The Cabin at the Lake - think piece

[Alpo]

Andre Norton has a book. In this book this boy in his late teens is going to go spend the week at the family cabin up at the lake. He rides his motorcycle. He does not need to take any clothing with him - there's clothes in the cabin. Doesn't need a lot of food - there's canned goods and staples in the cabin. He stops off at a little country store and picks up some fresh food - dozen eggs, pound of bacon, loaf of bread, six pack of co-cola and a cantaloupe. Then as he's riding down the dirt road that leads to the cabin --- the road isn't there anymore. He's in a forest primeval. He has gone into a parallel dimension. So he takes stock.


He has that little bit of food he bought. The tool kit that came with the bike. A flashlight, a first aid kit, and either a hunting knife or a hatchet - I don't remember which but I remember he had a edged tool. And that was it.


And I read that, and I thought, "Where's your gun?" Because if I was going to go spend a week at the cabin at the lake, I would either have my five and a half inch flat gate Ruger or my four inch Kit Gun, and a couple of hundred rounds at a minimum. Most likely a brick.


So there's the question friends and neighbors. You're going to go spend a week at the cabin at the lake. Would you take a gun? What kind would you take? How much ammunition would you bring along?


Remember that you are riding a small street bike, and whatever you're bringing you have to put in the saddlebags of the bike.


I put this question on another forum a few years ago. One guy said that he would carry his everyday carry - a Glock 17 along with four 33 round magazines. The gun he would take for enjoying himself at the lake was an AK-47, and he would have a case of ammo in the saddle bags.


Oooookaaay.


I think he was more preparing himself for being lost in the parallel dimension. But he was not supposed to know he would end up in the parallel dimension. He was just going to go spend a week at the cabin at the lake.

 

[gjgalligan]

And I read that, and I thought, "Where's your gun?" Because if I was going to go spend a week at the cabin at the lake, I would either have my five and a half inch flat gate Ruger or my four inch Kit Gun, and a couple of hundred rounds at a minimum. Most likely a brick.

When I was in my late teens NOBODY my age had any type of handgun.
Maybe a .22 rifle or a shotgun, kinda hard to carry them on a motorcycle.

 

[Paul in Nevada]

Gotta have more information. Where is this? Bear country? Pot country? Is it deer/quail/squirrel season?


Believe it or not, this scenario describes almost every moment of free time in my adolescence right up until i got my first car and had my life ruined by the presence of girls. My friends and I would throw whatever we could fit into a backpack, strap a sleeping bag to the back of our motorcycle seats, then throw a gun over our shoulders and head off into the woods. Depending on the season, it would be a 12ga, 410, centerfire rifle, or more likely, a 22. None of us were allowed handguns. We would camp out in the woods or on the banks of the river. I remember one time I brought a tent but I forgot the sleeping bag. That was a very long, cold night. Same trip I brought canned food but no opener. We hacked it open with a hatchet, ate the chili, then used the can to boil crawdads. On another trip we found two beers cooling in the swimming hole. Pretty exciting.
And no, I would never allow my own children to do this today.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I have a Model 49 on me at all times plus an 8 round speed strip of SD ammo. If I am going to be cabin camping for a week, I would have my Model 34 4" or model 17 6", that kit includes 300 rounds of Standard velocity lead 40 gr. RN ammo. I would also have the Savage 24 C (20" 22/20 gauge) The kit includes 200 rounds of 22 (Mini-Mags) and 40 rounds of 20 gauge (10 rounds each of Slugs, No. 4 Buck, Express 4's & AA#7.5's). I would have packed 200 rounds of 38 special target ammo also.

For me, it would be a bicycle or much more likely my pick-up truck. While I don't have a cabin already waiting for me, I have the tent equivalent in weatherproof trunks with 2 weeks' worth of dry/can goods prepacked so I would have a cooler either stocked or to be filled on the way.

Starting in 1978, when we got married, this was every "The other weekend" expierance. Then children appeared! Camping became larger and much heavier. But since the kids are all grown, we have returned camp at the drop of a hat mentality! Many parks in Ohio have approved ranges, so the guns always go along! If we are going to someone's farm or cabin there will be the standard guns plus more guns for whatever is in season and/or target shooting. There are 8 couples at church that live that way, so this scenario is very common, no matter how the media portrays retired life! We always find a place to plink, the wives seem to want to talk more than shoot, but most of them are EDC carrying too!

Ivan

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

When I was in my late teens NOBODY my age had any type of handgun.
Maybe a .22 rifle or a shotgun, kinda hard to carry them on a motorcycle.

I was born in 1956 so my teens were Poat GCA 1968! I had a Colt "New Frontier" 22/22mag single action and a 22 rifle with me from 1969 on! I started driving at age 17 and when I went camping at one of our farms, I had handguns and long guns with me (unloaded and cased when driving)!

Society changed, and my kids didn't get handguns from me until they turned 21.

Ivan

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

One last thing from my youth,

I MISS CANNED BACON!

Ivan

 

[Bald1]

I spend a lot of weekends at my cabin. I'm in the woods a lot. Scouting, treestand maintenance, trail maintenance, checking posted signs etc. my carry gun is usually a 4" model 64 with Buffalo Bore 158gr "Outdoosman" load. With 12-15 reloads in belt loops.

 

[Onomea]

I recall Andre Norton from my childhood reading. Couldn't remember what he'd written that I'd read, so looked him up. Turns out Andre Norton is the pen name for Alice Mary Norton, a prolific writer of science fiction.

I read a lot of science fiction as a kid. Still not sure what story/stories I am remembering.

 

[BAM-BAM]

Well we do have a "place at the lake" and still have the Cabin/property in the Laurel Highlands of Penn's Woods that's been in the family since 1963.

In the early years I roamed the Eastern Continental Divide behind the cabin with a single shot .22 Steven's Favorite, 4" sheath knife, canteen, and IIRC 6-10 rds of .22lr in my watch pocket.

Today that trip is taken in a crew cab pickup....... Scoped (1-3x20) Ruger Mini-14 (550 cord sling) three 10 and three 20 rd mags ..... S&W 6906 2 mags. IIRC 80 or 100rds extra rounds of .223 and 50 of 9mm.
"Get home bag" with water treatment & life straw, fire makings, energy bars, 550 cord, extra socks and cold weather gear..... other assorted "Get Home" stuff including two utility knives (5" & 7") and small bearded axe.

Cabin has a second hand pump well. Lake house; well it has the lake and additional water treatment "stuff"

Sorry read a lot of those dystopian novels over the years starting with those written by Jerry Ahern back in the 80s!

 

[6518John]

When I was in my late teens NOBODY my age had any type of handgun.
Maybe a .22 rifle or a shotgun, kinda hard to carry them on a motorcycle.

I had a hay-string rifle strap on my Nylon 66 and I carried that rifle everywhere on my dirt and street bike. (I also had a gun "rack" welded on to my bicycle handlebars when I was too young to have a dirt and street bike).

My son also uses a sling to carry a long gun on his dirt bike too.

 

[wood714]

I watch a lot of horror movies.

If I'm spending a few days at a cabin by any lake, this would be my list.

AR with a few loaded mags.
12 gauge with a several boxes of 00.
P365 and 6 loaded mags.
Machete, and maybe a chainsaw.

If there is a secret trap door in the floor, I won't be opening it to see what's there. Same with any odd covered openings in the surrounding woods/area.