Mountain Homesteading Challenges

Reader Contribution by Bruce Mcelmurray
article image

Previously when I have done topics on living on a mountain remotely in a small cabin and heating that cabin with a wood stove I have extolled the virtues of our lifestyle. There are occasional challenges associated with living as we do and this blog is about one of those challenges. I have to admit that I do not consider myself a writer and most of my blogs are more conversational and written as if I were talking to one person. I have never been to any writing schools nor have I been trained to convey my topic in a professional way so I often struggle to convey my topic clearly. Therefore I hope the true magnitude of what this topic is intended to convey will come across properly.

There are many challenges in living as we have chosen to live and Carol and I have a tendency to simply accept them without question as being the normal challenges that are required to live this lifestyle. In the past I have painted a pretty rosy picture of all the wonderful benefits of living here on the mountain. Having said all that here goes my attempt to tell of some of the challenges we face from time to time but don‘t often dwell on because we simply take them in stride.

Last night for example the temperature dropped to zero degrees Fahrenheit and our wind gauge was registering 25 miles per hour wind speed. I think the wind gauge lied as when I needed to go outside around 1:00 AM to check on what was banging on the house it was all I could do to stand up in the wind gusts. Come to think of it the gauge has never registered above 25 MPH and the wind has sometimes been so strong that I would have to grab onto something to steady myself. Snow was blowing and swirling every which way and for those interested in mountain living this does happen a few times a year. Not often but certainly on

Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368