Out ‘n’ About Treesort

How did you originally learn of the place and what was your reaction when you initially saw the property?

Truth be told, I can’t remember the first time I learned of Out N’ About Treehouse Treesort, but it was probably either during a InTreePenDance party (4th of July), or one of Michael Garnier’s classes in civil disobedience. In either case, I was probably very young (2-6 years) and my reaction was probably something like this. 0.0 (Wide eyed wonder)

How did this amazing treeline hotel get started?

Michael Garnier was a Green Beret in Viet-Nom, and whenever he was done he moved to the Takilma area to help start a clinic. He was known as Dr. Birch then. Afterwards, he bought a little piece of property to start a bed and breakfast resort on, and he was going to offer horse rides through the wilderness. Once he was done building, nobody came. The property was far out of the way and there were plenty of closer alternatives for visitors. He couldn’t figure out what to do to draw-in more people, until he was about to start a tree house for his children. He thought “Treehouse bed and breakfast with horse rides through the wilderness? Yup, that’s it” and off he went. Unfortunately the children did not get their own tree house, they got something even better. What sorts of amenities should one expect at a treesort? One should remember that a treesort falls under the category of glorified camping (Glamping). That being said, amenitrees include (but are not limited to) breakfast in the kitchen, seasonal freshwater pool access, a community cook area including barbecues, public bathrooms (though some of the treehouses have their own showers and/or toilets), and all-you-can-eat blackberry bushes and apple trees (seasonally). You can also expect access to a multitude of activitrees including massage therapy, horseback rides, and ziplining.

Is it true there are no locks on the doors?

Why would we need them? First of all, good luck finding us unless we have given you directions. Second, I don’t think there is a person within 100 miles of us who has not benefited from our existence. And third, good luck getting past the owner or camp hosts without notice (they have ninja skills). Besides all of that, the guests and employees are very trustworthy, and we’ve had little-to-no problems with thievery in the past. ONA has been open since the 70’s, and there has never been a need for locks on the doors.

That is very cool in this day and age. What do your guests make of it?

People’s reactions tend to be of a polar nature; they either leave immediately, or they will never stop coming back. Sometimes people don’t understand what it is that we are trying to advertise, and they don’t like what they see when they show up. Everyone else has their minds blown. I don’t understand which experiences end up impressing them, but most people have an almost lifealtering experience here (sorry for the horn toot’n).

Rumor has it your lovely siren wife used to work there, but got too busy with her own booming business to continue. What was it like working with her?

Please don’t remind me, I miss my wife at work horribly. It was the coolest place in the world while I got to work with her, now it’s just the best job in the world. I laugh and have fun with the people at work, and the whole time I’m thinking “I wish my wife was here”. People used to accuse her of being better than me at what we did. She probably would be if she were still there.

I am guessing your daughter has visited the place on more than one occasion. What does she think of the place?

Well she can’t exactly communicate perfectly yet, but it was a lot like my reaction when I first discovered the place, plus a lot of gabbing (her language). Whenever we take her, she usually runs amok and then sleeps VERY well that night. She’s been on the ziplines a few times (starting at 6 months old, riding with her mom!), and every time she’s enjoyed it! We hope that she’ll be the first nextgen zip guide!

Can you tell us about the activities available for participation around the property?

Oh my gosh, I could probably write a book with all of the time it would take to describe all of our activities, so I’ll settle for listing them. On a day-to-day basis we have board games, wi-fi, rope swings, Frisbee golf, horseshoe toss, massage therapy, tie-dyeing, tile mosaic creating, pony rides, horseback rides, the giant pendulum swing (aka the famous Tarzan Swing), rope climbing with rappelling, and zip lining. We also hold our annual treehouse conference in the fall, and our 4th of July InTreepenDance party. And that’s not including all of the stuff to do in Cave Junction, the tourism capital of Oregon.

I imagine staying at Out n' About is more of an experience rather than just a place to lay your head. Are there any comments from guests that you can share about their stay?

Almost everyone who visits Out N’ About absolutely loves it, we’ve even had families say “This is better than Disneyland!” and/or cancel their trips there to stay at ONA! We’ve had families become long-time friends with each other around the campfire-pit at night, trading stories of their lives. There are multiple families who make YEARLY trips because they have loved the experience so much! It’s always sad to see those families leave, but at least we know we’ll see them again the next year.

Why should our readers choose a treehouse for their next vacation?

Staying at Out N’ About Treehouse Treesort is, as you said, quite an experience. I’d have to say that staying at Out N’ About isn’t just a vacation, it’s a valuable lifeexperience that everyone should witness at least once. The trustworthiness of the employees and fellow guests, the friendliness of everyone, the fresh air and beautiful nature around, it’s something you can’t find anywhere else! And that’s just the area! The actual stay in a treehouse, several feet (anywhere from ground level to about 45 feet up) off of the ground, is not only a VERY unique experience, but it brings back memories of being a child and playing in the trees! I have had several guests tell me that their sleep in a tree seems to induce dreams of flying! It’s definitely a place everyone should try to visit at LEAST once in their lifetime… IF THEY CAN FIND US!

Fortunately, you can find them by visiting their Treehouses.com website or Facebook page