My Self Reliance

Now that's a first for me. I have touched 2 live deer in the past by remaining perfectly still on the edge of game trail and letting them come by me. But, this is the first time a moose has run full speed right at me and was inches away from bowling me over as it ran from the bull moose that was harassing her. Become a My Self Reliance Channel Member to get access to perks, like early release of videos and exclusive content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIMXKin1fXXCeq2UJePJEog/join Choose Tier 1 to support the channel, for priority comment replies from me and early access to Friday videos. Choose Tier 2 for early access to feature videos, commercial free videos, daily (almost) rough-edit-long-form videos - several hours of additional video content each week. Tier 3 (not yet) is where I get personal, share more stories and opinions, speak to guests in podcast format and collaborate with Members as I continue writing my first book. CLOTHING: https://teespring.com/stores/my-self-reliance AMAZON LINKS: https://www.amazon.com/shop/myselfreliance GREENHOUSE: https://arcticacres.ca/Best of My Self Reliance: https://bit.ly/2OfW7ry KNIFE MAKER: https://virtusknives.com/ KNIFE MAKER: https://www.wcknives.com/ VIDEOS: 2022 OFF GRID CABIN LIFE: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPnTFccPGm33LnMVlB9J1D0m OFF GRID LIVING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPkGrISWOKvY_0uMOjJI-Chv COOKING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPlwY0hqcJOT6bw5z-MpmfKy BUILDING LOG CABIN WITH HAND TOOLS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPle3wPxLkxLXt1mWZPv1-aH BUILDING OFF GRID SAUNA: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPm0Hfb7sidZBHx3GVLL7JQB BUSHCRAFT & SURVIVAL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPk2dpiJb-wfPrpJkodkS7g7 Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MySelfReliance/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/myselfreliance/ Mailing Address for items sent by regular mail: My Self Reliance/Shawn James 51 King William Street P.O. Box 30017 Huntsville, ON P1H 0B5 Address for items sent by courier: 200 Manitoba St., Unit 3, Suite 415 Bracebridge, ON P1L 2E2

One man leaves the city life behind to build a cheap off grid log cabin and homestead in the Canadian wilderness, including a log home, an outdoor kitchen, an outhouse, a woodshed and a sauna bathhouse. Building mostly with hand tools, Shawn James harvests building materials from the forests north of Toronto, Canada and crafts them into functional tools and shelters using traditional woodworking tools and methods. He practices bushcraft and survival skills every day, including fire starting, tree identification and harvesting, wild edible foraging, fishing, hunting, camping in the summer and winter, travelling by canoe and snowshoe, navigation and water collection and purification. Continue watching in 2019 as Shawn finishes the sauna, plants a forest garden for fruit and vegetables, builds an underground root cellar, ice house and cheese cave, a timber frame workshop and a remote hunt camp closer to fish and game. Music “Home”, by Simon-Alexander https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf9T...

It's hard to believe that Cali the Golden Retriever has turned 6! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/myselfreliance Shawn James YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/shawnjames1 CLOTHING: https://teespring.com/stores/my-self-reliance AMAZON LINKS: https://www.amazon.com/shop/myselfreliance Best of My Self Reliance: https://bit.ly/2OfW7ry 2022 OFF GRID CABIN LIFE: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPnTFccPGm33LnMVlB9J1D0m OFF GRID LIVING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPkGrISWOKvY_0uMOjJI-Chv COOKING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPlwY0hqcJOT6bw5z-MpmfKy BUILDING LOG CABIN WITH HAND TOOLS: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPnAe9mk5qKu-RQvRTk6dhpG BUILDING OFF GRID SAUNA: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPm0Hfb7sidZBHx3GVLL7JQB BUSHCRAFT & SURVIVAL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPk2dpiJb-wfPrpJkodkS7g7 Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MySelfReliance/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/myselfreliance/ Mailing Address for items sent by regular mail: My Self Reliance/Shawn James 51 King William Street P.O. Box 30017 Huntsville, ON P1H 0B5 Address for items sent by courier: 200 Manitoba St., Unit 3, Suite 415 Bracebridge, ON P1L 2E2

After digging out from a winter storm (that wasn't as bad as predicted in my location), I continue weatherproofing my off grid log cabin by adding door locks and trim to the porch door and the breezeway door. I insulate the ceiling and start installing charred 1" pine rough lumber, which immediately traps more of the heat from the woodstove and makes the cabin much more efficient than my last cabin. CLOTHING: https://teespring.com/stores/my-self-reliance AMAZON LINKS: https://www.amazon.com/shop/myselfreliance Best of My Self Reliance: https://bit.ly/2OfW7ry 2022 OFF GRID CABIN LIFE: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPnTFccPGm33LnMVlB9J1D0m OFF GRID LIVING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPkGrISWOKvY_0uMOjJI-Chv COOKING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPlwY0hqcJOT6bw5z-MpmfKy BUILDING LOG CABIN WITH HAND TOOLS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPle3wPxLkxLXt1mWZPv1-aH BUILDING OFF GRID SAUNA: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPm0Hfb7sidZBHx3GVLL7JQB BUSHCRAFT & SURVIVAL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPk2dpiJb-wfPrpJkodkS7g7 Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MySelfReliance/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/myselfreliance/

