the animal's journal

Where are you and where are you going?
theanimal
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Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2013 10:05 pm
Location: AK
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by theanimal »

Things have been progressing quickly with the house. My girlfriend sparked some motivation as we are trying to move in sometime in early April. I have the solar panels connected and setup the inverter so that it runs power to outlets via a breaker box. There are still some connection issues with some outlets, but I think I’ve narrowed it down to issues with the wire and hope to correct that this week. Once that’s complete, I’ll be putting in insulation and closing up the walls. We built a bed the other week, a wall for the bathroom before that and are in the process of finishing up a couch (all out of scrap or salvaged materials!). Besides the house, I’ve never really built anything before so it’s fun to see this stuff come together even though I understand it’s pretty basic for most. It’s more of an internal expansion on seeing what is possible.

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The bed in all its glory!

We have started seeds for the garden and currently have tomatoes, onions, cabbage and celery growing. My girlfriend has also started an attempt at growing mushrooms. No spores or anything yet but they should be emerging any day now. We have been planning for the summer and have a bit of work ahead of us in terms of clearing out trees, building beds and building some type of enclosure to keep moose out. I’ve learned that fencing is expensive! I’m thinking of doing a split rail type fence out of spruce trees taken from the property. We are also likely going to have a couple pigs this summer and will be building that enclosure out of pallets.

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Trail from a recent ski trip

March and April are some of the best times of the year for outdoor travel in Alaska. Skies are generally clear, there is abundant light and temperatures are warming. I’ve taken a few trips to some public use cabins in the area outside daily skiing/fatbiking. One of the trips culminated in broken irreparable ski bindings leading me to walk through the snow 10 mi back to the car. Fun! The others were much more successful. My girlfriend and I recently visited an ice cave at the foot of a glacier and then a friend and I recently completed a 100 mile bike loop in the White Mountains. I wasn’t sure I was going to join him as he was looking to do it in 2 days. The first being 29 miles and the second 71. Perhaps laughable distances on a road, but snow trails is a little bit of a different story (to wit, average speed on this trip was about 6 mph...). But I ended up going along and we had great conditions for the most part, only pushing our bikes for maybe 4-5 miles. I’ve been making more videos lately and have also recently become active on my blog again. If anyone’s interested they can watch/read more about those trips there.

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View of the Alaska Range from a recent cabin trip

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Me pushing my bike uphill through drifted snow with some help from my dog

My lessons in Spanish are going well. I’m still taking about 2-3 lessons a week. Outside of the lessons, I listen to as much Spanish as I can, usually in podcast form but I also have watched some Spanish tv series as well. It’s probably about 1.5-2 hrs of “immersion” per day on average and I really enjoy it. Something I need to be more consistent with is my vocab practice. I’ve fell off the wagon with that.

I finished off the last of the caribou. My consumption rate is roughly 1 caribou for 1.5 months. I saved the tongue for one of my final meals and found it to be one of my favorite parts of the animal! I went again recently to look around and had no luck. I have plans to go to the arctic in the beginning of April and look around with some friends but unless we get lucky it seems like it will just be fish for a while.

I am dissatisfied with my current car usage but at the moment do not have a strong enough alternative vision of the future to change it. I need to find more examples of those living in rural locations without cars or perhaps be more creative. But for now I don't have any ideas on how to change.

I recently was given a raise at work and was moved to a salaried position. This is very good as I can work less. Until now I was working more or less every day (by choice). Now I can actually have regular periods where I don’t work and even time off from work where I am still paid. I’d estimate it’ll probably be about a 30% decrease in working time. I’m planning to use this time to become more of a renaissance man. There are skill areas which I’ve been meaning to advance that I’ve stalled on. Categories and ideas for projects are as follows:
  • Biking (repair and maintenance). This has the highest priority as one of my bikes is currently in serious need of TLC. I have the Park’s Blue Book of Bike Repair on hold from the library and plan to dive into it this month.

