Inspired by the past,

Written for the present

Here's the deal, I've worked with hundreds of girls and women in the outdoors and I've noticed something across the board:

We consistently underestimate ourselves, compare ourselves, and then push ourselves 12 months out of the year to achieve what we've compared our bodies, personalities, and achievements to, in order to make up for the ways we've undervalued ourselves.

Seeing this in the youngest of us (8 years old) on backcountry canoe trips has been like looking in a mirror.

But seeing these commonalities, quite literally in the wild, has provided me a rare opportunity to see another commonality:

As a woman's connection to our natural world strengthens, her connection to modern stressors and expectations weakens.

She lives through each season with more perspective and clarity. Her feet are grounded in the dirt while her head and heart buzz with creativity in the clouds.

She nourishes her body more holistically. She's kinder to her mind and more in tune with her intuition. She uplifts other women and brings light to the world...

...not for the sake of appearances or expectations but for the sake of her own wild desires.

I write The Cabin Season for her because I was her. I am her. And I will continue to drive the definition of outdoorswoman* forward for all the women who need her like I do.

I write The Cabin Season to show you how I embody this definition in my own life so you can apply what works to yours and become your own modern outdoorswoman! 

*And if nothing else, I'd love for spellcheck to quit telling me "outdoorswoman" is incorrect when outdoorsman is not.

Welcome to the new outdoorsy!

Come as you are, love! We're all wild women at heart here, even if we've forgotten. Let me remind you how it feels to be free.

Welcome to The Cabin Season! Dive in:

Or get to know me on a personal level

I'm Ashley

She's Arlo

28 ear old human


cabin dweller

summer camp
owner

photographer

writer

was an engineer

happiest human

1 year old Shiloh Shepherd

cabin dweller

summer camp safety patrol

model

howler

amateur sled dog

happiest dog

I'm Ashley

She's Arlo

28 ear old human

cabin dweller

summer camp owner

photographer

writer

used-to-be engineer

happiest human

1 year old Shiloh Shepherd

cabin dweller

summer camp safety patrol

model

howler

amateur sled dog

happiest dog

And moved to this 200 sq ft cabin in the woods of northern Minnesota without running water, road access, or conventional heating. Known as the Pepper Shack, my parents and grandmother built this cabin in the early 80's on the summer camp property we still own today. Fun fact: we share a property line with the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness!

In 2018, I quit my engineering job

After living and working at the summer camp for two years, my dad (Dan) and I officially bought the camp from my uncle, who still owns our sister camp, Camp Birchwood for Girls, which was founded by my grandparents in 1958. Our camp, Birchwood Wilderness Camp is the boys camp, which my grandfather founded in 1968. My fiance, Victor, and I met at Birchwood and now direct the camp together! We run 8 weeks of the boys camp followed by several weeks of wellness and yoga retreats!

In 2020, I became a small business owner

The Cabin Season

It started as a way to keep friends and family up-to-date on my survival in the remote wilderness, under the blog name An Outdoor Experience. As the seasons passed, I began hearing more and more from women aspiring to be more "outdoorsy" for the sake of self care and self improvement - a sentiment I fully understand. In a leap to speak directly to those women, my mighty little blog became The Cabin Season - a space to redefine what it means to be an outdoorswoman from the very land you live on.

At the end of 2018, I started this blog

100 pounds of sunshine, that's Arlo. She's the quintessential cabin dog who hasn't left my side since I picked her up as an eight week old Shiloh Shepherd puppy. I mean that quite literally - her and I go everywhere together. In the canoe, on the dogsled, in the truck, on the trails, around camp, by the fire, in the snow, across the country, in the hammock, at the writing desk...she's there. And while this blog has nothing to do with dogs, Arlo will pop up all the time in my photos and writing! Consider yourself her new friend! She does!  

In 2019, I got Arlo

About Me - In a Nutshell

Brands and Organizations I've partnered with over the years:

Podcasts and Publications I've spoken with via the blog:

-Coleman
-Frost River
-Wintergreen
-Askov Finlayson
-Bending Branches
-Save the Boundary Waters
-Friends of the Boundary Waters

-Duluth Pack
-Askov Finlayson
-Lake Time Magazine
-Up North Trading Co
-Navigating It Podcast
-Northern Wilds Magazine
-Out Your Backdoor Podcast

Interested in a collaboration?

I'd love to contribute to your platform!

Winter

preferred season

Call of the Wild

favorite movie

Type 3 Wing 4

enneagram personality 

Photography

creative passion

Penny

people also call me

simplicity

always in pursuit of