Waking up in the middle of the night is not pleasurable. Peeing at 4 a.m. is a hassle. Putting on four fleece coats to go pee is cumbersome. Cramming your feet into insulated Xtra Tuffs with thick SmartWool socks is a dance if you stay standing.

Anna Gagne-Hawes doesn't bother with pants.

She bolts to the outhouse in knee-high boots, her only leg coverage. She slips her panties down and feels the instant relief. It's too cold to wipe. She dashes back to bed.

Gagne-Hawes, a 21-year-old dual theater and history major at UAF, grew up in Juneau and lived in France before coming to Fairbanks. And now she lives in a cabin.

"I love my cabin," she sighs.

Not just any cabin. A dry cabin. No indoor plumbing. The sink stinks. The slop bucket, which sits under the sink drain in place of plumbing, is full.

Domestic and personal cleanliness is gauged on a different scale in cabin life, with more room for filth. Hair is acceptable greasy, and it's OK to have food stuck to clean dishes.

It takes time to boil water. Dishes take more time to wash. It takes planning to visit public showers and laundry facilities.

Life is all about time management while dwelling in a cabin. It just takes longer to get ready.

It's like you're physiological metronome set a new internal pace, a pace that is adapted to living so far north, where you must have patience to survive the winter.

Gagne-Hawes is one of hundreds who live in a cabin while attending UAF. She says it's the thing to do in Fairbanks, a natural option. People outside of the cabin crowd don't understand. People in Anchorage don't understand.

Frances Dashiel, a UAF orientation leader, says 20 percent of UAF students living off campus reside in cabins.

This is not the typical "grunge" scene. It's the Interior Alaska grunge.

It's not a statement about being hard-core to live in a cabin. Living in cabins is genuinely enjoyable.

Hot fires, warm lights, soft noises and natural wood smells are cozy.

Quiet activities dominate in cabins.

There is lots of reading, knitting and cooking. Gagne-Hawes has a Sunday girls-only "Stitch n' Bitch," a gathering where ladies bake bread, sew, knit and gossip.

University students with a slight taste of adventure love cabin life.

It's something they can't experience in many other places.

It's a cultural side to Fairbanks that visitors like to experience.

Building practices are influenced by the materials available and the lowest standards acceptable. One can build a complete cabin for around $20,000, including electricity, appliances and labor, says Jenny Campbell, a civil engineer and owner of five cabins.

The city limits are small and land outside of it is plentiful. An acre of land outside the city limits can be bought for one-sixth of the price of an acre in the city.

On any given fall day in Fairbanks, there are likely to be 20 cabins for rent in the classifieds of the local newspaper. There are likely to be 50 apartments.

Renting a cabin ranges from $300-$500 per month. Renting a small apartment ranges from $800-$1,000 per month.

Kevin Huddy, director of residential life, says he imagines students live in cabins because they are cheap.

College students need a cheap place to live, and cabins fill the need.

Some cabins are situated side by side, while others are on acres of private land. Landlords have developed cabin parks.

It's the glorified Alaskan trailer park.

Gagne-Hawes lived in a cabin park last year. Now she resides on a secluded hill, which makes her feel upper-class.

UAF makes it easy for students to live in cabins. There are showers located next to the cafe, in the basement of the Wood Center, and in the pool and gym.

The Wood Center also has laundry facilities next to the showers.

Laundry facilities are also found on almost every city block in central Fairbanks. Water fill-up stations are usually at these locations as well.

The main station, The Water Wagon, has eight industrial hoses to speed the process of filling up five-gallon jugs. A student may use a jug a day.

Gagne-Hawes attributes her strong arm muscles to hauling these heavy, 45-pound jugs around.

"I used to be a wimp about hauling water," she says. "I was embarrassed to look weak in front of the other strong girls who haul water. Now it's just as easy for me to lift my jugs, and I feel like a bad-ass."

In the winter, when it is 40 below, the act of getting water is painful and the temperatures chill you to the bone. The water wants to freeze instantly as it hits the air.

This hassle makes is difficult to keep up on washing dishes because it takes about one jug to do two sinks full of dirty dishes.

Log cabins are popular; they look like they were constructed with Lincoln Logs. While some seem like plywood shacks, there are many styles.

The most typical layout is a one-room 16-by-20 foot cabin with a loft to sleep in. An indoor fireplace is a luxury. Most are heated with a small ToyoStove or Monitor, small oil heaters.

Gagne-Hawes has a heater and a fireplace.

"I will always remember these as some of the fondest years of my life," she says. "What an experience."