The first snowflakes of the season fell yesterday! Fall colors have peaked and now the scale is tipping towards winter, which means preparations must be made in order to survive the colder months.

If you’ve been reading along since last winter, you already know I live in a primitive cabin in the remote wilderness of northern Minnesota at the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

How primitive are we talking?

• Not accessible by car (boat, snowmobile, or snowshoe only)
• No running water
• Woodstove as primary source of heating
• Outhouse…need I say more?
• No cell reception

You can read more about the realities of my lifestyle here.

That may sound super primitive but don’t let the list fool you! I have electricity and I live very comfortably in my cozy little cabin! 🙂

BUT, to survive winter there’s a more extensive preparation process required than if I were living a conventional lifestyle! I’ve broken it into three categories – firewood, water, and “ice-in” precautions. Let’s start with the most crucial of them all:

Firewood Stash

Both my dad and I heat our cabins with wood stoves through the -60F degree depths of winter, which translates to A LOT of firewood. 6 cords to be exact. This year, we already have all our firewood taken care of.

Here’s the process of getting it to our door:

1. Pick up the firewood in town and load into the truck.

2. Unload the wood at the public landing.

3. Load onto the barge, one wheelbarrow at a time.

4. Drive the barge down the river to our dock.

5. Load the firewood into the four-wheeler trailer and drive it up the 40 ft hill to my dad’s cabin.

6. Split some of the wood into smaller pieces for the smaller-volume wood stoves.

7. Stack it all on porches and beside wood stoves. We use a wheel-barrow to get firewood down to my cabin, at the bottom of the hill.

So, if you’re ever in need of a workout program, look no further! Hauling firewood is the best there is! In all seriousness, nothing about living past the road’s end is easy but it’s very rewarding.

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“Winterize” the Water System

During the summer months, we run a children’s camp so (naturally) we have full-blown running water. Currently, the bathroom and kitchen in my dad’s cabin are operational but we’ve already shut down the shower house, dining hall, washer, and water slide.

Soon we will shut down the toilet in my dad’s cabin, which means the outhouse will be open for business…

However, we will continue to use the kitchen sink and shower for a while longer.

There’s a whole laundry list of things to do in order to winterize the water system. Here’s a glimpse:

• Drain pipes
• Flush water heaters
• Drain washer
• Pour antifreeze in drains and toilets
• Remove water filters and bring to town

The list goes on but I won’t bore you!

My cabin is the easiest one to “winterize” because I don’t have any running water to begin with. Just four walls and a wood stove.

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“Ice-In” Precautions

What is “ice-in”?

I know, it’s a strange term to think about. It’s really simple though. Ice-in is when the ice covers the rivers and lakes.

Where we’re located, that usually happens sometime in November. By that time, we will have already pulled the motorboats out for the season so we depend on our canoes until the ice covers the river and is safe to walk on.

How long does it take for the ice to be safe to walk on?

That is THE question! And it’s why we have to take extra precautions!

Typically, it can take anywhere between one to three weeks for ice to be walkable. One morning I might wake up to a half-frozen river. In that situation, I either bust through the ice in a canoe with ice axes or I stay put.

The next morning the river might be completely frozen over but not safe to walk on. In that situation, we are either blocked in or we can hike a half-mile to the nearby rapids, which never freezes over, and canoe across then walk another half a mile or so to get to the cars.

Either way, you can see why “ice-in” is a tricky time of year for us.

We try to prepare by stocking up on enough food to last a couple of weeks. I make sure I don’t have any library books due back soon or any meetings in town. I also try to give my immune system a little boost because who wants to get sick and portage a canoe half a mile, paddle, then hike to a car just to go to the doctor? Not me!

Aside from that, “ice-in” is a time to get cozy, stay put, and observe the season changing. It really is a magical time of year.

Is there anything else you do to prepare for winter?

Off the top of my head, I can’t think of anything interesting. We should probably be checking the snowmobile and digging out our winter wardrobes but I’m still in autumn mode. Keep an eye on my Instagram because that’s where I’ll keep you updated on my winter preparations as they happen!

What would you do to prepare for winter if you lived in a cabin in the woods? I bet there are some cozy preparations you’d be making! Let me know in the comments below!

It’s currently 40 degrees outside and my cabin has gone cold since sitting down to write. So I’m off to build myself a fire and heat up some apple cider!

Happy Trails,