Cabin

A backwoods memoir for anyone who has ever dreamed of escaping to the wild

‘Funny and thoughtful … You feel his desire to be back in the woods, working with his hands. Don’t we all?’ – New York Times

We all dream of having a place to escape to – Patrick Hutchison found his at the end of a gravel road called Wit’s End.

Working unhappily as a copywriter in the Pacific Northwest, scouring social media for ‘cabin porn’ in his spare time, Patrick came across an advert for a tiny, dilapidated cabin nestled deep in the forests of the Cascade Mountains. Scraping together his last few dollars, he bought the place for $7,500 and set about making it his own.

Cabin is his beautifully written account of restoring a rural home with almost no woodworking experience, aided only by the kindness of friends, a collection of vicious power tools and countless cases of beer.

A modern-day Walden, Cabin is a book for all those who celebrate the pleasures of working with their hands, who appreciate spending time in nature, or who long for a simpler life – even if it’s only on the weekends.

Reviews

'Evocative, endearing and very funny, Cabin perfectly captures the joy and jeopardy of building by hand. I could see the sparks, smell the woodsmoke and taste that ice-cold beer.' ― Callum Robinson, author of Ingrained: The Making of a Craftsman

"What a fun and funny blast of fresh air. Very enjoyable indeed!" ― Tristan Gooley, best-selling author and founder of The Natural Navigator School

'A modern Walden for our times, Patrick Hutchison's funny and enchanting debut […] is about making something real in a digital existence, about learning the craft of repair in a world where so much is disposable, and about seeking out that which we so often avoid: silence, discomfort, effort and solitude' ― Sarah Langford, author of Rooted: How Regenerative Farming Can Change the World

‘Cabin’ details the case for a universal wilderness, where the many great joys, freedoms, and sense of independence, is available to anyone willing to give it a go. This is a brilliant debut that hammers its wonky wooden planks somewhere between the works of Henry David Thoreau and Bill Bryson.' ― Will Millard, author of The Old Man and the Sand Eel and co-author of The Way of the Hermit

‘Hutchison’s enthusiasm is infectious, and his love of the natural world deeply moving. Beautifully written, Hutchison's account of self-discovery through DIY is inspiring.’ ― Colin Heber-Percy, author of Tales of a Country Parish: From the vicar of Savernake Forest

About the author

PATRICK HUTCHISON is a writer and builder from the Pacific Northwest. His work has appeared in Outside, Wired, Vice, Seattle magazine, and Seattle Weekly. He grew up in Washington State’s rainy southwest corner, eventually moving to Seattle to attend the University of Washington. He now finds himself most often in the woods, working on tiny homes, cabins, and treehouses. Cabin is his first book.