Swingin' From The Trees
Story and photos by Lauren Kramer
Tom Chudleigh’s tree spheres are nothing if not cozy. Tight and compact as a nut, the spheres represent a marvel of ingenuity as they rock gently in the breeze, suspended spiderlike from three strong trees. A ladder hugs the circumference of a tree trunk, providing access
to and from the spheres. Once inside, you’re sealed as if in a capsule, a room-for-two in a giant, round eyeball six metres off the ground.
The tree spheres are Chudleigh’s take on
back-to-nature accommodation. They hang in a grove on the two-hectare property he inhabits on Vancouver Island near Horne Lake in the township of Qualicum Bay.
Too small to be called a cottage, too sealed to resemble a tent, and too suspended to come close to a tree house, the spheres occupy a category all their own. They are unique structures that hang from living organisms and rely on the elements for their motion.
"I didn’t know much about spheres initially, but I knew they’d be important to me somehow," says Chudleigh, 55, a Calgary native who began making his first sphere in 1992. “I kept having this recurring vision of a spherical boat,” he explains. “So I started building Eve, and halfway through, the treehouse idea came to me. Now I realize the sphere has symbolic meaning of wholeness, connectedness as opposed to separation. The walls become the ceiling and the floor. In a sphere, it’s all about oneness."
The two spheres are a labour of love. Each is composed of spruce, and sports Costa Rican teak wood floors, two circular windows, beds, and a seating or dining area. Storage space is cleverly fitted into all the nooks and crannies of the orb, and guests have running water, a kettle and microwave, and even a speaker system so you can plug in your iPod and listen to your favourite tunes.
I’m grateful for the absence of music the night my companion and I sleep in Eryn, the larger of the two spheres at 10.5 feet. It is comforting up there in the treetops, in this small, peaceful, organic space. We watch Christmas and Thanksgiving, the geese Chudleigh inherited when he rented this property, swim gracefully on the pond. An ever-so-slight breeze rocks Eryn softly, and as darkness descends we are lulled to sleep by this rhythmic slow dance.
"People certainly seem to find it restful," Chudleigh says. "They tell me that it is very relaxing, and that they haven’t slept so well in a long time. Perhaps that is because of the motion, or the space itself, or the fact that they’re up in the trees for the first time since they were kids."
Most guests use the spheres for sleeping, but others use them for meditation, or to find inspiration to write. "One couple spent a few days making a documentary film in the sphere, and for another guest, a night in the sphere was a transformative experience, prompting a total life change," Chudleigh recalls. The guest sold her home and left to travel around Africa.
Besides being a unique form of accommodation, the tree spheres are a good example of low-impact tourism. Hoisted into the air, they leave no footprint on the ground and require no elimination of vegetation. A composting toilet located steps away from the ladder provides a sanitary and non-odiferous solution. For now, guests in need of a shower take a three-minute walk to Chudleigh’s log cabin, where a bathroom has been designated for their use. "This is not a bed-and-breakfast," Chudleigh says.
For visitors, the spheres are convenient to Horne Lake with swimming, hiking, and a cave network. However, the spheres are not far enough away from Horne Lake Road to miss the sound of passing cars. But this location is a short-term solution, says Chudleigh. Ultimately, he dreams of an eco-friendly resort where 20 or more spheres will hang together deep in a forest, one, he says, "where float planes preferably provide the only access". His rustic workshop holds the seeds of this goal. In one corner sits an unfinished fiberglass sphere that will one day serve as a massage room. A trailer on wheels is another work in progress, destined to become a sauna and two bathrooms for guests.
But for now, he constructs spheres for others, fielding calls from New York, France, and Australia as people read about his work and want to purchase a sphere. The fiberglass spheres take seven months to create and sell for $50,000, while the spruce versions require 20 months’ labour and have a $150,000 price tag. Chudleigh does 95% of the work himself but has hired help on occasion.
Chudleigh is thoroughly enjoying his orbital experiment, and when bookings get quiet you will find him and his wife Rosey curled up in one of the spheres for the night. "I think it’s my job to throw the idea of spheres out into the mass consciousness, and see where it goes," he says.
ACCESS: Free Spirit Spheres are located at 420 Horn Lake Road off Highway 19 North, approximately an hour’s drive from Nanaimo’s Duke Point ferry terminal. The spheres are available for rent year-round, on a nightly or weekly basis. No children under 14 are permitted. Eryn, the larger of the two spheres, can sleep three with a double bed and a loft bed. It rents for $150 per night or $275 for two nights for two people ($35 more for a third person). Eve, the smaller sphere at 2.7 metres in diameter, sleeps one comfortably, but two large people would find it too small. It rents for $100 per night or $175 for two nights. For details visit www.freespiritspheres.com/. Book by e-mail at rosey@freespiritspheres.com.