    Sewing- I’d like to make some of my outdoor gear and I am contemplating following @sky’s design for a sleeping quilt. Another thing I’d like to explore is the possibility of making insulated pants.

    Wood- I think I’d like to get more into traditional woodworking. I have a friend who has been trying to push me onto carving, things like spoons and bowls. It may be a good spot to start. Ultimately, I’d like to build things like chairs and skis out of local materials.
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading!

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Ego
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Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 12:42 am

Re: the animal's journal

Post by Ego »

Congrats on the job!

Which drone?

Gilberto de Piento
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Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2013 10:23 pm

Re: the animal's journal

Post by Gilberto de Piento »

Congratulations on all your successes! Glad things are going well. As always, very jealous of your outdoor activities, especially the big fatbiking loop this time.
theanimal wrote:
Sun Mar 21, 2021 9:42 pm
Sewing- I’d like to make some of my outdoor gear and I am contemplating following @sky’s design for a sleeping quilt. Another thing I’d like to explore is the possibility of making insulated pants.
If you haven't seen it already https://backpackinglight.com/forums/for ... -own-gear/ has a lot of DIY gear info. Sorry if I have mentioned it already.

tsch
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Joined: Thu Feb 25, 2016 8:47 pm
Location: Sonoma County, CA

Re: the animal's journal

Post by tsch »

Amazing life! Thank you for sharing it with us!

theanimal
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Location: AK
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by theanimal »

@Ego- Thanks! I was fortunate enough to be gifted one a few months ago for my birthday/Christmas. It's a DJI Mavic 2 Pro. I've been really enjoying it so far and have some options for turning it into an income source. That is still a work in progress though.

@GdP- Thanks! and thanks for the link. I used to go on their site frequently a few years ago but forgot about it. I'll have to check that out.

@tsh- Thank you!

Riggerjack
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Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2011 3:09 am

Re: the animal's journal

Post by Riggerjack »

The cabin is coming nicely!

And I like the utili-bed, but I would be concerned about the lack of diagonal bracing.

With some weight on the bed, 1+ people, and some jostling, what stops the whole thing from twisting, and tearing itself apart as it releases that stored kinetic energy? Diagonal bracing.

A diagonal brace on the 3 "walls" and small knee braces in the front will provide rigidity, and shouldn't interfere with under bed storage.

Or not. I tend to overbuild, then reinforce. But that's just me being me.

You being you, is obviously pretty impressive, all on your own.

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Jean
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Joined: Fri Dec 13, 2013 8:49 am
Location: Switzterland

Re: the animal's journal

Post by Jean »

I was about to say the same thing about the diagonal on the bed, so that's probably something to consider.

Western Red Cedar
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Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2020 2:15 pm

Re: the animal's journal

Post by Western Red Cedar »

Life looks good up in Alaska! Congratulations on multiple fronts - Spanish, cabin, work, and adventures. I didn't know you had a blog, but look forward to perusing over the weekend.

RealPerson
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Joined: Thu Nov 22, 2012 4:33 pm

Re: the animal's journal

Post by RealPerson »

Terrific post! I love reading your entries. Very inspirational.

I am fairly fluent in Spanish, but I would like to improve more, especially in the Mexican version of Spanish. Could you recommend your Spanish lessons for this purpose? If so, I would like to know more about it. I had a terrific teacher in Peru but I want to specifically get better for Mexico. So far, I have not been able to connect with a very skilled instructor. Feel free to PM me if you prefer.

7Wannabe5
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

What fun you have! My house and your house kind of look the same now because I am stripping it back to 1927 framing.

theanimal
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Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2013 10:05 pm
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by theanimal »

@RiggerJack and Jean- Thanks for the tip. I'll keep it in mind as something to monitor. The bolts on the legs seem to do a good job. It's been tested..and it works out ok.

@WRC- Thank you! It is very infrequently updated but I do have some posts in mind.

