Time feels different out there…
This past weekend, my sister and I took another trip to Georgia, where we stayed at the exact same cabin when we visited last year. The cabin sits at the end of a gravel road on the side of the mountain, and upon arrival, cell service is immediately cut out, and the sound of the nearby creek takes over.
After walking up the stone-laid path and entering the cabin, a rustic, oaky scent fills your nose. The first floor houses the living room and kitchen, with a large screened in porch to the side. Upstairs is a large bedroom and the bathroom. I should also mention that there’s an outdoor shower, which always feels incredibly relaxing.
Our first day, we arrived around 4:20PM (blaze it). We unpacked our stuff, unloaded the cooler, and settled in with a charcuterie board and some episodes of Mr. Nightmare, which I downloaded so we could listen offline. Obviously, we had to listen to the Airbnb, hiking, cabin, and forest horror stories. Bailee grabbed her sketchbook and I opened my journal to write the words you’re reading now.
We spent some time by the campfire, enjoying s’mores and the sounds of the fire crackling, and, of course, good conversation. I don’t recall what time we let the fire go out and we called it a night. Time feels different out there. Like you have all the time in the world with nowhere to be.
On Saturday, we got up around 7:00AM, and I went around opening the doors to let in the morning air. We got up slowly, made coffee, and enjoyed sitting on the side porch listening to the sounds of the forest. At around 10:00AM, we went into town. We hit up a local coffee shop, then wandered the town for a bit while we sipped on our coffee. Bailee, of course, ordered an iced mocha, and I just had to try their iced crème brûlée latte. Both were delicious.
We drove around for awhile, crawling up winding mountain roads, which eventually led us to a scenic overlook of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Afterward, we were looking into checking out the Foxfire Museum, which is home to some preserved Appalachian log cabins from the 1820s - 1940s. Unfortunately, there was a nasty storm coming up over the mountains, which prompted us to shift gears and head to Moonrise Distillery to grab a couple bottles for home.
Once it started raining, we made our way back to the cabin, where we thoroughly enjoyed the screened in porch, listening to the rain and thunder, and challenging ourselves with a game of chess. At around 3:30PM, we drove down the mountain to finally check out the Swing Bar. They had suffered a kitchen fire the previous year, so we were glad that we got to check them out this time! Delicious food, great drinks, and the swings around the bar were so much fun.
Driving back up the mountain for the final time that day, and we had the pleasure of running into Susan and Brian, the Airbnb hosts who live right down the road. They shared tons of stories about the cabin, previous guests—which I probably shouldn’t say here—and told us about an amazing hiking spot on the other side of Lake Rabun. It was incredible to get the story of the cabin, which was found as a skeleton in 1989, with no walls and barely a roof. Brian thought about burning the place down and starting over, but Susan suggested utilizing the skeleton and building on top of it, which was exactly what he ended up doing. All of the wood was sourced right from the woods it sits within, and knowing the whole cabin—plumbing and all—was done by just one guy and his buddy really adds to the uniqueness and charm of the place. This was definitely the highlight of our Saturday.
Sunday morning began the same as Saturday—slow and peaceful. We eventually left to get some gas and drove out to the hiking spot Brian had mentioned on Saturday, which took us out to the Minnehaha Falls. We were not disappointed! The falls appear as a staggering rock face, with the rocks formed in such a way that it looks like a water-draped staircase ascending into the mountains. It was beautiful.
For lunch, we stopped at Frida’s in Clayton, where we enjoyed some delicious Mexican food. Next door was the Currahee Brewing Company, so, naturally, we had to stop in a try a few brews. I left with three six-packs.
From there, we drove out to the Tallulah Gorge, only fate had other plans. So the GPS took us to the entrance, and we thought we remembered the way, but we ended up taking the wrong turn where the road splits. Instead of the gorge, we discovered a cemetery down an old gravel road, which we explored. Continuing down the road, we were met with signs for “The Stone Place,” and, wanting to find out what that was, we started following the signs, only there was one split in the road that didn’t direct you where to go, so we went the wrong way (again). After reaching a paved road, we turned around and went the correct way. Come to find out, the Stone Place is a boat landing with a breathtaking view of the mountains from below where Lake Tugalo rests. It was well worth the detour.
Abandoning the idea of hiking the gorge (we had already spent so much time searching for the Stone Place and exploring the cemetery that we wouldn’t have had time), we drove down to the Tap Yard at Tallulah Adventures for some incredible burgers. From there, we decided to drive around aimlessly, just to see the sights and wader. When the sun was no longer visible, we headed back to the cabin for the night. No sooner did we enter the cabin that lightning filled the sky, and thunder shook the trees. I had to abandon the beginnings of a campfire, which we had enjoyed sitting around every night, and retreat inside away from the rain.
Instead of enjoying our night around a fire, we sat on the screened in porch, listened to music, and took turns sketching whatever came to mind. Eventually, we went upstairs to bed and slept peacefully to the sounds of rain peltering the tin roof.
Monday morning was our last morning there. The sky was overcast, and rain still came in brief showers or a relentless mist, as if nature, too, was mourning our departure. When we spoke to Brian and Susan, they informed us that they were going on vacation in Florida, so they kindly told us that we could check out later in the day if we wished since there were no other guests coming after us, which thought was very nice of them.
We took our time that morning, drinking our coffee, playing chess, and slowly packing up our stuff. We didn’t want to leave; just like the last time we came. Eventually, everything was loaded into the truck and we were on the road back home around 11:30AM.
All-in-all, we had an excellent trip, and we’re already eager to return. I definitely recommend spending a few days at an off-grid cabin; it really helps you disconnect from the noise and reconnect to the things that truly matter.
