Let me get this out of the way: I don’t enjoy camping. There, I said it.
Maybe it’s the bombardment by insects or the fear I’ll meet a disgruntled escaped circus bear that’s just returned to the wild and feels the urge to gnaw away on my thigh whilst riding a tricycle. Both totally plausible and rational reasons, says I. Then again, it could be the sleeping on ground as bumpy and uneven as a pack of camels in a jumpy castle. Perhaps it’s the inability to moderate my climate with a few twists of a dial or the fact that every tent I’ve ever tried to erect looks like it kinda’ just landed there after plummeting off a cliff. More reasons to keep camping at bay. Some might say it’s because I couldn’t start a fire if you gave me a dump truck filled with wood, a dozen of those Light 'n Go Bonfire Jumbo Logs, six cans of gasoline and an Iron Maiden zippo. Or S’mores, those nasty, sticky…no…wait… S’mores are pretty awesome.
Ok, I realize I’m getting a little carried away here. The point being this, yeah, I don’t much enjoy residing in a place that puts me miles away from civilization or, at the very least, a Starbucks. When you factor in that level of disdain paired with the knowledge that I’ve now twice stayed at Mont-Tremblant’s Les Refuges Perchés, a place that’s a “4-season ready-to-camp” kinda’ camp…well, that should tell you all you need to know about the quality of this establishment. Review over! A++++. Would recommend. Camper tested, Andre approved.
What does a place Les Refuges Perchés have above the other campsites, you ask? For starters, Les Refuges Perchés is actually above other campsites! Seriously, look up. Wayyyyy up. What you’re going to see there on the shores of Lac Du Cordon, nestled within the lush greenery of Mont-Tremblant’s 2,000 acre protected regional park, is camping luxury in the form of 10 tree houses. Either that or you’ve just discovered every 80’s kid’s ultimate Ewok village fun land. Yub nub!
Inspired not by a galaxy far, far away but by European travel books that showcased the same concept, Nancy Houston had a vision of recreating the childhood excitement of staying in a backyard tree house sanctuary while also providing a peaceful place to switch off the tech and switch on to nature.
“We wanted to provide the spaces and landscapes that camping offers like the beauty of nature, the sun rising over a lake, the sounds of nearby wildlife, but without some of the challenges that go along with camping like sleeping on the ground or buying and transporting all your own gear,” explains Houston.
For someone like me, Les Refuges Perchés is the perfect comfortable camping compromise.
Accompanying me on my 3-day stay was the lovely Beth Campbell, a gal with far more accomplished camping skills then I. She could start a fire backwards and blindfolded. With her mastery of Taekwondo, I felt fairly secure she’d stand her ground should any rabid woodchucks choose to attack or supply of Doritos and pinot grigio. She also wisely remembered to pack bug spray, sunscreen, a cooler and sleeping bags, essentials that slipped my mine in favour of a Frisbee and Tim Horton’s gift card. At the foot of the trail we packed it all up in the carts provided at check-in and walked through slices of sunbeam streaming through the trees towards the Yurt, our temporary home and just one of unique types of you can choose from.
Perched on two maples and an elm, the aptly named Yurt (because, well, it looks like one) tree house is perfect for two adults or a family that’s peachy keen keeping the kiddies and pooch within arm’s length. Inside you’ll find a very large bed that covers one side of the structure. The other side is dedicated to your kitchen sink, kitchenette and all the goodies you’ll need to cook with save for the food. You have a wood stove, a propane stove and a barbeque as well as a 60L cooler and 15L water container that can be filled up at the nearing Pavilion. There are showers there as well for those needing a hot rinse.
What you’re not seeing there is a television, multiple plugs for your phones, tablets and laptop or an in unit washroom. While the tree house does make for something more lavish then your usual pitch up pup tent, this is still roughing it.
Dry toilets are near the cabin and a water purifier converts what you grab from the lake into something drinkable if you don’t want to keep trekking to the taps. While there is a light inside, the relaxing vibe out here is best accentuated with some tea candles or via the natural sun/moon light washing over you from the skylight above. In short, leave the screens at home. You can get back to your binge watching Gilligan’s Island and rounds of Fortnite when you get back to the city.
“This is an experience people should not miss,” staffer Leislies Farran told me last winter as he put together my cabin kit. “You don’t come here to play on your laptop or cell phone. You come here to appreciate nature. You just can’t be upset in this environment.”
He was right, surrounded by such serenity you just can’t fathom being irritated. That is, unless you’re the chipmunk who continuously scampered away empty pawed and equally empty mouthed despite his aggressive attempts to thieve the wieners we’d just cooked up on the barby. That guy was pretty miffed and he lived in nature all the time!
The persistent little guy made mad dashes around the terrace, even taking a couple shots at scaling our legs. He’d always bound up the main steps as though he were a neighbour ready to greet us with a fine “howdy ho”. We affectionately named him Chad which, after deciding he was British and should be dressed up in a tux and monocle, ballooned to Chadwick Bustaphor the Third Esq. Jr. He was educated at Eton, head of his class in the munking of chips.
If wallowing away the days with the wildlife isn’t you thing, Les Refuges Perchés gives you ample other ways to fill your time. Beth enjoyed a run around one of the longer trails around the lake while I took a shorter hike to take in the scenery and watch the boats from our dock. The lake is a few minutes jaunt from your front door for a refreshing swim, something you’ll relish during these ludicrous summer heat waves we’ve been having.
