The Highway, AB – April 2, 2013

Quick update from our Iceman this morning … Shawn called in to report that he’s anticipating a flight home come this weekend. And it can’t come soon enough – after nearly three months away from his family, he’s admitting to missing them more than little bit!

Shawn’s last trip on the ice road saw him as one of just five final drivers wrapping up the season (you may remember he was one of just two to begin it!). The road is now closed and the drivers who are still in Yellowknife are occupied with bringing loads of trailers – the ones used to haul all the freight up to the mines – back down to Edmonton.

Shawn is en route to Edmonton today with such a load and will return once more to Yellowknife to pick up a final load of trailers. Each trip is approximately 18-20 hours so there’s still lots of driving and after going no faster than 60 km/h for two months, Shawn says he’s finding the highway speeds seem really fast! We know he’ll be ok with the adjustment though. Shawn was one of a select few to earn a Safety Bonus after their season on the Ice Road. Congratulations, Shawn! We’re very proud of you.

Some more photos and an update with regard to his homecoming will follow later this week.

Shawn expects to be wrapping up his ice road adventure in about a week’s time, after one last trip to Edmonton. This may be one of the final updates. 

March 24, 2013 – THE ICE ROAD

One of the portages washes away every spring so the government granted permission to the maintenance company to build up the existing road. Twelve trucks, including myself, are hauling sand and gravel (blast rock from an old gold mine) to this portage. We will build a kilometre-long stretch,  four feet high and 30 feet wide. The work is ahead of schedule and we will be done in approximately three days.

Now I can say that I have not just driven the Ice Road, but also helped build it!

The weather just started to warm up today [editor's note - warm is -4 degrees in case you were wondering] and it is supposed to stay warm. I can see the portages already melting, and this melt makes them really slippery to drive on. The lake ice itself is holding up strong and there is no water on it yet.

By now, the season is pretty much completed, save for a few more loads going up to the mines. About 12 a day and 20 overnight.

While we work on the road, we are living in Dome Lake camp which is a road maintenance facility. All the amenities of home plus cooks around the clock with terrific food.

Extracurricular activities

“This was taken on Gordon Lake. I think it is approximately 120 km north of Yellowknife. I was using a fifth wheel puller for a fishing rod. LOL”

Yesterday I had some bolts and studs break off one of my trailer tires so while I was waiting for parts to come up from Yellowknife, the mechanic and I went fishing for trout. We used some shrimp from the camp kitchen for bait but I guess that was too rich for the fish, because we caught nothing. It was fun trying and a great way to pass the time.

Once we are finished with the road repair, I am pretty sure I will be taking a load to Edmonton and then flying home. Hopefully in a week or less.
Hope all is well with you and everyone else.

See you soon,

Shawn (the Ice Man) Tooley