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Curated by: Holdfast Alaska (198 videos)
We’ve already hit zero degrees, and it’s only October! The Alaskan Interior is the coldest country we have ever called home. Life here comes with its share of hardships, and when the deep cold settles in, even the simplest things become a challenge. Iron turns brittle, machinery fails, and there is little forgiveness for being unprepared. When we lived in Southcentral Alaska, the winters were much like those we knew back in Maine, and town was only about 45 minutes away when supplies or repairs were needed. Out here, things are different. In the dead of winter, our little log cabin feels much like an old wooden boat, holding its own against a great sea of deadly cold. Last winter, we saw temperatures fall to -55°F, without the windchill. Still, the daily work of keeping a homestead carried on. Water had to be hauled from the creek, horses fed and tended, goats milked, and fires kept burning. The cold makes no allowances for the chores that must be done, and neither can we. With another long winter bearing down on us, we've been doing our best to put things in order before the worst of it arrives. The first snowstorm of the season has settled over the homestead, just in time to put our new tractor to work. Our old snowcat is meant to serve as a second means of reaching the cabin should the road become impassable, but a track has come off and needs tending to. We used the tractor to lift the machine and set about trying to make the repair, before turning our attention to work inside the cabin. One lesson the Interior has taught us is the importance of having a second way of doing things, especially when it comes to keeping warm. Last winter, in the middle of a week of -40°F weather, the latch on our wood stove door failed. The stove could no longer be used safely, replacement parts were weeks away, and our little diesel heater was nowhere near large enough to warm the cabin on its own. By good fortune, we managed to find a used wood stove in town and get it swapped out before things grew too troublesome. Had the weather kept us from making that trip, we would have been in a difficult spot. So, on our last supply run, we brought home a larger diesel heater. With a little luck, the installation went smoothly, and before long it had our little cabin warm and comfortable. It's a welcome bit of peace of mind to have another dependable source of heat when the mercury begins its long descent. The greenhouse has been put to bed for the season, another supply of firewood stacked away, apothecary re stock has begun for winter cold and flu, and fresh bedding laid thick for the animals. There is always more to be done before winter takes a firm hold, but little by little, the homestead is being made ready. You can make all the preparations in the world and still find yourself at the mercy of the weather. We learned when we moved here years ago that winter in the Interior is not something to be taken lightly. All we can do is make good use of the days we're given, tend to what needs tending, and be ready when the real cold comes! Thank you for following our life on the last frontier, -Dennis, Amy & Lena End Music By: @HawkenHorse, who wrote us "Holdfast". Frontier music and history. Get in Touch with Us: Westerlind Family P.O Box 906, Slana, AK 99586 We are also on Instagram @holdfastalaska Donate to the homestead if you wish: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6B2249KCY6STE