Hiking To An Abandoned Cabin

This is the story of a hike that distance-wise was less than three miles, but time-wise took us nearly six months to complete. It is our adventure to find an abandoned cabin on Abbott Mountain, in Shapleigh Maine.

Our first attempt was a spur of the moment decision during the winter of 2016, when we found ourselves driving through Maine one unseasonably warm day with a couple of hours to kill. I'm a believer that every town has at least one unusual or interesting place to offer - many times they're hidden or off the beaten path - and I keep a list of these places on a bucket-list map for future adventures. Anytime I get wind of a new one, onto the map it goes. I opened that treasure map now, and saw the nearest place I had listed was something called the "Hillbilly Cabin" on Abbott Mountain, which is where we began our most ill-advised hike of the winter.

Sometimes my enthusiasm outweighs my good judgment, and on this day I somehow convinced my wife that this would be a short enough hike that we could muscle our way through the snow. She wasn't convinced, but gave it her best shot and got an A for effort.

I on the other hand got an F for common sense, and as a result of this day I also got a pair of snowshoes under the tree this past Christmas. As did Tina.

Having failed at our first attempt, finding this cabin had now moved much higher up on our to-do list,
and early last summer we found ourselves back on Abbott Mountain. Only this time sneakers were the correct choice of footwear.

This is a fun little mountain to hike, and even better if you enjoy exploring old remains and stone walls. Tina found this good sized foundation not far off the main trail, and the fact that she could not see over it confirmed it to be almost five feet in height.

I briefly tried looking into the history on this place, but although I found many references to Abbot Mountain online they mainly focus on the hike, not the structures. And as for signs or kiosks that might offer info along the trail itself, let's just say that those are a work in progress.

As long as you stick to the main trail, however, you will find the cabin. I don't know how many more winters this thing has left in it, but I've dealt with sturdier Jenga towers on game nights with the kids. Some of the more cautious among you will probably be content just to admire it from a distance.

But cautious is a word seldom uttered from my lips, and I found that as long as I tested each step and avoided the soft spots - a skill I developed thanks to our old sun room - I was able to make my way entirely around the single-room cabin.

Wonder what I'm hiding here?

Abbot Mountain has a little bit of appeal to everyone. It is an easy hike and therefore great for beginners, there is a beautiful view if you make it to the top, and there are remnants along the way to explore and satisfy your sense of adventure. We would be very hard pressed to recommend a more satisfying way to spend a summer's afternoon. Or, even a winter's one ... as long as you make sure to pack the snowshoes.