Thank you, I’m happy you’re enjoying the videos! I’ll do my best to keep them coming for as long as I can. It’s difficult having to travel from Tokyo to Alaska to film Alaska content 🤣 best wishes to you, my friend!
@@OhashiOutdoors I can only imagine and my hat is off to you for not letting all that distance get in the way of your dreams and best wishes to you as well.
Thinking back on your first video the changes are amazing. you have realy transformed the landscape removing most dead spruce trees a major improvment. your little piece of Alaska is looking better with the passing of time. Keep up the good work young fella and see you in the next video take care and stay safe.
Thank you for following along from the beginning, @michaelmartineau1373 ! We've made a ton of progress, and we still have steam and ideas for more improvement projects! I'm looking forward to the upcoming challenges and doing my best to create videos of the process. Best wishes to you!
Thank you for another great video. I have friends that are taking their boys 9 and 12 to Japan next year so they want to thanking you for telling me about Glamping so I looked it up and sent her what I found. They didn’t know that you had them in Japan and are very excited about trying some out. They have a caravan here in Australia that they use regularly. Your Dad must be ready to go home for a rest but what a wonderful time for him to be able to spend it with you. Look forward to your next video. From Australia
Good to hear! I hope they found the camping information helpful 😊 My dad and I were definitely tired, but we enjoyed out time out there and spending time together. Thank you for watching all the way from Australia! I hope to visit there with my family someday!
I don't know how many people have cabins/property up there, but I've met three people with cabins on the lake. Everyone's nice and always offering a helping hand, if needed! Thank you for watching!
Was watching you work on that darn tree and battery died right when it was about to fall. 😂 I was so upset because I didn’t have the satisfaction of you working so hard to get that tree down and i just knew you had succeeded and WHAMMY BATTERY DIES😂😂😂😂😂anyway love watching the property come together. Great Video!!
Love the "Alaskan mallet" you used on the logs at the dock. You're really getting the place cleaned up. I bet fall is in the air by now. Keep safe and have some fun.
Thank you! "Alaskan Mallet" 🤣 It was the best and easiest thing I could find and think of to use as a mallet. Thank you for always watching, commenting, and having a sense of humor 😊
Ben, I really enjoy your videos of your off grid Alaska cabin. Thanks for sharing your life in Tokyo and hopefully you can share more of your life in Japan. Can you share how you ended ip in Tokyo and how did you learn Japanese? Best wishes to you and your beautiful family!!
Right?! I still have a lot to learn about employing the drone, but I think most of the footage turned out alright for being a first-time user out there 😂 Thank you for watching! Looking forward to more cabin videos on your channel!!!
I’ve binged watched your videos over the past few days and I’ve enjoyed your journey and all the hard work you have done. Look forward to your next video
If there are two people , on YT, who work harder than you two, I haven’t seen them. It also looks to me that the end is in sight, you will have to do videos on how to catch walleyes and pike and I,ll still be a follower. A couple of bags of rock salt distributed on your new walkway will firm up the soil and will not allow weeds to grow.
Thank you for the complement, @Nello353 ! Unfortunately, I didn't get any more fishing in this trip. I'm headed up there again in a few weeks though! I plan on doing a lot more pike fishing this coming trip. Thank you for watching!
Hello my friend. Great to see you channel growing. You and your Father must be very tired and sore at the end of the day after all that hard work. Another great video my Friend. Have a great week Cheers
Thank you much, @billgoeckel6344 ! Admittedly, it's fun to see the number of subscribers going up! However, I'd still be posting videos regardless. It's fun documenting our progress out there, and even more fun to share the adventure with great folks like you. Thank you for watching and commenting!
Right?! And for how many crossings there are, I'm surprised I haven't seen more out there. They really like the far end of the upper lake, although they venture down to my end sometimes, too. Thank you for watching!
Great video. Both you & your Dad are doing amazing work. The progress all around the cabin is enormous. But it's taking lots of hard work from both of you. Very admirable, much respect. There were a few challenging moments bringing down the trees though, trusting that it was going to work out as it should!! Deep breaths 😂 The drone footage is quite breathtaking. Look forward to the next video.
Thank you, @vam-34 ! It's the kind of hard work we love doing, and it's fun to watch the progress after each day of work. I'll do my best to keep the videos improving and coming! Best wishes to you, and thank you for watching😊
You two are making so much progress this trip! Bet your nephew loves watching. Did you hear he went to a Touch-A-Truck event with his grandparents? My sister and I took our nephews to an event they held in a quarry when they were younger. Got to ride in the big dump trucks and they even blew stuff up. Hope he had as much fun as we did. Excited to hear you are coming back out. If you ever need to touch base with someone in Anchorage let me know; my best friend has lived up there since 1984. I'm sure she'd be willing to help if she can.
