Tree House Camping 2022
The boat is sold … time to try camping.
We sold our boat, Turnstone, and looked to try something else. Jennifer found a campsite in Western Maryland with tree house cottages. In September 2022 we decided to give it a go.
Our Tree House - Willow
The site was spacious with two picnic tables, a grill, and a fire pit.
There was a table and a woodburning stove. It was quite dark inside even in the daytime.
Inside had a queen sized bed with another full sized above.
There were also two single bunkbeds. We used as our "garage" area.
Our big adventure was hiking on the Appalachian Trail. We started at Gathland State Park.
There was a striking monument dedicated to war correspondents who died during war..
The trail started simple. But it immediately turned into a steep climb up a mountain.
Abigail had a great time. She was off leash and would bound off trail, zoom back to the trail, and then blast ahead of us.
Our furthest point was White Rock Overlook.
The trails were exceptionally rocky.
At the end we were tired and happy to see some 1887 ruins near where we parked our car.
The total trip was 7 1/2 miles. We were exhausted but glad to be back at our car. It took us 5 hours to complete the trip. We planned on half that time.
The camping was tougher than we expected. We loaded our car with food, linens, drinks, and snacks. The campsite was very dark. Inside the cabin we had to use lanterns even in the daytime. The hiking was even harder. We are both sore days later.
At night it was just spooky. The trees blocked out all the light. We could not see the sky or stars. It was darker than I can ever remember. There were port-a-potties a couple hundred feet away from the cabin. In the dark, you could hear animals rustling. We made campfires and grilled on the barbecue and started fires in the woodturning stove. There was a lot of fire.
Is this a replacement for boating? Not for us! We had fun and enjoyed the exercise and being away. But we always enjoy ourselves. Maybe we’ll try again next year now that we have some perspective on what outdoor living is like.