We have a Snow Cave

 We have a snow cave...Joseph has been planning and dreaming and anticipating building a snow cave since we moved to Syracuse last year.  Last winter we were in our apartment half of the winter and then we were busy moving and settling in that we didn't fulfill Joseph's dream last year.

When we got our first snow fall in November Joseph and Kimball made a plan and started on the snow fort.  The construction of the fort has evolved over the last 4 months until Joseph finally decided on a method that worked best.  My sister, Heather, told me to take a lot of pictures of the fort/cave under construction, but I don't think the pictures below do it justice.

Phase 1:  Joseph decided to just "shovel" the grass area and piled it all in the middle of our back yard.  He made three walls and had one side of the rectangle open for a door way.  This first attempt didn't work great because here in New York we have very powdery snow and it doesn't pack down unless it is above freezing.  Once the walls were 4 feet tall Joseph just couldn't proceed.

Starting to accumulate snow...November 2013

It is hard to see in this picture with white on white, but you can see some of the
walls of the fort and they are between 3-4 feet high and 2-4 feet thick.

 Phase 2:  Joseph decided that the first method wasn't going to work for a fort so he decided to start making blocks of snow out of a 5 gallon bucket.  This method worked better, but not much progress was made until we had 3-4 days where temperatures were above freezing and Joseph was able to make his blocks during the day, spray them with water and let them freeze overnight.  Slowly, Joseph was able to make a dome for the roof of the fort.

Not a great picture since I was far away, but here Joseph is working on the roof.  As you can see there is only snow at the fort and green grass everywhere else.  Joseph regularly shoveled our grass to pile the snow in the fort area.

The next 3 pictures show the fully enclosed snow fort/cave.  About the time Joseph finished the roof, I decided it was no longer a fort, but a cave.  We celebrated the completion of the cave by roasting hot dogs and marshmallows in the cave.  We had to move quickly because after a while the roof would start to drip...once it froze again it was hard as ice.  Watch your head!  

Enjoying hot dogs for dinner.

Fairly roomy.  Our family can all sit in the cave comfortably, but if we have a fire going,
we have to be extra careful that the kids don't get too close. 

Phase 3:  After Joseph finished the first room of the cave he decided it would be cool if we added a second room with a tunnel connecting the rooms.  The second room can only be accessed via the tunnel.  He started construction on this mid January.  He continued with the snow block making as you can see here, but it was hard to get as much accomplished when he had to wait for the water to freeze after spraying them, so he decided to start dipping the formed blocks into water and then place them wet instead of spraying them.  This worked better but it wasn't the final construction method.

You can see the tunnel from the first room to the second room.  Joseph got stuck the first time he tried to go through the tunnel so he had to make it bigger.  It still isn't big enough for my comfort and I have only braved going through the tunnel once.  I don't want to get trapped in the tunnel!!

Phase 4:  The Preferred Method.  Joseph finally found a construction method that works for him.  He got out the wheelbarrow and he now mixes the dry, powdery snow in the wheelbarrow with some water.  He mixes it until it is the "right" consistency and then he uses the slushy snow to make his bricks and pack them tightly.  He uses the slushy snow also as "mortar" to fill in the cracks between the blocks.  Joseph is a strong man because he would come in with his gloves just saturated with water.  I would have given up long ago, but not Joseph.

Finished product complete with a foot of snow on the ground.

To celebrate the completion of the 2 room snow cave, Joseph and Kimball decided to sleep in the cave one night.  They made it until 11:45 pm and then Kimball was too uncomfortable and crowded so they came inside.  Joseph thinks Kimball just felt too confined sleeping in all of his snow gear...i.e. coat, snow pants, gloves, etc.  Neither of them was cold so that was the bright spot.  Joseph hopes for a solo attempt to sleep in the cave when his work schedule cooperates.

I like this picture because you can see the tunnel into the second room.

 To highlight the strength of our cave, Kimball had two friends over to play in the cave on our snow day last week when we got a foot of snow.  These two boys plus my two kids were outside for an hour climbing all over the caves.  They would climb on the roof and then slide down the sides. When I mentioned the rough and tumble play of the kids to Joseph his response was "Oh good! It was strong enough to support their weight."  It is solid ice now.

I hope the construction of a snow cave will become an annual event for many years.  It is exciting to think we have a two room snow cave in our back yard.  The snow cave is the talk of the people at church and almost weekly people ask how it is or say that they want to come see it.