WOLF'S NEST
A mountain camp perched halfway up the steep side of Wainwright, we built it for the view of Whiteface and the mountain wilderness farther off.
CLICK & GO!
(On this page.)
Photo Gallery: Wolf's Nest Inside and Outside (24 photos).
Amenities Summary.
Safety First! & Guest Information
About access to Wolf.
The Wolf Nest Story--How it go that way.
 Four Star Camping.
Guest Notes:
"Wolf's Nest will always seem like a home
away from home to us . . . it felt like our own secret
place."
"Our cabin . . . personal touches that made us feel especially snug."
"Weappreciate you not mentioning what had happened in NYC etc."
"I find myself thinking of it often. Mike and I would live there if we could."
More about Wolf's Nest (on the next page).
Irene Hand Haying, Wolf scupture and Arboreal Engineering at Wolf's Nest.
Meet Our Guests at Wolf's Nest. (What they had to say about it, with photos.)
An Adirondack Mountain Retreat,
this sweet one-room cabin is perched on a granite
outcropping facing Whiteface Mountain, on a trail that leads laterally to Brown's Notch and on to The Lookout. One-quarter mile above "The Cabin," Wolf's Nest is halfway up the side of Wainwright Mountain.
For location see Fourpeaks Trail Map label [WN] and CLICK HERE for the kind of secluded living offered at Wolf's Nest.
Clear views of Whiteface Mountain from inside or from the open deck.
A built-in fireplace keeps "Wolf's Nest" cozy in all weather. The complete kitchen includes a refigerator, cooking range and stone dry sink. No well, an ample supply of water provided in containers. Privy. One building, with open view deck, Non-smoking, Pets welcome, 250 sq.ft., max. 2 persons. Single or double occupancy, $525/3 nights, $1050/week. CLICK HERE for a seasonal offer, promptly delivered. 11% Sales/Occupancy Tax applies to all rentals of less than one week duration. A Deposit Payment is required to secure reservation. Cancellation fees apply. See Guest Information for occupancy limitations and financial arrangements. Discount Prices. 
"Wolf's Nest" Amenities SummaryBedrooms/beds: One double bed. Blankets and pillows supplied. [CLICK HERE for Frequently Asked Questions about what to bring, including linens and towels.] Full Kitchen: Dry sink, 20 inch cooking range with oven, 4 cubic foot refrigerator, dining service for 4 persons and a complete selection of utensils, dishes, silverware, pots and pans, including a toaster, a tea pot and 3 kinds of coffee makers. Toilet: Outside Privy (outhouse). 
Water/washing: Limited water supply. Drinking water and water for hand and dish washing brought in in containers. [CLICK HERE for all about limited water at Fourpeaks Backcountry Camps, especially in Winter. CLICK HERE for fun bathing ideas.]Lighting: Gas lighting. No electricity. (Bring electric reading lamps, extra candles, if you like. No kerosene, gasoline or other lighting permitted.) Fireplace/heating: Built-in fireplace. Firewood supplied. Porches: Open deck with Adirondack benches. Additional: Outside picnic table. Hammock. Charcoal barbeque grill. Miscellaneous: Dish soap, hand soap, sponge/pot scrubber, Comet cleaner, firewood, dish towels, toilet paper, trash bags, matches, candles, biscuit mix, honey, salt, pepper, sugar, etc. are all supplied. [ Planning your visit? CLICK HERE for more helpful information on setting up housekeeping.] Wolf's Nest Inside and Outside .
[Click on Iamge For Full Size]
   Four-Star Camping. Enjoy the quiet and beauty of untrammeled Nature in considerable comfort with no equipment and no experience required. Get help deciding which Fourpeaks Cabin is right for you. View our Graphic Amenities Summary to compare fireplace, kitchen, water, showers, toilet, views and other amenities. 
