Dealing with extreme cold when living off-grid
Just because we live off-grid does not mean we don't have technology to help us out. We are going to hit -35C / -31F with a wind chill of -46C / -50.8F tonight. It has been really cold for a few days and it will get colder!!! We have seen these temperatures before, so we can deal with them just fine. At these temperatures we could lose animals as it is way to cold, even for the goats. What we do is build multi-functional buildings so that we can use them for many purposes.
The chickens got the barn this winter, so the goats will be put into sheds or the shop when the temperatures get this cold. The baby goats from this past spring are still too small to deal with the extreme cold and we have lost babies in the past as a result. So we now put them up for the cold spells, where ever we can find space.
The shop also is our backup plan in the event we lose the earthship. We lived in it for several years, so we know we could survive just nicely within the building in case of emergency. If the whole yard goes due to fire, then we have other contingency plans as well.
When living off-grid, it is important to think of these and plan for the any type of emergency. Wind chills of -46C is an emergency. At that extreme cold temperature, most would perish. Our earthship, though it took a lot of work to build, could keep people warm at these temperatures even if there was no power or heat. Modern homes would freeze if the power or gas went out. People's lives are then in extreme danger. However, with the earthship, the building would not freeze as it would only drop to about +10C and it would protect those inside from the extreme cold even if everything else failed.
We live above 54 deg 26 minutes north far away from any ocean to keep us warm. We experience extremes here and our way of life is adapted to those extremes. We have clothing that allows us to work all day long in these temperatures as our duty to our animals and our own survival is paramount. We heat with wood so that we have no dependency on the grid for power or gas. We can survive even if all hell broke lose. We have the skills to do it all again in the event that we lost it all too. There is great security and comfort in having the knowledge, skills and technology to survive in this area of the world.
Granted, it is not for everyone and I'm sure there are some who just cannot comprehend the cold of which I talk about. We had some dear friends visit this summer from Mexico. It was +10 - +15C and they were in winter coats and toques. It takes years to acclimatize to living in these conditions. But it can be done. We are a resilient, intelligent and resourceful species. Even though our vessels came from the tropics, we were able to adapt and live in all areas of the planet.
Think about this: What would you do if the power went out? In most homes, the furnace requires electricity to move the air around the home. No electricity = no heat. Could you survive in these temperatures if the grid failed? The grid is fragile, more than you know.
There is great security and comfort in having the knowledge, skills and technology to survive in this area of the world.
This is really great, I wasn't in a situation like that, I only remember one night I slept in the coldest day of winter without anything to warm myself(ourselves) I saw other soldiers slept like they are just dead, under a cover, it was a time when we were in military services, I can understand how hard life can be in that situation :( I hope things going well for you man :) as I read in your words about skills and education, these are really great in a situation like that, sometimes I think about a bad situation and I ask my family to get ready for a day like that!
Last winter we went to Saskatchewan with a group of my brothers and sisters from Kehewin Reserve to do a winter camp. When we got there the temperature was -38C with a wind chill of who knows what. We also had wet wood and slept outside in a teepee and canvas tent. Everyone survived, it build comradery, friendships and most importantly, self confidence.
Those who attended learned a LOT about themselves that night, just as I'm sure you learned a lot about yourself too. We have been doing this for over 10 years, so my confidence has grown over the years. Until we experience events like this, how would we ever be ready for such situations? 90% of the people would panic or have no idea what to do. Only 10% would be able to act and take care of their situation in a rational way. However, we can train for that so when emergencies happen, it is familiar and we won't panic or freeze out of ignorance or fear.
totally right, that's a real hard situation, I hope one day I can be like you, to have control on the situations, well my life is a little different but I love the way you live and the way I saw some other Canadians live off the grids, before I join steemit, I was just hearing about a great life and great places in other countries and people still say : we have to go out of our country to live in a better country, but they didn't know that better places are the places that we made them better, not governments and not other things. really thanks for the things you taught me WhiteWalkingFeather , you know, in my country (Iran) all the people think to go to universities and taking degrees and becoming engineers and doctors and ... and today most of people has no job, because they just think that they must ask for Governments jobs, and all looking at government to give them jobs. but I was just saying from the time that I was 18 years old, I was telling my dad I never wanna work for government or be in any job with a boss, I wanna work for myself, free, and well Steemit was a gate for me :) and I wish one day all the people can find this gate or any gate like this. but that off the grid is a thing that still its not much popular for people in here, they still take money from banks with 18% or 4% , and all the people live like they are in cages. they have to work and pay that money back to banks even more as it's 18% for example. when I started a new home I will try off the grid. it's just 6 months I started working steemit as independence work.
peace brother!
