How Owl's Nest Tree House came to be

Adirondack Wilderness Tree House

Let me take you on a journey that lasted a year !!

We all went for a walk one day looking for an area that would be the best to build a tree house. Let me tell you this,finding the right trees was the hardest part - it took hours.

We finally found 4 young trees that would be able to stand the test of time. An Oak tree, a Cherry tree and two Ash trees, they are about 18 inches in diameter. They would be able to hold the tree house and be able to grow with it.

We did not want to build it with 4x4 posts in the ground, we wanted it in a tree; because after all a true tree house is in a tree, right?

We had a few friends look over the area and they too agreed that it would be the best place, it was quiet and off the beaten path. We had to remember when we were doing the plans that it's a tree house and thats what it should look like, not a beautiful structure placed in the forest. Don't get me wrong it will be beautiful, but it will be a tree house. We talked to a local logger and ordered the wood from him. It's all made of true rough cut lumber. We received a call that the lumber was ready for pick up so we did just that and loaded it in the pickup truck and came home to Back to Basics. We hauled all the lumber to the site, and i'll tell you carrying all that lumber was a chore.

This was the fall of 2003, we then decided to try our hand at hanging the deck stringers, man those 2x6 x 14 were heavy, the wood was still green and pretty easy to lage to the trees, so thats what we did. By the time the day was done, four boards were up, and a few stringers. Then the snows came, and it didn't stop.

We put a hold on the construction.

Well Spring came, the snows left and the mud dried. It was time to order the rest of the wood. So I talked with my friend, Bill, about what he felt was needed, we came up with a plan and placed the order.

What a pile huh? We had to load it in Douglas's truck, drive it a ¼ of mile down the road, and carry it by hand 300 yards in the woods to the site. It was a chore and I thank you Bill, Doug, Douglas, and the kids.

Now the snows came, and i'll tell you the winter was mild but when you add it up the snow fall we had about 190 inches of snow, we do get lake affect snows here, about 2 to 3 inches a night, now add that up. In a month's time. That's 90 inches of the white stuff a month, wow… Any how, we had to wait till Spring, I then began to advocate all winter, for help from my friends and anyone that I could get to help us. I got a few people lined up. So then came spring, the snow was gone and the bare forest was exposed to the warm suns and longer days, As we built the tree house we watched the Adirondack forest wake up, the small underbrush to the budding of the trees. The smells are very different in the spring,

Needless to say the tree house was a big job, we had so many things to take in consideration, we built the tree house with no power tools at all, most was done with a chainsaw, and hand tools, a small cordless drill to secure the tin roof, we started out with a plan, and as we built on, we decided a few modifications we in need, we made it bigger with a cantilever on the back side,

We decide to have slide windows, and keep a beautiful cherry tree going right through the roof, it leaks a bit but after all, it a tree house, and an Adirondack tree house to boot !

So to get to the point, the tree house took us 4 weeks to build, and we do have to say thank you to all that helped complete or had a part in the construction of this wild and crazy dream of a tree house in the Adirondacks, the first of its kind and far as I know,

Bill, Mup Aka Pugger, Taryn, Rachel, Douglas, Doug, Martha, Kayla, Al, and yes even, Diamond the dog.

Well the tree house was built, and decorated for the kids and friends of Back to Basics.

The tree house we decided to name Owl's Nest

There are many owls that are heard from that area of the Back to the Basics, there's a peace in that part of the woods that may not be heard by the average ear, it takes a few days to sink in. There were many feelings that went into building the tree house, most of all, we had to keep reminding ourselves, its just a tree house, built by a chainsaw, and no power tools, so the roof may leak a little around the cherry tree that goes through the floor and roof, the squirrel may get mad that your there, because you took his tree, and the windows may stick a bit, but that's all in the fun of it being in a tree house.

I fell that the message that we all tried to send is that it's a childhood idea that we need to bring back, the feeling of the days that there were no cares, other than sneaking out extra food and dads cooler for the tree house ice box. You know things like that. All that mushy stuff.

Well, the tree house I think its own right is a hit, we are happy with the way it came out and hope that our friends and family who spend time there can bring a little of the past memories back. I do have to tell you that the way everyone decorated the tree house, does make you fell like a kid again, there's a lot of old toys all over the place, the table is a checker board, and we found large checkers to put on the table, in an antique coffee can, you can really play checkers. There's power rangers hanging out, you have a bunch of Beanie baby owls sitting in real Adirondack robins nest, it really is done very cool.