lookout point
Wintry Warmth
Artist seeks to capture beauty, comfort of snow-covered forest
A
30
Marquette Monthly
October 2021
Story and photos by John Highlen
few January snowflakes drifted down as we loaded our six-foot sled with a couple of weeks-worth of food and supplies. My wife, Julie Highlen, had the privilege of being Artist-inResidence for the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, more affectionately known as “The Porkies”. She was preparing for the roughly two-mile trek into Dan’s Cabin, which was built by the Friends of the Porkies in memory of Dan Urbanski, a local nature photographer. Being the support crew, I got to pull the sled. We both carried day-packs stuffed with gear as well. A bigger pack and three large duffels of gear would come in on the second trip. Our host, Sherrie McCabe, who leads the artist program for the Porkies Friends group and her friend Melissa Santini, led the way as we embarked on our two-week adventure.
The Artist-in-Residence cabin is nestled in a quiet stand of mature hemlocks near the Little Union River. Even though it is rustic, meaning no electricity or indoor plumbing, we found the accommodations extremely comfortable and relaxing. After getting our introduction to the cabin, we quickly unloaded and headed out for the rest of our supplies. The last of our gear was unloaded and stowed away as darkness began filling the cabin. The flickering glow of a soy candle provided the feel of warmth as we built a fire in the woodstove for the real thing. The antique, Charm No. 23, as it stated on the ornate cast-iron door, was aptly named as it did indeed work like a charm, readily warming the cabin. So, with a slight freezing drizzle falling outside, we settled into our first evening of candle-light and wood heat and began laying plans for our first full day in the park before turning in for the night.
