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THE FORTS - Part 8
Winter 2004 - 2005 : Against All Odds |
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Fort #23 "Tower of Elgin"
Started Jan. 18, 2005
Finished Feb. 4, 2005
Destroyed Feb. 9, 2005
375 Blocks, 3 Floors
This would be the last snowfort built to date, and it's progress would be slowed by a number of factors. By now, I had only one helper (and only once in a while) so I had to do most of the work by myself. Health problems prevented me from getting an early start on this, so construction began when it should have just been wrapping up. And finally, the weather was brutally cold and there really wasn't much snow to work with. But work pressed on, and just over two weeks later, Fort #23 was completed. |
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Chance the dog poses (for the last time) beside a snowfort- something he loved to do. He died in May 2007 at age 13. |
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It was a far cry from the massive forts that had been built here in previous years, but considering how little help I had, I think it turned out pretty well. It's main feature was two external spiral staircases, which not only gave it most of its visual appeal, but made it look larger than it really was. Another unique feature was the use of small sheets of ice, fitted into wooden frames which made up the 3 windows. And finally, it had two upper floors, the top being accessible only via the stairs. |
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Any hopes for the publicity of years gone by would be cruelly dashed on February 6th, when the temperature soared to +14oC - more than 10 degrees higher than the forecast temperature. The fort proved extremely resiliant; after a solid 48 hours of this punishing heat, it still hadn't sustained any major damage. But there was no avoiding fate, and after another 24 hours of double-digit temperatures, the heat finally emerged the victor. (the severely deformed fort was knocked down with a stick, before it could collapse on its own). And that was it. No picture in the paper, no fireworks party, and almost nobody got to come and see it. It was a sorry conclusion
to a tradition that lasted nearly a decade. |
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This is what 72 hours of +14oC heat will
do to a big snowfort. How it lasted even
this long I'm not sure. |
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As of Dec. 2007, no forts have been built since. However, after a nearly 3-year hiatus, I've finally decided to go for it again. This time I'm on my own - no help at all - so it's going to take a lot longer and require a lot more effort. But if everything works out, there might just be another fort. |
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