Continuing my off-grid log cabin build Alone in the Canadian wilderness, I install a temporary loft floor to use as a working platform while building the roof of the cabin. Using chainfall hoists hung from cables strung between the trees, I lift three 28 foot purlins and a ridge beam into place, weighing several hundred pounds each. I frame the gable ends with milled logs and 2" lumber, leaving notches for the logs to fall into place. Hoisting the logs and sliding them into the notches was hard work and took several hours each, but it worked exactly how I had hoped. While I work on the roof, I grill sausages and steaks on the campfire overlooking the meadow in front of the cabin. Cali, my golden retriever, watches me work and chases squirrels and chipmunks between rounds of fetch. To cool off, we go for a long walk along the cobblestone beaches and exposed Canadian Shield bedrock along the shores of Georgian Bay. Wild food is abundant so we snack on raspberries, sour cherries, blueberries, cranberries, winterberries, serviceberries, fireweed and St. John's Wort. Wild food, fish and home grown fruit and vegetables are everywhere now so I'm harvesting and storing daily, including my first tomatoes of the season from the greenhouse by the cabin. Later in the week, my dog spends the day in my red cedar and canvas canoe out on the water with my friend Nate and I while we explore a new lake, catch fresh fish and fry it on a campfire on a beautiful island. Perch and bass are plentiful in this small lake so after a tasty shore lunch, I take a few back to the cabin for the solar powered freezer in the cellar. Cali practices her deep water dives and swims after her frisbee for hours, always wanting one more retrieve. Back at the cabin, I build a wood mitre box and saw small trees into 45 degree corner braces for the log posts, beam and purlins to keep the cabin roof from racking. With a solid roof structure now in place, I start installing the first roof rafters, an exciting process as I can now see the final structure of the cabin and within days, the roof will be complete enough to keep the cabin interior dry. In the next video, I'll be working on those rafters, but I'll also be taking a few days off to go on a backcountry canoe trip with my daughter Emily. Tune in to her channel to see her perspective on the trip as well as to see what other projects she's working on. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC85gGZDfF5fn0R5JQqboVTQ CLOTHING: https://teespring.com/stores/my-self-reliance AMAZON LINKS: https://www.amazon.com/shop/myselfreliance GREENHOUSE: https://arcticacres.ca/Best of My Self Reliance: https://bit.ly/2OfW7ry KNIFE MAKER: https://virtusknives.com/ KNIFE MAKER: https://www.wcknives.com/ VIDEOS: 2022 OFF GRID CABIN LIFE: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPnTFccPGm33LnMVlB9J1D0m OFF GRID LIVING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPkGrISWOKvY_0uMOjJI-Chv COOKING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPlwY0hqcJOT6bw5z-MpmfKy BUILDING LOG CABIN WITH HAND TOOLS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPle3wPxLkxLXt1mWZPv1-aH BUILDING OFF GRID SAUNA: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPm0Hfb7sidZBHx3GVLL7JQB BUSHCRAFT & SURVIVAL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPk2dpiJb-wfPrpJkodkS7g7 Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MySelfReliance/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/myselfreliance/ Mailing Address for items sent by regular mail: My Self Reliance/Shawn James 51 King William Street P.O. Box 30017 Huntsville, ON P1H 0B5 Address for items sent by courier: 200 Manitoba St., Unit 3, Suite 415 Bracebridge, ON P1L 2E2

After digging out from a winter storm (that wasn't as bad as predicted in my location), I continue weatherproofing my off grid log cabin by adding door locks and trim to the porch door and the breezeway door. I insulate the ceiling and start installing charred 1" pine rough lumber, which immediately traps more of the heat from the woodstove and makes the cabin much more efficient than my last cabin. As I'm sure you've noticed over the years, I really like chaga and drink it every day for the taste but mainly for the health benefits. Now that the birch trees are dormant for the season, it's harvest time and it's back in stock on my website. For American Thanksgiving and Black Friday, you can get 10% off your order by using coupon code THANKS10 at checkout. https://myselfreliance.com/collections/all CLOTHING: https://teespring.com/stores/my-self-reliance AMAZON LINKS: https://www.amazon.com/shop/myselfreliance Best of My Self Reliance: https://bit.ly/2OfW7ry 2022 OFF GRID CABIN LIFE: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPnTFccPGm33LnMVlB9J1D0m OFF GRID LIVING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPkGrISWOKvY_0uMOjJI-Chv COOKING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPlwY0hqcJOT6bw5z-MpmfKy BUILDING LOG CABIN WITH HAND TOOLS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPle3wPxLkxLXt1mWZPv1-aH BUILDING OFF GRID SAUNA: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPm0Hfb7sidZBHx3GVLL7JQB BUSHCRAFT & SURVIVAL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPk2dpiJb-wfPrpJkodkS7g7 Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MySelfReliance/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/myselfreliance/ Mailing Address for items sent by regular mail: My Self Reliance/Shawn James 51 King William Street P.O. Box 30017 Huntsville, ON P1H 0B5 Address for items sent by courier: 200 Manitoba St., Unit 3, Suite 415 Bracebridge, ON P1L 2E2

