My favorite place, our cabin

Akcabin

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Jul 11, 2021
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534
The moment I saw Alaska I was hooked. I was setting in a bar with my buddy. I say, let's go for a drive. Back then it usually meant grabbing some beers n cruising. Maybe stop n go fishing. He asks where. I say, I've never been to Alaska. Let's go there. Couple days later I had sold my motorcycle, guns, bow n arrows car n bought a old camper. Had 300 bucks after covering everything. Hooked up to his El Camino and of we went. I believe most folks get to Alaska n want to go build a cabin in the bush. I did anyhows. Took a while but got a chance in a recreational land lottery and the opportunity to go stake 20 acers. Then plan how to build a remote log cabin. Beautiful wife n me wanted logs for the look. And I was concerned about how many bears there are. I'd never build a log cabin. I used 3 sided logs I got from a buddy who owns a sawmill I trading him guns. The thing about building remote. You have to have everything on the job before it starts. That took about 5 years of freighting supplies. Buying as we could afford. And a lot of time setting on a snogo with a lot of weight behind you. I loved it. Some nights white out wind blowing nasty. Some nights the northern lights are dancing around above. I'd stop in an open area and turn off the snogo. Set back on my survival bag and chill. Grab a couple sips of whiskey and a smoke. Just soaking it in. Dreaming about when I can take our family out. Harvesting a trophy moose I called in with our son, his first moose. Always be with me. Going out with my beautiful wife for weeks at a time. And what a tough Alaskan chick. We spent a lot of time out in the bush before any electronics. And would break down. She has foot issues so would have to set there by herself while I went for parts or help. Nothing but dark. And Alaskan wildlife including the bugs. She recently told me that she didn't enjoy that. Kinda surprised me. She wanted to make sure I had someone to go with for safety reasons. Like how great is that. Although she generally doesn't like the prep part now. Once she gets on that snogo or little plane she really enjoys it. And understands stuff happens.
I'm blessed that I had the opportunity to just go out for months at a time. That's a different experience. Time doesn't matter any more. Getting firewood, water, or just watching the world happen. Always more projects. Next ones are finishing the sand point well. Then we'll have potable water at the kitchen sink. We currently use water purifying pump and the little pond out front. Got to get a better dock for the 185 float plane. We currently use an abandoned beaver den. And a little walkway. Have a bunch of TnG for the cieling upstairs and the kitchen cabinets. Just gotta go do it.
This little cabin has turned that almost lifetime dream. At least my Alaska time. Into reality. Took a lot of trust in my abilities and probably just the dream. And the adventures that happened while spending that much time out in the bush was just great. And now I get to enjoy it. Not just the opportunities that I have in the future. The memories, and the desire that come to mind often. Great stuff.
I'm not anybody special. I have always had a passion for the outdoors and the drive inside me to explore the world around me. Heck we live where now that it's winter we regularly see moose in the yard. Couple days ago a cow n calf were right outside the door. Bull stepped out last fall right in front of our grandson. I personally enjoy it. And it's a great opportunity to try different moose sounds. If you want to moose to stop moving, cow or bull. Do a light chirp sound. The calves comunicate with mom this way. Short baa, guess like a goat. Seems to work the best for me.
Mostly probably because it gave me another reason to get out. And then stay out. Especially knowing that I'm getting oller. Gotta make it easier. I insulated the generator shed and put a air conditioner in it for a meat locker. Have winches and pretty much prepared to do up a moose by myself. Even freighted out a refrigerator freezer so I have the ability to process the meat out there. The plane can't always get in. And if I harvest black bear I'll just do it up out there.
Anyhows I just thought that some folks might enjoy reading about this. There were plenty of great times and tough times that could have gone real bad. But I had a dream, still do.
Thanks for reading myself junk. I'll try some pictures. Jordan Jonnas from the TV show alone came up for a week. That was cool. Great guy and outdoorsman. Other than maybe sasquatch and family n friends. Mostly just me. I like it that way IMG_4735.jpgIMG_2727.jpgIMG_4667.jpgIMG_2615.JPG09E7C847-A67E-4254-84C1-CD839F855A40.jpeg
 
You had a dream and followed it. Not a lot of guys are able to do that, you did. You should be proud of what you have built. Now's the time to enjoy it.
 
