Into the smoky wilds

The Stiles Creek Cabin, located in the Chena River State Recreation Area.

 

My family decided to go cheap and stay close this Memorial Day Weekend. So, we loaded up a pair of four-wheelers and headed out to the Chena River State Recreation Area. There, I had reserved a public use cabin called the Stiles Creek Cabin. To access this particular cabin you have to hike or take an ATV about seven miles through various terrain. The reservation for this baby was its own comedy, though.

About two weeks prior I was perusing the various cabins and the corresponding reservation system on the Alaska Department of Natural Resources site. The cabins, at $25 per night, are in high-demand in the summer, especially over holiday weekends. So, when I saw that a decent cabin near Fairbanks was available over the Memorial Day weekend I just couldn’t believe my eyes! I sorta skimmed over the details, plugged in my credit card information, and poof! I had scooped up a cabin rental over the first long holiday weekend of the summer. I felt so proud of myself. Then I looked at the map, so I could see just how far down Chena Hot Springs Road I would have to drive to reach the cabin. Well, that’s when I realized why the cabin was free. It was out in the frickin’ boondocks!!! You  have to drive to mile 31.6 Chena Hot Springs Road, east of Fairbanks. There, you park, unload your gear, and then schlep it all those miles back into the wilderness to the cabin. You can imagine my initial reaction: WTF have I done?! After the shock wore off, I realized that this could actually be a cool adventure. We have one four-wheeler and could easily borrow another, so the trip was doable. Slowly but surely, I warmed up to the idea. By the start of last weekend, I was really excited about exploring the trail system and trying to find a cabin out in the wilds of Interior Alaska. I couldn’t wait to hop on the ATV and hit the trail!

Since Adam and I had never been on the trail system in the Chena River State Recreation Area, we had no idea what to expect. However, despite a few mushy spots (where I got stuck only once!), and some washboard conditions on some of the ridge lines, the ride was awesome! The miles of trail go through all sorts of conditions: from thickly wooded switchbacks to steep vertical climbs with terrific vistas, or at least I’m assuming the views were wonderful. Thick smoke covered the Interior last weekend, so I couldn’t see too far in the distance, but I imagine it’s absolutely lovely looking out over rolling hills of nothing but trees, and trees, and trees. 

We took a few breaks along the way since we had Gabriella with us. When we’d turn off the four-wheelers, it was so nice to hear just the wind in the trees and birds chirping. It’s great to get away and be surrounded by only the sounds of nature.

Once we got to the cabin, we were exhausted! I felt like my arms would fall right off my body. And my hands? My hands were killing me! It may be hard to believe, but it was quite the workout trying to maneuver a loaded ATV through the wilderness! After a quick scan of the area, and some piddling about, I began dinner on the wood stove. Steak, salmon, home fries and icy limeade were on the menu. After such a long, hard trip, this dinner was like the best meal I had experienced in I don’t know how long! 

The adventure was totally cool. I have to recommend the Stiles Creek Cabin to all! Go check it out! We plan to go back in winter and take snowmachines up to the cabin site. I would imagine the trek will be much smoother and quicker when it’s covered in snow. And without the smoke, the scenery will be awesome! I’m already looking forward to it.

Oh, lesson learned. I will definitely read all the details before reserving the next public use cabin. I may accidentally commit myself to a bit more adventure than I intended and have to swim six miles upstream to access a dank, sod-roofed cabin, if I’m not careful!

Adam and one of his lead dogs, Chena. This awesome dog would run much of the distance to and from the cabin along the side of Adam's four-wheeler!

 

My Scraggily McGoo and me pose for this photo for Adam!

 

I found this note from a park ranger in the cabin's log book.

 

Here, Adam gets to stokin' the stove, while Gabriella supervises.

 

Cooking on a wood stove is pretty easy if you have tin foil.