Concerned about snow load on my log cabin this winter, I decide to build a gable roof over the breezeway and install a complete metal roof system on my off grid log cabin. Become a My Self Reliance Channel Member to get access to perks, like early release of videos and exclusive content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIMXKin1fXXCeq2UJePJEog/join Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 1:06 Day 1 Strapping and Insulating 12:46 Installing Metal Drip Edge 14:46 Installing Metal Roof Panels 19:38 Strapping Southwest Roof 22:40 Day 2, Installing South Side Roof Panels 30:11 Sheeting Dormer and Strapping Cabin Roof 36:06 Strapping Chimney Section 40:41 Insulating West Roof 41:53 Installing Metal Panels on West Roof Section 44:29 Installing Metal Valley at Dormer/Breezeway 52:44 A Frost Autumn Morning 55:27 Metal Roof Panels at Dormer and Chimney 1:07:07 Metal Roof on Dormer 1:09:24 Framing and Roofing Breezeway Gable Roof CLOTHING: https://teespring.com/stores/my-self-reliance AMAZON LINKS: https://www.amazon.com/shop/myselfreliance GREENHOUSE: https://arcticacres.ca/Best of My Self Reliance: https://bit.ly/2OfW7ry KNIFE MAKER: https://virtusknives.com/ KNIFE MAKER: https://www.wcknives.com/ VIDEOS: 2022 OFF GRID CABIN LIFE: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPnTFccPGm33LnMVlB9J1D0m OFF GRID LIVING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPkGrISWOKvY_0uMOjJI-Chv COOKING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPlwY0hqcJOT6bw5z-MpmfKy BUILDING LOG CABIN WITH HAND TOOLS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPle3wPxLkxLXt1mWZPv1-aH BUILDING OFF GRID SAUNA: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPm0Hfb7sidZBHx3GVLL7JQB BUSHCRAFT & SURVIVAL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPk2dpiJb-wfPrpJkodkS7g7 Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MySelfReliance/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/myselfreliance/ Mailing Address for items sent by regular mail: My Self Reliance/Shawn James 51 King William Street P.O. Box 30017 Huntsville, ON P1H 0B5 Address for items sent by courier: 200 Manitoba St., Unit 3, Suite 415 Bracebridge, ON P1L 2E2

One more dry, mild day allows me to get more of the critical outdoor chores done, like milling more lumber for the interior of the cabin. Starting the day with a hot chaga/coffee on the porch is a bonus at this time of year, but dropping temperatures and an approaching snow storm will put an end to that. If you're planning on buying some chaga from my family, the last of the powder bags are probably already gone and chaga chunks will likely sell out in the next few days. I'm not sure if we'll offer more for sale in 2023, but in the meantime, I don't think we'll have any more available before Christmas. https://myselfreliance.com/collections/all

#algonquin #offgrid #camping Click the link and use code MYKITS5 to get 5% off your EcoFlow purchase: https://bit.ly/3PWAnOr We install solar panels on the roof of Emily Aisling's cabin with a power bank located inside to provide electricity to her cabin. Afterwards, we take a few days off and head into the backcountry of Algonquin Park in Ontario Canada to camp, canoe, hike, forage and fish. We cook all of our meals on a campfire, including beef tacos, fish tacos, beef rib steaks and braising ribs, bacon and eggs, pancakes, fried white and sweet potatoes and more. I make herbal tea with fireweed, cedar and spruce, a much needed warm drink after dealing with intermittent rain and incessant strong winds. Cali, our Golden Retriever, spends most of her time swimming, chasing squirrels and has a run-in with a mink after it steals one of our fish and hides it in the rocks in the lake. CLOTHING: https://teespring.com/stores/my-self-reliance AMAZON LINKS: https://www.amazon.com/shop/myselfreliance GREENHOUSE: https://arcticacres.ca/Best of My Self Reliance: https://bit.ly/2OfW7ry KNIFE MAKER: https://virtusknives.com/ KNIFE MAKER: https://www.wcknives.com/ VIDEOS: 2022 OFF GRID CABIN LIFE: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPnTFccPGm33LnMVlB9J1D0m OFF GRID LIVING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPkGrISWOKvY_0uMOjJI-Chv COOKING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPlwY0hqcJOT6bw5z-MpmfKy BUILDING LOG CABIN WITH HAND TOOLS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPle3wPxLkxLXt1mWZPv1-aH BUILDING OFF GRID SAUNA: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPm0Hfb7sidZBHx3GVLL7JQB BUSHCRAFT & SURVIVAL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPk2dpiJb-wfPrpJkodkS7g7 Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MySelfReliance/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/myselfreliance/ Mailing Address for items sent by regular mail: My Self Reliance/Shawn James 51 King William Street P.O. Box 30017 Huntsville, ON P1H 0B5 Address for items sent by courier: 200 Manitoba St., Unit 3, Suite 415 Bracebridge, ON P1L 2E2

