My family bet against me

Our first winter season at Sahalee is now officially under our belts!! We learned just recently that we had a few family members bet that we wouldn’t make it (we’ll save the names for a more opportune time). Pretty sure there were even more skeptics out there, but we’re happy to report that we found ourselves on the right side of the wood pile for the winter of 16/17! Not to say that it was all pretty (and the mild weather may have gone easy on us), but we learned a lot and definitely feel a sense of accomplishment.


There are a few projects that went left undone, and a few more detailed for future work, but all-in-all we made it through warm and snug with plenty to eat and at much to marvel. We probably didn’t see more than 20 inches of snow in total and the lowest drop in temperature was a few ticks above zero. We only ended up staying in town overnight a few times when we ventured out and didn’t care to risk a freezing walk through mud at night. The snowshoes broke trails on a couple of occasions, and the clear winter skies gave us quite a show. Ostaf’s fires, warm slippers, snuggly blankets, and cozy conversation kept us toasty during the long evenings. Who knew there were so many podcasts out there?


That being said, the wilds of Spring are presenting challenges of a new and fresh kind, coming in the form of 6 fluffy and sparkly white inches- our best snowfall yet, and after days of nearing 70 degrees! We’re now facing April showers and lots more of our glorious all-encapsulating clay slurry-turned-concrete mud in 4-D… Be sure to stay tuned for more mud-laden adventures!!


With a new year and season come days of change. We’re looking forward to building a proper deck and moving the Super Ger as soon as we can haul lumber up the road. We’re looking forward to growing our own food (in a temporary garden this year while the permanent site is prepped). We’re looking forward to upgrading our power and water systems, and building out a small workshop. We’re looking forward to sharing more about our move towards small business ownership and growing our new ventures. We’re SO looking forward to having visitors here at Sahalee, and meeting old and new friends out in the world.

There’s nothing greater than sharing these incredible times with you. THANK YOU for all the support you’ve given us so far through our first winter here at Sahalee Off Grid. We love hearing from you in the comments and seeing new followers from your shares. It means a tremendous amount to know you’re cheering us on. Ahem, if you do end up making bets against us, at least let us in on the action and pony up on the loss!!

Peace!