Welcome to the third day of the Log Home Tour in honor of National Log Cabin Day. Today's feature gets back to the roots of log cabins. Almost two years ago I discovered the most amazing Instagram account documenting off-the-grid log cabin life at its simplest and purest. Welcome to Todd's cabin in Tolsonsa, Alaska.
The cabin's remote location gives it stunning views.
Wildflowers are blooming now in front of the cabin.
Taken from inside the cabin, this is looking southwest.
The cabin Cat enjoys his life in the Alaskan Wilderness too.
Inside the tiny cabin is very cozy. It's about 400 square feet of living space, with the most made of each inch.
Since it's so small, it's important to be organized and use wall space efficiently. Here is the kitchen. Everything has a place and it stays in that place so its easy to find in the darkness of the winter. The cast iron pans are always hung up. The knives are next to them. Everything ship shape in this kitchen!
Todd says, "In my home the wood stove, not a television, is the centerpiece of the household. Not only does it provide all of the heat for the cabin, it's also the only stove that we cook on and we use it to melt snow water for baths or cooking. The basket hanging above is used to thaw food. The metal fan on top of the oven disperses the oven heat evenly throughout the cabin. All clothes are hung by the fire to dry. It's so nice to have warm clothes to put on on a cold winter morning."
Todd's wood stove advice? "One must always use caution when operating a wood stove. Cabins burn down all the time, and the most common cause is a chimney fire. You must always know what temperature your stove is at. If it burns too cool or too hot, you can start a fire. You have to know what kind of wood you are putting in the stove... Has it been properly aged and dried? Burning damp wood can cause creosote buildup in the chimney which will start a fire. You also have to make sure not to overload the stove, because once again it could start a fire. If I step outside for awhile, I have to think about what is likely happen with the stove while I'm gone. Is there any chance that it could start to burn too hot? When I go off to bed, what is likely to happen with the fire while I'm sleeping? Basically, it's always important to know what's going on with the stove."
How amazing is this breakfast? Or is it lunch? "Everything moves at a slow pace out here.... The best meals of my life have been cooked in cast iron pans on this wood stove."
Now heading upstairs (don't trip on The Cat), you will find the master bedroom.
The coldest it got last winter at the cabin was -40F. But when you have a chimney like this right next to your bed, you stay warm even on the coldest of nights.
And that's most of this efficient little cabin. But before we leave, how cool is this signature wall that all visitors sign? Too bad we can't all virtually sign it!
Make sure you check out @cabinlife_alaska on Instagram for some of the most amazing photos of Alaska's scenery and wildlife photography.
And stay tuned for tomorrow's featured log home that is being beautifully renovated.