It's really starting to feel like home now that the roof is watertight, the front windows are in and the front gable is closed in. After completing the roof boards and membrane on the east side of the log cabin, I install diagonal boards to the gable end over the front porch. I'm not convinced that this is the final look for the gables but I'll wait until I finish the log features holding up the porch overhang before making that decision. For efficiency, I am spending more time on this cabin sealing air gaps and insulating the walls and roof - 6" in the gables and 10" on the roof. I layout the stone floor under the woodstove using sawn granite from a local quarry. It's not as rustic as random stone but I think it will look great once I finish the wood floor around it and apply split stone to the wall behind the stove. A bat who has been living in the front wall chirps its disapproval as I encourage it to find alternate living arrangements, which will probably be the outhouse. Now that it's September and winter is coming, I need to seal up the rest of the exterior, including the rear gable, the windows and the doors, before other wildlife decide to make the cabin their winter home. I grill the last of the bear meat from last year on the open fire as I prepare my gear for the opening of goose season. Food is abundant at this time of year, including game, mushrooms, berries and all of the produce from the garden. Over the next few weeks, I'll be digging up the root vegetables to store in the cellar, hunting and finishing the exterior of the cabin so September is going to be a very busy month! For the full cabin tour: https://youtu.be/D2aphmy2zF8 My other channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5L_M7BF5iait4FzEbwKCAg?view_as=subscriber CLOTHING: https://teespring.com/stores/my-self-reliance AMAZON LINKS: https://www.amazon.com/shop/myselfreliance GREENHOUSE: https://arcticacres.ca/Best of My Self Reliance: https://bit.ly/2OfW7ry KNIFE MAKER: https://virtusknives.com/ KNIFE MAKER: https://www.wcknives.com/ VIDEOS: 2022 OFF GRID CABIN LIFE: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPnTFccPGm33LnMVlB9J1D0m OFF GRID LIVING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPkGrISWOKvY_0uMOjJI-Chv COOKING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPlwY0hqcJOT6bw5z-MpmfKy BUILDING LOG CABIN WITH HAND TOOLS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPle3wPxLkxLXt1mWZPv1-aH BUILDING OFF GRID SAUNA: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPm0Hfb7sidZBHx3GVLL7JQB BUSHCRAFT & SURVIVAL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPk2dpiJb-wfPrpJkodkS7g7 Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MySelfReliance/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/myselfreliance/ Mailing Address for items sent by regular mail: My Self Reliance/Shawn James 51 King William Street P.O. Box 30017 Huntsville, ON P1H 0B5 Address for items sent by courier: 200 Manitoba St., Unit 3, Suite 415 Bracebridge, ON P1L 2E2

This week, I finish boarding the west side of the log cabin roof and waterproof it with ice and water shield. With half of the cabin protected from weather, I hook up the wood stove so I can start cooking inside as the weather cools and I bring in a small antique writing desk where I can edit my videos. Immediately, the cabin starts feeling like home, with a place to sit, look out of the windows and doors at the falling rain and listen to the birds, frogs, wind in the trees. The deep overhang on the front porch of the cabin is ideal at this time of year, protecting me from the rain but high enough to let the sun shine in, which will be much appreciated during the fall, winter and spring when the sun is low in the sky and the south facing wall of the cabin absorbs the heat. Cool mornings and warm days at this time of year means foggy mornings over the lakes, rivers and ponds and the moose are in the ponds eating the last of the succulent water plants before transitioning to a diet of woody browse as summer ends and the rut begins in September. With fall approaching, I spend more time shooting my bow and arrows at targets and splitting firewood for heat and cooking. Cali, my golden retriever, will appreciate the cooler days as summer winds down and is already becoming more active as the heat subsides. I'm now working on completing the east side of the roof, which should take two days, and then I can focus on closing in the gable ends, including insulation, and insulating and boarding the breezeway walls and ceiling. The following week, I will install temporary doors and permanent windows, just in time for autumn. 00:00 Intro 01:37 Roofing the breezeway 08:07 Boarding the log cabin roof 04:37 Moose cow and calf 11:31 Waterproofing the roof 13:16 Cast iron cooking sausage and chicken of the woods mushroom 22:30 Installing the woodstove 27:22 Moving in the antique desk 30:59 Archery practice 33:41 Nature drone over misty ponds and forest CLOTHING: https://teespring.com/stores/my-self-reliance AMAZON LINKS: https://www.amazon.com/shop/myselfreliance GREENHOUSE: https://arcticacres.ca/Best of My Self Reliance: https://bit.ly/2OfW7ry KNIFE MAKER: https://virtusknives.com/ KNIFE MAKER: https://www.wcknives.com/ VIDEOS: 2022 OFF GRID CABIN LIFE: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPnTFccPGm33LnMVlB9J1D0m OFF GRID LIVING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPkGrISWOKvY_0uMOjJI-Chv COOKING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPlwY0hqcJOT6bw5z-MpmfKy BUILDING LOG CABIN WITH HAND TOOLS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPle3wPxLkxLXt1mWZPv1-aH BUILDING OFF GRID SAUNA: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPm0Hfb7sidZBHx3GVLL7JQB BUSHCRAFT & SURVIVAL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPk2dpiJb-wfPrpJkodkS7g7 Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MySelfReliance/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/myselfreliance/ Mailing Address for items sent by regular mail: My Self Reliance/Shawn James 51 King William Street P.O. Box 30017 Huntsville, ON P1H 0B5 Address for items sent by courier: 200 Manitoba St., Unit 3, Suite 415 Bracebridge, ON P1L 2E2

