When I booked a two week stay at a remote mountain hideaway, it seemed like the perfect escape from reality.
Things have never seemed the same after COVID, and I felt that getting back to nature would help recharge my batteries, so to speak.
The cabin was small, but nice, with running water, plumbing, and electricity. There was no wifi or cell service, but that was part of the allure. How could it be an escape from reality if I had my phone beeping all the time? Then the ice storm hit, which knocked out the power and the heating, and this fun little getaway got pretty dangerous. Thankfully there was a fireplace in the cabin, so despite never having chopped wood before, I had no choice. The fireplace had been the only heat source this cabin had for decades, so I knew it must be very effective. I am a modern boy, very dependent on technology, so I had to face the music and become more primal if I wanted to use the fireplace. Even without the central heating system or a space heater, I had the means to keep myself warm and safe. I chopped wood for an hour, and then realized that the fireplace would require a lot more wood. I never knew how quickly logs would burn in such a large fireplace. My mountaintop retreat did not go the way I had planned at all, but somehow it was just what I needed. Chopping wood and tending the fireplace made me feel like a real man.