A Weekend on the Zigzag

Once we arrived I didn't want to leave. Go to the store to pick up an item in the nearby town of Zigzag? No, thanks. We could make do with what we'd brought.  Even leaving camp to go on a hike seemed like a bother. I'd rather just sit in a chair on the porch and read a book while listening to the river clattering by, its white noise blocking any intrusions from the outside world.

The rustic cabin, owned by friends who generously shared it with us, had been built as workers' housing in the 1930s by Civilian Conservation Corps crews working on projects around the newly designated Mt. Hood National Forest, including helping to build Timberline Lodge. Built from fir that was no doubt milled from trees harvested nearby, and with door trim, bannisters and railings handmade from small trees, the cabin's main feature is a large stone fireplace, around which the downstairs living room and kitchen and the two small upstairs lofts were arranged.

A family had owned it for the past 30 years before our friends bought it—in fact, you purchase just the structure, while the land it sits on is owned by the United States and is managed by the Forest Service—and it was sold complete with furniture, curtains, silverware, everything. Including a display of plates on the header over the sink.

There is an annual tour of historic cabins designed in the early 1900s by the idiosynchratic Henry Steiner and his sons coming up on Aug. 9th that would be well worth the $20 ticket price. And if you're interested, you can read more about what's involved in owning a leased land Forest Service cabin.