The Heat Is On
It’s not uncommon here in western Montana to have a short run of uber hot temps in the summertime. While it’s typically not long-lasting, and tends to cool off nicely as soon as the sun goes down, the swell of summer heat is here & now at Empty Mountain.
When living off-grid and without running water in the pitch of heat (and bugs), there are creative things one learns to do to help weather the weather. In living how we do, it’s also pretty darn important to one’s quality of life to have the willingness to do a little adapting. Otherwise, being in the woods in the summer heat has the very real potential to be a misery of epic proportion. In my own personal learning adventure of adapting to life in the remote woods, I’m finding that cultivating the right attitude and outlook are foundational to my ability to stay present, grounded, and connected, and also open, flexible and buoyant. I mean, we all know this, though it’s easy to forget: when we focus on the suck factor of whatever is taking place, our experience in the moment gets a whole lot worse. This isn’t to say we shouldn’t acknowledge the difficulties on board and at hand, but when we devote our full attention to them, it increases their intensity, duration and size. Mind training and heart tending are powerful antidotes to most (all?) forms of suffering.
Now that I’ve wandered off into the metaphorical woods of practice, I’ll circle back to the practicalities of how I personally practice not to go crazy in the heat of the actual woods. Here goes:
Be smart about it. Applying basic intelligence goes a really long way. I do outdoor-based household upkeep chores in the morning when it’s cool out. When I’m outside later in the day, I pay close attention to how much time I’m spending in the sun, and I make good use of the shade. And at the peak heat of the day, there’s a good chance you’ll find me inside taking a siesta.
Go for a dip in the river. Here at EM, we are super fortunate to have the Clark Fork River close-by. When the going gets tough in the heat, we wander on down to the river and take a swim. In a less than 5-minute drive, we can be happily enjoying the refreshing coolness of the water. I’ve learned by way of necessity that a quick dunk in the river is a game-changer when it comes to perking up my spirit when it wilts in the hot sun.
Enjoy cold drinks. We take refuge in cold drinks (which for us, right now, means no-sugar, naturally flavored sparkling water). As no-brainer as I feel like this sounds, neither of us were much into regular cold beverage drinking prior to moving into the woods. But we learned - again by necessity - amid our first summer out here living in the van and building the cabin, that cold drinks were an upliftment of measurable value. As it wasn’t until last year that we upgraded from a cooler to a small plug-in fridge, the first stretch of months we spent here involved fetching ice to keep drinks cold every 2 days or so. Ice upkeep was a fair amount of work - and sometimes a real hassle - but as it resulted in us having the benefit of cold drinks, it was super worth it, especially when all we had for shelter was the hot van.
Go for a drive with the AC on. We are also fortunate to live in an area where a chill, pleasant, and scenic drive is par for the course in any direction. Montana as a whole is beautific country, and no matter where you reside in the state, a leisurely and lovely drive is easy to find. This is a big state and our population is on the low side here (translation: easy, open, uncluttered roadways abound). So sometimes we take the opportunity to beat the heat simply by going on a drive with the AC on, and it gives us the added bonus of getting to see and learn about the surrounding area in which we now live.
And, most importantly, Mike - wonderfully, wonderfully - was equipped with the knowledge and skill to insulate our cabin super well. Last year, we chose to prioritize building a covered porch on the front & south-facing side of the cabin, ahead of doing siding and installing interior walls. It was stellar good call, for a few reasons. One of those reasons was it now gives our small cabin a nice buffer of shade from the blazing sun at the height of summer. No longer is the sun just pouring into our front window and radiating through our wooden door. It makes a big difference.
The dope insulation we have means that even when it’s in the 90’s outside, the temperature inside is very comfortable for the bulk of the day. The highest its gotten inside is 77-degrees, and that happens later in the day and it’s not for very long. While originally we were hard set on not living in a canyon, our deal-breakers changed on our long quest of finding land we could afford to buy. Here at EM, we are situated in a canyon, and it’s definitely helpful in the summertime. Our swath of sky is limited, but that also means the heat we get from the direct sun is also limited. It’s absolutely delightful to sit outside until noon or 1:00pm. The sun then ducks down behind the trees around 6:30pm, and there’s often an instant relief that follows. It’s still quite warm out, but without the presence of the direct sun, it tends to be quite pleasant to be back outside. Although, there are also the bugs to contend with, so sometimes I choose to be inside simply to get a break from the buzzing flyers.
In short, now that we have the cabin to enjoy living in, and we no longer reside in the van, we are able to stay pretty darn comfortable in the summer heat much of the time. And, when we wilt, we have the luxury of having a river close-by, and good-enough health and physical ability to hop on in.