Spruce Peak Cabin

I'm in love with a cabin in the woods. It was built by the GMC and USFS to give passing hikers shelter for the night. We arrive just after dusk. I didn't yet have my headlamp on. I walked up the steps onto the covered porch, hoping it would be unoccupied. I slowly pulled back the squeaky sliding door. "Hello?" Nobody was there. We had our home for the night.

I slipped on my headlamp and had a look around. A wood burning stove sat between two sleeping platforms, above which were two lofts. In the corner between two windows was a table, worn from 27 years of thru-hiker meals and socializing. The girls walked in behind me. "Okay guys, here's the plan," Thumper said. "We go into town and get jobs, winter here, and finish the trail in the spring," First of all, I love when someone says, "Here's the plan". One, it means something great could be getting ready to happen. And it means I don't have to come up with a plan myself. I have to admit, I don't hate her idea. Living in a cabin in the mountains has been a dream I've held even longer than my dream to hike the AT. I love this place. And love that they love it too. We'll leave soon, maybe we'll come back someday.