Thank you so much! I did hear, and even saw a few pictures. It looks like an event most boys and men would enjoy 😁 Holding an event in an old quarry would be even better! Thank you for the offer! I will reach out if the need ever arises. I usually try to be as independent and self-sufficient as possible, but it's always good to have friends who can lend a helping hand when needed 🙂
Lots of hard work but its paying off! It looks like Porcupines have been chewing on the wood around your door. You could try applying some hot sauce on the wood. Some have sauce with near 3 million Scoville heat units. I had to use hot sauce on one of my Elk hunting blinds. The black bears were chewing it up during the night. It worked on the bears so it should work for Porcupines. Keep up the great work!!!
Thank you! It's the kind of hard work I enjoy 😊 Hot Sauce is a fantastic idea! I've been thinking of what to do to prevent more porcupine damage: metal flashing, bear board, ... But hot sauce sounds like it's worth a try! Thank you for the ideas and for watching!
Another great idea! I would if I had one up there. I’ve already busted my budget for this upcoming trip, but will considered it in the future. Thank you again!
I don’t know if you have ever seen them but Massdam makes a come along that uses rope that goes through it so you can run a long rope. They are 3/4 ton and I use mine a lot. I carry it under the seat of my wide track snowmachine with 100 feet of rope and a tree strap.
I have not seen or heard of those, but they sound fantastic! I'll write the name down and check them out. Thank you for the recommendation, and for watching!
@@pedrogodoy523 I’ll be doing a lot more fishing on my next trip up there! I’m not a great fisherman and have lots to learn, but Pike are a forgiving fish who bit just about anything 😂
Nice job gettin that widow-maker down. They are scary😬 My fave part is Pops creating that gathering spot. First step to having family cook-outs🤩 Your videos just get better and better, but alas it is Alaska and soon all my fave YTers will change over to (yikes!) winter activities. Side note: Appears I'm gettin too old, coz I almost said "The S word"❄
Thank you! I'm sorry I didn't get the widow maker falling on camera. The come-along work took much longer than anticipated, and the GoPro batter died at the worst time 🤣 I can't wait to visit Alaska in the winter! I've got one more trip scheduled up there before freeze up and plan on doing as much filming as possible. The September 2024 footage I get will be edited into videos through the beginning of winter. Good catch on not saying the "S" word! 🤣 Thank you for watching!
Absolutely love watching tree felling, such a knack! Do you live in the cottage with your Dad? What a transformation ! Must look at yr previous videos!
Thank you so much! No, we don't live there. My wife and I bought this cabin in 2021 and I've been fixing it up as a passion project. I love the outdoors and Alaska. My dad has joined me on two trips up there and helped with projects! Thank you for watching!
How come you don’t have at least some safety glasses on. If anything happens kind of hard to see where you’re going. I know when you’re cutting supposed to have other things, but at least safety glasses.
That's a great point and several others have brought it up. I should definitely be wearing eye pro at a minimum. That's the plan for the next trip! Thank you for the concern and for watching 🙃
Was your floor insulated? I've also seen folks add hardware cloth under their cabins to help keep critters out. Also, if there is room for a trap door inside the cabin, consider adding a cool/cold food storage locker under the house. I wouldn't think it would need to be very large - depending on how long your trips are.
Hello! The floor is not insulated. I think that's why the previous owner put carpet down inside the cabin - to prevent cold feet in winter 😂 A trap door leading to a cold storage area would be awesome! I'll consider it in the future. However, I just made an investment in another cold storage method in Japan. I'll be bringing that to Alaska with me in September 😁 Keep watching and you'll see in a few weeks!!! Thank you 😊
Thank you for noticing! Yes, we had some big fires and got rid of all the brush and downed trees we piled up. If I remember what I filmed, you’ll be seeing a lot of that in some upcoming episodes! Thank you for watching 😊
the logs to go to the docks are in too much contact with the ground, lot of humidity , they will rot very quickly, especially since they are already old! and keeping the bark makes it rot faster
I mention that at least one video. The logs are already rotting - they are beetle kill spruce. I don't mind if they rot. So long as they hold the ground in place long enough for the snow and rain to compact it so the lake wont just wash it away. Thank you for watching!
yes if we watch your video it is because we like nature , we like wood we like construction , yes i prefer chainsaw , i have music here at my home . do a servey . just because it is music dies not marn it is enjoyable merci for your first answer and have a nice day .
