Snowed In

After living at the Cabin for a couple of years we were able to get a generator. With the freezer full of food and "electricity" I thought it would be awesome to get snowed in. I pictured being all snug in the cabin watching the snow fall. Reading stories and playing games, and even watching movies now that we had a generator. No one to bother us, the cousins wouldn't be able to get down the road it would be almost heaven. Unfortunately what I pictured and what I got were two totally different things.
My husband decided to offer his drug buddy a place to stay for awhile. He was going through a breakup and needed some place to stay. It was bad enough having to deal with one crankster, but now there were two. And both liked to use meth as well as drink.
I believe I said before the cabin had been there over 40 years.
I am sure in those 40 years there had been worse storms than the one we experienced. So the cabin was pretty sturdy. In all those years no one had actually lived there during winter so it was pretty obvious it could hold quite a lot of snow on the roof with no problem.
This buddy of my husband, who we will call Joe (not his real name) was one of those very paranoid cranksters. When the "blizzard" hit he started freaking out, first it was trying to keep the road open, they drove off and on all night up and down pulling a railroad tie behind the truck to keep the snow from getting too deep. They waited too long on the last trip and within a couple of hours it was too deep to get through. The snow began to pile up.
It was at least five feet deep, the roof was covered and we could barely see out the windows from the blowing snow. We had the woodstove going of course so every so often you could hear chunks of snow falling of the roof.
Joe started pacing saying "what if the roof caves in, that's a lot of snow." He kept going on and on. My husband told him to stop worrying about it, the cabin had been there for years and it hadn't caved in yet from the snow. Of course being paranoid all he could do is say just because it didn't before doesn't mean it wouldn't now.
The man was really beginning to get on my nerves! Not to mention the two of them being cranked up neither could shut their mouths. They would ramble on and on about absolutely NOTHING!
The second day of the storm brought more snow. So of course that night we had the same paranoia only this night he added a twist.
I was watching "Lethal Weapon" for the first time. Enjoying our generator and having the ability to watch a movie again. Just as it was getting to the good part we could faintly hear Suzie bark, she was quite a ways from the cabin past the creek from the sounds of it.
"That's a little weird", I said, "she never barks, must be something out there."
BIG MISTAKE to say this considering this guys was such a tweeker. Next thing you know he is insisting we put out the lights, shut the generator off so we can see if someone is out there and so no one will know we are home.
I just looked at him with such disbelief anyone could be that stupid. Here we are down in a canyon, five feet or more of snow on the ground, the only way in is the road which is also covered with several feet of snow, not even a 4-wheeler could make it down that road, and this guy thinks there is someone out there!
He kept insisting someone was out there after him. I simply told him "Hey I am watching a movie here and we are NOT shutting the generator off because you are tweeking." This guy was freaking out!!! My husband told him "Man if someone wants you THAT bad you need to get the hell out of here because there is no way for anyone to get down here."
Joe finally let it go, but still continued to pace around the house. This was my final straw.
The next morning they were out trying to dig out this old snowmobile. They figured they could get it running and make it up to the road to get help. I had decided I could not take anymore. Because Matt and Chris were so little and the snow was so deep there was no way I was going to be able to carry them two miles in the snow up the hill. So Sarah, Jason and I headed up the hill. I figured we could make it to the neighbors and see if we could get someone to plow open the road.
Now call it ignorance if you must, but I really thought it wouldn't be THAT hard to walk out of there.
The snow was well past my knees, making it a bit difficult to break a trail. I didn't figure on the kids getting tired and cold so quickly and guess I hadn't really realized just how far it was to go in the snow.
We had made it half way up and the kids were wore out. I was wore out and we still had a long ways to go. I will never forget... Sarah threw herself on the ground and said, "I am not going any farther, I can't, I am not getting up." We had two choices. Head back down to the cabin...To me not an option...Or continue up the hill.
So I told her, "Sarah I cannot carry you, if you want to go back to the cabin fine, but it's the same distance back down as it is to go the rest of the way up. So either get up and start walking or you are going to freeze to death right here."
We continued on our journey. I don't even know how many hours it took us to finally get up the hill and to our friends house, I know we were near frozen when we got to her door. She brought us into her home, sat us by the woodstove and gave us hot chocolate. I told her we were snowed in and the boys were still down there with their dad. Her husband got on the phone with the man who owned the tree farm and explained the boys were still down there and the road was closed. I spent the night worrying about Matt and Chris but all I could do was pray they were ok. That next morning their dad showed up. He had walked the boys out. He left them with me and headed back down, they were still trying to get the snowmobile running...
That morning the gentleman who owned the tree farm took his plow down the road and opened it up for us.
So much for my desire to be snowed in!