Since 2011, Laura Emerson and her husband have lived in a wood heated, off-grid log cabin… with an outhouse, in Alaska. It is accessible only by float plane, ski plane or snowmachine (snowmobile), because there are no roads within 40 miles. The full time population of the region is 70 people in an area as large as the combination of several New England states.
Each winter, 5 months may pass without seeing anyone else or getting any resupply.
The move from a high-rise in Houston, TX to a log cabin in the woods involved a steep learning curve for her. She tackled this by creating a curriculum of skills and knowledge in nature and homesteading. Her magazine column and book, Log Cabin Reflections, available on Amazon for $5, as well as her blogs, alaskauu1.blogspot.com and alaskauu1.substack.com describe many of the challenges and differences of living like this, often with humor and self-effacement.
Previously, Laura majored in Religion and Classics at Duke University, with two masters degrees from Washington University in St. Louis. She was a rotating guest speaker at UU churches throughout the country. Professionally, she was a securities compliance officer, chemical markets analyst, English teacher/professor, and business writer.