Safety First! & Guest Information. The buildings at Fourpeaks are spread out on a 700-acre property, 2-1/2 miles end to end. To maintain an orderly,  clean and safe place to live, the good will and cooperation of our guests are essential. Prospective visitors must familiarize themselves with propane (gas) safety, fireplace/woodstove safety, water safety, housekeeping responsibilities, arrival arrangements, and other matters that will affect their personal safety and comfort at Fourpeaks. If you're considering a Fourpeaks vacation rental, CLICK HERE for our Safety First! & Guest Information pages. Access to our Backcountry Camps. There's year-round auto access to The Cabin, Sugar Camp, New Camp, Gypsy Camp and Thoreau House, but there's no "front desk" at Fourpeaks. so you need to find out how to get to your rental. CLICK HERE for How to Get to Your Rental.and What to do When you get There.During the Summer season guests at our two remote camps, Wolf's Nest and Ridge Camp, meet us at our Camp Barn Office. There, we take their food and gear and jeep it up to camp. And we take it back down when they leave. There's no need for them to pack it themselves. In Winter, early Spring, and at other times when road conditions are unfavorable, guests at Wolf's Nest and Ridge Camp must carry their stuff on their own (Wolf's Nest, 5/8 mile or Ridge Camp 1-1/2 miles). Firewood plus propane for lighting and cooking are already in place at camp. Wash water is at the Well House at Ridge, but wash water must be carried up for Wolf. A full orientation to camp precedes the visit. Extra backpacks and a cargo sled are available for loan. No guest vehicles. Except for short access roads off Stonehouse Road (to Thoreau House, Gypsy Camp, Sugar Camp, New Camp and The Cabin), the use of guest vehicles on Fourpeaks roads and trails is strictly forbidden. [More about access at Frequently Asked Questions.]  Meet Our Guests! The Fourpeaks Photo Guest Book. is
a fun way to learn about our Adirondack backcountry vacations.
Who came. Where they're from. Where they stayed. The Season. What they did here.  Photos, Letters and Guest Book entries. CLICK HERE for our Photo Guest Book. Pet-friendly vacations.  Romantic getaways.  Solo Guests
 Families with Kids.
The Wolf's Nest story. A Nature Retreat.From the very beginning, each bit of land was a unique place, a precious discovery. A weathered oak marked one of these--sun-drenched, broad, low-branching, unecocomic in forestry terms--a wolf tree. The tree stood by a flat rock outcropping on the Wainwright property line--where the old Halsey Straight woods road crossed the lateral skid trail that went to Brown's Notch. The views were similar to those from The Lookout farther west on Basset but more dramatic as the angle of view was more frontal. The proximity to The Cabin made it an easy, often repeated walk for years. A walking meditation. In '71 we put some cedar benches along the way and the urge to build another camp just grew and grew. Billy could use it for his Buddhist retreats or visits with the kids' college friends. Too hard to get to to hire a builder? A Department of Agriculture Construction Bulletin made it look easy. Merritt and Martin got the bucket cement mixer hitched to the tractor and started the foundation one day late in Spring. Each trip was well planned. Climbing over the sheer rock portion of the trail, the big tractor wheels would slip and slide. Chains helped.
Foundation forms were needed on the slanting rock. The floor and wall framing went on into the Summer weekends. Awning style picture windows were the latest thing at the building supply store. The roof system came right out of an Agriculture Department Bulletin--a tripled 2x8 center beam with a real low pitch a novice could manage. A real slate sink from a local auction sale and one of several 7th avenue cooking stoves made an attractive kitchen. The metal fireplace unit was a first. #1183 "Wolf's Nest will always seem like a home away from home to us . . . it was so restful and serene and inviting that it felt like our own secret place." Subject: Re: Your Fourpeaks visit 08/27/03 to Wolf's Nest Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2003 00:19:06 -0400 From: "Karen I****" To: VisitUs@4peaks.com Dear Martin, no, we are sorry we haven't sent YOU a thank you note. please forgive us. we had the most wonderful time at Wolf's Nest and were so sad to leave. it was a very magical place. and it's a secure feeling to know that such a restful spot exists a scant 5 hours from the city. i haven't had a chance to scan in photos yet, but as soon as i do, i will send some. i'll go sign the guestbook now... we really enjoyed the poetry. xo karen & francis  More about this. (Keep reading.)Guestbook Entry Date : 10/23/2003 Time : 12:30 AM Name : Karen I*** & Francis T**** Email : kareni***@hotmail.com Location : NY, NY Comments : Wolf's Nest will always seem like a home away from home to us. we were only there a few days but it was so restful and serene and inviting that it felt like our own secret place. and there was even a pump shower! what fun! we also spent one night at Gypsy, which was beautiful...Mars was at its closest point ever and we watched it all night as it traversed the sky. it is incredible to know that such a special place exists only 5 hours from Manhattan. thanks Martin for the wonderful time - you are the greatest host. xoxo k & f #1709 "Our cabin was comfortable, with personal touches that made us feel especially