Musings...: North Fork Magic

What an enchanting stay we had last weekend at a Forest Service cabin close to the Canadian border! Good friends had invited us to join them a few weeks ago when they rented the Schnaus Cabin, but we already had plans. It was such a good idea however, that I booked it for the next available weekend. And we were so grateful for the idea. This lovely cabin is at the end of a 43 mile very bumpy gravel road purposely designed to make travelers slow down and take in the scenery. Our bums were massaged by the rutted road (mine actually tingled when we got out of the truck…an altogether interesting, though not unpleasant sensation). Our journey took us past bubbling waterfalls, through dense forests and also through stands of ghostly tree trunks resulting from the Roberts fire a few years ago. We stopped to stare in awe at a herd of forty-two elk.

Stunning scenery and the North Fork road caused us to quiet our minds and remember yet again our good fortune in living in this inspiring country.

So, by the time we reached the cabin we were pretty mellow and our springs had un-wound enough to appreciate the absence of noise…well, save for the wind hushing the pine trees and the occasional call of a bird.

Arm in arm we stood on the front porch to take in the grand views of Glacier National Park.

Wow…

After a dinner of fish and shrimp cooked on the propane range I settled by the wood stove with a glass of red wine to read by the light of the propane lamps.

Log books are provided for guests to journal in and as I read the entries I knew that this “Schnaus Haus” had worked its magic on many others who came before.

Here are a few of their ponderings:

No cell service, no TV, no WiFi. HEAVEN!!!

The flutes were used to lure the mountains out of their clouds – a tip for you if you’d like to see the Glacier views.

Lovely stillness.

Made a cozy fire and enjoyed a bottle of wine.

We ate ~ we drank ~ we sang ~ we played ~ we laughed ~ we drank some more.

Falling stars and yellow gold trees…the North Fork dazzles once again.

Took a little hike yesterday looking for trolls and faeries.

Blessings are upon us.

And then there was this musing written in tiny, widely spaced print. I wonder what a handwriting analyst would make of this?

I wonder about her. If she’s nervous. If she’s packed or packing. What she’s bringing. What she’s told her friends. “I’m going to Montana to see an old friend.” “I’m going to Montana to see an acquaintance.” “I’m going to Montana to see a guy I went to high school with that I haven’t seen in five years. I once told him I had a crush on him.” She flies into Kalispell tomorrow for five days…wish me luck…