“Summer is all about the lake,” says Chris Winlo, co-owner of Les Refuges Perchés and owner of the Tremblant Activity Centre. “We're on a protected 3 km long lake which links to three others in Parc Eco des Laurentides. You could be swimming, paddling, fishing, and hiking around it or stargazing from the dock at night with a drink after some barbeque.”
Winlo has multiple connections around Tremblant and can patch you into numerous activities during your stay. For example, go further above the ground than your tree house accommodations with a zipline aerial adventure or some rock climbing. Need to get higher still, book a helicopter tour over the Laurentians! If you prefer to stay closer to land, there’s biking trails and the glorious indulgences to be found inside the Scandinavian Baths. Families with wee ones will be interested in the go-karting and paint ball options as well as the ability to become a falconer for a day with an experienced birds of prey guide.
If you ask Winlo, he’ll tell you to take your time and enjoy as much as you can in the beauty that surrounds you.
“We are in a time where people want ‘tapas’ experiences; make it quick because I want to taste a bit of everything, and we offer that, but it’s not the best way to get the most out of it. The outdoors are best enjoyed un-rushed over an entire day. Choose one 5-hour activity instead of three 1.5 hour activities. It will be a more enriching experience and you'll have more time to enjoy it.”
Beth and I were down for some that, deciding to plan our activities around varying modes of transport.
We began with one of the Centre’s more popular summer choices: 4x4 dune buggying!
We’d meet our guide Jonathan in Labelle, a quaint Quebec town that has turned its old train station into a restaurant and museum, the latter housing an impressive exhibit on Herman “Jackrabbit” Smith-Johannsen, the Norwegian who introduced cross-country skiing to Canada.
Unless you count that one time I used my friend Power Wheels jeep when I was six, neither of us had been in anything that resembled a dune buggy before so it was a good thing Jonathan was around to show us the dust kickin’, tree branch whippin’, mud splatterin’ ropes. He’s been at it now for over two years, doing 28 rides a week through Labelle’s woodier regions.
“I really think people should do this to discover the beautiful country side of Labelle which is now almost forgotten. We have to keep it alive. There’s a lot of history here,” says Jonathan, proud of his town and loving every speedy second of his fast moving day job.
“It’s hard on my body but it is a big adrenaline rush!”
He’s got that right. I wasn’t even driving and found myself quickly amped up! Beth gleefully took the wheel to act out every fantasy she’s probably had while stuck in Friday traffic, whipping around corners as though she was avoiding turtle shells and banana peels in a game of Mario Kart. Along the way, Jonathan stopped our caravan of three to point out a beaver dam, a piece of the Appalachian trail, and an old dwelling that now serves as a deep woods club house for those who make the trek that far away from a triple Venti soy no foam latte.
Mode of transporter numero two took us from four wheelin’ it to four hoofin’ it when Beth and I mounted George and Lilly for a 2-hour horseback ride into the sunset.
Of course, that’s what they told us the horses were named. A few trots down the path and my steed made it evident that she would much prefer to be back in the stables. Beth’s ride, on the other hoof..errr…hand, was as smooth as Billy Dee Williams in one of those Colt 45 commercials. At least for the first fifteen minutes, we’d jokingly rename our horses things like Thunder Destroyer and Angel Whisper, or Scary Trotter and Swift Wind McSoftlyclops.
When the turbulence subsided, this was a pleasant ride with Lilly taking me along the valley trails roaming passed bison on our trip up the mountain. Nearing the view, I caught myself off-key singing old Western ditties like “The Strawberry Roan”, “Back in the Saddle Again” and “O Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie”. The crimson sunset would hush my voice and widened my eyes. The valley spread out below us, a thus far unmarred natural paradise of woodland cradled by the dying of the light and caressed by a soothing summer wind. George let out a satisfied whiney, placingthe perfect exclamation point on this gorgeous landscape.
Our final vessel would move us from land to the water, both of us settling into a 3-hour canoe trip down Qubec’s Diable River. Like the previous day’s horseback ride, things started out a little rocky…actually a lot rocky. Beth and I got caught up on some of the bigger ones that’d be deeper below if not for the recent hot patch that sucked up a lot of the river water.
Looking very much like Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Beth demonstrated how she’s somebody you want backing you in a time of marginal, water related crisis. Like an action hero she leapt from the canoe, began pushing, and commanded me to steer. Her Wonder Woman’esq efforts along with the help of some passing boaters freed us from our impediment and it was all peaceful, easy feelings from there on in as we coasted by ducks, beaches and the kind of nature artists turn into tapestries.
With all the action packed into our 3-days, we still found time to visit the pedestrian village at the foot of Mount-Tremblant.
All a bustle with snow bunnies and speed demons during the winter month’s ski season, summer here is a lot more laid back. Patios are as full as the glasses of wine and cold brew. You can take a free ride halfway up the mountain and become one of the tourists lazily wandering around the streets, making your way down and weaving in and out of art galleries and shops while ravenously licking a cherry ice cream.
“I wonder what Chad is up to,” says Beth, a subtle suggestion that we make our way back to our tree house home. It was getting late and the sky was starting to darken. We arrived just before a storm, the exhaustion finally catching up to us with a thump down on bed the bed listen to the thunder. Later there’ll be a crackling fire and some gooey S’mores goodness but, at this moment, it was like we were dozing to one of those sounds of nature relaxation compilations only it was live outside the window: the birds, the rain and those waves of thunder crashing lightly against one another.
“Let’s come back here again,” Beth whispers before sleep claims her for a few hours.
Through the skylight I watch the first night stars twinkle through a blanket of black. I lay back, grin, and think, yes, perhaps I could get used to camping after all…even without a Starbucks.