STANARDSVILLE — There are times when it is nice to have a fire while camping.

And there are times when it is necessary.

This was one of latter.

Carefully, I made a teepee of twigs over the crumpled paper.

Then I pulled out my windproof butane lighter, flicked it on and put a flame to the paper.

The paper crackled as the flame slowly spread, and I carefully blew on the embers to hasten the ignition.

OK, this wasn’t a life or death situation, such as portrayed in Jack London’s harrowing short story, “To Build a Fire.”

But the fact is I was in the cold Virginia winter woods, and daylight was fading.

Fortunately, I had shelter.

My lodging for the night was the Wineberry Cabin, one of the couple dozen cabins owned by and managed for members of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.

The Wineberry is a rustic structure that sits on a 270-acre, club-owned parcel called the Vining Tract.

Bordering Shenandoah National Park in Greene County, the property and its handful of rentable cabins offer a convenient launching ground for hiking expeditions, or for just sitting around and enjoying time with friends away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

I was here at the invitation of PATC member and Roanoke Times photographer Matt Gentry.

Gentry discovered the club’s cabin program when he was working in Charlottesville, which is about an hour south of the Vining tract.

Over the years he has rented many of the club’s cabins, which are spread around Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Those at the Vining Tract are among his favorites, which is why he booked the Wineberry for a recent winter weekend.

Matt had to work on this Saturday so he and his wife, Colleen, were still on the road when I arrived after a half-mile hike from the parking lot.

One of the cabins at the Vining Tract is reachable by car (a gate combination is needed) but others require a hike.

I arrived with about an hour of daylight remaining.

The temperature was a brisk 33 degrees both outside and inside the cabin, so the first order of business was to start a fire in the wood stove.

Between feeding the fire with larger and larger pieces of wood I took trips to the nearby spring to fill up water jugs.

There is no running water, but there’s a sink, above which hangs a 4-gallon water jug for washing dishes, hands and the like.

The club’s literature on the cabin mentioned that regulars call the cabin the Warmberry because the stove is so robust and because the 14x20 structure is so well insulated.

Sure enough, by the time Matt and Colleen arrived a little after 9 p.m. the cabin was a toasty 65 degrees.

It was even warmer in the loft, where I slept well after we finally turned in.

After coffee and breakfast the next morning we headed out for a hike of the area.

The first cabin we reached was the Mutton Top, a relatively large cabin with an incredible view of the valley below.

Two families were there, having made the trip from Chesterfield.

Erik and Amy Todd were there with kids Alyssa and Landon, while cabin mates Mike and Tommie Deaner had kids Elsie and Jo Jo.

“Mike and I have been doing this for about 20 years,” Erik Todd said.

The tradition started with a bunch of guys spending time “semi-roughing it” the week after Christmas, Todd said.

Recently the kids have joined in the fun.

The campers said they had spent time in many of the PATC’s cabins, and had enough knowledge to know the ones best suited for families while avoiding those that require long hikes, or offer more rustic and/or cramped conditions.

The PATC has a number of cabins inside Shenandoah National Park, but Todd said his preference is for cabins on the Vining Tract because access via Skyline Drive is not required.

“It’s just too iffy during the winter,” Todd said of the requirement to travel on Skyline Drive, which is often closed in poor weather.

Dr. and Mrs. Rutledge Vining donated the original 200 acres to the club in 1980. The club purchased an adjoining 70 acres in 2003.

The property’s cabins are connected by about 2 ½ miles of hiking trails.

Most of the cabins are restored original buildings.

The Wineberry, for example, had only walls and a tin roof when renovation began in 1992. There was no chinking between the logs that make up the cabin’s walls.

The job was completed in 1998.

In terms of size it falls in the middle of the Vining Tract’s offerings, which range from the tiny Johnson Cabin to the relatively roomy Mutton Top.

The cabins have one common trait, and that is affordability for members of the club, who pay $50 dues for a family of four.

Two nights at the Wineberry, for example, comes in at just $75.

Sure, camping is free at shelters along the Appalachian Trail, a great option if you can handle the chill.

If a cozy cabin with access to a variety of mountain hiking options is more your thing, the PATC’s offerings are a unique and fun option.

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