Cabin: Into the Woods with a Clueless Craftsman

Into the Woods with a Clueless Craftsman

By: Patrick Hutchison

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.

©2024 Patrick Hutchison (P)2024 Macmillan Audio

Critic 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