In the Alps, there are numerous small, unmanned mountain huts, hidden in the forest or in the mountains. Some are well-known and regularly visited on weekends by hikers who stop by for a much-needed break or stay the night before continuing their journey the next day. Others are more secretive, don’t appear on any map, and their location is kept carefully secret by the few locals who visit them.
Experiencing an Adventure in a Cabin
With the arrival of autumn and winter, the days grow shorter, and the weather becomes chilly, often gray and rainy. Instead of giving in to the temptation to snuggle up under a blanket on your couch, why not seize the opportunity to go outside and have an adventure in the great outdoors? It’s the perfect time to discover a cabin.
To find a cabin in the Alps, you can use the French site refuges.info or go to your country's Alpine Club, where they usually have a comprehensive lists of mountain huts and their locations on their website and will provide all the useful information (access, equipment in the cabin, photos, etc.). So, what are you waiting for? Pack your bag, lace up your boots, and head out on an adventure!
Once you arrive at the cabin, your day will end with simple yet essential tasks to be done before nightfall: chopping wood, fetching water, cleaning out the stove ashes, and lighting the fire. Only after completing these tasks can you settle at the table, observe nature through the window, and enjoy the gentle and comforting warmth of the stove, while taking the time to reflect.
Now it's up to you to create a cozy atmosphere. Light a few candles, pour yourself a steaming cup of tea. Perhaps you’ll prefer to play a card game or prepare a candlelit fondue? You could also simply grab a book and enjoy this isolated cocoon for a little while.
Reconnecting with Nature
Here, there's no place for the superfluous; the essentials are reduced to four walls, a roof, a bench and a table, a few candles, a stove if you’re lucky, and the sound of the wind through the gaps in the roof. This raw simplicity imposes a different, slower rhythm. These cabins invite us to slow down and reconnect with nature and ourselves, rediscovering the value of silence and the vastness of the world around us.
The Magic Power of Cabins
These cabins also have a magical power. As soon as you see it appear, at the edge of a forest or through the tree branches, you’ll feel as though you’ve discovered a sacred place, outside of time. They awaken the imagination. They have the power to revive a part of ourselves stifled by the tumult and distractions of modern life.
A Few Tips for a Cabin Adventure
How to find an unmanned cabin?
The website refuges.info is a precious source on the subject and lists a large number of cabins in the different mountain ranges of France. These cabins are freely accessible, but keep in mind that their comfort is often basic: there is no electricity, some have a stove, others don’t. So, you’ll need to light candles and fetch wood to start the fire. But that’s part of the adventure’s charm!
Remember to arrive early:
There are no locks on the doors of these cabins, they are open to all. For the more well-known ones, it's best to arrive early to secure a spot, or opt for a weekday evening.
What equipment to bring for sleeping in a cabin:
- A sleeping bag,
- Warm clothes,
- A mattress: some cabins have mattresses (though they’re often not very welcoming), in others, the sleeping area is a wooden platform or a floor upstairs. In any case, I recommend bringing your own foam or inflatable mattress,
- A headlamp,
- A lighter and fire starters: this way, you can light the candles and the stove. Fire starters will be particularly useful if the wood is a bit damp,
- A trash bag for your waste,
- Comfort food: bread, cheese, sausage, etc.,
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And don’t forget a VOITED blanket to snuggle up next to the stove or outside the cabin.
(Non-exhaustive list — make sure to research what gear you’ll need based on the season before heading out to sleep outdoors.)
A few rules of good conduct for staying in a mountain hut:
- Don’t damage anything and be discreet,
- Tidy up and clean after your stay, and most importantly, take your trash with you,
- Make sure to extinguish the stove and candles before you leave,
- Restock the wood for the stove,
- Don’t hesitate to leave a little note, as a sign of your visit, in the cabin’s guest book, if there is one.
Happy adventuring! @cloe.explore
