# Cabin People



## Cricket (Jan 15, 2014)

I have been listening to these videos today.

Yup, I am fascinated and keep going from one to the next.

I should probably get a life, huh? (grin)


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

I am afraid that I do not want to see any show with snow on it….I had enough this last winter to last me several years. However, the rain so far this summer has been almost as bad in the Chicago area….

I am looking for that perfect place where it is crisp and cool in the mornings and warms up a bit in the afternoon and like that all year around…..I know…dream on….


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## Cricket (Jan 15, 2014)

I can't remember the last time I saw snow, so I always smile a bit when I see it.

I have to admit I am not a big fan of the cold though.


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## Cricket (Jan 15, 2014)

For those of you who are unable to view embedded videos, following are the links (in order) of the videos I was referring to in this thread. (I will try to remember to include the links from now on!)


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## rad457 (Jun 15, 2013)

Yup, Waste of my time to watch someone try to figure out where they belong in this world. I figure that I have paid my dues and want to enjoy my toys and lifestyle I have earned.


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## Cricket (Jan 15, 2014)

I enjoyed it but I tend to like stuff like that.

Yeah, I might be weird. (smiles)


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

well im happy and proud to say i have done what he is talking about, i didnt buy the tractor or saw mill, but i built my home from mostly old wood and out of pocket, and im so blessed…i built my shop first and bought all the tools, well you know how that goes, but i have gotten to a point i dont need any more tools, i have what i need…but i do live in the country and i wake to the singing of beautiful birds…and its a wonderful life…..im going on 60 and im so happy ive done what i did…and i have a wonderful family…AND i have a great dog.


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

no cricket, your a cabin women…


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## Cricket (Jan 15, 2014)

I drool over stuff like this…


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

I find the videos somewhat problematic in that I see a 30 something guy apparently has quit his job and manged to buy a 30 grand tractor, perhaps a 80-100 grand property and now promoting "cabin living".. Does he still work? How does he make a living, pay his taxes, phone bill, electric bill, gas bill, vehicle insurance, groceries, gasoline and so on… You can't just move into the woods and do what he claim to be doing without making a good living. I see he has cows and perhaps other livestock… Yes, that is a source of income. The problem is that you have to have the initial investment of lets say 500 grand to get something like this going and hope to be successful at it. This kind of lifestyle is not easy and there is no way as simple as he makes it to be. On the positive side, if you can pull off something like this, you never go back to the dog eat doggy world; selling your soul for the company store.


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## Pono (Mar 10, 2012)

mrjinx your right on the mark


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## Andrewski (Sep 22, 2013)

Thanks for the videos Cricket.

I like snow. Just wish it would happen at 90 degrees instead of when it's cold.


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

Im not sure he has quite his job, he works for himself i think, but he has to have an income to pay for things, he didn't say he gave up money, but he sure has reduced the things in his life that he didnt want anymore, and now is living on his terms, there are probably million s who are living the opposite, and maybe they all like there life, i hope they are happy with it, its the only one you have here., he also said the land he is on is family land, the cattle has been there, there are other family members who are involved,


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

grizzman, true, true. He did mention leaving the dog eat doggy world, getting back to the basics and so forth.. If my dad left me a million dollars and 500 acres of land, already developed and prime for raising livestock, with good income from his hard work, I would jump on it in a NY minute… However, the message from the post seems to make it look like he just put the whole thing together, built him a home and walked into the sunset the next day. Just not real and it gives a false hope to those who get inspired by videos like this. It took me 8 years to build my log home so we could move into it and another 6 years to "finish" it. Now, after 24 years, I am still working on it. I just don't want for folks to think they can just quit their job and buy a piece of land and get off the grid. If it was that easy, we all be living in the country, raising our own vegetables and meat; it would be a JW dream come true. My neighbor bought some land around here without even looking at it. Every time I go to visit him, it breaks my heart to see how much time and effort he is putting on an almost worthless piece of property that he will probably never be able to develop. If this guy inherited a paradise, good for him; the person(s) who made it into one busted their chops.


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

That's cool. At one time I would have liked to have a cabin that I guilt, but now with all this bad weather and all the damage we just had from the tornado around here, I think I'd like an in ground house. but I'm too old now to start on one!!
...................Jim


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

It'd be a better world if everyone had your understandings Cricket.


