“It is a complex little house, with a pulley system bucket to bring up equipment and a sturdy hammock, with an amazing view.”

Recently I have been stressed, upcoming midterms and papers have left me with on going anxiety. So in the free fashion I decided to take a break out of my busy schedule and take a nature hike. I decided to venture to a tree-house behind Sierra Madre dorms. Now when I hear the word tree house, make shift wood planks comes to mind. However, this penthouse, which should be its proper name, is fully equipped with novels, Jiffy Peanut Butter, and a pillow topped mattress– and yes it exists.

I learned about this secretive place through my neighbor last year and on Saturday we decided to adventure here again. Three of us, my roommate, neighbor, and myself were up for the hike. The location of this place is very high up in the hills, on Poly Mountain, behind the dorms. The path we took is in-between the beach volley ball courts behind Sierra Madre towers one and two. It requires some fence hopping and agility, due to some steep locations. However, if you are looking for a quiet relaxing spot away from college and homework this is definitely the place. The path we took is somewhat complicated and difficult to explain, but I will try my best.

Behind the Sierra Madre dorms buildings, one and two are, stairs that lead to a fence. This is the first one you must climb. Afterward, head to the right hopefully along a visible path to another fence you must jump. Continue the path and when it splits head to the left up the hill. Here you will pass a huge tree on your right. If you keep walking there should be water towers to your left and an excellent view to your right. As you follow the path it gets steep so watch your footing, but you should end up coming up underneath the treehouse with a ladder in front of you.

The first time I climbed this ladder I almost had a heart-attack. It tends to exaggeration every motion; and although it is sturdy and waterproof it is difficult to climb– even without being scared of heights. Although, this is the case. It is completely worth it. On Saturday, I remember reading a note below the ladder, from a visitor like our selves, stating, how amazing this place is and how the writer is the hopeful himself and the builder will cross paths soon.

It truly is like entering another fantasy. There hangs a pirate flag that captures the adventure, while written signatures and dates are on every available section saying, “welcome to my new home”. It is a complex little house, with a pulley system bucket to bring up equipment and a sturdy hammock, with an amazing view.

Inside, the one room tree-house is also spectacular. Random pictures are strung about, along with stickers advocating marijuana and pro-rights. It is like entering a vagabonds house or Into the Wild’s Christopher McCandless’s van. Something old, yet still alive.

After the hike, and back to normality, I started to wonder the story behind this secretive location. I google searched “Cal Poly treehouse,” at least a dozen of times with many variations without any luck. However, I did find Steven Marx‘s, a Cal Poly professor, blog that mentioned this place. Two articles, Jack Sparrow and the Devil’s Canyon and Botanical Surprises mention this location with references to a E.C building it. (Author removed blog posts due to unwanted publicity.)

I e-mailed Mr. Marx to see if he had any more information and so far nothing, but maybe there will be more discovered in the future.

Also to my surprise, it turns out Cal Poly Pomona has a similar story made by a man named Mike Taylor who in the 1970s built a tree house behind their administration building.

This type of secret hideaway has always fascinated me and I hope other Cal Poly Students can come to respectfully enjoy this place and use it for their getaway.