The Five Cent Tour
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In the above episode, we offer a tour of our trapline cabin and the surrounding outbuildings, including the bunkhouse that was used to house the film crew during Sons of Winter.
We actually have several cabins on our trapline as a safety measure. Snowmobiles and atvs have a nasty habit of breaking down on us, so it's a wise plan to always be within walking distance of a cabin. The one featured in this episode is our southernmost one, where we spend most of our time. Our northwest cabin is very similar to this one, as both were built by the trapper from whom we bought this trapline. We have another, much smaller cabin which is shared with our Dad where his trapline borders ours.
The cabin in this video is 12x16 feet, made out of logs from the pine ridge on which it is built. Built some 30+ years ago, this cabin has withstood storms and forest fires, while providing a safe and warm shelter for its inhabitants (who, most recently, are us). It has no running water, so water is collected from melted snow or the nearby lake. It is powered by a solar panel and a small generator, which allows us to have lights and an internet connection (both of which are relatively new conveniences for us).
Very little firewood is required to heat this cabin, as its small size and excellent craftsmanship make it very easy to heat.
As space is clearly very limited, every available nook and cranny is used for storage, with new shelves added regularly as needed. The crooked shelves were built by the biologist (Dale) and not the carpenter (Shane).
Although the first several years were spent using a two-burner propane stove without an oven (and one burned-out burner), the small camp oven has provided a welcome alternative for cooking, allowing a much greater variety of meals (because seriously, fried deer meat gets old really fast after a few weeks).
We hope to install a sandpoint in the near future, as well as build an addition for when we need to house a family here. When that time comes, the other brother may be forced to relocate to the other cabin...
All in all, this tiny cabin has allowed for some great memories to be made, while serving as a very comfortable home for the two of us.
P.S. When Dad comes to visit, he sleeps on a bedspring on the floor. He claims it gets cold down there.
We actually have several cabins on our trapline as a safety measure. Snowmobiles and atvs have a nasty habit of breaking down on us, so it's a wise plan to always be within walking distance of a cabin. The one featured in this episode is our southernmost one, where we spend most of our time. Our northwest cabin is very similar to this one, as both were built by the trapper from whom we bought this trapline. We have another, much smaller cabin which is shared with our Dad where his trapline borders ours.
The cabin in this video is 12x16 feet, made out of logs from the pine ridge on which it is built. Built some 30+ years ago, this cabin has withstood storms and forest fires, while providing a safe and warm shelter for its inhabitants (who, most recently, are us). It has no running water, so water is collected from melted snow or the nearby lake. It is powered by a solar panel and a small generator, which allows us to have lights and an internet connection (both of which are relatively new conveniences for us).
Very little firewood is required to heat this cabin, as its small size and excellent craftsmanship make it very easy to heat.
As space is clearly very limited, every available nook and cranny is used for storage, with new shelves added regularly as needed. The crooked shelves were built by the biologist (Dale) and not the carpenter (Shane).
Although the first several years were spent using a two-burner propane stove without an oven (and one burned-out burner), the small camp oven has provided a welcome alternative for cooking, allowing a much greater variety of meals (because seriously, fried deer meat gets old really fast after a few weeks).
We hope to install a sandpoint in the near future, as well as build an addition for when we need to house a family here. When that time comes, the other brother may be forced to relocate to the other cabin...
All in all, this tiny cabin has allowed for some great memories to be made, while serving as a very comfortable home for the two of us.
P.S. When Dad comes to visit, he sleeps on a bedspring on the floor. He claims it gets cold down there.
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