So You Want to Live in a Cabin in the Woods?
That title might be a little presumptuous but I know living in the woods isn’t everyone’s cuppa tea! Maybe you’ve thought about it? Maybe my winter article about the 6 Realities of Cabin Living spooked you?
If so, have no fear because summer is here(ish) and the cabin living is easy(ier)!
In all seriousness though, if you’ve ever entertained the idea of a more woodsy lifestyle, somewhere between house and tent, I’m here to say that it is a fulfilling way to live and to keep entertaining the thought.
But first, if you’re new to An Outdoor Experience, hey there! I’m writing to you from the Pepper Shack at the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Pepper is a 200 sq ft one room cabin past the roads’ end where cell reception goes to die. I’ve lived here since last September.
There is no running water or indoor plumbing. She does have a sink basin, which is used to rinse out coffee mugs and brush teeth with water that is carried in.
Now I know, not all cabins are quite as “primitive” as the Pepper Shack but, at the risk of sounding like Goldilocks, my cabin is just the right amount of primitive for me.
But what does a person need to know how to do to live in a cabin in the woods? What realities would a person face?
I’ve written all about the realities living here during the winter months but what about the summer?
It can still be chilly! Knowing how to build a good fire is key.
If you don’t mind stoking the wood stove during those brisk May/June mornings, then you’ll fit right in!
After a full winter of stoking the fire through the below zero nights, I’m happy to only have one (maybe two) fires a day. It’s the best of both worlds – cozy in the morning, summery during the day, and cozy again in the evening, cabin living at its finest.
It would be handy to know how to drive a boat!
Consider this a second shot at drivers ed! I sure did (do).
The Pepper Shack is one of many cabins at my family’s summer camp, which does not have road access.
If you’ve been reading along you’ll know we travel on foot and snowmobile across the ice in the quiet winter months. In the busy summer months, everything and everyone arrives via motorboat, barge, or canoe.
As much as I love winter (I mean, I really love winter), you just can’t beat an early morning boat drive at sunrise!
No matter how many mosquitos, you’ve got to be able to appreciate the good!
Sometimes those darn mosquitos are relentless. Sometimes it seems to never stop raining. Sometimes you can find excuses no matter what your lifestyle is but not in the wilderness…here you’re forced to confront setbacks.
You end up with problems that you just have to laugh at. Last summer, I was all ready for bed when I looked across my cabin to see a giant wolf spider on the wall! I hemmed and hawed about what I should do.
Should I try to ignore it and pretend it won’t murder me in my sleep? Clearly not an option.
Should I whack him with a shoe? I couldn’t possibly.
Should I try to shuffle him outside? Seems risky.
I decided to walk down to the staff lounge where the camp staff was hanging out and sheepishly ask if someone could help me out.
One brave soul came to my rescue and taught me a valuable lesson – wolf spiders freeze up if you flip them on their backs making it super easy to move them outside.
Case in point, cabin living forces you to out of your comfort zone. I’ve never been kept awake by a wolf spider since.
There you have it – my top 3 suggestions for those dreaming of cabin life!
Perfect the craft of fire building, learn how to drive a boat, and have a good attitude. Those three things carry me through the summer.
If you were to live in the woods all summer, what would be your biggest concern or number one question?
Happy Trails,
That title might be a little presumptuous but I know living in the woods isn’t everyone’s cuppa tea! Maybe you’ve thought about it? Maybe my winter article about the 6 Realities of Cabin Living spooked you?
If so, have no fear because summer is here(ish) and the cabin living is easy(ier)!
In all seriousness though, if you’ve ever entertained the idea of a more woodsy lifestyle, somewhere between house and tent, I’m here to say that it is a fulfilling way to live and to keep entertaining the thought.
But first, if you’re new to An Outdoor Experience, hey there! I’m writing to you from the Pepper Shack at the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Pepper is a 200 sq ft one room cabin past the roads’ end where cell reception goes to die. I’ve lived here since last September.
There is no running water or indoor plumbing. She does have a sink basin, which is used to rinse out coffee mugs and brush teeth with water that is carried in.
Now I know, not all cabins are quite as “primitive” as the Pepper Shack but, at the risk of sounding like Goldilocks, my cabin is just the right amount of primitive for me.
But what does a person need to know how to do to live in a cabin in the woods? What realities would a person face?
I’ve written all about the realities living here during the winter months but what about the summer?
It can still be chilly! Knowing how to build a good fire is key.
If you don’t mind stoking the wood stove during those brisk May/June mornings, then you’ll fit right in!
After a full winter of stoking the fire through the below zero nights, I’m happy to only have one (maybe two) fires a day. It’s the best of both worlds – cozy in the morning, summery during the day, and cozy again in the evening, cabin living at its finest.
It would be handy to know how to drive a boat!
Consider this a second shot at drivers ed! I sure did (do).
The Pepper Shack is one of many cabins at my family’s summer camp, which does not have road access.
If you’ve been reading along you’ll know we travel on foot and snowmobile across the ice in the quiet winter months. In the busy summer months, everything and everyone arrives via motorboat, barge, or canoe.
As much as I love winter (I mean, I really love winter), you just can’t beat an early morning boat drive at sunrise!
No matter how many mosquitos, you’ve got to be able to appreciate the good!
Sometimes those darn mosquitos are relentless. Sometimes it seems to never stop raining. Sometimes you can find excuses no matter what your lifestyle is but not in the wilderness…here you’re forced to confront setbacks.
You end up with problems that you just have to laugh at. Last summer, I was all ready for bed when I looked across my cabin to see a giant wolf spider on the wall! I hemmed and hawed about what I should do.
Should I try to ignore it and pretend it won’t murder me in my sleep? Clearly not an option.
Should I whack him with a shoe? I couldn’t possibly.
Should I try to shuffle him outside? Seems risky.
I decided to walk down to the staff lounge where the camp staff was hanging out and sheepishly ask if someone could help me out.
One brave soul came to my rescue and taught me a valuable lesson – wolf spiders freeze up if you flip them on their backs making it super easy to move them outside.
Case in point, cabin living forces you to out of your comfort zone. I’ve never been kept awake by a wolf spider since.
There you have it – my top 3 suggestions for those dreaming of cabin life!
Perfect the craft of fire building, learn how to drive a boat, and have a good attitude. Those three things carry me through the summer.
If you were to live in the woods all summer, what would be your biggest concern or number one question?
Happy Trails,
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I will not lie I dream about living in a cabin ALL the time and honestly you make it look amazing….don’t like this hypothetical “wolf spider” talk though. In general I can live side by side with spiders but one of those babies got in my house once and they are huge! I thought it was a toy my niece was trying to play a trick on my with but once it started moving…nonono.
Hey thanks, Nyle!
Hahahaha I can totally relate to that feeling of seeing a wolf spider and thinking its a toy only to see it move! Yikes! In all reality, wolfies are pretty shy but they still look scary!