I wanted to try something different for Thanksgiving this year. Instead of going home for the holidays, what if I used the free time to run away from society. To be honest, I had romanticized this plan all year.
The goal was to stay in a cabin where I would try to cook a Thanksgiving meal, try to literally unplug my phone and phone-like devices, and test this theory Nature calms anxiety. My partner Nick and golden retriever Nala were willing to join me in the challenge.
As a city girl, I knew that leaving society completely behind was not realistic. In other words, I didn’t want to pitch a tent. So I turned around Escape for a ‘glamping’ experience – running water, a mattress, etc. The service offers tiny cottages in rural locations across the country and is driven by wellness values such as: and promoting creativity. It completely eliminates the temptation to turn away via Netflix or social media. Not that there’s anything fundamentally wrong with these things, but as someone who works online, I’ve long suspected that even “relaxational” media fried my brain more than it helped me relax. I needed something else.
So we booked a cabin at Getaway’s location in Eastern Catskills, NY. All of the outposts are about two hours from major cities to provide distance from “the relentless demands of work, schedules and technology,” the website says. The location was far enough away that we really felt like we were “getting away” but not so far that our car-hating dog was unhappy.
But what sealed the deal for me was the lack of WiFi and the phone lockbox they encourage you to use. Just before we arrived, we made our Thanksgiving calls to loved ones and then, somewhat apprehensively, entered the semi-self-imposed no-cell phone zone. That’s how it went.
The day before Thanksgiving
When we arrived at the campsite, my first impression of the cabin was that it reminded me of the tiny house movement that gained popularity around 2008. It is approximately 140 to 200 square feet, with most of the space being taken up by a queen-size mattress. The wall-to-wall window that featured prominently in Getaway’s marketing materials was just as impressive and cozy as it looked on Instagram. It’s essentially a large outdoor photo frame, so you can enjoy the great outdoors indoors too.
On the table we found treats for ourselves: a bag of dog treats for Nala, a hands-on puzzle, an activity book (complete with crayons), and a S’mores kit. The shelves held a handful of books about exploring the great outdoors, as well as some extra groceries you could buy, including hot chocolate or coffee to infuse.
Since it was late in the year, the sun set before 5pm so we rushed to get the fire going using the wood and fire starter they provided (for $8). That’s when we hit our first roadblock.
We couldn’t get the kindling to catch, and without Google telling us what we were doing wrong, we were stumped. (Nala was no help; she was busy testing her night vision skills up close.) We kept repositioning the logs, and I began to worry: maybe this was a bad idea. Cooking Thanksgiving dinner in the woods?! What was I thinking? The idea of enjoying a cheesy Hallmark movie at home sounded ridiculously enticing.
But just when I was ready to give up, the flame ignited. Soon we were enjoying flame grilled burgers and romaine. The fact that we figured it out ourselves made the meal taste even better. Success.
Thanksgiving
Today was the big day. No parade, no soccer game, no early shopping on Black Friday. The morning was quiet: Nick took Nala outside to play fetch, I cooked breakfast on the cabin’s small stove. Then we crawled back into the big bed and dozed off.
Well, that might not sound like a big deal – but I do never take naps. I have a hard enough time falling asleep at night. But I took a nap. I awoke with a start at noon; my first thought was, “Oh no!” But then I realized that there was no rush: I had nowhere to be, nothing particularly urgent to do. So I pulled out a book—one I’d picked up and put down and put down for the past few months.
Eventually Nick rolled out of bed and started poking the fire again, which started much easier this time. Nala and I followed outside and started preparing our Thanksgiving dinner.
We weren’t delusional enough to think we could manage to cook a whole turkey over a campfire, but we still managed to put together an impressive meal: duck breast, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, carrots, cornbread, and so on dessert apple sales. (Of course we cooked some of it at home and brought it with us.)
Using just a campfire and the cabin’s single cooktop was a new way of cooking for us, but it eventually got me into doing what everyone’s been talking about: mindfulness. Not that I sat down on the forest floor to meditate. But I didn’t think about the next step. It was just the chopping, chopping, chopping of the mushrooms, the sizzling of the duck breasts in the cast iron skillet we brought and the simmering of the potatoes cooking in the Dutch Oven. It was just me, Nick and Nala. Nobody to impress.
After eating and enjoying a bottle of wine, we were sleepy again.
The day after Thanksgiving
The next morning we woke up to the smell of smoke still clinging to our clothes. We patted ourselves on the back for actually cooking our Thanksgiving dinner over the campfire. Then we spent our last few hours in the cabin getting ready and packing the car.
It was at this point that I noticed one final benefit of our Getaway cabin that they don’t advertise: the lack of mirrors. There was only a tiny mirror dangling from the back of a closet door that was easily removed. Without being constantly confronted with my reflection in the mirror, connected to no social media, I stopped criticizing myself. I didn’t realize my negative inner voice had shut up until the last day, when I was able to identify another reason for a calm in my brain compared to the usual buzz. I didn’t feel like putting on make-up, doing my hair, or even getting out of my pajamas. Unexpectedly, the mirror detox became my favorite part of the trip.
Also – hold a round of applause – I finished the whole book. Yes, I’ve had so much downtime. It was wonderful.
As we pulled away to go back into town with Nala on my lap, I left the windows down. I wanted to take a deep breath before I went home.
amenities you can expect
All cabins have their own outdoor area with a fire pit, picnic table and chairs. They also include the following amenities:
- shower products. I literally never remember packing shampoo and conditioner so it was a relief to pull back the shower curtain to find the toiletries ready to use, including body wash.
- bed linen and bath towels. Knowing we didn’t have to worry about packing a sleeping bag or towels was a plus – I could toss a handful of clothes in a bag without thinking too much about it.
- heating and air conditioning. It was chilly when we were there. The campfire kept us warm while we were outside, but the interior heater was a welcome respite when the wind picked up.
- First aid kit. The little red tin can is by the toilet and contains all the basic first aid supplies and tampons which was a nice touch. For more serious injuries, however, it may be worth taking a more comprehensive first-aid kit with you. Nick dropped his chef’s knife while he was cooking which cut his leg and we had to make gauze out of paper towels tightly wrapped in a doggie bag. Luckily it was only a flesh wound.
- kitchen equipment. Getaway provides basic items such as: cutlery, cups, plates/bowls, a can opener, a lighter, a kettle, cooking/grilling utensils, kitchen knives, olive oil and salt and pepper. They also give you a pot and pan for the two-burner stove in the cabin. We brought our cast iron skillet and Dutch oven from home because they make it clear that the stovetop should not be used over the fire. The small fridge came in handy for leftovers, the large amount of aluminum foil helped pack up for the trip home, and the paper towels and dish soap kept everything clean.
Getaway.house has locations across the country, with cabins starting at $200 a night.
Image Credit: Design by Michelle Alfonso; Photos by Melanie Whyte