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Published by www.EPlusPromotes.com www.TheCatoctinBanner.com The Catoctin Banner Newspaper January 2018 Page 33

by Christine Maccabee

On The Wild Side experiences Photo by Christine Maccabee
Such

are indeed
sacred, though
sometimes
lonely.
Wild Cabins I Have Known Fortunately, I
happened to
have my two
sweet dogs
“Oh dear little cabin, I’ve loved you so long, with me as
God bless you old cabin, goodbye.” companions.
Of course,
— Robert Service, poet they loved the
woods, too.
Now, many
Sometimes a book comes along that speaks to us in very personal ways. years later, I live The Yurt, Christine’s cabin in the woods.
Such a book was written by Gerard Kenney, whose discoveries of remote in a large house,
one-room cabins in the Canadian wilderness reflect my own need for peace where I raised three children, but I still long for the simplicity of a one-room
and quiet. By canoe and by foot, he and a dear friend spent years adventuring cabin. Actually, I do have a nice little cottage, as I call it, just steps away
together, contemporary explorers of flora and fauna and, yes, wild cabins. from the house. Just the other day, I made a nice fire in the wood stove there.
All the cabins they stumbled upon were far off the beaten track, and each These days, I am not so eager to live there due to injuries I acquired over the
one was uniquely different from the other. Some were better furnished than years; but, every now and then, I heat up the place while I contemplate my
others, with at least one cot, if they were lucky, and frequently a nice old tin life.
wood stove. If they were lucky, the last people there left enough dry wood Prior to this little cottage, I had a yurt put up out back. “So what is a
for them to take the chill off. Some were very well made, though not as yurt?” you ask. A yurt is a round structure that is used by sheep and camel
aesthetically as a Tiny House, and others were slapped together quickly by farmers in Mongolia, easily taken down and put back up, as they migrate
someone many years before as temporary living quarters, while they fished in the summer and winter months. The concept is much like that of a tipi.
and rested during their canoeing journeys. Modeled after those ancient yurts, my yurt was a contemporary structure,
Most of these cabins were so remote that they were mostly unused, so sold by the Colorado Yurt Company, and brought here in pieces by an
Gerard and his friend felt like they “owned” them, like the Philosophy Cabin, 18-wheeler—not very rustic, eh? However, it served its purpose for me as
as they called it. They also felt like they “owned” the trickling brook, which an escape from the “big house” and was beautiful inside. Outside, it did
they named Philosophy River. “Whose cabin is it?” someone once asked. “It’s not look like much, but inside, it had antique furniture, a large yodel wood
ours,” they replied, “as are the pond, the forest, and the swamp.” They were stove, a large bed, a sofa, a desk, tongue-and-groove wood floors, and many
like two kids on a playground where nobody goes. personal items. Sadly, five years ago, it was completely destroyed by a fire.
While in my twenties, I had just such a remote wild cabin experience. I do Nothing lasts forever.
not know the history of that tiny cabin, but surely someone had lived there Memories last longer than things, and the memories I have of such one-
at one time. It was pretty shabby and slightly tilted by the time I discovered room, wild “cabins” will last a lifetime. They served me well as part of my
it, but it served my purpose of needing to escape to a quiet place. It had no spiritual journey through life, and, like Gerard Kenney, they provided an
running water or electricity, of course, so occasionally I would use facilities at escape to—not from—the wilderness, a chance to become better acquainted
an old mill house nearby; otherwise, I roughed it. It was there that I wrote a with myself and with nature.
song, which I still sing with my guitar now and then: I highly recommend Gerard Kenney’s book, Lake of the Old Uncles,
especially if you are unable to have a wilderness experience yourself—he will
“In the morning of my youth I turned to you, take you there!

Sought the beauty of the deep and the friendly woods,
Christine is a Master Naturalist in Maryland and has developed a
Sang your praises when I saw the sun that rose Wildlife Habitat Sanctuary and Native Plant Preserve on her property,
just 10 minutes north of Thurmont. You are welcome to visit by
Like a blessed lamp, sacred light upon the trees.” appointment. She can be reached by email at [email protected].