This could be cabin life anywhere, especially if your cabin is part of a community of cabins.
We often take walks to the bridge in the evening to enjoy the views, the light and one another’s company. My guess is that many cabin communities have gathering places and times in their own areas.
Sometimes we hike with neighbors and friends. Hiking is a main focus of Mineral King; not all cabin communities that I’ve visited have the kind of trails we have. Probably nowhere else has trails like Mineral King!
We talk to people who are wondering about trails, pointing out good places to go. The Park employees are often new and don’t have the depth of knowledge of the area that the locals do.
On Independence Day, we raised a flag together (and I read part of the Declaration of Independence to my hiking friends while at the Wildflower Cafe.) Flying a flag is a tradition when one’s cabin is occupied. There are a couple of cabins that don’t bother, and there are a couple that fly a California flag rather than the Stars and Stripes. (WHY??)
We share dinners, happy hours, extra bacon, kindling, marmot wisdom, and knitting knowledge. (There’s more, but I probably already have over-shared.)
Here is the classic view from the bridge of the Crowley Family cabin and Farewell Gap.
7 Comments
Cabin life looks so lovely! I think it’s really cool that you read from the Declaration of Independence. You have inspired me, and I’m going to go read it right now!
It’s kind of hard to understand. The first sentence is an entire paragraph! And it starts out so lofty, and then spends the rest of the ink describing all their grievances against the king. I hope you enjoy reading it. The first time I read it, I counted up all the Williams and Johns who signed it. That was a popular name.
Y’all on the east side seem to have more camaraderie than we on the west side. I miss that.
Re: flags, I have also seen “Don’t Tread On Me” flags (during the late 1990s – early 200s (IYKYK). And other kinds of flags which shall remain nameless. My guess is those who refuse to fly the American flag hate our country for one reason or another. There are always a few. Like you said, “Why?”
And you’re right about the Park Rangers. Many times I have (discreetly) corrected them on facts, especially about the cultural (read, “cabin”) history of the area. Most of the time they were not receptive. And then the following year, it’s a whole ‘nother set of Rangers reading Mineral King history from an old Park memo. Govmnt doesn’t take kindly to any kind of correction, even by those who have lived the history for generations.
Sharon, sometimes it takes enormous restraint to not shout, “NUH-UH!” But I say Keep On Correcting! Those rangers likely will move on next year anyway.
Or do my best DJT imitation: “WRONG!”
He’d say, “WRONG! They are just so wrong. They are just wrong, very wrong. Terrible at their jobs.”
Ha Ha, you’re probably right!
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