Katie, Author at High Tide Homestead

Traveling The ALCAN – Again!

by KatieNovember 9, 2023Moving / Travel / Updates1 Comment

Can you believe it? Kyle has driven the ALCAN for the third time now! I blogged about his previous adventures on the ALCAN and how he prepared for the drive here: How To Prep For Driving The ALCAN. There is tons of information in that post if you are planning on traveling on a similar trip!

This time Kyle was traveling this road because vehicle prices in Alaska are absolutely crazy right now. It was cheaper for him to fly to Washington, buy a truck, and drive it back than it was to try and buy up here. I’m not even kidding when I say we couldn’t expect to pay less than $20,000 for a 10-year-old truck in good enough condition for us. Instead, we got a fleet truck with excellent mileage and maintenance records for $13,000 in Washington.

Not to mention that Kyle got to road trip with his dad! And they had quite a few adventures while traveling. From accidentally arriving to a town in the middle of a street racing festival, to having the new truck not start one morning. They even saw a wrecked semi in the same spot Kyle saw one on his second trip up the ALCAN. He took these pictures back in 2018:

Here’s the semi from this year’s trip:

Is it the same truck that rolled down the hill as the snow melted? Who knows! It just goes to show how dangerous this road can be though. Especially in winter conditions. I’m glad Kyle made this trip while the roads were still good and before there was snow on the ground!

Check out the two-part video series Kyle made about this trip below. Part 1 is about 12 minutes and part 2 is around 18 minutes.

Thanks for watching, and as always, thanks for reading!

How We Get Water Off Grid – 2023

by KatieNovember 8, 2023November 9, 2023Homesteading / Off Grid And Off Road / UpdatesLeave a Comment

If you’ve been around for a minute you will recognize the subject, and that’s because without water there is no life! From one of my first posts on filtering creek water to the running water setup we had at our first Alaskan cabin, and even how you might get water where ever your off-grid dreams take you. Here is the long-awaited update to our water situation.

New cabin, new water setup!

When we moved here we found someone had installed a well in front of the cabin in the distant past. While it was no longer working due to rust and dry gaskets from non-use, it made us aware that there was water available on the property if we put a little work into getting it. We pulled the old well and tried to install a Sandpoint in the same spot. Unfortunatly it seems the person who installed the well had backfilled it with gravel. We are still deciding between digging a regular old-style well or trying the sandpoint again somewhere else.

In the meantime, we found a spring on the property! Luckily it is only about 150ft from the cabin. And that is important because the creek we use to get water from is a few miles away now. We are coming into our second winter at the beach cabin, and last winter the spring only froze once. We used a metal pipe to direct the flow from the hill so it was easy to heat with a weed torch. Once flowing again, we covered the pipe back up with snow to help insulate it from cold winds too. It may be slower in winter, but its still enough to provide for all our water needs. As long as we keep our showers short at least!

Check out the video below for an explanation of our summer setup:

Abundance For The Table – Foraging

by KatieJuly 29, 2023Homesteading / Wild AlaskaLeave a Comment

Alaska is known as the land abundance for a reason. Even though we live on the edge of USDA zones 3/4, I can’t step outside without being surrounded by food. In fact, when we were first researching our move Kyle and I joked that there was no way to starve out here as long as we went foraging to use the abundance around us! Continue reading “Abundance For The Table – Foraging”

The Summer Of Never Ending Rain

by KatieJuly 8, 2023Homesteading / Updates / Wild AlaskaLeave a Comment

The old adage in Alaska is that summer is for building, and we have a lot of things that need built! We had plans on plans on plans for this summer, and they have all gone by the wayside thanks to the rain.

Firstly we were planning to finish the roof. We weren’t able to complete it last year because there were 4 windows that still needed cut in and it got too cold. Half of the house has been very dark without those windows! We had hoped to have them in and the roof on as soon as it warmed up. Except this summer has never warmed up. It’s into July and we are still averaging under 60°F. To add insult to injury we have had exactly 3 days of sun this summer, and it still wasn’t even the full day. We can’t install and seal windows and roofing in the rain, so I’m not sure when we will be able to finish that.

Additionally,

the rain and snow melt managed to take out our beach access, and that was a pain to fix! We can’t drive to our cabin without the access up the bluff. Gotta love unexpected emergency fixes. And our property had almost no standing water last year, but thanks to the rain its everywhere this year.

We also wanted to go BIG with the garden this summer. Between the cold temperatures and constant rain everying is about 2 inches high and waterlogged. I have potatoes planted in bags that are under cover so I have my fingers crossed I get enough of those to can for winter.

Another side effect of all this rain has been the massive mosquito population. We are using all the tips and tricks. From using mosquito dunks in standing water, using DEET on us and Sawyer Permethrin on the dogs (not cats!), to having multiple traps around the property. We even have electric mosquito rackets in the house, and we are still getting eaten! This is the first year since we moved to Alaska that I’ve regretted having an outhouse. There are always mosquitos in it!

Last year by this time I was over the drought and hoping for rain every day. This summer has been the opposite! We could really use a week of straight sun to get some of the bigger things done.

Abundance For The Table – Animals

by KatieJune 23, 2023July 29, 2023Fishing / Homesteading / Wild AlaskaLeave a Comment

Alaska is known for its abundance of wildlife and diverse hunting and fishing opportunities. The rugged terrain, pristine forests, vast wetlands and waterways of our area provide an ideal habitat for a wide variety of fish and game. These include moose, black bear, brown bear and a variety of small animals. Provided a person is willing to tromp through the swamps or rivers, and has the proper tools, meat for the table is abundant here. Continue reading “Abundance For The Table – Animals”