For the first time in a long time, I felt immersed in nature.

Nataliya, her son Alex and I spent a long weekend at Cumberland Falls again in September. You’re probably tired of reading about the same place, so I promise to add more variety in the future. This was our first overnight trip with all three of us together, and we decided to stay in a unique treetop cabin that was off the beaten path.

Built in 1973, the treetop cabin sits on a slope overlooking the Cumberland River. The cabin sits atop stilts that keep it 40 feet off the ground at the deepest point. Heights make me nervous, but I was only anxious for a moment. The natural beauty quickly calmed me. The cabin also has a distinctive circular design that is the signature feature of Deltec Homes, the firm that constructed it. It is located at the very end of an isolated road that only had three or four other houses on it. There were a couple boats down on the river, but there were hardly any hints or sounds of the modern world, such as traffic. I heard little besides birds and crickets. The occasional dog bark was the only clue that any other people were nearby. I only had about one bar of cellular signal, which meant the weekend was a wonderful excuse to unplug from Facebook, email and text messages. I look forward to a few more “digital detox” trips in the near future, especially as the election approaches rapidly.

I drove separately on Friday and arrived several hours before Nataliya got off work. I had a few hours of solitude to get settled in and enjoy the peaceful surroundings by myself. Nataliya and I go hiking frequently and spent a week exploring the parks near Las Vegas. However, staying in the treetop roundhouse was more immersive. In Las Vegas, we went hiking but then returned to Las Vegas and slept in a condo near the Strip.

I could not escape nature inside the treetop roundhouse, even if I had tried! When I first arrived, I noticed a large spider on the ceiling and several insects scurrying about in the cabinets under the sink. On the adorable side, I also found a cute fuzzy caterpillar and a snail on the deck around the cabin. The wrap-around deck also offered a wonderful view of the Cumberland River, especially at sunrise and sunset. The large windows also let in lots of light even in the master bedroom. The weather in mid-September was also perfect too – neither too hot nor too cold.

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The treetop roundhouse has a grill, and I cooked some hamburgers for dinner (although be sure to bring your own charcoal). Nataliya and her 11-year old son Alex arrived late in the evening, and the twisty country roads were a bit more harrowing at night. Alex fell in love with the cabin immediately and christened the weekend “hut time” since the circular cabin resembled a primitive hut on stilts. However, my brief sojourn in solitude was over since Alex has ADHD but is unmedicated.

Alex declared the roundhouse was better than staying at the resorts in Mexico that were his previous gold standard for vacation destinations. He complained that the school of fish sculpture on the central wall had “too many fish,” and we were only slightly disappointed that the telescope was only a showpiece. Although well maintained, the cabin clearly has not been renovated or updated recently aside from a large flatscreen TV.

On Saturday morning, we had breakfast and packed our lunches for a short hike. We revisited Eagle Falls and at first took the one-mile loop instead of the direct shortcut. It was very quiet too with few other hikers. Alex quickly grew tired but still had the energy to climb up rocks and jump off ledges (much to Nataliya’s dismay). He stopped to play with some snails he found in a stream near the waterfall, but quickly returned to complaining afterwards. Eventually, we reached the falls and stopped for lunch. I brought Frito corn chips, which I fondly remember from the packed lunches on all my family hikes as a kid. Alex vowed to stay at the falls forever instead of hiking back the long way, so we took the shortcut back to the parking lot. He complained loudly and frequently about climbing the stairs, but we managed to survive. On our previous trip, I had been too nervous to walk along the shortcut, which has less tree cover and is more exposed. But this time I hardly noticed it, probably because I knew what to expect.

Next, we went back to the horse stables located near the Cumberland Falls resort, that Nataliya had enjoyed on our previous trip earlier in the summer. Nataliya and I relaxed and ate some snacks while Alex fed carrots to one of the horses in the stables. He had his heart set on riding his new best friend but was only a little disappointed when he was assigned another horse. Alex christened his steed “Horse-O.”

The ride started out well enough, but Alex quickly became queasy with motion sickness. He renamed his steed as “Disco Horse-O” because it “danced” around too much, and disco was the first dance style that came to mind. Alex loudly and frequently announced he felt like puking. Although he did develop a case of the hiccups, he did not get sick. One of the guides jokingly asked him if he wanted to trade horses, and Alex was disappointed that the offer wasn’t genuine.

Having had enough fun for one day, we returned to the treetop roundhouse. We had pizza and leftover hamburgers for dinner. When the sun went down, we started a fire and roasted s’mores, which I haven’t had in many years. Alex preferred to set alight his marshmallows and let them become blackened. I prefer mine with a much lighter toasting. Although I had just started a fitness and nutrition challenge at my CrossFit gym, I indulged myself.

Nataliya and I sat around the fire and talked for a long time, which I also haven’t done for many years either. The night sky was wonderfully clear, and we could see the stars and moon with crisp clarity. I often lament all the light pollution in Cincinnati that obscures the night sky. As we were cleaning up, an owl hooted. I didn’t spot it, but the owl must have been very close since it was so loud! I’m not sure I’ve ever heard an owl in the wild before, and it was a wonderful way to end the evening. Later, I learned there are eight different owl species in Kentucky. I think we probably heard a Great Horned Owl, which is the most common type, since its hoot is the most similar to what we heard at the cabin.

The next morning, we packed up to leave. Alex, who is an internet addict, was heartbroken to leave “hut time,” and declared he would stay there forever. To no avail, I tried to explain that he would probably feel differently in a day or two due to the lack of internet access. After much wailing and gnashing of teeth, we eventually departed. Alex was somewhat mollified by reading and signing the guest book, which contained many heartfelt notes from previous visitors. Some had even included paintings and songs they had written in their guest book entries. Alex added to the collection by sketching a picture of the treehouse roundhouse.

We stopped at Natural Arch on the way home, which spans almost 100 feet. The arch was formed by millions of years of erosion on either side of the rock formation. Eventually, the indentations on either side of the formation connected to form a tunnel. Instead of hiking out to the arch, we opted for the short, paved path to a scenic overlook. Alex was unimpressed, but it was a very nice view since a few trees were already changing color. We ate lunch at the nearby picnic tables. Alex wanted to play the Monopoly boardgame, which he had brought along for entertainment at the treehouse cabin. He was quite persistent, so we set it up. We had a lot of fun and the time flew by quickly, but we called it quits after two hours since we had a long drive home.

Although somewhat chaotic, the trip was successful, and we all loved staying at the treetop roundhouse. It was a distinctive and memorable experience, especially because of its solitude and natural immersion. I look forward to unplugging again soon! Forth coming destinations include Red River Gorge (KY) and Brown County (IN).