Baby It's Cold Outside ...

Life in the northwoods in the winter...  some people say we're nuts!

Only by spending a weekend off the grid in the winter can you understand the true solitude that the winter season has to offer. The sights and sounds of the northwoods change as it transforms into a winter wonderland. The trees and ground are covered with pristine white snow that smothers sound and redefines the meaning of solitude and beauty. We never tire of the beauty of this corner of the world.

Most of the large animals are gone. The bears we saw multiple times last fall are now hibernating. The deer in our area push down to find food, water, and safety near lake Superior. If you are lucky enough to cross a moose path you will be amazed that they are only leaving prints and "post holing" in 4 FEET of snow. We see trails from rabbits, wolves, bobcats, pine marten, and cougar. Birds and waterfowl migrate south while others migrate to our area in the winter. We see nuthatches, grosbeaks, woodpeckers, and Canadian jays to name a few.

When we first venture into the woods in the winter, it seems really silent - as if our intrusion into the home of the animals has sent them hiding.  But as our ears stop ringing from the noise pollution of city life, the sounds start emerging out of the forest.  In the winter, these sounds are mostly the birds, who finally realize we're not an enemy, but perhaps an occasional companion. Other sounds emerge too - branches cracking, snow clumps falling from pine trees, chipmunks (or squirrels) scurrying in the treetops, Woody the woodpecker.

Do we still venture north?? Absolutely! In fact, it's one of our favorite seasons! This year, Mary Kay and I have been fortunate enough to head north on Thanksgiving and MLK weekends. Only the shell of the cabin is complete so we continue to stay in our shack, which has a wood stove and a backup LP gas heater. We enjoyed mild winter temps on both trips (in the 20s). We drove in on Thanksgiving weekend with ~8" of snow, and got another half a foot or more while we were there. This past weekend we snowshoed in 1 mile (thanks to a distant "neighbor" who keeps the road open and plows us a parking space at the end of our driveway), pulling our gear on a homemade pulk* sled. We bring our food, 6 liters of water, dog food, and extra clothes. We drill a hole in the lake for extra water for cooking & dishes.  We had bluebird skies all weekend, which is unusual in this "snowbelt" area we call our retreat.

The winter daylight hours are short but we've managed to complete the interior walls of the cabin. Yes, we do own lights but the only thing that drops faster than the sun in winter is the temperature. So when the sun sets ... It's time for happy hour, and finding ways to pass the long night in the shack (like reading, playing cards, or planning the cabin)!

In the pictures you may notice we have a total of 3 interior doors in the cabin. One 5' barn door to the bedroom and two pocket doors for the bathroom and utility closet. (This is the first time I've framed pocket doors but hey, what could go wrong?!) The barn door opens up the small cabin footprint, making the bedroom feel like part of the main living space, and of course bringing light through the cabin too. The pocket doors save precious space in that cramped corner of the cabin.

Next up: we are ready to start our electrical rough in and we have material to begin framing the porch/deck substructure. Since in the winter we haul in everything we need, we obviously brought in these supplies in the fall.

We're always learning lessons.  Here are a couple:

I learned that my cordless tools work well in the cold but the charger will not charge batteries that are either too hot, or, in our case, too cold (sounds rather like Goldylocks!). So if you are looking closely at the pictures, yes, I've gained a few pounds over the holidays, and additionally, I have a couple 20v DeWalt batteries stuffed in my jacket ... but thanks for noticing!!

Lesson #2 for this update: although incredibly expensive the board stretcher has been worth every penny we paid for it! Measure once, cut 3x, grab another 2x4 ... or something like that???

Lesson #3 - and this is for Bob:  Mary Kay says I'm anal retentive, NOT OCD.  You two figure it out!

Till next time ... Stay Warm!

M&M

*Pulk: A word that Mark knew, but MK didn't! Google definition: Pulk (from Finnish Pulkka) is a Nordic short, low-slung small toboggan used in sport or transport, pulled by a dog (named Mark) or a person, or in Lapland pulled by a reindeer. The sled can be used to carry supplies, or transport a child or other person.