• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Robert Forto

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Rants & Reviews
  • Team Ineka
  • Dog Training
  • Seminars
  • Contact

Willow Alaska

The Rise of the Killer Squirrel

July 20, 2011 by robertforto 2 Comments

It all started innocently enough, I bought a little bird feeder this spring and began feeding the birds as the last of the snow began to melt up here in the Great White North. Some days there would be a couple dozen birds flying to and fro scooping up the cornucopia of seeds.

About three weeks into spring a baby squirrel (I affectionately named him Rocky) came onto the scene and started eating all of the bird seed and scared off most of the birds. I thought nothing much of it and continued to put the bird seed into the feeder.

In mid-May we began replacing the roof on Fortos’ Fort and all the sudden our little squirrel friend became a little more brazen. He began to “scream” in a high pitched chirp at sunrise (which is really about 4 am in the summer in Alaska) right outside my bedroom window.

In early June we could hear him running around the attic and heard a scratching noise upstairs. So much so that it alarmed the two dogs, Raegan and Bodhi, and they ran upstairs to investigate.

The days ticked by. We lived our lives and Rocky lived his. We finished the roof project in early July and thought we sealed up any holes that he might be able to use to get into the attic.

Last Saturday I headed downstairs with the two dogs in tow to let them outside. As I headed into the kitchen there was Rocky sitting on the window sill. The dogs paid little attention to him as the dashed by heading to the deck off the laundry room. Rocky didn’t even move. Over the next few minutes he was scurrying all over the kitchen and eating crumbs on the counter left from the night before.

I quickly texted my son, Tyler, and told him to come out very quietly with a sheet so we could throw it over him and take him back outside. I immediately thought of the scene in Christmas Vacation!

Rocky darted behind the stove and within minutes we could hear him chirping outside.

“This has to stop,” I quipped!

Tyler and I headed to Anchorage in search of a trap to catch Rocky. On the way down I searched the Internet and Al Gore said that they sold them at Home Depot. We arrived at the Big Box Behemoth and asked the “very nice” lady at customer service if she could help find the trap.

She began typing away on a computer old enough to be found in the Smithsonian and said there is not one trap available in the entire state of Alaska.

I found a seat and began searching the web for another location as Tyler spoke up triumphantly, “Poppy has one! Let me call him!”

You see, my father in-law Ed has everything. He shops at thrift stores like a woman does for shoes. One could say it is his obsession. He once found nine cookie sheets for $2.99 a piece and worked a deal for a buck a piece. Who needs nine cookie sheets? He doesn’t even bake (I don’t think).

Tyler got him on the phone and they began to discuss the particulars of sending the trap to us by Priority Mail on Monday when I finally found one at True Value Hardware all the way across town.

We headed over to the True Value, laid down 39 bucks and change for the trap and headed North back to Willow.

Later that evening we set up the trap after at least ten tries to make sure we were doing it right including even reading the directions.

We placed a spoonful of peanut butter with some of that tasty bird seed that Rocky had a fancy for and waited.

Within an hour Rocky was in the trap! No we didn’t catch him. The little booger was smart enough to pull the little paper plate off the tray and keep his butt out of the trap. We tried everything including Tyler trying to sneak up on him with a broom so he could reach over and close the trap while Rocky feasted.

It didn’t work. As soon as he saw Tyler, Rocky took off and headed in the trees mocking and laughing at us with his high pitched squeak.

On Sunday night we went to Plan B. Tyler rigged up an elaborate series of bungee cords (we didn’t have any rope) to the trap so he wouldn’t have to get so close to the trap when Rocky was inside. One pull on the cord and the trap would set. We tried it a few times and he continued to run off as we got close.

Last night (Monday) as Tyler and I finished up a pizza and settled in for a movie we heard the little mongrel in the kitchen. He was sitting on the stove ready to dive into the pizza box at a moments notice.

Tyler hurriedly grabbed his sheet again but Rocky split before we could catch him.

Enough already!

Then it hit me. Let’s put the peanut butter under the little tray so he would have to step on it to eat the tasty treat.

Low and behold this morning Rocky was trapped. I jumped up and down in my stocking feet with my arms in the air like I just won the Super Bowl and yelled for Tyler, ‘WE CAUGHT THE SQUIRREL!”

We had decided early on that we would catch and release Rocky if we trapped him. We loaded him up on the ATV and Tyler headed down the road.

Within a couple minutes I get a text on my iPhone from Tyler. It said: Ran out of gas.

Of course we didn’t have any in the gas can so I had to drive into Willow and buy a couple gallons.

I found Tyler along the Parks Highway with Rocky bouncing around in the cage. He filled up the tank and headed down the road.

Tyler released Rocky near a stream under the bridge. Such a tranquil place, far removed from anyone or houses. He should be able to live in a little squirrel paradise. Maybe he will even find Misses Rocky and they will settle down and get married. Maybe even have a couple young-in’s….

I am sure what a lot of you are thinking: Why didn’t he just get a BB gun or kill the little booger?

Its not as easy as that. You see when I was a little kid my dad and I visited Cincinnati, Ohio and he bought me this little gray stuffed animal squirrel and his name on the tag was Rocky. My mom and dad were divorced so this little toy was very dear to me. I kept him around for a long time.

Well at least until I was old enough to have girls over to my room to “study, do homework, and what-not.”

