LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 39 frames, and hike to the lodge loaded down with food and everything else we'd need for the week. When we arrived at JBL we'd weigh our pack frames at the hanging scale on the porch, and record them down in a book. That summer my heaviest pack was 83 pounds. It was one of the greatest privileges to take care of that place and the people who visited — to wake up early and make breakfast, bake bread and dessert in the afternoons, to offer trail advice, to listen to the guests and their stories about their perilous hikes, and to play guitar and sing songs. That summer, I'd use my off-hours to explore the sur- rounding mountains, hike up the Johns Brook in search of the deepest pools for swimming, and write letters to my friends in the outside world. I read many books, wrote in my journal, and enjoyed the peace that valley offered. However my favorite memories are from the sunni- est days, mid-morning, when everyone in the lodge had gone off on their adventures, lodge crew had dispersed as well, and the great room was quiet. Sweeping the floors, looking out the big windows to the formidable face of Gothics Mountain, hearing the brook spin along in the distance. Starting a loaf of bread in the kitchen, that moment of calm before the inevitable visitations of hikers passing through and trickling in of guests in the late afternoon describing their days in full detail, lodge crew cackling and telling jokes. That moment of quiet to reflect on how lucky I was, how lucky we were, to find such a safe haven in the middle of the wilderness. t Johns Brook Lodge is open year-round. Photo credit: Henr y Liebers

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