When we decided we’d be spending our first winter in Alaska, we made the claim: no one should come visit us in the winter in Alaska. Mainly because we live in a 300-square-foot cabin with just enough room for the 2 of us. But also because … it’s winter in Alaska (regular 25 below temps,…
Oh hey faithful blog readers! I am THREE whole days late with my CURRENTLY post!! Did you notice???? I did, and I HATE being late, but we started going 90mph in life this past week, so all I can do is ask for forgiveness! Currently living/working in: This month was full of professional development (and…
Dear Dad, It’s been 1 year since you physically disappeared from our lives. I didn’t know how I would feel losing you. You were the first person really close to me to die and I mourned at my own pace. We knew it was the best thing for you, given your pain and suffering. My…
I’m not gonna lie. Without proper facilities, bathroom duty is not very glamorous at our dry cabin, and may turn your stomach. Here are the basic details: 1 – We have an outhouse (also commonly known as a privy or pit toilet). From our front door, you have to walk down 4 steps, then go…
I think people are still getting over the fact the average person living in a traditional household (reminder: complete with a toilet, dishwasher, washing machine, etc) uses 80-100 gallons of water per day. But now it’s time to address the another piece of dry cabin living: showers. Sit down, people, I know you will gasp. …
I believe we ALL take modern conveniences for granted. For us personally, we’ve lived without XYZ quite a few times, from the times we have been caretakers of remote, off-grid properties reliant on solar power to the times when we car-camp across the country to the time when we’ve gone long-distance backpacking and live without…
Currently living/working in: As I said, we purposely planned to have a lighter workload while at our cabin in Alaska, instead focusing on other non-paying projects and goals. And yet, we still ended up with a few paying gigs! I completed my first 2 articles for REI and Justin worked on the Valentine’s Gift Guide…
The needle on the thermometer plunged back below zero—after a brief reprieve of temps hovering near 0—but it’s time to move on from Alaska’s cold reality to our next installment in our diaries of arctic living: limited daylight hours. The “darkness” is something most Alaskans reference as part of the trials and tribulations of winter…
Because we survived 16 consecutive days of below zero temps, I thought my next installment should be about the cold. Fun—not surprising—fact: Americans hate winter. Only about 10% of Americans call it their favorite season (according to a 2013 CBS News poll). Justin & I love winter. It’s a little strange, because neither one of…
I am working on lots of posts about the learning curve and experiences we’ve had trying out an Alaskan winter–the cold, the darkness, living without water, etc. But for now, I thought I’d give you a tour around our town! Our cabin is in Healy, Alaska. The town is kind of in the middle of…
I cannot believe another decade is comin’ in hot! The end of a decade is arbitrary, but I still feel like it means something. Amazingly, this blog has been alive the entire 10s, so it is a fossil preservation of our memories, an agreeable happenstance for Justin’s terrible memory that he fully admits to have. …
Currently living/working in: December was dedicated to catching up to life administrative tasks and full of back-and-forth edits for Backpacker (my Spring Gear Guide Pole Reviews went through NINE passes). We purposely planned to have way fewer work projects these next few months while at our cabin in Alaska, a welcome break from the months…
I said I would do some posts about life in Alaska. We’ve spent plenty of summers in Alaska, but winter in Alaska is a whole new experience with a huge learning curve. We only had a small taste during our first month, which was early winter. But when we return on December 26, it will…
Currently living/working in: We spent the first part of the month holed up in our cabin in Healy, Alaska, juggling writing deadlines. Then we flew to the East Coast for 3 Leave No Trace cleanup events (Jacksonville 11/17, Philadelphia 11/23 and NYC—specifically Queens—11/29) as part of the REI Opt Outside / Opt to Act campaign.…
I did NOT mean to let 16 days to go by without blogging. It’s an understatement to say I’m busy juggling deadlines and other work projects, causing the blog to sit on the back burner. But onward! By now, the rest of America is catching up on seasons. The trees are bare and there is…
For the past few years, we’ve mainly “lived” on the West Coast, Colorado in particular. It made sense to claim our residency and health care in Colorado, as 2 of our employers are in Boulder, and both of Justin’s sisters (and spouses/nephews), as well as his mom, live in Denver. As our “living” situation inevitably…
Currently living/working in: Healy, Alaska!!! We finished up our Leave No Trace/Subaru contract and flew to Alaska Oct. 14. I greatly appreciate sitting still after a summer on the road, but even more so in our cozy little cabin. Lest you think we’ve just been doing puzzles and watching the snow fall out our windows,…
I’m posting blogs in chronological order, so bear with me as I catch up to the present! Our 2019 Leave No Trace/Subaru Zero Landfill Initiative Summer Tour was a huge success. We visited the same 3 national parks that are striving toward zero landfill (Grand Teton, Denali & Yosemite). Leave No Trace gives us a…
We finished our Leave No Trace/Subaru Zero Landfill Tour on Sept. 30 in Yosemite National Park, and even though Sept. 30 was only 19 days ago, it feels like 19 weeks! I figured I better post my Yosemite Wrap Up sooner than later (and full tour wrap up next). Everyone loves Yosemite. But as I…
Justin & I hit our 45th state high point on Oct. 1: Nevada’s Boundary Peak! Trip Mileage: 10.6 miles (roundtrip) Hiking Time: 8 hrs 45 min Elevation Gain/Loss: 4,200 feet Last year while driving from Yosemite, CA to Boulder, CO after the Zero Landfill Tour, we realized we were driving right by Nevada’s state high…