October brought foggy mornings, golden trees, unexpected snow, new connections, and a few little surprises along the way.
Welcome back to Hush, our little monthly journal from the land, the kitchen, the business, and everything happening behind the scenes here at The Hohnstead.
Hush follows our 3-2-1 format: three things we're noticing, two hosting moments, and one story worth sharing. Fewer attempts to please the algorithmic overlords, more actual humans sharing things we're excited about.
Thanks for being here. Make yourself comfortable.
3 Things We Are Noticing Around Here
October is always extra special in the mountains. Earlier in the month we had a quickie snowfall, which melted after a day or two up here at 3700 feet. But we continue to witness snowy mountains in the distance, which sit higher and get snow every week or so. Imagine waking up blurry-eyed, looking outside, and wondering if you need another cup of coffee. Nope, it's not your eyes. It's foggy outside. You can barely see 10 or 20 feet ahead, just the shapes of trees and cabins sitting cozily under a blanket of fog.
Some mornings, as Garrett and I take our walks to the gate, we catch the sun shining through the fog and trees. It creates these long, gorgeous, cinematic rays of light. You know, the kind you'd see in a movie where someone is transitioning to Heaven, with the light shining down from somewhere above?
Earth to Alla! We're still here at The Hohnstead, just walking through the woods on an October morning.
October is also when we get to witness “Yellow Christmas Trees,” aka Larch Trees changing colors.
If you’ve read about our recent local hike to Baker, Middle and Gem Lakes in the Bitterroot Valley, you know that we were about a week to ten days too late to see the larch at their peak there. Due to elevation, they seem to pop first at higher elevations, making their way down and “blooming” later in the month around here. The third and fourth week of October this year seem to be the perfect time to see larches around Missoula, Potomac Valley, and Seeley Corridor Area.
Oh this? This is just a picture from my backyard :)
Sheep Mountain and larch trees at The Hohnstead Glamping Cabins
The third thing that we’re noticing this month at The Hohnstead is small, soft, and speedy.
Can you guess what it is?
It’s a rabbit!
A Mountain Cottontail seems to have found a home under our shed, which is conveniently located between two garden areas - what a smart little bunny!
An interesting fact about mountain cottontails is that they produce two types of droppings - dry and wet. The latter is what they consume again in order to reabsorb some of the nutrients they’ve missed the first time around. Say what?!
Mountain cottontail at our doorstep. He may be cute, but he eats his own poo!
2 Stories from Around HEre
The first weekend of October, we hosted our second Unplugged Retreat of the year. We were grateful to meet women who prioritized their alone time or time with a friend in the woods. The weather was absolutely stunning, with highs in the low 70s and lows in the low 40s. While women spent most of the weekend in their cabins unplugging from the world as we know it, we were able to catch up with some of them on a hike one morning and around the campfire on one of the evenings.
Having meaningful conversations, getting to know each other, and sharing stories around a campfire or out on a trail has to be one of our favorite parts of running a cabin business. We love knowing that in this busy, noisy world, there's a little place where people can come, put everything else aside, and simply be themselves. No expectations, no agenda, just time in the woods.
And hopefully, we'll get to do it all again next year.
Curious about Unplugged? Here's what our weekends are all about.
Another moment I’ll cherish from our 2026 hosting season also happened in October. We hosted another Artist Fellowship participant, an independent folk musician, Azure Larkwood. During one of the evenings, as the sun was setting behind Sheep Mountain, Azure and I brought our musical instruments to the campfire ring and, without any expectation (or much experience on my part), explored sounds and jammed together.
I was very nervous to play my RAV Vast drum in front of anyone other than myself. But sometimes I do enjoy stepping out of my comfort zone. And as Neale Donald Walsch said: “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”
Turns out, sometimes all you need is a beautiful evening, a campfire, and someone willing to make a little music with you. Even if you have no idea what you're doing.
If you’re an artist/creative who is interested in a cabin stay, check out our Artist Fellowship program here.
1 Thing Worth Sharing
He scouted the location a week beforehand, arranged for friends to help with the surprise, and had them drive her up to The Ranch Hand Cabin with an eye mask covering her eyes. She had no idea where she was going or what was waiting for her.
But the biggest surprise, we think, came from Mother Nature herself.
Overnight, three inches of snow transformed the property into something straight out of a snow globe. Not exactly what anyone had planned, but perhaps an even better setting for a wintry Montana proposal.
Congratulations, newlyweds O + K! We were so happy to be a tiny part of your big moment.
A wintry proposal in early October at The Hohnstead Glamping Cabins
And just like that, another October has come and gone. The woods are getting quieter, the mountains are getting whiter, and we're slowly downshifting our gears away from the busyness of the summer toward a slower, quieter non-hosting season for us.
Thank you for following along, for reading these little stories, and for being part of this corner of Montana, whether you've stayed with us, stumbled across our journal, or simply enjoy a little peek into life in the woods.
With love from the woods,
Alla & Garrett
If you missed previous Hush stories from the land, you can find all of them here
Or enjoy these quick links below.
Monthly Hush 001: Red Foxes And Mint Beds
Monthly Hush 002: Pink Cabin, Chopra, and Growing Tomatoes
Monthly Hush 003:Pet stories, gifts that wow, and home-made bibimbap
Monthly Hush 004:Korean Feasts, Gooseberries & Curious Elk
Monthly Hush 005: 3 Friend hangouts nearby, Mother Nature videos, Shakshouka
Monthly Hush 006: 3+3 tomato recipes, 2 local hikes, 1 tip for the organizationally challenged
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