties of the massive windstorm a few weeks ago is back in working order.
Along with knocking out power to thousands of the region's residents, the gusts of late October reaped a share of downed trees with one of them landing on the sundeck of the cabin at the foot of the Torpy snowmobiling area.
The debris has since been removed and the entrance cleared, Prince George Snowmobile Club president Kyle Wilson said this week, making the cabin "usable" for the time being.
"We've added some extra support to make sure it can handle the snow load," Wilson said and asked that anyone who passes by the cabin to shovel off any snow they see on the sundeck.
All things considered, Wilson is counting the event as a near miss.
"Even if it was three-feet over from where it fell, it would've been inside the cabin itself and not just the sundeck and it would've pretty much destroyed that cabin, I'm pretty sure," Wilson said. "There wouldn't be anything fixable left at that point."
Not long before the wind blew through, the original wooden supports on the 20-year-old structure had also been replaced - another stroke of good luck.
"We're under the belief that if we we hadn't replaced the supports, the rotten legs probably would have let go and the tree would've pushed the entire cabin over," Wilson said. "The new supports that we had under, a few of them got pushed over a little bit because of the weight of the tree."
Wilson figures about 200 people pass by the cabin on a given weekend as they head into the back country. Hunters and ATVers also make use of the area, about a two-hour drive east of Prince George.
"It's kind of a safety shelter to stop in at if something were to happen, if someone were to get injured, or there's a mechanical breakdown," Wilson said. "It's somewhere safe to warm up, there's a wood stove in there."
The cabin is located about 18 kilometres up the Upper Torpy Forest Service Road which comes off the Pass Lake Forest Road at the 38 kilometre mark. More specifically, it's about a half-kilometre past the main entrance to the riding area, a trail known as The Burn, named so because a forest fire swept through there many years ago.
"There are kind of four peaks and valleys that you can get through if you wanted to go all the way to the back," Wilson said. "The riding area is huge. It could be one of the busiest days out there and you could find areas that nobody's in."
The cabin will be due for more extensive repairs once the snow has melted and it can be more easily reached. While the club will be applying for government grants, Wilson said membership fees will probably fund most of the expense and, as such, he's trying to boost the number of members from the current 180 or so to 300-500.
Memberships can be purchased online through the Prince George Snowmobile Club.
From Oct. 26 to 30, gusts ranging from 63 to 78 km/h were recorded at the Prince George Airport and the cabin was not the only outdoor amenity that was hit as blow-down trees extensively blocked area trails and knocked over an old forest fire lookout atop Fraser Mountain.
Volunteers have since cleared the trail up Pope Mountain and up most of the Tacheeda Lookout trail, according to postings on the Stuart Lake Outdoor Group Facebook page and the Prince George Area Hiking Facebook page.
"BC Parks is grateful of our many volunteer groups that help keep trails clear of blowdown," area supervisor Carey Lamarche said in an email to the Citizen.
The Fraser Mountain trail has not yet been cleared.
"As resources and time become available, the trail will be cleared," Ministry of Environment spokesperson Pamela Roth said.
