Silky Saws Saves the Day: A Vermont New Year’s Eve Adventure
I always keep a Silky in my truck,” says outdoorswoman Berne Broudy who lives in Vermont and owns half a dozen Silkys. “So when my husband and I headed to our cabin in the woods for New Year's Eve, while we didn’t expect half a dozen trees blocking our way, we were prepared.
"I always keep a Silky in my truck,” says outdoorswoman Berne Broudy who lives in Vermont and owns half a dozen Silkys. “So when my husband and I headed to our cabin in the woods for New Year's Eve, while we didn’t expect half a dozen trees blocking our way, we were prepared.
It was dark when Broudy and her husband negotiated snow and ice on the fourth-class road to get to the half-mile driveway of their backcountry camp. When they turned off the road, they saw the first downed trees.
“Mike and the dogs were walking up the road so the dogs could get some exercise before we holed up for the night, and that's when I saw the first tree across the road,” says Broudy.
She grabbed her BigBoy and made quick work of the birch. She drove another 50 yards before she encountered two tangled maples that prevented her from driving through. Silky’s BigBoy came to the rescue again. Another birch that was arched over the road just needed a trim so Broudy could get her truck through. She came back the next day to fell the tree and buck it up for next year’s firewood.
The final obstacle was an eight-inch diameter pine with thick branches.
“That one took a little bit, but with the help of the BigBoy and the truck, we got the road clear,” said Broudy. She trimmed off the branches to clear a spot to cut. Then she sawed off any branches on the side of the log laying in the driveway being sure not to pinch the saw and get it stuck. The tree fell from a hillside towards a riverbank. She freed the lower section of the tree near the river. On the high side, the tree was still attached where the trunk had cracked. Broudy used a tow rope and pully she keeps in her truck to drag the log aside so that she could pass.
“It was an adventurous start to a quiet night,” says Broudy, “and a great way to wrap up 2023. I only wish I had my Katanaboy with me. I would have gotten through those trees even faster.”
You can follow her other adventures @bernebroudy.