A Cozy Cabin

This winter I am staying in a very cozy, small 14x14 cabin with a loft. It's a dry cabin. Which means it doesn't have any indoor plumbing (meaning no water or toilet). It's very common in frigid cold places in Alaska for the cabins and homes to be dry. This is because 1) it's easier and cheaper to heat 2) no worry of pipes freezing as the temperatures drop down to below zero.  Here is a little tour of my lovely cabin:

Through the front door

Since the cabin is so small, all the space utilized is valuable. Luckily I don't own that much stuff!

The kitchen

Luckily I am not that much of a cook. Although if you note the cans on the top of the shelf, I love canning! The kitchen is nothing to write home about. Small is an understatement. :)  Notice the mini sink and tub behind it. For dishes, I have to boil water on the stovetop or in my electric tea kettle. I have soapy water in the sink and rinse water in the small tub. Then I dry the dishes on the counter. I fill up two 5 gallon jugs each week from the spring for cooking, washing, drinking, and dishes. You may ask where I take showers and do my laundry. Luckily, the office I work at (2 miles away) has showers and a washer and dryer. 

My "cabinets"

Behind the curtain: food, pots, pans, and the slop bucket. 

Any cabin that doesn't have plumbing has a slop bucket below the drain. This bucket collects any water you drain for dishes, washing hands, brushing teeth, etc. When it is full, you take it outside and dump it. :)

I have a mini fridge and another shelf for other food items. The ladder goes up to the loft. 

The views are amazing!

Going into the "living room"

The "living room"

The cabin is heated by a small monitor heater. I have a futon (for any guests who want to visit in winter) :).

My bed in the loft. 

The loft is a cool space. There are 3 windows where I have views of the surrounding mountains. It is a small space, I can't even stand up, but it works and stays warm.

The windows.

View from loft window #1

View from loft window #2.

Another view from loft window #2

I'll take photos of the outhouse sometime and the sauna! But that's all for now. The sun is shining, the sky is blue, I need to get outside!