But I will assure you…If Rocky comes back to Fortos’ Fort it might just be a different story!

Follow my news and updates on Twitter, my whereabouts on Foursquare and relationship status on Facebook. Or send me a telegram.

Related articles
  • Fortos Fort: Roof Project Complete! (robertforto.wordpress.com)
  • Black and red eastern gray squirrel (retrieverman.wordpress.com)
Enhanced by Zemanta

Filed Under: Alaska, Daily Post, Fortos Fort Tagged With: alaska, Bird feeder, Fortos Fort, Home Depot, iphone, postaday2011, robert forto, squirrel, Willow Alaska

Signs of summer in Alaska

July 19, 2011 by robertforto 1 Comment

20110719-034747.jpg

Just a few strawberries are popping up at our cabin in Willow, Alaska

Filed Under: Alaska, Daily Post, Fortos Fort Tagged With: Fortos Fort, postaday2011, robert forto, Willow Alaska

Mushing Capital of the World Trip on Gowalla

July 10, 2011 by robertforto 1 Comment

On the location service application for iPhone (and other smart-phones), Gowalla, you can create unique trips to share with your friends.

Since I am living and training in the Mushing Capital of the World: Willow, Alaska I thought it would be cool to make a trip on Gowalla to share.

In Willow, we have more mushers per square mile than probably anywhere else in the world. We have Yukon Quest Champion Dallas Seavey, Iditarod fan-favorite DeeDee Jonrowe, 2010 Iditarod runner-up Ramey Smyth, Serum run mushers, a cornucopia of recreational mushers, and tons of sprint dog drivers.

This town is also home to:

The official start of the Iditarod

The Willow-Tug 300 start

The start of the Don Bowers Memorial Sled Dog Race

The start of the Junior Iditarod

The Earl Norris Open Class Sled Dog Races at the Willow Winter Carnival

We are also home to Mushing Magazine and a Siberian Husky kennel that can trace it roots to the beginning of the breed.

There are hundreds of miles of trails to train on and explore with your dog team as well as several places to take a tour on a dog sled the next time you visit Alaska.

Complete the Mushing Capitol of the World trip on Gowalla today!

Filed Under: Alaska, Daily Post Tagged With: gowalla, gowalla badges, Iditarod, mushing, postaday2011, robert forto, Team Ineka, trips, Willow Alaska

Red Shirt Lake, Alaska

June 21, 2011 by robertforto 1 Comment

 

One of my favorite pictures! Tyler and Bodhi

On Father’s Day my son, Tyler and I took a hike in Nancy Lake State Park to Red Shirt Lake.

What a view

It was a cool late spring day and we decided to take the dogs with us to Red Shirt Lake.

It was the longest walk the our youngest dog, Bodhi had been on. He did surprisingly well trying his best to keep up with Raegan.

We hiked the three  miles to the lake and had our little picnic of sandwiches, chips and sodas that we bought at the Townsite Market. Talk about paying expensive Alaska prices: lunch cost us 28 bucks.

Raegan in the foreground

Raegan and Bodhi played in the lake chasing sticks and rocks. Raegan liked the swimming much more than Bodhi.

We headed back after it started to rain.

It was a great six mile hike and a wonderful way to spend Father’s Day with my son.

Filed Under: Alaska, Daily Post Tagged With: alaska, fathers day, hiking, nancy lake state park, postaday2011, red shirt lake, robert forto, tyler forto, Willow Alaska

Freshly pressed, hopes and dreams…

June 16, 2011 by robertforto 2 Comments

I can’t say how grateful I am for the opportunity to be Freshly Pressed on WordPress.com yesterday.

The post was just a short piece about my first training run of the summer with my sled dog team up in Alaska. I didn’t think much of it when I wrote it. I just wanted to share the experience with my readers.

Read: Mushing Alaska Style: First Training Run of the Summer

I started this blog the day I moved to Alaska in August 2010 and have tried my best to write every day. It is intended to showcase my challenges and struggles at moving from the “big city” of Denver to a town of just 2500 in Willow, Alaska.

I am up here chasing a crazy dream of running the Iditarod and what better place than the mushing capital of the world, right?

Over the last ten months I have learned a lot and tried my best to share my adventures with my readers. I have built a pretty loyal following but I had no idea until I saw how many people were reading my posts yesterday that people really do love Alaska.

There seemed to be a common theme in the comments (as well as people that I talk to) that Alaska and it’s ‘last frontier’ allure embodies the mystique that it deserves. Everyone get’s excited when you talk about Alaska.

Everyday I am amazed when I see a caravan of RVs and tour bus after tour bus packed full of folks visiting this great state. Every one of them are up here looking for that sense of adventure that some will say is lost in the fast paced world ‘Outside’.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my posts and if you are interested, stay along for the ride while I am mushin’ down a dream. I will bet it will be just as fun for you as it is for me and I would love to have you tag along.

See you on the trail! Mush you huskies, gee, haw!

Filed Under: Alaska, Daily Post, Iditarod Tagged With: alaska, freshly pressed, Iditarod, mushin down a dream, postaday2011, robert forto, Team Ineka, Willow Alaska

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to page 4
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Follow Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS Feed
  • LinkedIn

Listen to Dog Works Radio

Copyright © 2022 · Metro Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

 

Loading Comments...