You live on the land that people commonly call 'Iran'. How cool is that. Pleased to meet you. I agree with your views and I pray that you can influence more people around you as it seems the colonization process is almost complete, even in Iran! Thank you for sharing this. It brightens my day to share similar ideas with people from all walks of life. I think this is a common ground that we can all build relationships on, despite where we live, language or beliefs ... as one of my other friends so brilliantly stated a short while ago.
thank you so much, Its a great honor to doing that, I will be glad to talk more with you, tell me if you are in discord chat site or app. :)
I'm not ... yet. One day I will get there. I tried to get onto steemit.chat, but still have yet to receive any e-mail from them to get my account setup. So perhaps discord is the place to go instead.
I'm so proud of you all, for making it through so many years like this. To hear about your contingency plans is great too. Shows how hard you think, and work, to be able to deal with any emergencies!
We are putting a wood stove in this rental place this summer, no ifs ands or buts. (Unless of course we miraculously manage to acquire a place of our own before that, then the wood stove will go there). xo
We have about 2-3 layers of contingency plans and our clan is an important aspect of those plans. Wood stoves is such an important tool for off grid living and being self-sufficient. Bravo to you for looking at getting one. Have you thought of building it yourselves? You have a very handy hubby that could make one eh! wink wink @hendrix22
You're gonna shake me when you hear this...we have one outside...getting rusty. *gets in fetal position
My precious! (trying really hard to use the voice of Gollum)
Voice received! And there's plans happening now to get it in here!! Kick in the pants received also! *gentle kick. Just talked to a neighbour, they can hook us up with some wood!!
woooohooooooo <3
Hey @wwf,
The way you expressed your thoughts by highlighting the fact "Survival of Fittest" in a very story telling way is really remarkable and appreciable.
Well i learned one thing from your blog that how to behave in certain situation and how to take right decision.
The temperature you mentioned up to minus 35 seems dangerously terrible and life threatening. At the same time you said;
These lines also reminds me great Urdu poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz's couplet in which he said;
(Translated Version)
~This is the game of death
Put your zeal in it,
Whether you lose or die
You will get Triumph as a whole~
Actually bravery is the biggest trait which we human beings own it. I am really impressed by reading your thoughts and ideas.
You're motivating me to boost my confidence level up to sky.
Please! keep writing such wroth reading blogs.
My support and best wishes are always with you.
Stay Blessed!
Well said. I like what Jim Morrison said:
Might as well make the best of it then eh! <3 I am grateful that you are finding inspiration and confidence to level up in this game called life! <3 Bravo
Well @wwf my age on steemit is just 72hours and i am learning a lot on it through great authors like you. Who are very much supportive and kind enough. It's an honor to learn from you such things
My Prayers and Best Wishes are always with you <3
Three days on steemit! Welcome! I am grateful that you found me. I look forward to working on our relationship here.
How pleasant and charismatic personality you are. I am much obliged by the generosity and kind words you used to welcome me.
It would be great to build up a strong bond with an experienced Author like you whose approach towards life is really very beautiful.
Thank you so much once again @wwf <3 <3
Incredible. I admire how you endure all that you do. Those are cold temps! Plan and then plan some more......being completely prepared for any situation is the difference between surviving and not. I think it is much easier to bury your head in the sand. I do not want to follow that path any longer. It chills me to think what could happen. Our family is totally dependant on the grid, no option for wood stove in our rental due to laws prohibiting them in houses here. We are working towards our own land, but not here in Ontario. I plan on learning all I can this winter and hopefully will have a plan of action by the summer. I am greatful to you and yours for teaching us how to be our true to ourselves and our kin.
Wonderful to hear plans in the works. Bravo. I get a smile on my face reading posts like this. You are not alone. I've noticed a lot of people now taking action which is wonderful. For years people talked and talked, but I see action taking place now. That is exciting to witness! <3 <3 <3
Yes! And thank you for all of that talking and writing. Now, many whispers and quiet actions by people are turning into something so real! I admit, I have been one of those people listening from afar.....now it is making sense. There are so many people waking up now:) I want to learn it all!!
The best way is to jump in with both feet, make mistakes, get dirty and explore! Ever watch the 'Magic School Bus'? lol ;)
Hahahaha! Yes, in fact I have probably seen every episode lol;) great comparison! I think I will get 2 goats and more chickens this spring and jump in deeper!
hahaha. I love that show. Such a great teaching tool. I'm surprised it did not run longer. They showed basic personality types with the kids too. Wonderful.
HOW many amazing reasons do we need to live in an Earthship!. Their performance never ceases to amaze me.. So happy for you that you have this kind of security.. my heart goes out to anyone or any animal that has to survive this kind of climate.. i cannot even imagine!!!
You are welcome to come and stay with us tonight if you want to experience -46C feels like? ;) The coldest I ever experienced was in 1996 when it was -35C for two weeks with dead calm air. But when the air mass moved out, the winds picked up and for two days we experienced -75C/-103F. That was a brutal cold wind and nothing moved for two days. I will never forget that experience.