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## distrbd (Sep 14, 2011)

mrjinx007,you hit the nail right on the head,the first thing I thought watching the video was,he must have had a healthy saving to start this lifestyle or there must be a steady source of income in order to maintain it.

Having said that,I remember a fellow (can't find his youtube video)who did this on absolute bare minimum,he lived in a very small cabin somewhere in mountain ranges of Colorado,made small pipes/axe handles and sold them to earn a menial living.he seemed extremely content.
Cricket,I agree with you( in the spirit of the video),it is great life to live it that way.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

My wife and I were childhood sweethearts and I use to love to roam around in the woods. When we were 16 and still in high school I tried to get my wife, Claire, to run off to Alaska with me to homestead some land. She wouldn't do it and it ended up that I couldn't leave her. Her parents were not too wild about that idea that I came up with and it lead to trouble and we eventually broke up for three years. I started doing good in school after that and made straight A's. It took me 6 years to get out of high school because school wasn't on my mind but the last three I did great. I graduated two years later than Claire did. One day she called me up in my senior year and asked me on a date. I hadn't spoken to her in 3 years. In a year we were married and she helped me get through school (UGA and Ga Tech). We've been married now for 43 years. We've had 3 children and a wonderful life. At the same time I often think about what life would be like had I have gone to Alaska. My wife and I speak of it often and just smile about it. 

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

im glad this subject was brought up by cricket, as i read the posts here and think a few didn't see some of the other videos that were posted here, but this guy here got to a point he was just about flat busted, things turned around and he was working on his own and made good money until the economy busted, he had made enough to buy the tractor and the wood mizer, and was again very short on money, yes he is on family land and other details are not clear, but what i see here is that he is saying that if you try, if you work hard , you can live a life that doesn't make you tied down to being in a place you don't want to be and in debt…we all have our own families and certain circumstances so we do the best we can, but you dont have to own a tractor or a wood mizer to put yourself in a position of having a home free and clear and just don't live your life working so hard for possessions and money…try to be smart in what you do, and if you want to live life a bit more on your own terms, then you have to stay out of bedt as much as possible…none of us are really free, we could have a palace and everything we thought important , and all it takes is a sickness to come to us or the ones we love, and all we have can be gone, so this is just me, but its through the grace of god that we have what we do, and this being life, its a place where lessons are learned and tests are given….i know who i give thanks to for what i have , and i know where i want to go when this life is over, its then that we go home to a loving god to will welcome us home, i feel we are spiritual beings having a physical experience, this is not our real home…we came from god, who is the giver of everything good, i hope we all enjoy the best of this life, woodworkers are some of the best people i know, with big hearts who love others, and give to help those in need..we want the best for each other and its here we encourage each of us on to enjoy life and also to enjoy this craft we all love.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Dick Proenneke is the real deal. With an axe and a few basic tools he carved an existence out of the Alaskan wilderness, and filmed it, in the 60's & 70's.






Link:


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## widdle (Mar 10, 2010)

^ when he snaps a line and hand cuts the eve line…classic..dudes a wiz..


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## Cricket (Jan 15, 2014)

I have watched that one MANY times. I love it!


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

cricket, i lived in alaska for 15 years, if you ever one night jump out of bed and say, im gonna do it, call me, i can tell you what to do and who to see, to make it easier on yourself, dont go until it middle of may…i know you love animals, i can try to get you hooked up with a musher as a dog handler…from that point, its up to you…if you really want the dream bad enough…it can happen…within 2 to three years, your name will be on the rookie list for the Iditarod…you will go through country you have only seen on tv…..here is a few pictures from my last trip in 1996…













































this was my last drive out of denali national park, and i came upon this beautiful grizz.


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

and then this one was so cute


















on a side note, im making this in a few months, going to build an outdoor









oasis, the tub will be walnut.


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## Cricket (Jan 15, 2014)

Thank you for sharing your pictures with me!


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Yeah, and 8 months of winter including a month of dirty slush and stink during break up. Spent 8 years in Alaska, some things I miss but not the winters.


