My First Cabin Repair Job

The year was 1978, the place was the upper Chitina River. I had been flown out to catch horses and repair the cabins at a hunting camp. Up until this point, I had never spent a day alone in my life so I didn't know what to expect.
My boss, Ken Bunch landed on an airstrip that I thought was a helicopter pad and told me this would be my home for the next few months.
A bear had recently torn up the cabins and out buildings. The doors had been smashed in and even some of the plywood had been peeled off the walls.
Most of the plywood had been flown in in 2 x 4' sheets which made it easier for the bear to peel it off, which he did.
The door was a hollow core door which probably felt as strong as toilet paper to the bear.
He had also gotten into all of the food in the cabin, making a huge mess.
Outside, he had bitten into the Blazo (white gas) cans draining them of there contents. I could never understand why they would bite a gas can.
Ken didn't give me much direction, he just wrote the names of the horses on the back of an envelope, Whitey, Blacky, Bad Eye, Friendly, Grey and so on. It was very easy to identify which one was which.
Before getting into his plane and flying off he pointed to a small cache platform in a tree and told me there was enough survival gear in the cache to keep me alive in case I burned the cabin down. "Keep you alive until I can get out and shoot you" he said with no hint of sarcasm. Then he got in his plane and took off. Here I was, an eighteen year old kid looking for adventure, never had spent a day alone in my life.
I first got started repairing the cabin. I found an old hammer with one claw, some used nails and an old hand saw with very dull teeth. Since I didn't have anything to campare it to, I felt fortunate to have even these simple tools.
To make a long story shorter, I fixed the cabin and made it liveable; at least until the bear came around again, but that is a story for another blog.





My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I'm happy. I can't figure it out. What am I doing right?
- Charles Schulz

New Kit Options

As advertised, we are adding new kit sizes and plans. Below are the new sizes for plans #1 and #5 six sizes for plan #2. These will be posted on our site very soon.

New Kit Options October 24, 2010
Plan #1
12 x 20- 9,120.00
24 x 32- 27,648.00
24 x 36- 31,104.00

Plan #2
16 x 20- 11,774.00
16 x 24- 13,871.00
20 x 24- 17,056.00
20 x 28- 19,398.00
24 x 32- 26,599.00
24 x 42- 40,729.00

Plan #5
12 x 20- 6,999.00
24 x 32- 19,200.00
24 x 36- 22,100.00



The meanest, most contemptible kind of praise is that which first speaks well of a man, and then qualifies it with a "but".
Henry Ward Beecher
US abolitionist & clergyman (1813 - 1887)

New Kits

Our kits are becoming more and more popular, especially for remote projects. We are introducing more plans and adding more options as well. We have developed a power point presentation for the kits that includes drawings, pictures, text and video. It is designed for someone who has no construction experience. So far we have had good feedback on the kits but we are always trying to improve our product and to include more sizes and styles.
We will soon be offering complete finish packages to include wiring, plumbing, insulation, wall covering, floor covering etc. etc. etc.
We are adding options as the demand calls for it and judging by the response we have had, demand is strong.
There is a four to six week lead time for the kits right now but we are trying to cut the lead time down to two weeks.
If you are in the market for a kit and you don't see it on the site; email or call us and we can get you a price on any size or style you wish.






Search others for their virtues, thyself for thy vices.
Benjamin Franklin
US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, & printer (1706 - 1790)

The seasons they area a changin'

We have become accustom to warmer temperatures over the years but 60 degrees in October still doesn't feel right. We all know that this can and will change very quickly so we might as well enjoy it while we can.
I hear people saying that it was much colder 20 years ago but I remember people saying the same thing over 30 years ago when I first came here. One thing for sure, 60 degrees in October feels pretty warm but I won't complain unless we don't have enough ice to drive on after Thanksgiving.
In our business, we look for ways to work with whatever weather we get, but sometimes you just have to stop and wait for it to change.
You can definitely count on change!



When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot!
Thomas Jefferson