I agree with you regarding the earthship. Where we live, it cannot maintain room temperature by itself in these temperatures, but no question in my mind it is the safest building to live in, especially in this environment. Considering it does all it's work passively, if all else failed, the building would still protect us from these extremes. It may not be 'comfortable', but it would be survivable! They are amazing buildings, no doubt in my mind. The fact that they also keep our water from freezing is astounding as well. The tops of our tanks are exposed to the air and we can still draw water from the tanks even at these temperatures. Astounding!
if the world goes to hell, at least I know there are good people who will survive. I’m stuck in my community for various reasons but living in the extreme cold on your own is incredible.
Would love to see your preservation techniques for food and how you ride out the winter in more depth. Paramount skills if we happen to live in he great white north.
I believe I wrote about that topic already.
https://steemit.com/homesteading/@wwf/diy-solar-food-dehydrator-and-smoke-house
https://steemit.com/homesteading/@wwf/our-weapon-for-peace-and-prosperity-seeds
https://steemit.com/homesteading/@wwf/food-for-a-year-to-feed-a-family-of-4
Sometimes I miss your blog updates! I’ll check it out.
I think it’s interesting how most people tied to a grid in conventional homes feel safe and secure, when in reality your off grid living is much more resilient. I think when we have institutional powers holding our hand and “protecting” us we don’t feel the need to make backup plans. We take all of the infrastructure for granted and assume if anything happens “they” will fix it. It sounds like you have backups for your backups, even when your earthship is much more resilient than conventional homes.
We heat with a wood stove too, and there have been many times in the winter where power went out for days. We were perfectly fine. I can’t tell you how much peace heating with wood brings.
Our last line of defense is our clan. We have agreements with our clan that if anybody needs help, the other clan members are available. So even if a yard site is lost, they are welcome to go to another clan member as a backup site. Because our clan is spread out, hours away for some of them, there is little risk of us all being hit with the same problem. It provides peace of mind knowing that we have others standing by in case of emergency.
That's awesome. To be a part of a clan, knowing that if worse comes to worse you'll have a network of friends to help is beyond great. That's true community. I've been a part of a lot of toxic community and have been seeking a clan/tribe of real close companions. I almost gave up, but it's encouraging to see other's who have been brave enough cultivate this in our modern isolated world.
Actually, I did not 'look' for them. Instead I walked the path and along the journey we found each other. It required that each of us have the courage to start the journey and then we got together. Most people look for others to start, but that does not work very well. At least that has been my experience. That way everyone is still independent and we don't end up fostering dependency within the relationships.
Wow, that's great insight. Something I've felt, and perhaps intuitively known and witnessed. It's easy to foster unhealthy dependency. It's almost like a rite of passage becoming independent and breaking off alone, and then one can enter into true communion.
Absolutely! A leap of faith comes first eh! :) <3
Holy! This is why Im happy I live in Portugal.
Even with cold winter nights, off grid people here only experience something along the lines of -7Cº
Can't imagine the cold you'll be experiencing at -35Cº
Yikes!
During the winter there is little humidity in the air, so it is very dry (10-30% RH). So it makes these temperatures more bearable. At times -7C with high humidity would 'feel' colder than -35C with low humidity. I would rather live here than the great lakes as they have high humidity and that cold cuts to the bone.
Portugal is tough to handle for people who are disconnected but for the opposite. We experience 44Cº during the day and sometimes even 25Cº during the night.
This is easy to handle during one day, but when you get a whole month like this, and you have no rest from these huge temperatures, you start to get tired.
That is hot. I suffer in the heat here when it gets above +27C. No way I could handle +44C. Yikes. Yes, I can see how that would drain you. The thing I like about winter is that you can warm up. But at temperatures like that, it is tough to cool down.
Yeah... it is really tiresome not being able to "recharge" during the night. If it wasn't for AC we'd toast.
This is really a tough situation, can't calls be placed on the electricity company or station to restore electricity or was the electric light disconnected due to the low temperature?
I think you mis-understood my friend. We don't live on the grid. No phone calls to make. We live off-grid and chose to live this way. :) We have our solar power system for electricity but it is not needed for heat. The earthship and wood heat helps keep us warm. All is good my friend. <3 We are comfortable, warm and very safe!
Wow, that must be an interesting place to be. I misunderstood you at first but now I have to reread it.
Luckily here in BC, even on the top of a mountain, it does not get into the -30s! Thank god really. The key is many layers of pants, long johns and waterproof layers. And lots of fire!
Our emergency is more like, we cant leave until we plow the piles of snow. Luckily we, as in mostly my dad and mel, are innventive. I would totally not be able to live here without them!
Now, to go shovel a couple feet of snow and pull logs out of the forest >.< Survival is kinda fun if your not in danger of dieing lol.