An Endless Wood

My family’s house in the Catskills borders protected state land that stretches on for miles and miles.You could literally hike for days back there and only occasionally come across roads or private land.
When we first arrive at the cabin and I peer out the windows of our upstairs bedroom, the feeling is of utter seclusion; of being nearly closed in by our natural surroundings. My pictures from the trail cam my parents installed in October show that our furbearing neighbors include black bear along with the deer, turkey, coyote and mink. We do have human neighbors, of course but we can’t see the houses on either side of us. It is darker at night there than most other places, and when the sun goes down I feel even more connected to the wild land that surrounds us.

After being at the cabin for a few days I notice that I start to take the rolling mountains and deep woods for granted, and I enjoy taking day trips if only because coming back to the cabin at the end of the day invigorates that peaceful sense of remoteness.

Two of my favorite views are the ones above; the barn at the front of the property, and a short walk into the woods behind the house (with my beautiful girl, Freya).