An approaching snow storm hastens my efforts to weatherproof my log cabin and prepare my homestead for winter projects. I mill some lumber and timbers at my sister's house and then move my sawmill to a convenient spot beside the cabin and drag logs next to it so I can saw them over the coming weeks. To complete the weatherproofing of the cabin, I trim the front door and the windows, allowing for settling by installing a sliding top trim piece, something I'll replace with something more substantial and attractive at a later date. CLOTHING: https://teespring.com/stores/my-self-reliance AMAZON LINKS: https://www.amazon.com/shop/myselfreliance GREENHOUSE: https://arcticacres.ca/Best of My Self Reliance: https://bit.ly/2OfW7ry KNIFE MAKER: https://virtusknives.com/ KNIFE MAKER: https://www.wcknives.com/ VIDEOS: 2022 OFF GRID CABIN LIFE: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPnTFccPGm33LnMVlB9J1D0m OFF GRID LIVING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPkGrISWOKvY_0uMOjJI-Chv COOKING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPlwY0hqcJOT6bw5z-MpmfKy BUILDING LOG CABIN WITH HAND TOOLS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPle3wPxLkxLXt1mWZPv1-aH BUILDING OFF GRID SAUNA: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPm0Hfb7sidZBHx3GVLL7JQB BUSHCRAFT & SURVIVAL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPk2dpiJb-wfPrpJkodkS7g7 Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MySelfReliance/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/myselfreliance/ Mailing Address for items sent by regular mail: My Self Reliance/Shawn James 51 King William Street P.O. Box 30017 Huntsville, ON P1H 0B5 Address for items sent by courier: 200 Manitoba St., Unit 3, Suite 415 Bracebridge, ON P1L 2E2

This is such a rewarding stage of the log cabin build and homestead development! Now that the cabin is dried in, I'm working on interior elements, such as moving in an antique icebox, installing a pine wood floor, insulating the interior walls and ceiling and more. This week, in addition to the interior work, I scribe and fit the four lower posts on the porch that hold up the roof overhang and then install the three shorter posts that support the two purlins and the ridge log. The only things left to do on the exterior of the log portion of the cabin is to board the ceiling overhangs on all for sides (soffit), trim the windows and doors and seal the log joints before winter. Between working on the cabin, I'm busy bringing in the harvest, especially the potatoes, as the temperatures drop to a low of 2C this week. I am storing vegetables in the root cellar, the basement of the cabin, and before December, I have to finish insulating and boarding the walls and ceiling to protect the food from freezing. Not shown in this video, but will be in next week's video, is the cladding of the exterior of the breezeway with horizontal pine boards and sealant. Once that is finished, I am installing doors on the porch side and the breezeway entrance to the outdoor kitchen and I'll be completely weather tight before the end of September, well before our winter really gets started in early November. For more information on what I am doing this week on the homestead, tune in to my other channels where I explain what I'm doing. https://youtu.be/NDi9Q1uQEb4 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5L_M7BF5iait4FzEbwKCAg?view_as=subscriber CLOTHING: https://teespring.com/stores/my-self-reliance AMAZON LINKS: https://www.amazon.com/shop/myselfreliance GREENHOUSE: https://arcticacres.ca/Best of My Self Reliance: https://bit.ly/2OfW7ry KNIFE MAKER: https://virtusknives.com/ KNIFE MAKER: https://www.wcknives.com/ VIDEOS: 2022 OFF GRID CABIN LIFE: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPnTFccPGm33LnMVlB9J1D0m OFF GRID LIVING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPkGrISWOKvY_0uMOjJI-Chv COOKING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPlwY0hqcJOT6bw5z-MpmfKy BUILDING LOG CABIN WITH HAND TOOLS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPle3wPxLkxLXt1mWZPv1-aH BUILDING OFF GRID SAUNA: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPm0Hfb7sidZBHx3GVLL7JQB BUSHCRAFT & SURVIVAL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPk2dpiJb-wfPrpJkodkS7g7 Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MySelfReliance/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/myselfreliance/ Mailing Address for items sent by regular mail: My Self Reliance/Shawn James 51 King William Street P.O. Box 30017 Huntsville, ON P1H 0B5 Address for items sent by courier: 200 Manitoba St., Unit 3, Suite 415 Bracebridge, ON P1L 2E2

Drone footage of the 1st significant snow of the year around the cabin.

