Nicely done PJ.

Minus 43 would be rough if not plain and outright dangerous. Not sure I would fare well in that especially now that I'm old, slow and used to warm weather. I used to laugh at the Florida people who would bundle up at the mere hint of cold weather and now I'm one of them.

I did a lot in the teens but never any really cold weather.......below zero for a week in the UP was a hassle with all my sets freezing up. On the western flanks of the cascades in Washington wasn't bad at all with mostly just lots of snow and even then you could drop in elevation and get away from it.

What I liked was going over the same ground for a few weeks and suddenly one day everything is different, smells and colors often radically different in just a 24 hour span.

grit? You bet! Unless of course you drive your line via truck which is certainly more profitable but loads less fun. I remember one extensive beaver swamp that had iced over and then the water dropped. The ice wasn't enough to support my weight with the 2 huge flattails which practically filled my pack basket (tails were out the top). Every step I would eventually break through and fall. Major tough time. Such was life on the line.....lots of similar situations, wading swollen rivers and using my spade as a brace wondering where I would end up if the current got the best of me.

It was a different life......I would quit decent paying jobs come fall to basically break even and work harder than a man should. But I wouldn't have traded it......it will instill a determination and perseverance that is difficult to come by via other means. At least it did for me.

MT