Liitle House in the Woods

I bought the $40 annual pass for the Eagle River Nature Center and decided to go for another walk in the woods today.  My last day here was about a month ago, so I was hoping it was greening up a little bit.  The sign in at the main office said a moose was spotted here yesterday, but all I saw were moose tracks.  I took the trail a little further than I went the last time, and headed down the Iditarod trail (this was part of the long route between Seward and Nome).

 



The little map said that there are 3 cabins in the woods that you can rent.  Just past the Iditarod trail sign where I turned back last time, I came across a the vancancy sign for the first little woodland hotel, and decided to go check it out.

It was a litter further off the path than I thought.  Maybe only 500 feet, far enough away to have privacy from the day hikers, and far enough to make me look over a shoulder when I heard a strange noise...it was only my camera bag rubbing on my jacket, but it's surprising how quiet it gets when you are just a couple hundred feet away from others in the woods.

So here it is, one of the isolated little cabins you can rent for your own wilderness adventure.  I will mention that I passed an outhouse along the way, so pretty sure there is no plumbing.  I think if I needed a midnight restroom break out here, I might want the outhouse a little closer.

But those souls who are braver, or have larger bladders, are rewarded with this view from their patio.  I imagine you might see a bear or moose frolicking nearby if you wait long enough (presuming bears frolick when they think no one is looking).

 As my friends know well, I am a day tripper.  I did a fair bit of camping years back, but these days I am quite content to carry the smell of woods and fresh air home with me and snuggle into a warm soft bed at night  I will leave it to my backpack and hostel loving friends to let you know how the cabin is.  For now I am content to be a brief voyeur into the wilderness.  I noted fresh ash in the firepit and did feel a bit of longing to sit under the night skies with a bonfire.  The next thing I noticed was the metal lockbox and a written reminder to users to use it so that the bears wouldn't come to the cabin after they left.  I noted the glint of a candy wrapper to my right and the deafening silence, and decided to move on down the trail.  There were more trails to explore, and I was excited to get back on one that hadn't been cooked on lately.