With winter approaching, I'm concentrating on finishing the outside of the off grid log cabin I'm building alone in the Canadian wilderness. I install shou sugi ban wood siding on the walls and make a heavy wood door with burnt pine boards, birch bark and heavy iron hinges. I harvest the birch bark from some trees behind the cabin, which will be used for additonal building projects next year. This breezeway entrance will be closed off for the winter while I work on the attached outdoor kitchen, so I'll add a door handle and lock in the spring. With temperatures still too warm to cook inside the cabin on the wood stove most days, I move the fire pit to a central location in front of the cabin porch and cook hamburgers and vegetables from the garden on a hanging steel plate. CLOTHING: https://teespring.com/stores/my-self-reliance AMAZON LINKS: https://www.amazon.com/shop/myselfreliance GREENHOUSE: https://arcticacres.ca/Best of My Self Reliance: https://bit.ly/2OfW7ry KNIFE MAKER: https://virtusknives.com/ KNIFE MAKER: https://www.wcknives.com/ VIDEOS: 2022 OFF GRID CABIN LIFE: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPnTFccPGm33LnMVlB9J1D0m OFF GRID LIVING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPkGrISWOKvY_0uMOjJI-Chv COOKING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPlwY0hqcJOT6bw5z-MpmfKy BUILDING LOG CABIN WITH HAND TOOLS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPle3wPxLkxLXt1mWZPv1-aH BUILDING OFF GRID SAUNA: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPm0Hfb7sidZBHx3GVLL7JQB BUSHCRAFT & SURVIVAL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPk2dpiJb-wfPrpJkodkS7g7 Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MySelfReliance/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/myselfreliance/ Mailing Address for items sent by regular mail: My Self Reliance/Shawn James 51 King William Street P.O. Box 30017 Huntsville, ON P1H 0B5 Address for items sent by courier: 200 Manitoba St., Unit 3, Suite 415 Bracebridge, ON P1L 2E2

Peak autumn color is quickly replaced by a blanket of snow as I continue preparing the cabin for winter. Outside, I install the last metal roof panel and a ridge cap on the breezeway, install an adjustable steel racking system for the solar panels beside the greenhouse and dig a trench for the cables to run back to the cabin. Inside, I finish assembling the door to the front porch and hang it on hinges, temporarily placing the wood insert that will be relief-carved over the winter. In the basement, I insulate the cellar walls and cover one wall in 1' pine boards to install the solar inverter, panel and batteries and I move the water storage tank into place. Before finishing the insulation on the main floor, I run the wiring for lights and switches and take stock of what hardware items I need to finish the electrical system for installation this week. Become a My Self Reliance Channel Member to get access to perks, like early release of videos and exclusive content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIMXKin1fXXCeq2UJePJEog/join Choose Tier 1 to support the channel, for priority comment replies from me and early access to Friday videos. Choose Tier 2 for early access to feature videos, commercial free videos, daily (almost) rough-edit-long-form videos - several hours of additional video content each week. Tier 3 (not yet) is where I get personal, share more stories and opinions, speak to guests in podcast format and collaborate with Members as I continue writing my first book. CLOTHING: https://teespring.com/stores/my-self-reliance AMAZON LINKS: https://www.amazon.com/shop/myselfreliance GREENHOUSE: https://arcticacres.ca/Best of My Self Reliance: https://bit.ly/2OfW7ry KNIFE MAKER: https://virtusknives.com/ KNIFE MAKER: https://www.wcknives.com/ VIDEOS: 2022 OFF GRID CABIN LIFE: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPnTFccPGm33LnMVlB9J1D0m OFF GRID LIVING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPkGrISWOKvY_0uMOjJI-Chv COOKING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPlwY0hqcJOT6bw5z-MpmfKy BUILDING LOG CABIN WITH HAND TOOLS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPle3wPxLkxLXt1mWZPv1-aH BUILDING OFF GRID SAUNA: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPm0Hfb7sidZBHx3GVLL7JQB BUSHCRAFT & SURVIVAL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPk2dpiJb-wfPrpJkodkS7g7 Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MySelfReliance/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/myselfreliance/ Mailing Address for items sent by regular mail: My Self Reliance/Shawn James 51 King William Street P.O. Box 30017 Huntsville, ON P1H 0B5 Address for items sent by courier: 200 Manitoba St., Unit 3, Suite 415 Bracebridge, ON P1L 2E2

Moose regularly browse through my vegetable garden and orchard in the northern forest so I continue extending a rustic fence around the perimeter to keep them out. As I expand my permaculture food forest, moose, bear, deer and other animals will become more of problem, so I am planting food for them throughout my land to help expand their population while attracting them to areas outside my forest garden. MERCHANDISE: https://teespring.com/stores/my-self-reliance AMAZON:https://www.amazon.com/shop/myselfreliance GREENHOUSE: https://arcticacres.ca/Best of My Self Reliance: https://bit.ly/2OfW7ry KNIFE MAKER: https://virtusknives.com/ KNIFE MAKER: https://www.wcknives.com/ VIDEOS: 2021 OFF GRID CABIN LIFE: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPloVWZsigeJ96-jDt6KLgiR OFF GRID LIVING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPkGrISWOKvY_0uMOjJI-Chv COOKING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPlwY0hqcJOT6bw5z-MpmfKy BUILDING LOG CABIN WITH HAND TOOLS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPle3wPxLkxLXt1mWZPv1-aH BUILDING OFF GRID SAUNA: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPm0Hfb7sidZBHx3GVLL7JQB BUSHCRAFT & SURVIVAL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPk2dpiJb-wfPrpJkodkS7g7 Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MySelfReliance/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/myselfreliance/ Mailing Address for items sent by regular mail: My Self Reliance/Shawn James 51 King William Street P.O. Box 30017 Huntsville, ON P1H 0B5 Address for items sent by courier: 200 Manitoba St., Unit 3, Suite 415 Bracebridge, ON P1L 2E2

Another beautiful sunny week at the cabin. I take advantage of the warm days to chink the entire exterior of my log cabin, including the breezeway and wood soffits.

