There is a a little pond out in front of our cabin that I named Mom's pond after my beautiful wife.
When I first found our 20 acres of remote recreational land that the state was offering in a lottery. Myself and a friend searched for 3-4 days on snogos for the perfect place. Was cold, like minus 25 to 35. Dangerous cold. But we wanted a chance to build a remote cabin for our family.
After years of trying to pay for the survey n land it was ours. We wanted logs for several reasons. Bears can peel open plywood off studs fairly easy. Logs could withstand the abuse better. And we like the look. I was able to barter a few guns for the logs and saved enough for the rest of the framing materials, I thought. Everything is more complicated building remote. But that's OK just part.
Then the job of getting a 16x24, 1-1/2 story log building and everything else gathered up at the house, packed on to the 18' trailer around the snogos and the back of my truck. Then up the highway a bit dodging moose on icy roads. Unload the snogos n freight sleds, load the freight sleds. Oofda !
Then it's strap up cowboy n ride this pony time. Pulling a thousand pounds is common, several sleds hooked together. Kinda imagine the Beverly Hillbillies on snogos. Last time out with my beautiful wife, the first creek we get to is always gut check time. Stop n check out the snow bridge except there wasn't any snow bridge. Make sure that the freight is strapped in tight tight.
The creek is near a hundred feet across and a couple feet deep. There is an ice shelf half way across, half open water. If you don't make it, the ice shelf can easily collapse and send sheets of ice down river. Cut you right in half. Not good. We are the first ones out for the year as usual so breaking trail. I convinced my beautiful wife that we can make this and it should be frozen when we return in a week or so. Hopefully or we're stuck. I make it and so does she. You have to line up correctly to be able to hit the little opening on the other side and then there is a hill so gotta be on it to. No problem. A few hours later we're there. And I get to hang out with a pretty lady out in the middle of nowhere. No phones nothing. Oooohhhhh yyyeeeaaahhhh !?!!!
That was an easy trip. I've been blessed to be able to freight and be just me. The northern lights dancing above. Cold. Stop and enjoy the world. Pull my helmet off and sit back on my emergency ditty bag. Take a little pull of whiskey. Life is supposed to be like this. But usually isn't. That's the great part.
I learned a lot about being in the bush and being able to get back out. Mostly I had the opportunity to look around at some beautiful places. How to take care of myself and the folks around me at times. How to trust in myself. There isn't anyone else to help when things break and that can happen at any time. Pow your broke, fix it whatever it is. Learning about AK along the way. The moose, wolves and such.
Hey now I have a nice lazy boy and heating pad, fire. Good bed. I'm a happy camper. This allows me more time to go hang out at moms pond. I can stay after dark when the wild world wakes. The wolves are hunting the moose out browsing. Swans are on their nest. Babies around on the pond. I kinda believe that most of the critters that live around there know me per say. The wolves probably know I'm there when they hear the cabin being opened up. They leave me turds on the freight sled stuck in the tundra.
We don't harvest the local spruce hens. I will knock down the tall grass around the cabin when I get there and then they have better access to all the bugs. I always have sunflower seeds or peanuts for them I scatter around. And they scratch under the cabin for grit and dusting. They also make sure that we don't have any mice issues. Like wild chickens. And we enjoy watching them. They often roost in a spruce right in front of a window.
I came in one night after hunting moose. Beautiful wife had a great hot supper for me as usual. We went upstairs to go to bed. Just after we crawled in we were able to listen in on a pack of wolves taking a moose down. A hundred yards in front of the cabin, out near mom's pond. Listen to a couple lynx duke it out. Or watch them and their family wake in the dawn and stroll on out for a fresh drink and a stretch. And poo. Or just sit on the deck and listen, relax. Time does not matter here. Cutting firewood under the northern lights at 2 am. Go set some snares or traps.
Mom's pond is the center of a wildlife gathering place that I've been blessed to be able to observe and learn. And a place that is first on my mind when I need an escape.
