Trip Report
It seems many folks were scared away by the notices to consider attending just the program at the January 28th potluck. Oh well, that left plenty of goodies and room for those of us who came early expecting crowds and found the parking lot surprisingly empty. However, by 7:30, at least 20 more Obsidians arrived and it was business as usual for the most popular speaker on the Obsidian circuit—Bill Sullivan, whose first book, “Looking for Coyote,” the story of his hike across the state, was recently declared one of the 100 most influential books in Oregon.
Bill is a fifth generation Oregonian and a very prolific writer. He updates his guidebooks regularly, re-hiking the trails and adding features, such as wildflower identification and campground listings. Bill’s most recent book, “Cabin Fever—Notes from a Part Time Pioneer” is a story of his building a cabin in the Coast Range over a 20-year period. It begins in June 1977, when they packed up all the “stuff” they needed and rowed across the Sahalie River in their newly purchased decrepit rowboat named Earnest. “When we row across the river to start our new cabin, we’ll be going in Earnest.” It ends with a 25-year open house anniversary attended by several Obsidians. The book is beautifully illustrated by his wife, Janell Sorensen. It’s also a murder mystery, which the Sullivans solve. For this reason, some of the names of places and persons have been changed.
Bill began by showing slides of cabins in Oregon. The first was Fort Clatsop, used by the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Then came cabins used by gold miners and, later, silver miners in the 20s. There are about a dozen silver mine cabins in the Wallowas. One near Aneroid Lake, accommodates backpackers for free—if you’re extra nice to the caretaker. Another famous cabin, which the Obsidians helped to rebuild, is near Hand Lake. The oldest standing cabin, one of the most unusual, is a cupola style lookout tower on top of Black Butte. The most plush is the newest—the Maiden Peak Cabin behind Rosary Lakes; unlike the others, it’s insulated and has doors and windows.
From Oregon cabins, Bill’s slide show traveled to cabins in Austria, Italy, Norway and Slovakia. All offer hut-to-hut hiking European style; huts spaced 3–5 miles apart which provide bedding and food, so that you only have to carry clothes. Some of the huts have small rooms which sleep 4–8 persons; many have “mattress camps”—one very long row of bunks where you can reach over and touch your neighbor. The Italian Dolomites have limestone picket fence mountains where hikers sometimes have to use anchored steel cables to cross steep passes. The High Tatras, part of the Carpathian range in Slovakia, has the cheapest accommodations and the most interesting way to get supplies to the cabins—male Slovak sherpas carry incredible weight (the record is 220 pounds). The Norway huts aren’t staffed. Room and board is paid on the honor system at the hut.
Bill and Janell built their cabin using only pioneer tools: a 5-foot cross cut saw once owned by his grandfather; an axe; and an adze. Total cost for the cabin was $100. They used no nails, except for the shingles. The two-story addition after the kids were born cost an additional $100. Bill’s dad proudly built the husicka (not in Webster’s)—a log privy. Bill’s office in a separate building still has a Smith Corona he uses to write his books. "Cabin Fever” is a "must read" - lots of funny, interesting stories and a few sad ones, too. Thanks, Bill, for once again providing a very entertaining evening program for the Obsidians. —Lana Lindstro.
