Three years into the pandemic have helped us understand that getaways are an especially welcome oasis.Laura Mendes/Cabinscape
The leaves were brighter and more colourful than usual this time of year as we made our way from Ottawa to Haliburton, Ont. A cold fall and just the right amount of rain made for a stunning backdrop of dark red, bright yellow and bursting orange on our way to Bone Cabin, a lakefront, off-grid microcabin. We stayed two nights in the 160-square-foot space, looking out on the lake that shares its name, listening to nothing but the wind and the rustling trees – and the noise of some Halloween specials we’d downloaded to keep us company while we played board games.
Our little lodge was one of many offered by Cabinscape, which rents dozens of small cabins across Ontario. The company advertises itself as offering “custom designed, low impact and ecologically sound tiny cabin rentals for intimate wilderness escapes.” “Intimate” is an appropriate word for two people sharing 160 square feet – a space that sleeps up to three, with a small bunk on top and a larger one below.
It’s a counterpoint to the sprawling, inefficient homes that undermine our collective efforts to forestall the worst of climate change. Canada is a global laggard on carbon emissions per person. Tiny cabins and homes for everyone are an inadequate and impractical solution to the problem of anthropogenic climate change, but what buildings like Bone Cabin and similar spaces are is proof of concept.
The design of the building is efficient and well considered, so “intimate” never became cramped. The resourceful use of space is complemented by common comforts. The cabin features a small fridge, a large sink, a gas stove, a bathroom with a warm shower and composting toilet, LED lighting and a large window that opens to the outside. It is solar-powered and backed by a generator. All told, it’s a well-stocked escape from the clang and bang and hustle and bustle just down the road.
As we approach three years of pandemic, getaways are an especially welcome oasis. The pandemic has limited, cancelled, rerouted and changed so much of our patterns of work and leisure. On top of that, persistent, sometimes intersecting crises – from inflation to the threat of nuclear war – add another heavy layer of grimness to the day-to-day slog. A small cabin escape offers a safe, reliable reprieve from the burden of the moment and a chance to reflect on why leisure is important, why natural spaces must be preserved and why both ought to be accessible by all.
Available year-round, the getaway may be particularly appealing in winter, when the days are shorter and darker – and when COVID-19 case counts are likely to rise and intersect with flu season. Vast, outdoor, low-density spaces and activities are safe and restorative. They’re the stuff of privilege, too: Such an outing almost certainly requires a vehicle and the means to afford the stay.
The vehicle – which somewhat undermines the environmental ends of a small, off-gird cabin – does allow for some exploring beyond the area’s nature trails. A few hours’ drive from Haliburton you’ll find the Torrance Barrens Dark Sky Conservation Reserve, which features a protected area for stargazing. “Close” and “far” are relative concepts. For my money, two hours is close when you’re in Haliburton and wish to find somewhere free of light pollution to “look up in awe and wonder at the heavens,” as Van Morrison puts it in The Daring Night. I was lucky to travel with a partner who agreed and indulged my hackneyed poetic draw to contrast the tiny cabin with the massive firmament.
The little lodge offered to writer David Moscrop was one of many offered by Cabinscape, which rents dozens of small cabins across Ontario.Mohammad Salim/Cabinscape
But though we expected to explore those heavens as contemporary, iPhone-laden Galileos, we were soon disabused of that conceit. Pro tip: If you’re going to watch the stars and planets, try to avoid nights with a brilliant full moon. Still, the sky was beautiful and dark enough before the moonrise. Moreover, the moon added its own charm. The throngs of visitors nearby, with bright flashlights and louder shouts, however, did not. Nonetheless, if you have a chance to visit and take in the billions of years above us, so often obscured by the bright lights of city life, it’s worth a try.
Driving home we spent the time listening to an audiobook I had to read for a piece I had due soon after our return. In the writing business, work finds you. Our car was loaded with souvenirs and goodies we’d picked up in and around Haliburton, a village worth a visit on its own, including a stop at the Maple Avenue Tap & Grill, home to the best bulgogi burger you’ll ever meet. The rain was steady, felling the leaves from the trees and taking fall with them. Soon it will be winter. But the microcabins will still be there, cozy and inviting, just as the stars will above, waiting for us to take in the greatest show on Earth.
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