With roughly a 15 inch x 15 inch footprint the Morso 1410 is  one of the smallest wood stoves I’ve seen.  The firebox is only big enough for 12 inch splits of wood, but you can cram a few 14 inch splits in on the diagonal.  Despite it’s diminutive size I have been able to get 8-9 hour burns when I pack her full of wood on a nice bed of coals and nearly close the primary air supply.  I’ve found a few coals capable of restarting the fire even after 10 hours.

It takes a really good coal bed before the Squirrel starts burning efficiently and smokeless.  If I use a lot of dry kindling I can usually get to this point in about 10-15 minutes.  Yes I said smokeless.  This is an EPA certified stove, and when it is burning hot even the smoke is consumed inside the stove.  I couldn’t believe it the first time I checked the stove pipe outside and all I could see were heat waves rising into the cold morning air.

When you are burning at an efficient temperature, for me this is around a 550 degree reading from the stove top, the Squirrel does a good job of conserving wood as well.  My method is to pack her full of wood and then burn that down to coals before I load her up again.  With the air supply half open that cycle takes about 2 and a half hours.

When you tune your air supply properly you can get a great secondary burn with the Morso Squirrel.  You can see all the smoke and creosote burning in a ball of flame hovering above the fire.  What a show!

You build your fire on a nice grated surface and all the ash collects in a handy removable ash pan below.  There’s a neat little pull mechanism that makes the fire grate rotate so the ash is coaxed down into the pan.

You can run your stove pipe through the top of the stove or through a connection in the back.  I chose the back so I had the entire stove top to use as a cooking surface.  I can’t wait to put a big Dutch oven full of stew on for a nice all day simmer.  It’s also a great spot for your kettle to put a bit of humidity back into the dry cabin air.

So far this stove has done a great job of heating my 900 square foot cabin in temperatures hovering around 25 degrees.  Within 10 feet of the stove you are toasty in short sleeves.  Within 20 feet you’re comfortable in a pullover.  Around 30 feet you’re standing in my fennel patch outside and probably freezing your arse off.

Follow this link to see more pictures of the Morso 1410, including the inside as well.

I’m going to hope my nightmare scenario never happens, but it’s good to have an escape plan. The cabin is far from the main roads, there is no Internet service, and no cell phone coverage.  It’s the perfect place when you really need to get away for awhile.

I spent a few days at the cabin recently. The wildlife encounters, beautiful sunsets, and amazing sounds make you feel more in tune with nature.

Click the little play triangle for a minute of "night time at the cabin" audio Zen. Night sounds at the cabin

The lake at the cabin always provides fish when I need them.  This lake is rarely fished, and a big purple worm dragged along the bottom is a temptation the bass just can’t resist.  I took the opportunity to add some largemouth bass to my freezer.  Have you seen fish prices at the grocery lately?

I put some more pictures of my trip to the cabin in this photo gallery .

The beauty and remoteness of the Lake Clark National Park definitely puts it in my top 5 places to disappear to.

A month or two trying to survive in this wilderness would make my daily problems look ridiculous.

I put some more pictures of Dick Proenneke, his cabin, and Twin Lakes in the photo gallery.

He built a cabin by himself using only hand tools, and hunted and gathered for the majority of his food.  He thrived in the complete isolation of Twin Lakes, Alaska for the majority of 30 years.

Dick documented the building of his cabin and his journey through the seasons at Twin Lakes on film.  Alone in the Wilderness is the title of this autobiographical documentary, and you must seek it out.

Watching this man craft his cabin retreat out of white spruce using a hand saw and axe is fascinating.  The man made carpentry look like art.

I have a strong desire to follow his lead and head for the wilderness myself.  If I had half his courage and abilities I’d leave tomorrow.

Here’s a clip of Dick turning timber into a cabin by the lake.  This clip comes from “Alone in the Wilderness“  produced by Bob Swerer.  For more information on “Alone in the Wilderness“  check out www.dickproenneke.com.