There's not much to tell about winter at the cabin. I kept busy, and kept out of sight. I did some hiking, except when there was snow on the ground (tracks in snow are easy to follow, and I didn't want to leave any people tracks for someone else to find). I was able to do about 7 miles a day then on average, sometimes better, depending on the weather and ground conditions. I was careful to stay out of any areas that might be occupied by two-legged critters. And I was continually on the lookout for signs of those types of critters. I wanted to make sure that my area stayed as remote as it should be.
The winter was about average. There was a good supply of snow in the mountains, which I could see off in the distance from one of the areas I hiked through. The water in the stream kept a good flow; I did some maintenance of the water intake area. I had already spent some time in the fall to hide the intake for the pipe that I had running down to the house.
I kept in good shape with the hiking, and the wood chopping and splitting. I have a good metabolism, so I wasn't prone to being overweight. My diet was a bit more balanced now, and I had a good supply of multi-vitamins. I did get a cold during the winter, but it wasn't too bad. A bit of congestion, but nothing I couldn't easily handle. And I didn't have any allergies, either, so the coming spring would be OK.
Power was still erratic. I don't know who (or what) was maintaining the electrical power, but they were trying to keep the power grid working. I used the power whenever I could. The refrigerator was always connected, although there were some days that I had to use the battery backup power from my power room. It was a small box, though, and I didn't have much to refrigerate. I used powdered milk (you get used to the taste), mixing up only what I needed so it wouldn't have to be stored. I don't eat cookies and milk very often now. (I miss Hilda's Bakery.) Nothing frozen, of course. I kept the water barrels full, using well water when power was available, creek water when necessary.
I spent some time that winter setting up the toilet to use water from the creek supply. Showers were a luxury; most often it was a bath in a metal tub in front of the fireplace. Mostly cold water made slightly warmer by some hot water heated from the fireplace stove.
My hair got a bit long, luckily it wasn't very thick. I started tying it back into a ponytail. And I shaved a couple of times a week, using a straight razor I had picked up from a barber supply. Boy, that was scary the first few times. It takes a bit of practice to use a straight razor, and I got the scars to prove it. But it got easier with practice.
There are lots of things that you don't think about that have to be done different. Washing clothes by hand. Mending holes in your clothes. It used to be that when my socks got holes in them, I'd 'darn' them: "Oh, darn, looks like I'll have to throw away this pair of socks." Now I darn my socks (and clothes) with a needle and thread (my grandmother would be proud of my darning skill). I got good at replacing handles on shovels and rakes and axes, even making my own handles. I learned how to properly sharpen my tools (and the straight razor). And everything has to be done by hand. I couldn't wait for when (if?) the power would be on long enough to use power tools or a washing machine.
But life goes on, and that's the plan. That's why I spent all that effort getting ready.