By Anna Hoke | I feel like I am reminiscing a little bit about my summer experiences but who doesn’t when autumn hits us with buckets of water. In August I got the opportunity to visit a cabin on Admiralty with my Dad, my Aunt Sue and family friend Scott. Since then, I’ve been reflecting on cabin life and this “home away from home” occurrence that many Alaskans experience. While some may not consider a visit to a cabin a vacation, many people do. It’s a place to escape, often there is no Internet or phone access and technology is essentially shut off. You are lucky to have running water and (gasp) electricity. To me, cabin life is adventurous; the new environment is both peaceful and exciting. Living in a more “rural” environment makes me appreciate the normalcies of life and offers diverse experiences depending on where the cabin is. I’ve experienced a couple different types of cabin life, which are equally fun but equally very different. I categorize them in four stages: roughing it, man cave, luxury, and the Ritz.
There’s the totally rural, “low amenities” cabin with no running water or electricity. This type of cabin usually has a heating source, four walls and a roof. I like this type of cabin for an over nighter or two days at the most. I admire those who can go longer in this environment but for me, showers are important. I encounter these types of cabins usually as Forrest Service rentals, typically kicked off by a hike to the cabin, followed by a hike out the next day or two. Packing all your gear can be hard work but is rewarding and you sleep with the feeling of accomplishment and soreness… There is a very cozy feeling that comes with the “roughing it” cabin experience. You are in close proximity with fellow travellers, often food, beverages and entertainment are shared. The darkness is lit by candle light and headlamps that erases the rest of the world. Once the trip is over, let’s admit it, it’s so nice to hop in a warm shower and sleep in a real bed.
Then there is the “inbetweener” cabin, which I like to call “man cave.” This cabin might have amenities like a generator, a toilet you can “flush” with buckets of unfiltered water and in my particular experience, a sauna as a shower. Though this is a man cave cabin, (not a lot of sheetrock but plastic covered insulation) the specific one that I visit is probably my most favorite cabin I travel to. It’s located on Admiralty Island near Funter Bay. The trip habitually kicks off before we even leave for the cabin. My aunt and I are usually in charge of food. I enjoy making meal plans with her, and the day before the trip we make a grocery run in which we drink coffee and joke about how my dad won’t be thrilled with our healthy meal choices. On “travel” day we take our packed up essentials and hop in the boat, which is probably my favorite place to be where we set off on a scenic ride to the cabin. Once we arrive and get settled, we spend our time fishing and sometimes crabbing. Our evenings consist of cocktail hour, cooking dinner, taking saunas, card games and sometimes a generator-produced movie! If the weather is nice, my aunt and I will take a dip in the ocean in the middle of our sauna-time. I am lucky enough to sleep in a separate room away from the family of snorers so sleeping is possible. The only setback to this cabin is it is located in brown bear country, which means walks, beach combing and exploration must be accompanied by a gun. I have no gun safety training so that is out of the question unless someone accompanies me.
Then there is the more “luxurious” cabin living. The one I’ve experienced specifically is a family cabin in Gustavus. It has electricity, an incinerator toilet and a “shower.” The shower is located outside the cabin and is essentially a large wooden box with a door, and for a water source we use a five gallon bucket with heated water and an old milk jug with the bottom cut out of it as a scooper. I love going to this cabin as it offers different adventures and experiences. There is a lot of cross country skiing and adventuring to do in Gustavus, not to mention it’s a lovely community to explore. There is plenty of wildlife to see, and Gustavus is within close distance to Glacier Bay National Park.
Finally, we come to “the Ritz” type of cabin, which isn’t really a cabin at all, but a house somewhere other then your own house. This type of cabin is lovely and relaxing because you can stay for a longer period of time with most of the comforts that you are used to. Depending on where the cabin is located, there is typically an array of activities to do, and this type of living takes you away (hopefully) from the stresses of everyday life.
These views on cabin life and categorizations are mine in particular but as diverse and adventurous as Alaskans are, I am certain people have their own thoughts, adventures and feelings about cabin life. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed reminiscing about it!
Anna Hoke is the graphic designer and owner of Southeast Living Magazine. She can be reached at anna@seakliving.com.