@RP- Thanks! PM sent.

@7WB- Very nice! You are making outstanding progress! Much braver than I in taking that on.

Electricity system is complete and I am putting the insulation in today. Hurrah!

theanimal
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Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2013 10:05 pm
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by theanimal »

Things have progressed a bit house wise since the last update. Insulation is in, drywall is up, walls are painted and shower is mostly built. My girlfriend and I wanted to do tongue and groove pine walls but it would have cost us $1900 more than drywall and there was no justifying that. So drywall it is. I built this kitchen counter/storage/table thing today. All that's left is connecting the drainage pipes to shower/sink, putting up cedar planks on one of the bathroom walls and finishing up the couch we started building. It's great to be so close to being done with all the big stuff. Actually, as I type that I am reminding myself that the solar panels still need to go on the roof, outhouse needs to be built, garden needs to be setup... ay yi yi.

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I have gotten really into permaculture the past month and have read a few more books on the topic. I'm going to explore the concept at my place. It is more difficult due to the climate (I am in zone 2) but I have a rough idea in mind and it has me very excited. I am learning how expensive trees are! I'm going to try to figure out ways to reduce costs/source locally if possible but some like Siberian pine, and various apple/pear/plum trees are only present selectively on private property in the area. I'd really like to try a hybrid of the American Chestnut which is rated to zone 2, but the seeds for the moment are very exclusive and $$$. It's going to be a lot of work but the girlfriend is completely on board and we are working with the long term in mind. I'm really looking forward to seeing how things progress, learning what I don't know and learning what I thought I knew was wrong.

Today was the first day in the 50s and the snow is melting at about 2-3 inches/day. I love this time of year! Cool mornings, warm days, clear skies and no bugs. Things warmed up abruptly as they always do. Just a week ago, it was -30 F in the morning... I haven't been able to take advantage of the warmth as much as I like with all the house work but I am able to work in the sun on projects on the deck which is very nice.

mooretrees
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by mooretrees »

Fantastic progress! A mostly completed house is right around the corner.

Any permaculture books you recommend? I've got Gaia's Garden and have liked it so far. Also, maybe the former ffj could be a resource for chestnuts? I think chestnuts are native to the american south and I wonder if he's got access to some local nuts?

Keep up the awesome progress!

theanimal
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by theanimal »

Thanks mooretrees! My favorites so far are Restoration Agriculture by Mark Shepherd as well as The Resilient Farm and Homestead by Ben Falk. I happen to have Gaia's Garden on the shelf, I'll have to take a look at that next.

My limited knowledge about chestnuts is that most of the ones that are around now are Chinese hybrids. They are excellent in terms of resisting the blight (that led to the downfall of American Chestnuts) and other damages, but not as hardy as the old American Chestnut. So far I have found the American Chestnut Foundation (or something of the sort) which has a variety that is 98% American and 2% Chinese, but it is still in testing phases, Perhaps I'll try to see if I can find a way to reach out to @ffj and see if he has any insight.

7Wannabe5
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

Your house is looking great!

Likely this is already abundantly clear to you, but one thing to bear in mind is that in your setting your permaculture project will be the near opposite of restorative agriculture because you are so close to the wilderness. Your gradient from Zone 5 to Zone 0 will likely be very steep and this can be quite tricky to manage. For instance, what is the likelihood that bears will feast on your blueberry hedge?

Also, you may want to give consideration to annuals that can best take advantage of long summer days towards rapid growth. You might even be able to achieve an oddly tropical effect. It will be a cool experiment because it might highlight how global climate change is not going to turn Alaska or Siberia into North Carolina because average temperature is just one factor among many, many others.

theanimal
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by theanimal »

Thanks, 7! It will likely be steeper than most other places but not as steep as you would think. For instance, it would be very, very rare for there to be bears on my property. Unlike southern Alaska, the population density of both bears and people are very low here. The former meaning there aren't many around and the latter meaning the former has to survive travelling through a lot of properties before even coming close to mine. Moose on the other hand will be much more problematic. I'm planning on having a living fence around the property, primarily consisting of willows, followed by siberian pea shrub and alders. Until (if) those take, I am stuck without a way to keep out moose from destroying everything. I'm thinking of doing a split rail fence around the perimeter for the interim, as I have an abundant number of thin spruce.

