A billowy willow tree was the home to my first backyard treehouse. There was a compact kitchen, a large bedroom with a view and a living room that seated up to three comfortably. The girls in the neighborhood would climb up, and we’d play house for hours.
Now, there weren’t actually floors, walls and windows, just a thick sturdy trunk, wide branches, knobby limbs and enough foliage for privacy. My dreams of having a treehouse have been on hold, but a recent visit to Skamania Lodge in Washington rekindled the joy of living among the branches.
Skamania Lodge is a resort destination along the dramatic Columbia Gorge in Washington, where outdoor enthusiasts and windsurfing warriors convene for good, clean fun. Skamania offers glamping, cabins, villas, lodge rooms and suites, nestled in a forest of tall Douglas Firs and overlooking the spectacular Columbia River.
The Columbia River Gorge is a breathtaking river canyon, 80 miles long and up to 4,000 feet deep, that wanders past cliffs, spires and ridges set against nearby peaks of the Cascade Mountain Range. The Cascades' geology creates a rain shadow effect, causing a dramatic difference in precipitation that distinguishes the lush conifer forests at the west end of the Gorge from the grasslands at the east end. Fly into Portland and hike, windsurf, kayak, bike or hit up the breweries and small towns along the way to Skamania. While there, check out zip-lining, golf, spa days, forest bathing and a 17-station outdoor total body fitness trail on the campus.
Out and about, be sure to stop at Spring Creek Hatchery State Park in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and watch the crazy windsurfers and kiteboarders fly across the river in a flock of colorful sails and pure adrenaline. Skamania.com