House Crush

Hidden Valley Nature Center

Little House in the Big Woods

It’s a mile hike in from Jefferson’s Egypt Road to our current camp crush.

It was long after sunset when my friend, Kyle Finn Dempsey, his dog, Hudson, and I set out to hike the snowy mile to our cabin at the Hidden Valley Nature Center in Jefferson. Only our headlamps and the stars illuminated our path as we made our way with everything we needed for the next three days strapped to a sled. Hudson pranced around excitedly, running ahead and circling back to check on our progress. I wondered what he must think of our plodding around in the darkness so far from home. When we arrived at our one-room cabin, we immediately lit the woodstove — our only source of heat, and light, aside from a couple of lanterns. A few hours and glasses of wine later, the place became quite toasty, a little oasis of warmth in the frozen night. Over our loft bed, the clear roof displayed a magically starry scene. On our final afternoon, the temperature “warmed” to 40 degrees, so we hung our hammock and savored a few last moments of peace, far from the hum of the outside world.Alexandra Graziano, Amherst, Massachusetts