Column: Retreat to cabin provides great family moments

For a few seconds, I felt a little silly.

A vehicle passed by and I exchanged a wave and a smile with the driver. In the background, my wife and kids were sledding down a short 15-foot hill situated halfway between horse corrals and the Yaak River.

I figured we must’ve been quite a sight to the residents who saw us out there flopping around in the snow. Then I realized that it was one of those moments in time that I’ll never forget. And I stopped feeling silly.

Back when it was still warm outside, I made a reservation at the Upper Ford Cabin in Kootenai National Forest. I kept my fingers crossed in the following months that we would actually be able to get to the cabin in late December. And yes, it snowed, and snowed, and snowed. The drive was very interesting but those studded tires did the trick.

We arrived at the cabin around 4 o’clock and the sky was already showing hints that nightfall would soon be upon us. We unloaded the car and got the propane heater going to warm up the interior. It took a while but it was soon very cozy as we sipped our hot cocoa.

We were very impressed with the cabin and my wife was already making plans to return during a warmer time of the year. Located approximately seven miles north of the town of Yaak, the cabin was built in the 1920s and served as a work site for the ranger district.

The cabin has no electricity or plumbing but includes a stove, fridge, heater and lights that all run on propane. It has an upstairs with a queen bed, futon and two twin beds. Without a bathroom, that means you have to use the outhouse. My oldest daughter vowed that she would not use the outhouse and tried to “go” as many times as possible before our trip.

The cabin also includes just about everything else you need, including pots and pans, dishes and silverware. You need to bring your own bedding and the Forest Service recommends that you bring your own water.

One of the best things to me was simply getting the kids away from the modern world. No television, no cell phones, no computers and no video games. We talked and laughed while playing a board game. It was the type of family time that just doesn’t seem to occur very often anymore.

The next day, we enjoyed our surroundings with our fun in the snow and a few short walks near the river and a nearby pond. It was a good way to introduce my two daughters – who live in Arizona – to the beauty of northwestern Montana.

The Yaak is quickly becoming one of my favorite spots here in Montana. At the risk of sounding like a commercial message in favor of the Forest Service, staying at the Upper Ford Cabin really was a great time.

I’ll put up with an outhouse and lack of potable water any day just to bask in those surroundings.

(Brad Fuqua is managing editor of The Western News. He can be reached at thewesternnews@gmail.com ).