With so much to do to prepare for winter, progress on the cabin slows this week as I finish details on the metal roof to make it watertight and install wood soffit to keep the squirrels out. Become a My Self Reliance Channel Member to get access to perks, like early release of videos and exclusive content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIMXKin1fXXCeq2UJePJEog/join Choose Tier 1 to support the channel, for priority comment replies from me and early access to Friday videos. Choose Tier 2 for early access to feature videos, commercial free videos, daily (almost) rough-edit-long-form videos - several hours of additional video content each week. Tier 3 (not yet) is where I get personal, share more stories and opinions, speak to guests in podcast format and collaborate with Members as I continue writing my first book. CLOTHING: https://teespring.com/stores/my-self-reliance AMAZON LINKS: https://www.amazon.com/shop/myselfreliance GREENHOUSE: https://arcticacres.ca/Best of My Self Reliance: https://bit.ly/2OfW7ry KNIFE MAKER: https://virtusknives.com/ KNIFE MAKER: https://www.wcknives.com/ VIDEOS: 2022 OFF GRID CABIN LIFE: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPnTFccPGm33LnMVlB9J1D0m OFF GRID LIVING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPkGrISWOKvY_0uMOjJI-Chv COOKING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPlwY0hqcJOT6bw5z-MpmfKy BUILDING LOG CABIN WITH HAND TOOLS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPle3wPxLkxLXt1mWZPv1-aH BUILDING OFF GRID SAUNA: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPm0Hfb7sidZBHx3GVLL7JQB BUSHCRAFT & SURVIVAL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPk2dpiJb-wfPrpJkodkS7g7 Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MySelfReliance/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/myselfreliance/ Mailing Address for items sent by regular mail: My Self Reliance/Shawn James 51 King William Street P.O. Box 30017 Huntsville, ON P1H 0B5 Address for items sent by courier: 200 Manitoba St., Unit 3, Suite 415 Bracebridge, ON P1L 2E2

The first frost of the season has arrived so I am focusing on doors, windows and exterior finishes to keep the cold and the rodents out. Since I don't have time right now to fully carve the front door of the cabin, I design and build a heavy pine and walnut door with a 3" thick wood insert that I can pull out of the door to carve inside the warm cabin as I have time over the winter. A friend visits to hunt and explore the wilderness around the cabin with me and as a result, I don't make much progress on the building this week. It's such an incredible time of year to be out in the woods so I'm happy to take time of off building, gardening and harvesting for a few days. Become a My Self Reliance Channel Member to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIMXKin1fXXCeq2UJePJEog/join CLOTHING: https://teespring.com/stores/my-self-reliance AMAZON LINKS: https://www.amazon.com/shop/myselfreliance GREENHOUSE: https://arcticacres.ca/Best of My Self Reliance: https://bit.ly/2OfW7ry KNIFE MAKER: https://virtusknives.com/ KNIFE MAKER: https://www.wcknives.com/ VIDEOS: 2022 OFF GRID CABIN LIFE: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPnTFccPGm33LnMVlB9J1D0m OFF GRID LIVING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPkGrISWOKvY_0uMOjJI-Chv COOKING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPlwY0hqcJOT6bw5z-MpmfKy BUILDING LOG CABIN WITH HAND TOOLS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPle3wPxLkxLXt1mWZPv1-aH BUILDING OFF GRID SAUNA: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPm0Hfb7sidZBHx3GVLL7JQB BUSHCRAFT & SURVIVAL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPk2dpiJb-wfPrpJkodkS7g7 Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MySelfReliance/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/myselfreliance/ Mailing Address for items sent by regular mail: My Self Reliance/Shawn James 51 King William Street P.O. Box 30017 Huntsville, ON P1H 0B5 Address for items sent by courier: 200 Manitoba St., Unit 3, Suite 415 Bracebridge, ON P1L 2E2

