Cabin Construction Continued
/We’ve had a few chilly nights (4F yesterday morning!), so it’s kicked our cabin construction into overdrive! When temperatures start to drop that low, it means the ground is freezing, and any projects that involve dirt work better be about finished. Luckily, Derek finished connecting our water just in time! If you recall from last fall, we pounded a well next to the cabin. The well has supplied us with water all summer and fall, but it hasn’t been connected to the cabin itself. A submersible pump propelled water out of a hose at the top of the well casing, which meant that when temperatures drop below freezing, the hose was pretty much guaranteed to freeze. To connect the cabin to the well, we dug a three-foot trench, cut a hole in well casing, and connected the pump to a pipe going to the cabin. We then insulated the pipe to keep it from freezing in the winter. And truthfully, when I say “we,” I mostly mean Derek. I occasionally gave a hand, but most the time, I was busy running dogs or doing kennel work! I’m continually impressed by Derek’s can-do attitude and patience when tackling these projects with which we have zero prior experience!
Yesterday’s focus was installing our wood stove. We purchased a super efficient, 12-14 hour burn-time wood stove. The stove even has a filter to make the smoke “cleaner!” Air pollution in the winter is a major problem for the Fairbanks North Pole region because many homes heat with wood or coal, and the smoke sits in the valley. Two Rivers doesn’t have the same issue, but we figured we might as well get as fuel efficient of a stove as possible. Plus, it’s nice to sleep through the whole night and not have to wake up to restock the stove :)
The stove is located on the first floor of the cabin, so it was a bit nerve-wracking cutting through our second floor and then the roof to install the stove pipe! After several hours, Derek and I got to enjoy the warm and comforting glow of a fire in our new wood stove!
I promise to write a dog update here soon! The adults have been training 4-5 days a week and are LOVING the cooler weather. The yearlings are doing shorter miles and learning the routine. They, too, are looking strong! Thank you to all of this year’s dog sponsors. Our new dog sponsor gear has just arrived, so stay tuned for the latest Ryno gear!
