Nostalgia and Inspiration for Cozy Cabin Time Getaways

Cabin time in the Shuswap
Cabin time in the Shuswap. Photo credit: Lindsay & her dad. 

Each Labour Day weekend for about five years a group of us  would flee Vancouver to escape to a chain of lakes called the Shuswap. The agenda: three days of low-key, fun-as-heck cabin time. The chain of warm, clean lakes were ideal for fishing/boating/ kayaking/swimming and were a major draw for vacationers from B.C. and Alberta. Unlike, say, the Okanagan, the Shuswap area hasn’t been completely developed and polished. There are still trailer parks and gas stations that also pose as liquor stores/bakeries/ andgrocery stops. The chain of tiny lakeside unincorporated towns that fringe the north shore of the Shuswap are rough around the edges: they have volunteer fire departments, dusty community halls, karaoke-filled pubs and not a time share in sight (for the most part).

One such gem of an area is Celista, where my friend Lindsay’s family owns a cute little two bedroom cabin that’s straight out of the late 1970s/early 1980s. To get there, you have to drive through some tiny towns, past must-stop bannock seller, across some salmon bearing rivers and around a few hectic narrow turns to arrive at one of the best cabins I’ve ever hung my hat(s) in.  Every Labour Day weekend, Lindsay’s family would let a gaggle of us carouse at the cabin while her and her then-partner James would play host and boat captain(s). 

The deck of the Shuswap cabin.
The deck of the Shuswap cabin.

Staying there was like a giant adult sleepover. We’d dress up, wear ridiculous hats, drink too much cheap beer and play all weekend long. Some of us would end up dancing or strumming a guitar or knitting. Some of us would go fishing in rain storms. Depending on the weather, we’d sit out on the cabin’s huge deck or the bobbing dock reading books, playing board games, throwing balls into the water for our canine companions.

Run times on the boat.
Run times on the boat. Photo by Lindsay. 

Eventually we’d all end up in the lake – rain or sun –  and on good weekends, we’d go surfing/tubing/water skiing behind Lindsay’s parents boat (again, thanks Mrs & Mr J). Cabin time always meant a lot of food and gut-busting laughs amongst a bunch of city folk who just wanted to leave traffic, jobs and noise behind. At night we’d play some kind of game, stoke the wood stove and all flop down on the living room floor or in bunk beds to form a salmagundi of boozy breathed, happy humans.  Our Shuswap cabin weekends were fun, relaxing, cheap and comfortable. The way cabin hangouts should be.

rsz_shuswapa-4

Our friendship group has changed a bit since that run of long weekends at the cabin. We’re still great friends but babies, marriages, break ups, moves and a lot of adulting whittled down the Labour Day tradition a bit. When I think back on all my cabin nostalgia, I realize how lucky I was. Other than Lindsay’s cabin, I grew up hanging out in others- cabins at summer camps, family cabins in the Okanagan, a cabin on my parent’s cattle grazing property, creaky old uninhabited cabins on my grandparents ranch.

Now that I’m a mom, I can’t wait to introduce my little dude to cabin fun times. I’d say my cabin expectations are pretty chill. All I need is some drinkable water (bonus points for a lake to dunk in), a sleeping platform of some kind, a view of wilderness and some kind of cooking apparatus (gas stove, fire pit, BBQ) and a menagerie of people that I love surrounding me to make me laugh, entertain my attempts at stupid games and break bread/clink my glass with.

A floating cabin in Yellowknife Bay, NorthWest Territories.
Glamping on the water in Yellowknife, NWT.

Over the past couple couple of falls, without the requisite escape to the Shuswap cabin I find myself yearning for some cabin time. So I thought I’d share my yearning with y’all. I recently discovered a sweet rental website called Glamping Hub.

An airy glass cabin near Silverton, Oregon.
An airy glass cabin near Silverton, Oregon.
The interior of the Silverton cabin.
The interior of the Silverton cabin.

Their mantra is ‘Explore Wildly’ and the searchable, pretty website is sort of like an outdoorsy, glamping version of Air BnB. They have properties across North America, Europe and Australia. Naturally I went searching for glamping cabins in Alberta (more on in a later post), but I also discovered some gems around North America.

A cabin overlooks B.C.'s Robson Valley.
A cabin overlooks B.C.’s Robson Valley.

rsz_stunning_log_cabins_near_mount_robson_provincial_park_in_british_columbia-2

As the snow starts to fall and you think of a winter getaway cuddled up by a fire with a spiked hot cocoa or if you’re already fantasizing about escaping for some cabin time next spring/summer, maybe you’ll check these cabins out and report back. Or maybe, if you’re lucky, you have a Lindsay in your life and your next cabin adventure is all plotted out.

