Ose Mountain | Alaska

A hands on Alaska living wilderness experience!

............Brush Cutting Trap Line............

     Trond running the 250 Stihl brush cutter,  Nils in green, and Henning , working the lopping shears.   Our three Norwegians.  " Having a wilderness hands on living  experience ".
      Not like trapping the road ditches , lakes and streams back in Minnesota.  Here in my neck of the woods for 105 miles there are no roads. But the hand cut trails that I and friends have cut. Sort of like being a kid in a corn field. A an Alaskan trapper earns his lines.
     Having to brush out the trap lines again comes when a wild fire killed all the standing trees . This allows for new growth . It is a pain to reclaim the existing lines. But a real joy to have Norwegians come all the way over here to help. I have more for you gent's !! The 250 Stihl is a big help for me , but all day, every day for weeks !! With flesh eating insects, not fun.... That is why I wait for cool weather, just before the snow falls.
      A big dream of mine is to have a brush cutter that is pulled by my ATV....... Or ,,,come on back my Norwegians friends.
                                      Ose Mtn. Ak..

......................Wolf Quilt......................

      One of many all hand made quilts by Rena .  I say hand made, nothing was done on a machine. Save for buying the Wolf squares, and material.
      This one sold for $500.00. Rena makes wall hanger quilts too. Smaller in size , about 40" X 48". Her craft is a lost art. When you can now days buy quilts for hardly nothing.  But you get what you pay for. Rena's quilting is Quality, and lasts. The hand made quilts are a art onto them selves.
      Several of Rena's works of art were done on her lap in the dimly lit, cramped dug out
       Rena nearly lost her eye sight due to, " Retinal Degeneration ". We are praying that her last eye will continue to be healthy. The Doctor preformed a operation and may have saved her last eye. The operation was done in Anchorage . Rena is not doing much sewing these days.
                                  Ose Mtn. Ak.

   
Click here to download:
......................Wolf_Qui.zip (889 KB)

.........Life Style Of The Rich & Famous........

       Rena & I after supper , talking on the citizen band radio to distant Neighbors in  Watson Lake Canada , some 1500 miles away.  
      This was some of our evening past time , while living in our  9' X 11' dug out.  But we had a 9' 6 " ceiling.. Insulated sod roof. Every thing in one room , no more then two steps away from any thing. No space was un used. This was just one corner. It was for eating, communication center Short wave, 5 " TV , AM. FM. radio, C. B. radio, truck battery power storage, Rifle rack, and every thing of use  area.
       This was our home for 9 years . We even over hauled a ATV, and a Generator in this small place. Had to climb over and around these things for a few days. The Generator ,we tore apart and fixed it none stop in 10 hours . Made a center shaft seal out of a Combat boot heal. ( Did you know the Vietnam combat boots heal have wood center with steel shank ? Guess it prevents having punchy spikes from entering the feet. ) 
        Our now Kitchen is 15' X 16'  . Whole house is 3 stories by 30' X 40' ( Mortgage Free ) We may have had to live like rats for 9 years but the house is paid for. With the economy the way it is and getting worse , we are the lucky ones. ( We make our Luck )
                                           Ose Mtn. Ak.

..................Patching Bear Bite's....................

       Trond Pedersen and Henning Honsvall, Of Norway. Patching the PLASTIC canoe. Bear eat plastic and any thing made from petroleum. Never use a rubber raft or a plastic canoe in bear country. Roll of Duct tape saved the day, wooden plugs might have worked too. But in Alaska more Duct tape is sold then any other tape. That company should pay the bear a commission.
     "Ose Mountain " is in the back ground . There destination.... Eventually!
      They are on my south  trap line in this photo.
      I might add Trond learned how to apply tape , when he nearly sawed my thumb off, a few years back.
                                       Ose Mtn. Ak.

.......... Green House Working Over Time.........

....

        The Green house is working over time . Wood heater keeping it warm during  the cool nights. The Sun is making the finishing touches during the days. The canning jars and pressure cooker at the ready. With the out door garden and the items inside . Will there be enough for us till next fall?  Will the root cellar store all the potatoes and preservers.
      Will I have time to fall till the out side garden?
      Top it with a big Bull Moose and we will survive another year on our own. Not much will be needed from the stores,
                                       Ose Mtn.  Ak. 

................Nils Eivind Thune..............

      No one messes with this Viking. Nils is a original Norwegian. Came all the way from Norway , for a, " Hands On Alaskan Wilderness Living Experience "  Nils could put any wood splitting crew to shame. It's time to put up the winter wood again Nils.  Come and whack up another 9 cords for us. Rena has good food. and we have a soft bed, for you.
       Man!  I miss him now. But I guess I am it this year. One way for me to get in shape, or die trying.
      My Great , Great, Great Grand Father over there In Norway died splitting wood at age 99. With luck I can be 100 splitting the wood.
 His name was " Oskar Ville " The family name was changed over there when a Ose farm was bought. That was the way them days of long ago.
                                 Ose.Mtn. Ak.

..............Ray Ose Sawing Door Frame Joint ...........

       Raymond , (1'st cousin )  Ray , came to visit for a " Hands on Alaskan Wilderness living experience " and he got it.  Everyone gets an experience of a life time on  " Ose Mountain Alaska "         Ray, is sawing for the basement door frame . The logs will be floating and the door will be fixed in place. Please take note of the depth jig made of wood clamped on the chain bar and ajustable. This is of my design . It has clearance for the cutting chain. It is of wood , a flat surface for shaping delicate cuts squarely, and depths of cut can be set accordingly to need. Then the waist can be removed after the true cuts have been cut. .....Set up for size and plumb first.       Necessity is the mother of invention, as specially in the Alaskan bush                                      Ose Mtn. Ak.

     
Click here to download:
..............Ray_Ose_Sawing_D.zip (218 KB)

................." The Big Man "..................



      Not my words, " The Big Man " This label was pinned on me during the time I served my country in the Army as a engineer. That label stuck and I have it in my wallet yet to this day. ( Name Tag )
      My motto is and always was : " Lead Fallow , Or  Get The Hell Out Of My Way "
     Seen here standing in front of my good friend Eric Hutchens plane , on top of my Mountain  " Ose Mountain  "
                            Ose Mtn. Ak.

............Eric Hutchens, 1974 Bellanca Scout...........



     Eric's Plane tied down  to my some of my home made implements.
     The timing could not have been closer. This Landing Zone was far from being complete, but usable. Must have been the Army engineer in me. Or could it have been the long line of road builders and farmers my uncles were into.
     Eric had just flown up from Minnesota . Spent 24 hours in flying time. Fallowed the Alaskan Canadian High way ( Alcan ) and in some places set down on it . Part of that highway my uncle John Ose built  It was war time ( WW II ) and that Highway was open for business in 6 months . Thanks to the efforts of the Canadians and the Americans. We were able to hold on to Alaska and push back the opposing side.
      Think some of that hard work rubbed off on me.
                           Ose Mtn. Ak.

...............Slow Salute by, Don Murray.............



      Don, as I stated is the youngest then flying Conservation Officer in the Great State of Minnesota. His plane, a Aeronc Champ 90 horse power, non electric .( Hand prop to start )
      The previous owner of this plane was his fathers. How fitting !
      In the back ground the command and flight center for this remote Landing Zone.
                            Ose Mtn. Ak.