A productive week in the wilderness, I install the rest of the windows, including a temporary window in the doorway to the future bedroom, a replacement window for the breezeway and three windows in the back of the cabin. I glue down the granite floor under the woodstove and after letting the cement dry, I reinstall the stove and cook my breakfast of eggs, fresh potatoes, sausage and kimchi on it, the first meal cooked in the cabin. I have decided to install a metal roof before winter so I take some time to build the supporting framing for the front porch overhang. In the next few days, I'll notch the four posts so the tie beam sits snug on the posts and then install the short posts up to the ridge beam and the two purlins. The screw jacks on the bottom of the posts have six inches of adjustments so that I can lower them as the cabin settles over the next few years. The bear in this video is the first I have seen since filming the mother bear with two cubs in the spring, which is far less than the dozens I usually see in a typical year, a fluke since I hear other people are seeing more than usual. CLOTHING: https://teespring.com/stores/my-self-reliance AMAZON LINKS: https://www.amazon.com/shop/myselfreliance GREENHOUSE: https://arcticacres.ca/Best of My Self Reliance: https://bit.ly/2OfW7ry KNIFE MAKER: https://virtusknives.com/ KNIFE MAKER: https://www.wcknives.com/ VIDEOS: 2022 OFF GRID CABIN LIFE: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPnTFccPGm33LnMVlB9J1D0m OFF GRID LIVING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPkGrISWOKvY_0uMOjJI-Chv COOKING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPlwY0hqcJOT6bw5z-MpmfKy BUILDING LOG CABIN WITH HAND TOOLS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPle3wPxLkxLXt1mWZPv1-aH BUILDING OFF GRID SAUNA: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPm0Hfb7sidZBHx3GVLL7JQB BUSHCRAFT & SURVIVAL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPk2dpiJb-wfPrpJkodkS7g7 Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MySelfReliance/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/myselfreliance/ Mailing Address for items sent by regular mail: My Self Reliance/Shawn James 51 King William Street P.O. Box 30017 Huntsville, ON P1H 0B5 Address for items sent by courier: 200 Manitoba St., Unit 3, Suite 415 Bracebridge, ON P1L 2E2

A good friend visits for a few days. Fall is here and tree colour has peaked. From Oct 11-12, get 30% off the Solar Generator 2000 Pro, or 10% off the Solar Generator 1000 Pro: Amazon: https://amzn.to/3fDBJQP Website: https://bit.ly/3e5L1oo Become a My Self Reliance Channel Member to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIMXKin1fXXCeq2UJePJEog/join CLOTHING: https://teespring.com/stores/my-self-reliance AMAZON LINKS: https://www.amazon.com/shop/myselfreliance GREENHOUSE: https://arcticacres.ca/Best of My Self Reliance: https://bit.ly/2OfW7ry KNIFE MAKER: https://virtusknives.com/ KNIFE MAKER: https://www.wcknives.com/ VIDEOS: 2022 OFF GRID CABIN LIFE: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPnTFccPGm33LnMVlB9J1D0m OFF GRID LIVING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPkGrISWOKvY_0uMOjJI-Chv COOKING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPlwY0hqcJOT6bw5z-MpmfKy BUILDING LOG CABIN WITH HAND TOOLS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPle3wPxLkxLXt1mWZPv1-aH BUILDING OFF GRID SAUNA: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPm0Hfb7sidZBHx3GVLL7JQB BUSHCRAFT & SURVIVAL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPk2dpiJb-wfPrpJkodkS7g7 Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MySelfReliance/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/myselfreliance/ Mailing Address for items sent by regular mail: My Self Reliance/Shawn James 51 King William Street P.O. Box 30017 Huntsville, ON P1H 0B5 Address for items sent by courier: 200 Manitoba St., Unit 3, Suite 415 Bracebridge, ON P1L 2E2

Using 2x8x16 foot rafters, I frame the northwest side of my off grid log cabin in the Canadian wilderness and start installing 1" pine boards. I install the cathedral ceiling support box for the wood stove chimney so that I don't have to cut it in and frame around it later. Working alone adds a lot more time to the build as I have to climb ladders onto the top of the wall, measure, go back to the ground to cut the wood pieces to size, climb back up the ladder and install them with nails. Rather than cut the rafters at the eave, I cut notches into the top course of logs and fasten the rafters with several 6" spiral spikes, as well as at the roof ridge and the purlin. I will then fasten a 1" board to the bottom of the rafters on the inside of the exterior walls. A cow moose and her calf watch us near the cabin, trotting back into the forest once they see and smell Cali. On the fire, I cook bear steaks for lunch, well-done for safety, although I usually much prefer rare game meat. On a hot day, we paddle into a quiet lake and find ourselves floating between a loon and her almost mature chick. She warns us off with her alarm calls so we quickly move on. CLOTHING: https://teespring.com/stores/my-self-reliance AMAZON LINKS: https://www.amazon.com/shop/myselfreliance GREENHOUSE: https://arcticacres.ca/Best of My Self Reliance: https://bit.ly/2OfW7ry KNIFE MAKER: https://virtusknives.com/ KNIFE MAKER: https://www.wcknives.com/ VIDEOS: 2022 OFF GRID CABIN LIFE: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPnTFccPGm33LnMVlB9J1D0m OFF GRID LIVING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPkGrISWOKvY_0uMOjJI-Chv COOKING: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPlwY0hqcJOT6bw5z-MpmfKy BUILDING LOG CABIN WITH HAND TOOLS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPle3wPxLkxLXt1mWZPv1-aH BUILDING OFF GRID SAUNA: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPm0Hfb7sidZBHx3GVLL7JQB BUSHCRAFT & SURVIVAL: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-UbUksm4nPk2dpiJb-wfPrpJkodkS7g7 Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MySelfReliance/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/myselfreliance/ Mailing Address for items sent by regular mail: My Self Reliance/Shawn James 51 King William Street P.O. Box 30017 Huntsville, ON P1H 0B5 Address for items sent by courier: 200 Manitoba St., Unit 3, Suite 415 Bracebridge, ON P1L 2E2