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

I almost had a head on collusion at 90 miles an hour with one of those grizzlies while travelling on my bike in BC. Lived in Alaska for a few years and loved it very much; even the winters.


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## DrDirt (Feb 26, 2008)

I find myself seeing the same things MrJinx is noticing.

I think the messages are empowering, and about facing challenges.

However the foundation of this show in a nut shell, is essentially a Millenial, that lost their job in the downturn….

Moved home to his parents farm, however he CHOSE to build a small cabin on the property.
While the cabin is modest, it has electricity, and water provided by the National Bank of Dad.

Same with Tractors, and sawmills…

The life he is living is not supported by what he is doing, short of whatever payment there is from this show.

I find the series Life below Zero (National Geographic Channel) more interesting, as it shows what it takes to actually live a cabin lifestyle, and function - and earn a living.

You cannot just move into a shed in Dad's back yard, become a blogger, and post videos from your Macintosh… and talk about the freedom you enjoy- - - while living off your aging parents. Until they pass and you get to pay the taxes on that farm you just inherited…you suddenly find that what you thought was truly owned, is just borrowed from the government. Miss a tax payment, and you will be living in your truck, while some rich A-hole subdivides your family farm to build McMansions.


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

*Cricket*, watch the TV series on *National Geographic* channel called *"Life below Zero"* which can really cool you off on a hot day … 100° expected today in San Jose CA.

One of these people lives 197 miles of the the Artic Circle in Kavic AK, and she is alone … one tough 50 year old cookie who would refute everything about women being the "weaker sex"! She survived a bear attack, hunts for her food, and lives where the ground is white year round.


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## DrDirt (Feb 26, 2008)

Hans - that gal at Kavik is one tough lady!


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## Cricket (Jan 15, 2014)

> *Cricket*, watch the TV series on *National Geographic* channel called *"Life below Zero"* which can really cool you off on a hot day … 100° expected today in San Jose CA.
> 
> One of these people lives 197 miles of the the Artic Circle in Kavic AK, and she is alone … one tough 50 year old cookie who would refute everything about women being the "weaker sex"! She survived a bear attack, hunts for her food, and lives where the ground is white year round.
> 
> - oldnovice


Thank you! I will check it out!

Believe it or not, I don't even own a TV (intentionally) but I was able to find this online!


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

*Cricket*, I believe you, after all you stare at a screen a lot of time why go to the "great wasteland of TV"! There are very few really good things to watch on TV. For most of our TV on time is on PBS and/or NatGeo.

But you are really missing out by not watching "Keeping up with the Kardashians" or "Bachelorette" or many of the other mind numbing offerings.


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## Cricket (Jan 15, 2014)

Oh my gosh! I cannot stop watching, "Life Below Zero" on Hulu.

What an awesome show!


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

Glad you like it *Cricket*.
The spectrum of people that live on this Earth is just amazing.
These folks are definitely the other end of the spectrum from the Kardashians, Paris Hilton, and the like!
I, for one, would not survive very long … at least at my age now. Perhaps 50 years ago, maybe?

Alaska is indeed beautiful but where these people live it is also very dangerous.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

> I almost had a head on collusion at 90 miles an hour with one of those grizzlies while travelling on my bike in BC. Lived in Alaska for a few years and loved it very much; even the winters.
> 
> - mrjinx007


I did have a collision when a moose and her baby, separated by the highway, decided to reunite in the middle of it. I had to pick one so I picked the baby-- and by baby I mean 400lbs of moose that did $4300 damage to my truck in 1986 dollars.


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

Sue Aikens, "Life below Zero" was attacked by a bear and survived although the details were never revealed on the show. There are a number of interviews of this encounter on the web.


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

Rick, glad you made it alive. The funny thing with that griz was that the cars behind me parked on the side of the road and started running after the bear with their cameras. I just shook my head and went on. I was doing 90 because I was running late for the ferry to AK.


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## hotbyte (Apr 3, 2010)

> Dick Proenneke is the real deal. With an axe and a few basic tools he carved an existence out of the Alaskan wilderness, and filmed it, in the 60 s & 70 s.
> 
> Rick M.


He also has book titled One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey that is an awesome read. Like books usually do, it has much more details and some great pictures.


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