One of my primary thoughts at the moment is figuring out the best way to make the property go through an immediate succession. I do have many things working in my favor. The property is south facing with a gentle slope from the back down to the front. It is a bit moist, but I would not classify it as a swamp like so many other areas around here. There is a mix of black and white spruce on the property, with a handful of birch towards the back. A burn would be the most useful. I've seen so many black spruce forests regenerate as aspen and birch forests following a burn during my time in forestry. For now, it seems like it'd be impossible to go this route though. As I don't imagine it'd be very effective when there is a lot of moisture and when it is dry it wouldn't be legal or prudent. But the big idea is to get rid of the spruce and replace them with Siberian and Korean Pine. I think I'd like some birch as well to be able to tap trees later on for the sap. This area lacks the potential for many nuts, but there is the possibility of lots and lots of fruit.

There are a lot of folks in the area with animals, whether they be pigs, chickens, dwarf goats, Icelandic sheep and even some with reindeer. The downside I've always seen with animal husbandry in this area is that there is no food available for the animals locally. There are grain fields in another town 100 miles away and that is where most people get the bulk of their feed. It seems extremely impractical to me. I'm going to see if I can come up with an alternative, but I'm not so confident in this regard. Mark Shepard mentioned that the Siberian Pea could function as feed. It's supposed to be prolific so we'll see what happens.

My gf and I are planning on having a large annual bed. You are correct in that there is only so much that can be done up here with regards to perennials. Regarding the far north and climate change, I think it is often ignored that these places are extremely cold to begin with. While winter may be shorter now, temperatures still regularly reach -30 and into the -40s even in record warmth years. An increase in the average a few degrees is still very cold! Then there's the bugs, the dark, the swamps, the bears....No North Carolina indeed.

What do you mean by the tropical effect? The presence of more trees and the system as a whole creates a microclimate that's warmer meaning it's possible to grow a greater variety of annuals?

white belt
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by white belt »

Are you able to kill moose coming on your property? Not sure if this is legal or safe without knowing the exact geography of your property. I remember Rob Greenfield deciding the best solution was to trap/hunt squirrels who were eating his peanut plants during his yearlong experiment.

My understanding is that goats can survive exclusively on brush if there is enough in your area (unlike chicken/pigs which require grain and sheep which require grass). They will eat trees (evergreens included), vines, weeds, etc. Maybe there is a breed of dwarf goat that can produce milk and is more adapted to cold temperatures? Your neighbors with goats probably have better insight about what’s possible in your region. Goats can also replicate the effect of a controlled burn in areas where burning isn’t feasible.

Edit: Quick google search reveals there are dairy goat breeders in Alaska, so it seems like most breeds can handle the climate.

theanimal
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by theanimal »

@WB- I'm legally able to kill moose only if it's in season (Sept) and I have the permit for it or in defense of life and property. I'm not sure if property extends to plants. Even if it did, under that law you are not allowed to keep any of the meat.

Goats are definitely present in the area. Nigerian dwarf goats is the species that comes to mind. I haven't really explored this angle but it is something to consider. For now I'm thinking of just taking out the spruce trees and creating swales. I have a friend with a skid steer that may be up for helping. Otherwise I'll have to rent a backhoe for a day.

white belt
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by white belt »

I stumbled upon this article that I thought you might find interesting: https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2020/04 ... tures.html

George the original one
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Re: the animal's journal

Post by George the original one »

Do juniper grow there so you could have juniper berries?

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