We’re six weeks out from the start of the Wilderness Guide Training Semester. I’ve been busy making preparations all morning for clearing our road, fixing the roof on the cook shed and getting the stove pipe operational, etc. April is a tough month at the field school, so getting the details in order will help for a smooth transition into the semester. It’s something that is lost on how people think about an off-grid, rural life; it’s often inconvenient. Sometimes incredibly so. In poking around the web it seems to always be sunshine and convenient independence. But more often than not in my world, there are 8-foot snow drifts to shovel, broken stove pipes, broken canoes, buildings that need repair, roofs that need repair, etc. My point is that often our first impression, especially if it is from youtube or instagram or some other web-based source, is often whitewashed and cleverly lit to make it look different than it does in reality. If you’re looking for reality and authenticity, it needs to be experienced first hand and in person.