A wheel barrow would be great, but I don’t have one up there. Most things I do up there are because I want to do them. Sometimes it’s fun to set up the rope and snatch blocks, and other times it’s fun to drag a log and see what you’re capable of. All in all, I’m just having fun and filming the process. We hope you enjoy, and thank you for watching!
I was just thinking the other day about digging a cold storage box under the cabin! Wasn't planning to cut a hole in the floor though 🤣 check back in a few weeks from now. I'm heading up there again and bringing a cold storage solution with me
That was a subtle joke. He said "I'll put a sign out that says 'No Mosquitoes!' (much like a 'No Parking' sign prevents people from parking in that spot)." Thank you for watching!
I'll see if there's a brand name on it next trip! Lifetime guarantees are nice; especially when the item is at a remote, hard to access cabin and you're living full time in Tokyo 😂 It may be a few years before I'm able to get the come-along sent back to the manufacturer for a repair or replacement. Or maybe they can send replacement parts! Thank you for the knowledge and for watching!
Thank you! Safety glasses are a must. Other PPE is a must, too, but the safety glasses are extra important. I'll get a decent pair out there. Thank you for watching!
Absolutely! Although I didn’t get any more fishing in this trip. I’m headed there again in a few weeks and plan on doing a lot more fishing this trip. I hope you’re enjoying the videos!
I'll I watch a lot of these shows in the bush. As cold as it gets up there because I live in Florida. How come the beatle problem that kills the trees? Don't die off in the winter tI'me as it get real cold up there
I don't know the whole background on the beetles. From what I've pieced together, south and south central alaska got hit hard by a Japanese spruce bark beetle sometime 13-16 years ago. They killed many of the mature spruce trees in large sections of the regions, and mother nature is still recovering. I'm hoping the cold winters killed the beetle off so it doesn't happen again for many more years! Thank you for watching😊
@@OhashiOutdoors It's a big problem; they killed a big spruce tree in my front yard in Anchorage. I ended up having a landscape company come in and take it down with a crane so it wouldn't fall and hit anything. Winter doesn't seem to do anything to stop the beetles.
@@netpackrat that's unfortunate! Do you remember what year the beetles swarmed in? I'm trying to pinpoint a year, but haven't had much luck yet. Thank you!
@@OhashiOutdoors It's been going on for a few decades. I moved to Anchorage from Cordova about 20 years ago, and have not yet heard of any beetle problems down there, but long before that the beetles were a big problem elsewhere in southcentral. But down where I am from, the evergreens are mainly sitka spruce and hemlock (larch), as opposed to the black and white spruces we have up here and in the interior. I think the tree at my current house was already infested when we moved in 7 years ago. It looked OK at that time but it didn't take long for them to kill it.
@@netpackrat thats good information, thank you! Southern Alaska is beautiful. I love how the mountains stretch into the sea and how big the trees grow down there.
And can I suggest another thing bro I know you probably already know but I would start a fire outside and that usually he keeps the bugs down a lot so not let you get your face net to help you cuz I hear them bugs a lot
Of course, and awesome suggestion! The ground was too dry for a fire most of this trip. In another video or two, we get some rain and are able to have a fire safely. Thank you for watching!
We have 3 large burn piles during the filming of this video. You can see them in some of the shots. In another episode or two, you will see some actual burning! We were waiting for a few days of rain so we didn't catch the forest on fire. Thank you for watching and commenting!
@@OhashiOutdoors I saw the campfire on the super moist/soggy ground in your other video and figured that was why. At the place we used to have down near McCarthy we had a good place with bare dirt around it that was good for burning, but at the new place we bought earlier this year I have been afraid to do any burning due to the fire danger. Next year I may try to haul my wood chipper in when I start clearing brush in earnest.
@@netpackrat the fire danger is real! I'll only start a fire if the ground is saturated with water and there's been enough rain to minimize the risks of all the standing brush and timber.
Ben, I really enjoy your videos of your off grid Alaska cabin. Thanks for sharing your life in Tokyo and hopefully you can share more of your life in Japan. Can you share how you ended ip in Tokyo and how did you learn Japanese? Best wishes to you and your beautiful family!!
Thank you! We plan on doing more Japanese camping videos this fall and winter, so more Japan will be coming out later this year and early next. Without getting in too much detail, we move every 3 years or so for my work. We currently have about two years left in Tokyo, then will move onto the next place (we don't know where yet). I don't speak or read Japanese well yet. I go to Japanese class one day a week, but haven't devoted the time and energy to really buckling down and studying yet. After I retire, I want to go to a Japanese language school to become more fluent! I may share more on the channel on my next trip to the cabin. Thank you for the questions, and for watching! Best wishes to you!