snug." Subject: Guestbook Entry Date : 11/6/2000 Name : Evangeline and S**** Email : eth***@earthlink.net Location : Brooklyn, NY Comments : Our stay at Wolf's Nest was absolutely idyllic. We visited in mid-October and enjoyed brilliant fall foliage and fabulous weather. Our cabin was comfortable, with personal touches that made us feel especially snug. We hiked daily, catching sight of a jackrabbit, and seeing scores of geese on their way south. We settled in to the serene rhythms of nature. And we made biscuits --- dozens of them! I especially loved the marmalade. Now, back in the city, the sight of a tree branch or a rare moment of quiet sends me right back to Wolf's Nest, and I am content. We will be back! Our only recommendation is more comfortable seating on the Wolf's Nest porch. More about this. (Keep reading.)Subject: Re: Guestbook Entry Date: Mon, 06 Nov 2000 From: Martin fourpeaks@f*****.net To: et***@earthlink.net Evangeline and Shane-- Thanks for your Guest Book entry. Glad you liked the place. Please come back. Should we put some Adirondack chairs at Wolf? Any photos? Best wishes, Martin More about this. (Keep reading.)Subject: Re: Guestbook Entry Date: Wed, 08 Nov 2000 From: "Evangeline Thorp" eth***@earthlink.net To: VisitUs@4peaks.com Hi Martin, Adirondacks chairs would be very nice! I am sending photos soon! Thanks, Van and Shane #1325 "We want you to know that we appreciate you not mentioning what had happened in NYC etc." [Reference to "9-11"] Subject: Re: Your Fourpeaks visit 09/08/01 to Wolf's Nest Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2001 From: dfur***@nycap.rr.com To: VisitUs@4peaks.com Hi, of course our vacation was wonderful, as we expected it would be. We can only think of one thing that would have made things a little better, a pair of Adirondack chairs or something a little softer to sit on. Maybe some cushions on the cabin chairs? We want you to know that we appreciate you not mentioning what had happened in NYC etc. It made our vacation that much more wonderful. When we stopped to get gas, we felt like we were in the Twilight Zone. Weird. See you next year, The F***s 
A footnote from Your Fourpeaks Host.October 2001: New, more comfortable kitchen chairs, a rocker and a pair of Adirondack chairs to keep company with the hardback cedar bench we started with. More suggestions? More about this. (Keep reading.)Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2001 Subject: A Barn Swallow Story. To: Mary and Denny Furey 671 At: df****2@nycap.rr.com TO OUR FELLOW NEWYORKERS: We are deeply saddened by the recent horrific events that happened in our home town. Just back from a family visit there we experienced firsthand the difficulty of "getting back to normal." We hope this newsletter brings you a sense of the restorative potential in the natural world around us. Dear Mary and Denny, Our most welcome Summer visitors return in June to the very same place by the Stone House back door. Busy weeks on end with mud and straw, they fix up and add on to their nest from last year. [CLICK HERE for full text of A Barn Swallow Story.] More about this. (Keep reading.)Subject: Re: A Barn Swallow Story. Date: Tue, 9 Oct 2001 From: df**@nycap.rr.com To: VisitUs@4peaks.com It has been some return home..........We miss our vacation. Made some biscuits, very good. Had french vanilla ice cream with your "Seville" on it. To die for!!! Keeping life simple, and enjoying every moment. Thank you for everything. Denny & Mary More about this. (Keep reading.)Subject: Re: A Barn Swallow Story. Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2001 From: Martin@4peaks.com To: df***@nycap.rr.com Mary-- Thanks for the note. I was thinking of you and Denny just the other day at Wolf. Arranging the furniture a little to make it more comfortable and put out 2 Adirondack chairs, too. Love, Martin 1849 "I find myself thinking of it often. Mike and I would live there if we could." Subject: Re: A Road Story From: dtlu****aol.com Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:08:11 -0400 To: martin@4peaks.com Hey Martin, I know we talked a little about your road trip in July when Mike and I were at Fourpeaks, but this comes at a good time for me. The pavement seems a little hard for me right now. I suppose I need to find a little quiet, a little nature. I wish it was already time for our next visit, but I think I am going to need to look for it here. To much going on right now, but I find myself thinking of it often. I am sure you probably don't get a lot of father son teams at Fourpeaks, but Mike and I would live there if we could. It is our place to re center and find new respect for each other. Thank you Martin for this beautiful poem. It made me remember Fourpeaks, Wolfs Nest, the summer and You. We will take you up on your dinner offer next trip. Best wishes, Dean. -----Original Message----- From: Martin (Your Adirondack Guide) dtlu****aol.com Sent: Tue, 26 Aug 2008 9:23 pm Subject: A Road Story Dear Dean, I've traveled the road to camp maybe thousands of times in all the years. A five hour drive up from the city, you could say I know every turn and tree. And the states of mind as well, that come along with it. The frustration stuck in traffic, before getting out to where it's open and less travelled. The impatient sense of fun with a just a girlfriend alongide, some food and wine. The noisy excitement with all the kids aboard and Albert on a family visit. And just me after breaking up with her, alone and empty, away