Bear boards. Beautiful and hammered in a couple boxes of nails through 1/2" plywood. Hopefully keeping the bears at bay.
I do have a give an atta boy to the pilot we use in the summer. Dave at N2Alasksa. Out of Talkeetna. He hasn't raised our price in near 10 years we've used him. Probably why lots of locals use him for general cabin supply runs.
A good buddy helped a lot. Generally like to go out with another someone for safety. And not having to walk for miles when stuff happens. I remember putting the chimney stack for the woodstove just as it started snowing. That meant we could finally start using it. A big deal to have a safe place on both ends of the trail. The trail. About half is part of a good trail system. Then it gets smaller as you go until we're using it. Gotta cut off for a bit and then get through the bush to the cabin. Little issues like 5-6' of snow to break. Trees n alders across the trail have to be cut back. After an ice storm it's a huge job.
Trying to figure out how to do projects by yourself can be fun. Woodshed, walkways, outhouse, generator shed, meat pole. Took a spill off the top of a 6' step ladder securely on the spongy moss with a chainsaw in my hands one fine sunny day. That could have gone bad. Probably the scariest time. It was around 2 in the morning and I was having some camp coffee. The northern lights were out big time. And you can always use firewood. So I grab my saw. Get my snogo warmed up . It was like 20 below so I put a pull over wool sweater, that I immediately recognized as hanging loose. But after cutting wood for 50 some years, no big deal. Yeah right ! I had a big spruce probably 20 inches or so leaning over the trail. The snow was over my waist and I let my concentration down. I'm walking on the branches I cut off as I'm working on limbing the tree. Get a foot on a snag n end up with a blade wrapped up in my sweater. Just about cut my guts out.
So what makes it special to me. I love the country. It's setting at the base of Mt McKinley. Surrounded by the AK range and Talkeetna mts. In the years I've been there I've seen a guy trying to operate as a guide transporter. Illegally. After I took less than a minute from me asking his intentions. He knew that the game was up n left. And another matcho guy that spend 75 grand on this Argo super tioga ripper upper. He comes up to me. I say. Look what the f you're doing man. I have a cabin n family out here now have a mud run to my cabin. And this beautiful land you been ripping up scared for a long time. But by gosh you made it further than anyone else. You must be real proud. Never seen the guy again n Mother Nature healed things up. Other than that pretty much just me. Getting to cruise around on hills that haven't be explored by anybody before.
There's a little pond out front. Probably 15 - 20 acres. The pike are now in there. I grew up in northern WI so I like it and we will always have fresh fish. There is a salmon stream less than a mile away. Closed to salmon at times but has rainbow, dollies n grayling to catch. But I enjoy it most just setting in my ground blind n watching the world happen. In the evening it can get active. There is a large wolf pack that cruises through. I believe that they know I'm there the minute we get to the cabin. They will play around on the other side of the pond from me and almost every trip I get a nice wolf turd on my trail. I have a freight trailer I hauled out. Wouldn't go through my narrow trail to the cabin so it's been sinking into the tioga for a few years now. They poop on the corner. And worst was having a bunch of bundled traps on the trailer I freighted out.
Great story. I was out hanging at the pond. Mom's pond actually. I like to stay out until it's dark. I can follow a trail by headlamp to the cabin. My beautiful wife had a nice hot meal ready. We went upstairs to go to bed. She says she hears noise like a goat. I opened up the porch door so we could hear better. The local wolves were taking a moose down and it was bellowing. Less than 100 yards out. Next morning was quite a party going on with pups yelping and others just being wolves. They concern me more than the bears.
Got plenty of bears. Game board made this an area we can harvest 3 black bear any sex and 1 brown bear within a permit every year. I've gotten to the point that as a general rule I don't carry a sidearm much anymore. Worrying about bears. I just don't like the weight and guess I figure we'll take our chances. I like to still hunt during mid day. Not having the weight makes a difference by the end of the day. I have my old High standard break down I bought from a guy parked along the road fiddy years ago in my backpack. BTW if you loose the rear sight you can use a 10-22 rear sight with a brass shim under it. Gotta file it down n make your own sight but works well. I get distracted, were talking guns now too.
Yeppers walking through devils clubs fields that are 4-5' tall. And then you cut a bear tunnel. This gets my attention but figure they heard me coming. Had a porky blow up a tree right next to me one time. THAT got the heart beating. The wolves concern me more.
I've had a couple bear issues. Had to kill one before he killed me once. Less than 3' from the end of the barrel. Biologist estimated it 5 years old male near 500 pounds. Big. On our back porch of our home. Got a big old old black sow. Paws ripped all the way across, teeth nothing but cavities. She hurt. This can be a real bad bear to walk into because she would have no other choice. They get old n cranky.
Maybe after hunting a lifetime with nothing but my compass n maps. I like it simple. Just taking off into the bush for a walkabout. I usually almost always get mixed up. Hey. I know it. Nothing but a few basics in my backpack. Go light. And being able to do it any time of the year. Love going n foraging spring fiddlehead ferns. Watching the berry production. There is always swans nesting around. Had a group that seemed like a hundred swans come right over my head one foggy morning. Wonderful experience. Listening to the lynx mix it up. That's a cat fight. Or setting and listening to the wolves talk from different areas all direction around me. Best thing about Mother Nature is you never know. You just have to take the opportunities to be there. This little log cabin has provided me with those opportunities. And everything I could have imagined. I know that when I go there for a couple weeks. Life's better for me.
I've had the opportunity to travel over n see a lot of this wonderfully beautiful place we call Alaska. The ocean fjords of Prince William Sound. Way back tiny streams trying to find the next bend. Hundreds of miles out on snogos. Seen some of the most beautiful places in Alaska. But I'll take an afternoon setting on the front porch of that little cabin any day. It is now a place I'm familiar with but still plenty wild.
Hope some of you are enjoying some of the cabin journeys I've done. I know I enjoyed every second getting to this point.
Just random pictures of country 20251111_184430.jpg20251002_191257.jpg20250929_213650.jpg20241118_140551.jpg8C22C40E-D8C6-484C-96A2-58BDF3C1AC44.jpg
 
☝️This. Great stuff.
Any time you want to just walk away from the work end of enjoying the outdoors and just chill. Let me know. If you want to get out n go moose wolf, bear, hunting. Pretty good hunting right off the front porch. Trapping lynx or beaver. Or just go and don't do anything. Guy can't work all the time although I suspect that you could inspire more folks to go try their own cabin. I traded guns and other stuff for most of the cost. Won't nobody bother you either. Best vacation you can get.
Buy the way. Thank You. For doing so much to make this a better place for all us average little guys. And public land access. You have accomplished much for so many. See ya down the trail
 
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