Chopping wood for the furnace

My plan was to “rough it” and spend two weeks at the base of the mountains living off the land. This is something I like to do every few years, just to get in touch with my roots and remember what life is all about. I have a small cabin, with the necessities of life, but nothing extra. When I stay here I chop my own wood, carry my own water, and find my own food. Last year I had a bit of a rough time, because winter came early and a rockslide closed down the only road out of here. I spent two months living in that cabin, providing my own heating and living off the land for food. The cabin had no electricity, so a small furnace in the center of the room is the only source of heating that I have. This means that during the winter months the furnace needs to be burning basically 24/7, because when it goes out even for a few minutes the temps inside the cabin plummet. It is a wood burning furnace that can also use natural gas (except that I don’t have any natural gas), so every day I have to chop more wood. As it stands I have enough firewood to last for three weeks, but unless I am sick or injured I cut more every day. The furnace is the difference between life and death, so cutting firewood isn’t something I do “when I feel like it” it’s something I do every day! You can never have enough firewood.

thermostat