This little cabin took years to get the materials freighted out and watching our dream grow. Just like we wanted it. I feel like the most blessed man in the world
When I first found our 20 acres of remote recreational land that the state was offering in a lottery. Myself and a friend searched for 3-4 days on snogos for the perfect place. Was cold, like minus 25 to 35. Dangerous cold. But we wanted a chance to build a remote cabin for our family.
After years of trying to pay for the survey n land it was ours. We wanted logs for several reasons. Bears can peel open plywood off studs fairly easy. Logs could withstand the abuse better. And we like the look. I was able to barter a few guns for the logs and saved enough for the rest of the framing materials, I thought. Everything is more complicated building remote. But that's OK just part.
Then the job of getting a 16x24, 1-1/2 story log building and everything else gathered up at the house, packed on to the 18' trailer around the snogos and the back of my truck. Then up the highway a bit dodging moose on icy roads. Unload the snogos n freight sleds, load the freight sleds. Oofda !
Then it's strap up cowboy n ride this pony time. Pulling a thousand pounds is common, several sleds hooked together. Kinda imagine the Beverly Hillbillies on snogos. Last time out with my beautiful wife, the first creek we get to is always gut check time. Stop n check out the snow bridge except there wasn't any snow bridge. Make sure that the freight is strapped in tight tight.
The creek is near a hundred feet across and a couple feet deep. There is an ice shelf half way across, half open water. If you don't make it, the ice shelf can easily collapse and send sheets of ice down river. Cut you right in half. Not good. We are the first ones out for the year as usual so breaking trail. I convinced my beautiful wife that we can make this and it should be frozen when we return in a week or so. Hopefully or we're stuck. I make it and so does she. You have to line up correctly to be able to hit the little opening on the other side and then there is a hill so gotta be on it to. No problem. A few hours later we're there. And I get to hang out with a pretty lady out in the middle of nowhere. No phones nothing. Oooohhhhh yyyeeeaaahhhh !?!!!
That was an easy trip. I've been blessed to be able to freight and be just me. The northern lights dancing above. Cold. Stop and enjoy the world. Pull my helmet off and sit back on my emergency ditty bag. Take a little pull of whiskey. Life is supposed to be like this. But usually isn't. That's the great part.
I learned a lot about being in the bush and being able to get back out. Mostly I had the opportunity to look around at some beautiful places. How to take care of myself and the folks around me at times. How to trust in myself. There isn't anyone else to help when things break and that can happen at any time. Pow your broke, fix it whatever it is. Learning about AK along the way. The moose, wolves and such.
Hey now I have a nice lazy boy and heating pad, fire. Good bed. I'm a happy camper. This allows me more time to go hang out at moms pond. I can stay after dark when the wild world wakes. The wolves are hunting the moose out browsing. Swans are on their nest. Babies around on the pond. I kinda believe that most of the critters that live around there know me per say. The wolves probably know I'm there when they hear the cabin being opened up. They leave me turds on the freight sled stuck in the tundra.
We don't harvest the local spruce hens. I will knock down the tall grass around the cabin when I get there and then they have better access to all the bugs. I always have sunflower seeds or peanuts for them I scatter around. And they scratch under the cabin for grit and dusting. They also make sure that we don't have any mice issues. Like wild chickens. And we enjoy watching them. They often roost in a spruce right in front of a window.
I came in one night after hunting moose. Beautiful wife had a great hot supper for me as usual. We went upstairs to go to bed. Just after we crawled in we were able to listen in on a pack of wolves taking a moose down. A hundred yards in front of the cabin, out near mom's pond. Listen to a couple lynx duke it out. Or watch them and their family wake in the dawn and stroll on out for a fresh drink and a stretch. And poo. Or just sit on the deck and listen, relax. Time does not matter here. Cutting firewood under the northern lights at 2 am. Go set some snares or traps.
Mom's pond is the center of a wildlife gathering place that I've been blessed to be able to observe and learn. And a place that is first on my mind when I need an escape.
This little cabin took years to get the materials freighted out and watching our dream grow. Just like we wanted it. I feel like the most blessed man in the world
