Our Rustic Cabin

I have come down off the mountain and returned again to civilization, following a restful long weekend up there.

Just in time for the Halloween festivities.

And, with just enough time to wash the clothing and repack for another long weekend up there.

Although I come and go a lot, one wouldn't exactly call me a jetsetter.  It's not as if our digs up there in the woods are ultra-glamorous or anything.  In fact, they are fairly rustic.  And actually, most people would feel that our little place up there on the mountaintop is just too primitive for their liking.

However, I've been going there for weekends and vacations for the last fifty years or so, and I've grown to love the place.   I have so many fond memories of adventures that happened there when I was a child, and since then when I take my own children and grandchildren.

Many people have asked me what it's like up there where we go so often, as it's a fairly private place, waaaaaaaay back into the woods.

Since I've shown exterior photos before, this time I'll show a smattering of quirky photos from inside the cabin - things that have been there as long almost as I can remember, things that are part of the personality of the place.

Here is our custom propane hot water heater, installed in the corner of the kitchen.  It is so efficient that it even heats the entire kitchen.  We use the hot water heater when baths are needed or mountains of dishes needing to be washed.  The little glass tube on the upper right side is an indicator to show us the water level.  I wish I had a photo of the rudimentary hot water heater that preceded this one.

Since there is no electricity to our cabin, everything is powered by propane - propane lights, water heater, stove, and refrigerator.  In addition to light, these propane lights give off a lot of heat.

We have simple plumbing.  A pump at the sink, some water lines running into the bathroom, and a flushable toilet.  Usually it's flushable, unless the water in the spring is low.  Then we have to dump a bucket of water in the toilet bowl to force flush it.  We always keep two buckets filled with water near the toilet for this purpose.

Although some of the roads on the property have been upgraded recently, in general a four wheel drive vehicle is necessary to get around.  Here is a very old map of some of the roads:

If a room or rooms aren't being used, we generally keep them closed off in order to preserve the heat in the other rooms.  This is an old heavily used door stop:

Being located in such a remote place, we are all keenly attuned to safety in every way.  Wearing orange during any hunting season is a must, whether we are hunting or not.  Even our puppy has a wide hunters' orange collar.

A plaque hanging by the front door pretty much sums up all our feelings.

No electricity means no exterior illumination.  Notice the "porch light" hanging there right inside the front door.

My father made these two toy guns for my two brothers and I when we were very young children.

Even way back then, he began instilling in us the importance of handling weapons safely.  He didn't necessarily care if we were to become hunters or not;  he just wanted us to be proficient in handling firearms and to be safe.  To the best of my calculations these toy guns are over fifty years old.

Being so far into the woods, once in a while a mouse thinks it's OK to get into our cabin.  Although we keep mouse traps set just in case, we also developed a way to keep our food pantry mouse proof.  Because the wooden doors had somewhat warped over the years, we installed tighteners at the top and bottom.

Since we've put the tighteners on, no mouse has gotten into our food stocks.  We can go for years without any evidence of mice, then one stinker gets in and we have to trap the mouse, and find and seal the entrance crack.

Since we are so far from civilization, in case of a fire, we are on our own.  These three large fire extinguishers are always kept in an easy to reach spot.

I realize that this sort of rustic getaway may not appeal to everybody, but it has suited our family well.

No, we are not all hunters.  In fact, only one family member still actively traps and hunts.  The rest of us are just generally lovers of nature and the outdoors.

We are just blessed to have a place to gather and enjoy each other, and one certainly can't put a price on that.