(instrumental country music)
- So, I think what I'll do is
burn these two or one by sixes
and fasten them down just
like I did on the cabin roof.
That'll keep them from rotting quickly.
They will probably last,
I don't know, 10 years.
This is probably too low a slope
to do that kind of style on.
But it's just a wood shed,
so I'm not too concerned about it.
Because it's low slope and I decided not
to go metal it will hold snow.
So I will have to rake it
off as well fairly regularly.
But it's more fitting
just to keep using wood
here instead of bringing in metal.
Don't mind the look of it, and like
I said it'll last long enough.
It's cheap, and it's something
I can replace any time.
I'm starting to rip my own boards now too,
so I can cut down significantly on costs,
and I've got plenty of resources here.
So, that's the plan, I'll probably do that
sometime next week when it's
a little bit calmer out,
burn those boards and fasten 'em down.
Just wanted to show you
the solar setup again
quickly now that it's mid-October.
So the sun is much lower on the horizon
and what's happening is it's behind
these trees for probably the entire day.
I might get some sun coming through
in the afternoon here, the issue is
that with monocrystalline panels
it actually needs the entire panel
in direct sunshine, direct sunlight
in order to produce power.
That's contrary to a thin film panel
that really thin stuff that comes
in sheets that you can laminate
to surfaces like the top of a trailer
or a boat or even shingles
and stuff like that.
That's much less efficient
but it actually produces power
with indirect sunlight as well.
So even just daylight or cloudy days
it'll still generate, these don't.
These are much much
more efficient however.
So these 200 watts of panels when I had
direct sunlight later in the summer
and the panels were fully lit up,
I was generating about 100,
what, 140 to 160 watts.
So that would charge this 3000
watt power bank fairly quickly.
Now the issue at this time of year
is that it takes like three or four days
of fairly direct sunlight
with this low sun angle
to generate enough power
to charge this thing fully.
So this is not a great
system for permanent use.
Like it's not going to replace
your home electricity system for example.
But it's perfect for mobile setups
like in a trailer or a
boat, even in a vehicle.
Or here at a cabin like this where
I don't have a lot of power need.
And also because the cabin's in shade
it's not like I can
just set these panels up
or more panels on the roof and
generate power all the time.
I have to move these around the site.
So this system works perfectly for me.
If I was really building this place
into something that required more energy,
more electricity, then what I would do
is clear some of these trees out,
mount panels on that roof that generate
more electricity so it
charges the system quicker.
So not ideal for permanent
setup like I said
but absolutely ideal for a mobile system.
So I'm happy with this so far.
The only thing I'm
using the power bank for
is charging my laptop,
my cameras and my phone.
And iPad and this little miscellaneous,
well that little fridge
that I'm running in there.
But I'm mostly using that as an icebox.
If I was to plug that fridge
in and leave it running
all the time plugged into this power bank,
it would drain the bank within three days.
Roughly from what, from
my experience so far.
So what I prefer to do is just use it
sort of as a freezer,
freeze blocks of ice,
and then use it, the fridge
as more of an icebox.
So that's the plan with that.
And then I've got the
icebox in the floor as well
and I'll be building a
cellar in the future.
So I don't think I'll ever need
to expand my refrigeration
or freezer setup.
So that's putting out, now
it's getting more sunshine,
a little break in the trees, it's now
generating 30 watts of power.
Yeah it went up to 33 so as the sun
kinda breaks through these trees here
it's going to continue, it'll get up
to like I said 140 to 160 watts.
So not bad for this time of year.
Now I do have a backup gas generator
that I bought recetnly,
I haven't used it yet.
But it sounds like it
would take like 30 hours
of running that to charge
this power bank to full power.
I guess during that
period what I'd be doing
is cooling down the freezer, plugging
into the generator as well
and charging other devices
so that it, so that I have less
of a need to plug directly
into the power bank.
The Go Zero Yeti 3000 in order
to make that last longer.
So it's just a matter of
managing my electricity systems.
It's like everything here on the property.
Just getting used to managing things
like waste and water
and power in this case.
It's a bit of a learning curve
but it's not that difficult once
you get the hang of it
and I get the hang of it.
So I have this device
called a solar pathfinder.
And what it is, I'll
show it in another video.
It's a little dome, it's not mechanical.
It's just a dome and you literally
take a piece of paper and sketch on it.
And what it does is shows the path
of the sun at all times of the year
and where the obstructions are
that are going to impede
or block the sunlight.
So trees for example or if you're
in an urban environment it'll show you
when the buildings shade the panels
and then tells you what the efficiency,
or how much power you can expect
to generate with the system size.
You can always still get that in app form
for Android and iPhone, that's what
I actually use quite often as well.
So you just take your iPhone in my case,
move it around so you have direct south
and then press a couple buttons
and it'll actually lay out the path
of the sun any time of the year.
And therefore show you where
the best location is to locate.
Not only your solar panels but
even things like vegetable gardens.
So it'll show you daylight hours you have.