A sophisticated A-fram cabin near Yosemite.
A sophisticated A-frame cabin near Yosemite.

Looking for more cabin inspiration? Check out my Cabin & Trailer Fever Board on Pinterest. You can find pins that link to all of the Glamping Hub cabins above and below.

Do you have a cabin that you like to spend time at? Where is it? Why do you love it so?

** A giant thanks to Lindsay for the top three photos and inspiration for this post. **


Posted

in

by

Comments

17 responses to “Nostalgia and Inspiration for Cozy Cabin Time Getaways”

  1. Carmen | Carmen's Luxury Travel Avatar

    We spend a week in a log cabin a few summers with our kids in Tennessee. They really enjoyed the outdoors, especially our son who likes to fish. I think my favorite has to be the log cabin in Silverton, Oregon. Being able to be indoors but at the same time getting to see all the sites around you from all the windows has to be amazing.

  2. Elena Avatar

    We had the similar tradition when we lived on the East Coast of the US about ten years ago. For a week in the summer, we were escaping to upstate New York or even farther to Quebec. It was fun and I still cherish memories of spending time swimming in the lakes, hiking in the forests and lazily enjoying warm evenings sitting on cute porches (sans mosquitoes) of wooden cabins so popular there.
    Silverton glass cabin looks amazing. I would love to spend a week there :).

  3. Ashley @ The Wandering Weekenders Avatar

    What a great tradition! I love that y’all have kept the tradition alive even though people might have moved or gotten married and had kids. I hope that you continue the tradition with your kids and maybe even find a new cabin to venture to.

  4. Valen-This Way To Paradise Avatar

    I feel like cabins really incorporate nature into the living space which is what I love about them. These cabins look heavenly!

  5. Kate Avatar
    Kate

    Ah yes, the one year I was able to join was SO fun. Dock surfing!! And hats!

    Renting a cabin at Mt Baker for ski trips is one of my other favourite friendspeditions. In the future I also imagine cabin trips with our kids (with a lot of “keep it down!” And a LOT of wine).

    1. mpost Avatar
      mpost

      Friendspeditions! That’s going to be my word of the week. Thanks Kate. I imagine our future cabin times will be similar – kids asleep while parents have a great time – maybe not as rowdy as Shuswap, but fun nonetheless.

  6. jodyR Avatar

    Your cabin inspiration got me thinking, too. I like to play that game where I think if I had a ton of cash if I’d get a cabin and where, or if I’d just rent in a different spot every year. What would be really cool is if your group was able to reconvene after taking a break. It’s funny how with some groups you just pick up where you left off.

    1. mpost Avatar
      mpost

      It would be great to get together again – we’re still all friends, we’re just so spread out now. I have a feeling it would be like riding a bike – everyone would remember how to hang out together once again 🙂

  7. Agata Avatar

    These pictures are absolutely fantastic! I think these cabins offer a great combination of solitude and comfort. I strongly believe that, from time to time, we all need a short retreat to gain a better perspective on our daily lives. Canada has so much to offer to all people who appreciate wilderness and beauty. I need to visit it again soon.

    1. mpost Avatar
      mpost

      I think they have properties in Europe too – I haven’t checked them out much because I’m not planning a Euro cabin trip anytime soon, but it’s nice that GLamping Hub is global.

  8. Mary Hood Avatar

    Those cabins are so precious! I haven’t been glamping yet but I’m going to check out that website. I used to go to the lake a lot during summer too, and there’s definitely something special about that time. Nice pictures!

  9. Leigh Avatar

    I love this and could easily see myself in any one of these cabins curled up with a good book and a glass of wine. What inspiration. I’ll check out your Pinterest board for sure.

    1. mpost Avatar
      mpost

      I can’t wait to do the same!

  10. Meg Jerrard Avatar

    Cabin time is the best! I have some of my most fond memories from hanging out with friends on a summer trip to the lake where our parents rented a cabin! And thanks for the tip on Glamping Hub – I’ve been looking through and seems like some fabulous properties fairly close to us. Excited!

    1. mpost Avatar
      mpost

      Let me know if you end up booking with them Megan, I’m dying to hear about/see some of their properties.

  11. Pola (Jetting Around) Avatar

    This reminds me of family vacations in Wisconsin – renting a cottage, going to a farmers market, cooking together, no WiFI, no phone reception. Sometimes that’s all I need.

    1. mpost Avatar
      mpost

      No Wifi is a biggie – it’s just so great when you can disconnect for a while.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.