Great Pacific Northwest Mountain Cabin

Hello Steemit friends: I hope you'll join me in a mountain cabin retreat in the Northern Cascades of Oregon.

Our son was going to a Boy Scout camp on Mt. Hood. It just so happened to be the weekend of our anniversary, so we thought it would be perfect timing to get a cabin near the lodge he would be staying at to spend some quality time together and celebrate our anniversary.

After winding up the mountain, we met the other boys and leaders in a parking lot, where everyone gathered their packs and put on warm coats, hats, and gloves to hike up to the lodge. The parking lot was surrounded by towering walls of snow. There was a carved path going up onto a trail to the lodge. They towed all of their supplies on sleds. It wasn't that long of a hike, maybe a mile. We hiked in with our son to see where he'd be staying. The trail was hard packed snow, but if you lost your footing, you would sink into several feet of unpacked snow. After following the trail and the line of boys for a while, we could see the lodge buried in snowdrifts. The smell of wood smoke trailing from the chimney hung in the air. We could hear the echoing of laughter and cheer through the woods as some of the kids were already tubing down the hills. We walked along, taking in all the natural beauty, we could see lichens hanging from the trees and drops of water slowly dripping from pine needles, and the beautiful aqua blue color where the snow dips down.

When we went inside the lodge, the scene was very much like the movie, Home Alone. There was a lot of noise as kids were bustling everywhere we looked. They were running up and down the stairs, in and out of rooms full of bunk beds, as 120 boys tried to claim their bunk and explore their new territory. Others were scurrying outside to go sledding. The lodge was very rustic and simple inside. Everything was made of wood and open in the center all the way to the three story vaulted ceiling. There was a huge wood stove for the boys to warm themselves after playing outside, and the room was lined with couches and ping pong tables.

Our son had never stayed at a camp, so when we were walking back to the vehicle it was a little difficult to leave him there, even though we knew he would have a great time. The excitement set in to see our cabin as we followed the mountain road passing some of the most pristine waters flowing over boulders as it made its way through the land. We were curiously looking around every curve for our cabin until we finally arrived about forty-five minutes later. Nestled right against a mountainside surrounded by woods, it was the peaceful haven we had been hoping for.

The cabin had a mixed rustic decor down to the smallest details. It was very cozy and made us feel right at home. In the living room, there was a cow skin rug, authentic Pendleton wool blankets, Native American art decorated the walls, old pottery in various places, and cow skin pillows placed on the couch. There was cut wood ready to use in the wood stove and an apparent mountain theme throughout the entire home.

We went to a little grocery store in the small town of Rhododendron, to buy some food and essentials that we would need. Later that night, we settled in and popped a bottle of champagne to celebrate the occasion and warmed ourselves by the fire as we reminisced into the night.

The next morning, we were pleasantly surprised by a tiny waterfall right outside the dining room window. We could hear the trickling sound of the water while we enjoyed our breakfast.

We started the day with a colorful veggie scramble, roasted potatoes, hickory smoked bacon, and fresh Oregon blueberries.

After a nice quiet morning together and a hot cup of coffee, we decided to drive up to see our little boy. When we got there, we found him laughing and playing the board game, Risk, with a group of boys. It was raining rather hard, so they decided to stay in and play board games, ping pong, and hide and seek in the three story lodge until it let up. After visiting for a while, we decided to go do some exploring and spend some time together.

We had a late dinner at the only restaurant around, in Zig Zag, Oregon. It was difficult to find the healthy food we were used to, so we settled for some diner food since it was getting so late. It was actually great food and we enjoyed our time talking and laughing about little things.

Deer antler chandeliers lined the ceiling centered by a pair of moose antlers. Along the walls you could see fly fishing gear and mountain themed decor once again, creating a warm atmosphere.

Our last morning at the cabin, we had a special anniversary breakfast to end an extraordinary getaway. We made cheesecake crepes with blueberry compote and orange juice to wash it down.

Before heading out, we sipped a cup of hot coffee and wrote in the guest journal about our wonderful experience.

We picked our little boy up and shared stories on the way home. It was such a great time, but we were all ready to be home again.

Stay tuned as we visit the town of Government Camp, a trendy little ski town.