Or sunshine hours you have
directly on the garden.
Great, very useful, I'll provide
a couple of links I
guess in the description
to show you what I'm talkin' about.
So if you have any
questions just comment below
and I'll try to answer as much as I can
about this system and I'll continue
to give you updates throughout the winter
and again next year on how
this is performing for me.
I don't know if you can see that 'cause
it was reflecting off the screen
but that hit 118 or 119 watts
of output, so generation.
When the panels were at this angle
leaning up against the door,
so that's like 75 degrees.
Yeah probably 70, 75 degrees angle.
And the sun is, maybe
it's pretty close to that.
So I'm gonna try a couple of tilts
when the sun clears this cloud here.
When the cloud gets past the sun
I'm gonna show you a
couple of different angles
and what it does to the output.
So that's how important
it is but it dropped
down to what, 18, 13 watts of...
13 watts of panel out put right now.
So when it's shady
that's what I was talking
about with the monocrystalline panels
or polycrystalline panels,
you need full sun on them.
Thin film would probably, I don't know
what it would be for that, first of all
200 watts would be twice the size of that.
But the output would probably
be two or three times the output
that I'm getting with
these with partial shade
or full shade right now, so that's
how solar panels work and why for me
it's important that I can move them around
and take advantage of the different sun.
Now that is time consuming, ideally
it'd be nicer if I could have one spot.
Get them set up permanently, and I think
in the summer I will be able to do
that at the path on the
way in where I'm clearing
that spot for the garden and the workshop.
Come here, you.
(dog toy squeaks)
(liquid bubbling)
So I finally found a way to make this,
these little chairs work for me
especially if I'm trying
to work at the desk here.
And that's to use these big great pillows
that my wife bought that were on
that big chair that I built that's now
up at the fire 'cause it ended up
being a little bit too big for the cabin.
But these two cushions
although they're down
so the sink quite a bit I'll actually
probably need a third
one so I can work here.
Anyway I'm sitting here getting
a really slow start this morning
'cause it's cold and I just was tired
from lifting all those logs and cutting
all that firewood yesterday.
So I am getting a late
start but I was lookin'
at my journals from the first time
I built the cabin when I was 21.
And when I first moved
up there to the property,
I was sleeping in a tent as
I was building the cabin.
And looking at the journals I see
there was a lot of times that I did
get a late start and I sat there reading
in the morning and just taking my time.
And I think part of it
was just taking advantage
of the fact that I was
not on anybody's schedule.
So I wasn't working, I was intent
on building this cabin and
living a wilderness lifestyle.
And it was just an opportunity
to set my own pace and take advantage
like I said of the opportunity
just to be in the wilderness not being
on anybody's schedule except nature's
and dealing, being more
impacted by the weather
and daylight when the sun rises,
when the sun sets for example.
So doing the same today and I happen
to be reading again One Man's
Wilderness by Sam Keith.
But it's from the journals
of Dick Proenneke.
And also this follow up book to that
which is a publication of the rest
of his journals or a lot of his journals
from what is it, 1974 or something
to '80 looks like, yeah 1980.
And it made me think about how alone
living a complete wilderness
like a hermit lifestyle is.
He lived there for 30 years but he
had a lot of contact
with the outside world.
I think for the first few years
he spent the winters
back at his home in Iowa
and then the last few years spent it
in various places with family or friends.
And he had regular visits of course
as his food was flown in
every couple of weeks.
I'm thinking back to,
I think maybe more so
to back when I was younger
when I started that cabin
and I moved there, now
I only ended up there
for three months before I had to come
out of the bush and get a
job to pay the mortgage,
small mortgage on that property.
I don't know what I was thinking,
why I thought I could get away
with not paying it for a while
or getting a local odd job, just
to cover the small amount of mortgage
and the property taxes and
food that I needed to pay for.
I think back to all the
comments I've received
on my website and also in the forums
that I belonged to when I first
started posting stuff online,
they were mostly canoeing forums.
And a lot of questions from people
asking about going on solo trips
and how do you deal with the loneliness
and the fear factor being
outside in the wilderness.
Especially at night, sleeping alone
and having no outside contact.
And I think it's different for everybody.
For me I've never been one to first of all
be afraid of the wilderness,
afraid of the outdoors.
And secondly I've never shied away
from loneliness or being alone.
I think there's a big difference
from loneliness and being alone.
I guess it's one of the
points I wanna make.
I think from when I was young I used
to go off into the forest
near my parents' house
north of Toronto and I would just wander.
And if nobody was available to join me
like my sisters or
friends I did it anyway.
And it ended up getting to the point
where I preferred it, I liked spending
that time one on one with nature.
I got to listen to the sounds and see
the animals and the birds and really
become fully immersed in the environment.
Without the distraction of another person
or even a dog, I found that since Callie
came into our lives again I'd been
a few years without a dog and I was able
to really fit into or be accepted
into natural environments so more animals
I would be able to see and
more silence, more solitude.