for months. There's a spot on 73 where the road turns up into the mountains by Keene. I feel it every time. On Stonehouse road, except for the Peckham place and a few culverts, the landmarks are all natural. A high sandpit ringed with great pine at the top, a deep hollow on the Granite Company land, the sag, a swamp, and giant maple opposite Perkins. We cut one years ago that died. It took forever and the broad stump defied Willy's saw to the end. Three feet across, you can still find it on the right near Sugar. He spotted another one not long ago, but I told him to let it be. Time enough when it falls down on it's own. (Not likely we'll bring that in any time soon.) Anticipation builds in increments along with the rise in elevation, till it levels out for good at Halsey Straight's place. His farmhouse spruce, grown tall and majestic, now join the canopy of oak and maple above. Stretched out ahead with a gentle curve, the road feels peaceful, like home. Years ago Mitch made a fine color photo of it in Fall. Looks like a cathedral interior with bright stained glass around. I'll find it and put it on the webpage. I framed some of his other stuff in the kitchen at The Cabin. B&W. Snowbound in Winter, even for just a day or two, feels like shipboard at sea. Nothing on the horizon and nothing expected either, considering the location. The town plows their part right away, but I tell Willy not to rush with my quarter-mile driveway. I don't need anything, no guests for a while, and I enjoy the isolation. White and deep, with no tracks but my own, I shovel a path to the privy, for the exercise. Later, traveling on it, even with good studded tires, you develop a special sense of control, like skiing. Maintain momentum, keep the wheels in track, and brake gently or not at all. Spring thaw, for a brief period, the road is nearly unnavigable. Ditches and culverts clogged with mud and trash, water comes down hard making deep cuts in the sandy soil. You must take care to stay off the shoulders no matter what. Up from the city in this season many years ago, I found a barricade, "Road Closed." I moved it over, and went up. Only a mile to the end, the blocked and broken road that day gave me the feel of my backcountry. They came a few days ago and plowed it smooth, but there are wet soft spots in it still and it'll be a while before it dries out enough for proper planing and shaping the ditches again. Time to clear the road to Ridge. Winter guests spoke of deadfall on the way. Got to High Meadow early on and cleared some good sized popple there. But I was more concerned about mud and water on the long flat after Great Rock. Billy's strongest with the chain saw. He came up after work just yesterday and we went up together. It was dry on the grade and we picked up rotten birch and broken limbs of all kinds. On the flat I put my wheels high on the side for traction just to be sure. No need. The water cuts Kevin put in last Summer, though they made for bumpy travel at the time, did fine. One really troublesome big jack pine, several trees hung up overhead, and lots of smaller stuff. We picked up birch at the view spot and entirely cleared the "go-round" that connects to the corner swamp and the ridge beyond. All oak mostly. We cut and loaded the blocks for firewood. It was near dark by the time we got done. Billy wants to come back to get birch bark for a decoration at his new house. And harvest more oak that's down. I said ok. Thanks for reading this. Pick your road with care. Get off hard pavement onto a nature track. Take time to look around, enjoy the quiet. And stay awhile. With just this in mind, I took a roadtrip this Winter. It took considerable effort and application to get far enough away from the miles of housing developments, Walmarts, national chain hotels, and the food and other outlets of all kinds. Read about it-- http://4peaks.com/pprdhome.htm I can make finding quiet much easier for you. Visit my Fourpeaks, a natural place just hours from home. Get the views-- http://4peaks.com/fotrails.htm Enjoy the comfort and seclusion of a real Adirondack cabin-- http://4peaks.com/fcamp.htm Make some time to experience it! (Availability Calendar.) http://4peaks.com/femail0.htm Your Adirondack Guide, Martin P.S. If you liked this letter, save it for the links, and tell a friend! If you didn't like it, please send it back with "REMOVE" as the subject. Thanks. Member Whiteface Mountain Visitors Bureau Member Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau ************************************************************* This is No.21 of a really occasional Letter, "Hints of Balsam and Pine from our Corner of the Adirondacks," for Fourpeaks guests or anyone who ever inquired about a Fourpeaks Vacation/Getaway. To get off this list reply with "REMOVE" in the subject heading. *************************************************************  Are you in this picture? Fourpeaks hosts now welcome paying guests to a 700-acre rest and playground for vacations in the Adirondack Great Camp tradition. Couples appreciate Fourpeaks secluded settings. Outdoor loving families have fun exploring our accessible wilderness. Folks with dogs enjoy the open spaces to run their pets. A private nature rereat. For a vacation away from it all. Are you in this picture? CLICK HERE to find out! [More about this at Frequently Asked Questions.]  Inquire about a Fourpeaks Adirondack Vacation/Getaway. (Easy Inquiry Form.)
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