We're Ryan and Val.

We moved to the Pacific Northwest from New York City in 2013. Val was an affordable housing developer in the South Bronx; Ryan a public policy consultant and manager of conservation initiatives. Long hours in the office and distance from the natural world were killing our souls, so when a job offer in Seattle came in, we packed up and hit the road.

We had taken plenty of mountain vacations, but rarely left any of our accommodations without a lengthy list of things we wanted to change. The hotels looked and felt too much like the same mass produced boxes we stayed in on business travel. The vacation rentals felt like discordant hybrids of Grandpa's trophy room and an IKEA showroom, with universally awful kitchens.

A couple of years into that new job, Ryan reached a point of incurable burnout. It was time to take a big leap, experiment fearlessly and learn an altogether new career.

A few months into the sabbatical, we found a listing for a Packwood A-frame cabin with all the fundamentals. We drove out to have a look the next morning, then made an offer the same day. Accepted!

It needed lots of work, but that was okay: We finally had an opportunity to create the mountain home we always wanted to stay in, and which we hoped others would enjoy as well. Along the way, we went through an on-the-job crash course in home improvement: carpentry, electrical, plumbing, even septic--blech!

Six years in, we've got five cabins, and we live full-time in Packwood. Creating places for people to discover and enjoy this special corner of the world has been intensely fulfilling. We're supported by the good people at Experience Packwood who handle our bookings, housekeeping and general maintenance needs.