Trapline Life Lowdown

Being a trapper's wife is not all glamour and glory. Lol! Far from it! In my 'away from the trapline' life, I'm pretty average.  I have a house with running water, washer/dryer, bathroom, electricity...But here on the trapline all that changes. We have 2 log cabins which we use. One is pretty small at about 15' x 10'. It has some crude shelves, a sink and 2 burner propane stove from an old tent trailer, a double size bunk bed, and an old puffin' billy wood heater. We use this cabin as a staging place for making the trek out to the main cabin. Here we can rest up for a day or 2 after the long drive North, organize our supplies for the haul in and also land here on our way out or for nights after a trip in to civilization. We've spent time this spring putting a tin roof on it as well as jacked it up to put new supports under it. It's now ready for next trapping season.

Our main cabin is where we spend the majority of our time. It is much bigger with separate rooms for living and sleeping. Here we keep our trapline clothes, a good stock of canned and dried foods, books, videos, and other essentials. We have a small generator here that is used to charge our 12-volt battery bank and run power tools when needed. We also have solar panels to keep things charged.

My kitchen consists of a wood cook stove, a 2 burner propane stove, a single sink which drains into a bucket ( and woe is me if I forget to dump it before it fills up!), shelves and one mouse proof cupboard. It's not much, but, after 11 years, I've got it down to a science.
We will be adding on to the back of the cabin next year. We peeled our new addition logs this spring and once they've dried, we'll be ready to add on the new kitchen!

Our main cabin is located 15 km from our little cabin and is accessed only by rough ATV trail. And I do mean rough! I prefer to walk it. I'm not a fan of ATVs. I see them, and snow machines, as a way to get from point A to B, move our stuff and that's it. Fun? No. Necessary? Yes.
Once we are established in the main cabin for the trapping season, we are pretty comfy! Life is not easy, but it is simple. Baths and laundry, which involve water, are few. Not that we are short on water. There is a whole lake full right outside! It's getting it that is the chore. I, as the designated and self appointed water carrier, must fill buckets and carry them uphill from the lake. When you can't just turn on a tap for an endless supply, you learn to ration and reduce the waste. Believe it or not, I can wash the days dishes, make meals and coffee with less than 5 gallons a day. Laundry and baths are a whole other story!

So, that's a small view into my life as a trapper's wife. Hope you'll you'll come back to visit again. I'll be sharing more about how we live on the trapline, recipes, and lots of photos in future posts.