{Couples} David and Jenna Jonas have lived largely in a homestead, having fun with life off the grid.
David, at age 17, lived within the woods of Vermont for 2 years, the place he constructed a cabin and realized to navigate and hunt animals with out utilizing trendy instruments.
He had been residing alone for months, consuming wild meals, when he met Jenna, his neighbor throughout the creek who had been exploring the Alaskan wilderness by foot, dogsled, bike, and boat for a number of years.
In 2012, they noticed an inventory on Craigslist for personal land on a cliff above the Tanana River surrounded by state forests. They noticed the land as a spot the place they may get meals all 12 months lengthy, in order that they purchased it and began residing in a wall tent.
In 2013, they constructed a extra everlasting earth lodge.
In line with David, log cabins are typical constructions across the space, however not all locations you wish to construct a log cabin have good cabin logs, similar to their property.
“That factor acquired you considering what different form of construction are you able to construct?” David mentioned.
They dug deep into the hill to learn the earth’s relative heat, used loads of spruce trunks to line the house, lined it with sod for insulation, and made certain it confronted south to get passive photo voltaic acquire.
The small earth lodge has a do-it-yourself wooden range, sink, and mattress.
It’s powered by photo voltaic with sufficient vitality for gentle and charging your telephone and can’t accommodate bigger units. Jenna mentioned that what she favored probably the most about their earth lodge was its simplicity, and nothing made any noise except for the wooden.
The couple initially spent round a thousand {dollars} to construct their home and a bit extra on the spruce bow ground.
Jenna mentioned it was an ideal starter dwelling for them as they lived there for round seven years with out getting sick of one another and determined to get married whereas residing there. Nevertheless, as a lot as they beloved to remain in that earth lodge, which they now name the Solar Lodge, they considered beginning a household and deliberate the bluff log cabin, which is their present dwelling.
They began setting up a conventional log cabin with fundamental instruments like a gin pole and crane. They used wooden that’s simply discovered within the space as it’s costly and difficult to construct with overseas stuff.
It took them three years to complete the log cabin, however it was accomplished in time earlier than Jenna gave start to their daughter.
Upon getting into their log cabin, you may be of their kitchen, the place they’ve a wooden range for heating and one other for cooking. It has wood cabinets with glass jars stuffed with spices and grains.
On the opposite facet is the sitting space with a mattress product of a futon and their eating space with a stunning wood desk.
Upstairs is their bed room with a pleasant heat mattress for them and their child.
The log cabin additionally has photo voltaic panels which are greater than what they’d at Solar Lodge.
Their space is ideal for homestead residing because it offers many assets.
At the start of spring, Jenna does some birch tree tapping, which they use the birch sap to make syrup and Meade.
In summer time, they’ll harvest some produce of their backyard, reminiscent of strawberries, beans, peas, carrots, and extra.
Summer season can also be the first fishing season.
Jenna mentioned that there are many rules about looking and trapping that inform once they can search for particular assets all year long.
The couple additionally has a smokehouse the place they protect meat. They’ve many sources of meat. They often hunt moose or beavers as a result of it’s near their dwelling.
Within the fall, they’ll nonetheless harvest produce to fill their pantry for winter.
Their log cabin has a root cellar the place they retailer loads of greens, root crops, grains, candies, can items, and extra.
In 2014, the couple began providing wilderness information providers and lodging of their Solar Lodge or handmade canvas wall tents. In addition they provide canine sledding, winter tenting, aurora viewing, ice fishing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and crafting, the place you may make your wood spoons.
Guests to their hand-built wilderness homestead will study in regards to the real merchandise, folks, and methods of residing that make our lives within the north wealthy and significant slightly than simply beautiful landscapes and plastic stuff.
Watch their video (courtesy of Kirsten Dirksen) under to study extra about David and Jenna Jonas’ homestead residing.
