With the long-awaited arrival of summer in the North comes a rite of passage: the opening of the cabin. Not long after the last chance of a May snowfall, northbound lanes are clogged with all manner of vehicle, some towing fishing boats, roof racks with mountain bikes and canoes, many headed for a corner of paradise on one of the thousands of cold lakes that form a bulwark against Canada. Water gets turned on, the mice chased out and dusty curtains drawn back to let the sun in after a long winter’s dormancy. This will be the weekend home until Labor Day.
Summer may be short but the days are long here, which is good because there’s much to do: wood to be split, books to be read and lunkers to be caught. When the sun finally disappears somewhere close to 10 o’clock, the stars come out and constellations are best seen lying on your back on a dock with a blanket and a bottle of bug dope handy. If you’re lucky, the Northern Lights will make an appearance. Put away the iPhone, pull out a flask of something strong to pass and tell good stories. Cabin weekends are timeless and precious here. Everyone has a memory of weekends at the cabin — and they all run together in a sort of collective Northern unconscious of pancakes for breakfast, a sudden storm on the lake, relentless mosquitoes, shooting stars and the raccoon on the roof.
Make the most of your weekends this summer because before you know it, you’ll be raking leaves, donning polar fleece and turning the water off again. Until then, here’s some gear to help you make the most of your weekends at the cabin.
Topo Designs Mountain Jacket
Styled after the classic mountaineering shells of the past, the American-made Mountain Jacket is made from water-resistant ripstop nylon and features ample pockets and a visored hood to fend off a sudden downpour.
