Trying to transport a nearly 300-pound wood stove and related materials several miles into the wilderness requires a large group of laborers, strong horses and a bit of creativity.

On Saturday, 18 volunteers spent more than nine hours hauling a new wood-burning stove to the Goodwin Lake Ski Cabin and removing old gear, food caches and the existing stove. The mission was a labor of love for the participants, many of whom make annual multi-day trips to the hallowed backcountry ski outpost that lies nestled in the Gros Ventre Wilderness.

Putting in the new stove and the associated cleanup effort was spearheaded by Jackson Hole native Justin Watsabaugh, who responded after Forest Service officials asked the Jackson Hole Ski Club to take a more active role in maintaining the site. The club holds the winter use permit for the cabin, which was built more than 50 years ago by early Jackson Hole and Idaho Falls, Idaho, skiers.

When the club went to renew its permit this year, the Forest Service determined a missing latch on the old stove door presented a fire hazard. After Chimney Sweeps of Jackson Hole owner Keith Benefiel stepped forward and offered to donate a newer, more efficient stove, all that was needed was a method to transport the heavy, bulky device to the cabin.

Watsabaugh fashioned a sled using the hood of a Dodge truck on which the stove could be placed. Underneath it, an old snowboard and a single ski were attached to help the sled glide. Where the trail to Goodwin Lake was too narrow for horses to drag the stove in the sled, volunteers planned to hand carry the stove using fence poles that slipped underneath chains and ratchet straps attached to the stove.

“It’s pretty ingenious,” said Aaron Pruzan as he helped others tape padding to the fence poles and secure the stove to the sled. “Wats [Watsabaugh] has impressed me before, but this is something else.”

Volunteers spanned the community spectrum and included 15-year-old Jack Watsabaugh, who was making his first trip to the site, and Russell Scott, who has been making trips to the ski cabin for more than 30 years. Scott Mellor had offered to help Justin with the project several years ago, and kept his word when his efforts were needed. Avid skiers Chris Valiante, Ryan Talermo and Ben Morley had all visited the cabin periodically over the years and Paul Huser rallied several friends to the cause.

“It’s incredible that we’ve got this many people,” said Mellor, one of the first to arrive. “When I got here there were only five of us, and I was wondering how we were going to do this.”

Hauling the stove required a total of six horses, including a sturdy pull horse named Esther that Watsabaugh’s father, John, had borrowed from a friend. Noting that the horse was used to hauling heavier loads, John Watsabaugh reminded the group that they would need to use muscle to prevent the stove from careening out of control or injuring the horse while it was being dragged through the hilly terrain.

“Be aware of what you’re yelling around the horses,” cautioned John. “It’s been trained to respond to voice commands. You don’t need to be yelling ‘Whoa.’”

After unlocking a gate at the Goodwin trailhead, the stove was driven up a series of switchbacks to the old trailhead. While one group of hikers and horse riders headed for the cabin to begin the cleanup, the rest of the volunteers turned their attention to transporting the stove. Thin snow cover and a steep, narrow trail made the going slow at first, as the group experimented with various carrying techniques.

The first real test occurred just past the Wilderness Boundary, where the Goodwin Lake trail traverses a hillside with a steep drop off to the left side. At this point, the stove was removed from the sled and one group of eight carried the stove through the narrow section, while a second, smaller group hauled the bulky sled. With snow covering the trail and little room to maneuver, Mellor’s day nearly ended disastrously when he slipped off the trail and slid 300 feet before grabbing a tree to halt his descent. Incredibly, Mellor was not injured though he was gasping for breath after hiking back up to the trail.

“That was a pretty wild ride,” he said while brushing off snow.

The snow got deeper as the group reached the lake, but the trail also grew rockier. Those holding guide ropes in an effort to keep the sled from slipping struggled to keep pace with the horse and run through deep snow. Progress was halted every few minutes when the sled struck barely concealed rocks and roots.

“It gives you a new appreciation for how the Egyptians built the pyramids, doesn’t it?” said the fourth Watsabaugh volunteer, Rob, whose frequent jokes helped keep spirits high.

When Esther needed a rest from hauling midway through the journey, Gabe Kallas hooked his horse Midnight, which hauled the sled past the east side of Jackson Peak, where the route curved and descended gently through the woods to the cabin.

By the time the train of laborers arrived, mask-wearing volunteers had already swept dust and mice droppings out of the cabin and a giant pile of ancient, foul smelling sleeping bags and pads lay nearby. The new stove was carried into the cabin for Benefiel to install at a later date, and a bottle of whiskey was passed to celebrate the accomplishment.

“Now maybe we’ll actually get heat for an entire night and not wake up freezing,” said Talermo.

Among the items packed up and carried off were single gloves and shoes, old clothing, broken axe handles, food caches and piles of silverware. Wood saws and axes along with three emergency sleeping bags and pads and the cabin’s collection of journals were left behind. The old stove was disassembled and strapped into the sled for the haul out, a nostalgic moment for those with fond memories of huddling in front of it on cold winter nights.

“I spent many years in front of that stove!” said Justin Watsabaugh.

Those who had never visited the cabin expressed amazement at how well it had been constructed and how hard it was to find. Regular visitors commented that the cabin looked more spacious after the cleanup.

“I’ve climbed Jackson Peak and hiked around and looked for it, but couldn’t find it,” Kallas said. “This is a beautiful spot.”

While Huser and Mac Dukart elected to spend the night at the cabin, the rest of the volunteers packed up horses and the sled and retraced their steps. The group finally returned to the trailhead at 6 p.m., exhausted and wet, but pleased to have been part of an effort that will benefit the backcountry ski community.

Work on the ski cabin isn’t complete yet. In the future, the cabin’s roof must be replaced and the outhouse moved, but dates for those work projects have not been set. The ski cabin opens for the winter season on Nov. 14, is accessible through June 1 and is locked the rest of the year.