Brunk Work Weekend at the Mountain

We had been looking forward to this weekend for almost a month. It was the first time we got to see our new little cousin, Kayla. Grandma took Sophie and me to the cabin right after school ended. We got there around 4:00. 20 minutes later it started drizzling. We went down to the Shelter to clean up, but by the time we got there, it was pouring. It rained that hard for nearly an hour. When it quit, Grandpa checked the rain gauge. 1 inch. A few minutes later, Mom and Dad came, and my aunt Kelly had told Mom that they would be arriving at about 7:30. About 10 minutes before they came, Dad, Grandpa and I went across the river to meet them. 

The river was up higher than I had ever seen it. Grandpa said that water reaches it’s peak 12 hours after the storm stops. This was 2 hours after. A few minutes before they arrived, Grandpa went back. He brought everyone else across. We went back to Grandma and Grandpa’s.

We stayed that night at our house. Next morning we left at about eight to go and clean the Shelter. Some people stayed the night there in campers, so they were cooking their breakfast when we got there. Kelly, Jon and their kids left Grandma’s at about ten. Grandma and Grandpa came with us.

Shortly before Kelly and Jon arrived, Dad took Sophie and me on a ride to see the creeks, the lake and check the roads. When we drove by the lake it was up so far the dock, which was a 15 step stairwell below the road, only had four steps in the air. The rest was underwater. The dock, the stairs, lots of trees, all underwater. As we drove on, we noticed a large bird. The eagle had just flown over the car! When we got to the creek, I was surprised. Considering how much the lake had gone up, the stream looked about the same, if a little lower, as the night before. On our way back, we saw another bird, either a hawk or an immature bald eagle. Past the dam, we saw a turkey.

When we got back, Kelly and Jon were almost there. We spent the rest of that day cleaning the shelter. That night we went back to the Cabin, and we were going to stay there the rest of the weekend. The rest of the weekend was normal. We played, board games, played with the boys, played outside, repaired our fort, warned Henry over and over not to touch the stove, and cuddled with Kayla.

Robert and Grandpa playing Kub

Sophie and Henry made up a routine;
Sleep, eat breakfast, play drums, repeat

We had built the fort before, on another trip, but after many big storms, it needed a good repair. We spent a good hour cleaning it up. We rebuilt the roof, ‘paved’ the floor with rocks, planted a tree, and made a new door hole.

We had a lot of fun on this trip, even though we were flooded out. I can’t wait to see them again.

by Hannah

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Photos of the work on the shelter: