Svarttjärn's cottage

Since the forest up on Grindstenberget towards Klacken was mostly owned by farmers and farms in Stene, it was found natural that, when felling took place approximately 4 kilometers from built-up areas, an overnight cabin was set up for the forest workers. A simple, one-room log cabin with a wood stove. Unpainted, of course, and with a chipboard roof. The key was hung on a nail around the knot on the left. The area around the cottage was cleared so that the cottage sat as if in a courtyard.

We young people enjoyed ourselves very well up there and, strangely enough, our parents didn't mind us spending Saturdays and Sundays up there. It could take up to half an hour or more to get up there depending on the condition of the footpath – in case of rain or melting snow it could be necessary to take long detours. Footpaths went either from Kåsjö or from Kåra up past Nyland, up through the small fields by the Larm meadow (now completely overgrown), under the Kångede line and then further up towards the large forest with three crossroads and eventually you could see Svarttjärn through the sly on the Pastskogen and knew that the cabin was only a few hundred meters ahead.
There was always chopped, dry wood next to the stove but the first thing that had to be done was to go out and look for the windfall or dry branches and saw and chop up for the night and coming guests. Saw and ax were inside the door as well as broom and dustpan. At one point new curtains were found over the window and clean, if rough, sheets on the bunks. The furniture consisted of a wall-mounted table with double bunks on both sides so that you could sit on the edge of the bed and face the table, eat, play Monopoly, cards or whatever else you could do.

During a period in the mid-60s, the maintenance of the cabin was neglected, because no felling was done and a road was built so it was easier to get home by bicycle or moped than to stay up in the forest. The door had been broken open by someone who didn't know where the key was, the floor terribly dirty and, worst of all, the ceiling had blackened and rotted away. After contact with the owners of the cottage, Prästgården, Stenshammar, Björs, Kresfers and Kåra, it was agreed that Prästgården bought roofing sheets to be delivered to Björs, Björs-Jonas drove the sheets up to the cottage with a sledge when it was windy, and Kåra and Kresfers (Kåra-Gunnar, Krefers-Jonas with the help of Jakobas-Jonas got the sheet metal in place and a thorough cleaning of the cabin made it a popular excursion destination again.
With the network of forest roads extended, the cabin came to be located a little too well and to protect the cabin, it was moved a few kilometers further up towards Steneberget at the top of Hoxtret. Now it was again only hiking that made it possible to visit the cabin and that was a blessing. The visitor's book is still on the table and there are not many people who have not spoken about when and why they visited the cabin.
It has now become a tradition to get up to the cabin on Christmas morning, either on skis or by snowmobile, and preparing food and making coffee has become a popular event.

We can only hope that the cabin will remain and that the guest book will eventually become guest books for the pleasure of all who visit.
In summer, there are always people in the cabin, while the surrounding forest provides good opportunities for blueberry and lingonberry picking. In addition, there are plenty of mushrooms on the slope up to the top of the mountain. A disadvantage of modern times' desire to restore old times is that nowadays you run the risk of meeting both bear and wolf. Strangely enough, the last wolf in Hälsingland was shot at the last wolf skull in 1920 in the area around Bollnäs and the farmers breathed a sigh of relief. Why should we now once again have to feel fear for the forest that has long been a safe place?

Kåra Lars-Erik