Date: 2008-10-08
From: Mountaineer Shelter

To: US 19E
Miles today: 74.0

So... all of the way back in Massachusetts we stayed in a shelter just beyond Mt. Greylock with some section hiking north bounders. One of the older gentleman named Woody has been doing sections of the trail for a number of years. The whole crew got along well with Woody and he told us that when we got down to Damascus VA to give him a call. He described a mountain cabin to us that he had built in North Carolina that sounded spectacular. He spoke of several different cabins from around the south being broken down and renovated, then put back together in to this masterpiece of a vacation getaway in the NC mountains. Woody offered to show us some trail magic and invited us to stay at this cabin (if his wife agreed) when we reached his area.Since MA the months have passed and I figured that Woody was just another north bounder on the trail making good conversation at a shelter. It just so happens that Spoon gave Woody a call after passing through Damascus and he was thrilled to hear from us. He said that he figured we would be close soon and was hoping that we would call. I still did not believe that this was going to work out... until today. Today we hiked to US 19E where a familiar gentleman in a Tahoe was waiting to pick us up. Woody remembered all of us but couldn't get names to faces etc. I was impressed that we had even left that much of an impression. We hopped in the truck and climbed in elevation to the cabin.The cabin is one of the coolest, most beautiful works of art I have ever experienced. The outside shows noticeable changes in the log beams from the different structures that were salvaged for it's construction. It looks old and new at the same time. There is exposed cement filler between all of the logs and giant glass windows and doors on all sides. There is a porch that wraps around 1/2 of the house and then attached to the kitchen / dining area is a separate porch with a roof that is at least 25' tall. The house is grand and put together with superb construction and artistic detail. Inside the cabin is 100 yr. old cross beams and exposed, weathered wood everywhere. The ceilings are 20'+ ft. tall and involve a maze of support beams and decorative, classical cabin accents. The floors are salvaged from other barns and cabins on the east coast. The stairs are from old Amish barns in PA, the ceiling planks were used on a mushroom farm and some of the walls are from old tobacco barns in the south. All of the wood had been treated and reinforced before being used in the cabin.There is to much for me to go on about. The place is top notch. Because there are only 5 of us there is no need to open the guest house (which is an unbelievable cottage built from the same materials as the main house). Cubby gets a room, Mango and Grettle get a room and Spoon and Myself are staying in a room with 2 guest beds in it. All of the paintings on the walls are original early American works of art, and all of the blankets, quilts, rugs, light fixtures, coat hangers, lamps and end tables are antiques that suit the home perfectly. Each room is welcoming and warm.Woody invited everyone in to the living room (which is a gigantic relaxing area with a beautiful fireplace) to announce his pride of the house. He pointed out that there were no visible televisions and stated that was what he wanted. He reminded us that he did say we could watch movies if we wanted to. As he was speaking he walked over to a large antique dresser / bookcase looking thing. On top of the piece of furniture was a decorative bowl and a lamp. Woody passed his hand along the side of the dresser and the top began to rise. It continued to rise until the large flat screen LCD TV and DVD player were exposed. He was laughing hysterically and thought it was the coolest thing... and it was. It is a great solution to having the luxuries of modern day life but also keeping the rustic mountain getaway look. Woody had prepared a lasagna for us the previous night. He heated it up and we ate a feast of lasagna, Cesar salad and pumpkin pie. We then proceeded to jump in the outdoor hot tub that is separate from the house. It is pretty cold outside and there has been a thick fog rolling through the mountains all day. Once in the tub and once sitting on countless water jets all was well. We hung out in the hot tub for 45 minutes. Every 10 minutes we would rotate sitting spots because the jets did different things in different corners... it was nice!Once back inside and cleaned up we watched "The Commitments" on Woody's hidden TV. I left just before the end to call Sarah.It's back on the trail tomorrow morning. This was some crazy trail magic. Woody seemed really happy and excited to share his place with us. He told many stories about his life and seemed to enjoy our company.~Santana~ "by myself but not alone"