And so it was a bit of a sacrifice
to bring Callie back, or to have
any dog back in our lives,
it's just different.
That's not a complaint by any means.
But one of the things it made me realize
is that a lot of people
actually are lonely.
And they don't choose to be alone
they just don't have other people
in their lives that they can connect with.
So I think it's really unhealthy
for us to be truly alone with no contact
or no deeper contact or deeper
relationships in our lives.
I know for myself I'm
okay with being alone
and I never do feel lonely but others
can feel lonely even
with people around them.
And I think it takes some effort
and I think it's worth putting some effort
into making deeper connections with people
so that you don't feel that loneliness.
I don't think it's healthy
to envision this life
where you're living in a log cabin
in the wilderness with no outside contact
and that you would be happier that way.
I don't think that's true for most people.
I think for the majority of us, we need
that I think for everybody
we need some outside contact.
I just don't think it's healthy
to withdraw from society and withdraw
from people and try to
live completely alone.
I think it's not fulfilling.
The solitude and the
serenity is peaceful at first
but I think for most
people they would find
that it becomes, they first of all
they start to lose contact or the ability
to even interact with people.
I think we generally do have a society
and communities that are
worth being a part of.
Worth participating in and at the end
of our lives we look
back and we'll remember
those relationships and those good times
we had with people more than we
will remember the times that we had
that were completely alone and I think
it's so personal and so
different for everybody.
I think some people feel lost and alone
if they're, if they have no
contact with anybody for a day.
For other people that's
weeks or other people
like Dick Proenneke could
pass months possibly
or at least several weeks
without any outside contact.
I do think it's worth
spending some time alone.
I think everybody should try to find
a place, a time and a place that they
can get away and not just an hour
or a little, any time
I think is beneficial
to spend days or even possibly
weeks alone, truly alone.
And really getting immersed in some kind
of environment that brings you peace.
I know it allows me to kinda slow down.
And it does take a few days to learn
that or to be able to slow down.
First day or two you're still feeling
an urgency like we do in our regular lives
to get things done or to get to that
next place or talk to that next person.
So it takes two, three, four days
to really slow down and fit into the pace
of nature, the natural rhythms.
And I think if everyone is able
to do that once in a while I think
it's a great opportunity to recharge
and reset your priorities in life.
You might find that that's something
you want to make more time for.
And that you want to create a life
that allows you to spend more time alone
or spend more time at least in the natural
environment maybe with a loved one.
You may find the opposite, you may find
that you don't like being alone
and that you need to find a career
or a job that allows you to interact
with more people to be
more service oriented.
But either way I believe
that that time spent alone
is going to contribute to your happiness,
contribute to your outlook on life.
And allow you to see
what your true nature is.
I think the longest time I've
ever spent completely alone
without outside contact
is about three weeks.
And for me I still didn't feely lonely.
I felt like that was
actually natural for me,
that I could do that and I could
do that for longer periods.
But I think becoming too
alone and becoming too much
of an introvert, whether that's because
of social anxiety or some other thing
that makes you withdraw, maybe you've
been hurt by people in the past and you
want to withdraw from all people.
I think it becomes a dangerous mindset.
I don't think it's healthy to continue
to pull away because once you do,
once you get too used to that solitude
or that loneliness or being alone,
the less likely, the more difficult
it is for you to get back into society
and form deeper relationships.
And I have to be honest there's lots
of things that I do out
here that I feel like
I want to share and it
adds a lot more meaning
to the event and if I didn't have anybody
to share that with, I feel almost like
if a tree falls in the
forest and nobody hears it
does it actually make a sound?
And that's how I feel about
some events of my life.
If I'm not able to share those,
did they truly have any meaning?
So if you're truly feeling lonely,
whether you are actually alone
or whether you just feel lonely
in the community or in the environment
that you're living in, I encourage you
to put some effort into changing
that situation and reach out to people.
You know, contact a support
group or join a club.
There's any interests that you'd like
to pursue then find a club,
whether it's photography
or for me lately mushroom
foraging things like that.
There's lots of groups that you can join
that can get you out there and explore
new hobbies and possible future passions.
And just try to add more meaning
to your life rather than what's wrong
and pulling away and
finding that you don't
have anything to live for, so I have
to thank my friends and
family for continuing
to support me and my lifestyle.
And all of you guys for watching
and continuing to follow along.
And sharing your stories and allowing me
to interact with you, that's I guess part
of the reason why I don't feel
lonely when I'm here alone.
So I'm gonna wrap this video up right now.
I'm gonna stop reading, get outside
and enjoy this beautiful weather.
It's supposed to be raining this morning
but the sun is actually shining.
It's cold, it's perfect
working conditions.
I have a lot of heavy work to do today.
I'm bringing all the logs
up and I'm peeling them
and hewing them straighter
and getting them
prepared for the log cabin
that I'm about to start.
So thanks for watching this video,
I really appreciate it and I look forward
to seeing you at the cabin
next time, take care.
(instrumental country music)
(footsteps)
(bird calling)
