A while back, I told the story of activist Julia “Butterfly” Hill. Hill lived in a tree she named Luna for just days shy of two years in 1997-98. She was in the 180 foot Redwood tree because she was trying to save it from being cut down. Hill’s tree sitting eventually saved Luna.
Corbin Dunn also likes treetop living, but his was a little more luxurious than Hill’s. Dunn and his friend Chris Howland, built a tree house when they were 14. When Dunn came home from college, he would stay in the tree house.
Dunn realized the old tree house wasn’t so great in the winter, so he decided to build a new one. He completed the new tree house in 1999 and continued to live in it, even after his parents moved to Hawaii and left their house vacant.
But, this was no ordinary tree house. Dunn had it wired for electricity and water. It even had a toilet and shower, something Hill had to live without for two years. However, it wasn’t all luxury. The shower didn’t drain well and the hot water heater only allowed for about four minutes of warm water. Dunn had Internet, but it was dial-up.
Still, Dunn lived in the tree for five years. His girlfriend Louise tried living in it with him for a while, but grew tired of the musty smell and small bed. The two eventually married and bought a traditional house. Dunn worked at Apple, helping tweak the iPhone.
Now, Dunn is hooked on the sport of mountain unicycling, something Louise got him interested in. He is now the Unicycle Marathon World Champion, having finished first in a 27 mile race in New Zealand in January.
You can check out Dunn’s web page, which talks about his tree house and how he just built a unicycle. He also has a blog about his former home and you can even see pics that show it wasn’t a typically tree house.
(Photo taken from Corbin Dunn’s website)