11:25 a.m. Monday, August 17, 2009

Enjoying the great outdoors 

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By Lori Johnston

For the AJC 

The name of Cath Simonsen’s North Carolina cabin — Stargazer — is perfect for its mountain location. Simonsen, 37, a physician assistant in anesthesia at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, chatted about her vacation home.

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Cath Simonsen Simonsen often brings her dogs to enjoy the trails and other outdoor activities at the cabin.

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A fireplace in the living room is one of two fireplaces at Cath Simonsen’s North Carolina cabin, which she rented out for at least 190 days last year.

Cath Simonsen A fireplace in the living room is one of two fireplaces at Cath Simonsen’s North Carolina cabin, which she rented out for at least 190 days last year.

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Why North Carolina: Simonsen, who describes herself as a “humongous mountain biker and hiker,” has been visiting the area for at least a decade.

Her place: A one-bedroom, one-bath cabin with 18-foot ceilings in Fontana View, a mountain community that began development in the late ’90s. “It’s got really, really high ceilings, so it feels very spacious,” she said. It boasts two fireplaces — a gas-burning fireplace inside and a wood-burning fireplace outside, adjacent to a hot tub. Simonsen has blended styles and pieces that she inherited from her grandmother with older furniture and new items purchased from Watershed Trading Co. in Bryson City, N.C.

How she built it: She started the process in fall 2004, securing financing through United Community Bank in Bryson City to start building in the summer/fall of 2005. The cabin was completed by March 2006. Her original loan was for $187,000 and she contributed $20,000 to start the process with her friend and builder, Ron LaRocque. “It was just awesome. It was a very personal, intimate relationship where I would see the drawings and make modifications,” she said. “I really felt very engaged in the whole process.” The home recently has been appraised for $330,000, Simonsen said.

How far from home: About 2½ hours from Decatur.

How often she’s there: At least six times a year.

What she does when she’s there: Outdoor activities, such as mountain biking and taking 5-mile hikes with her three dogs (golden retrievers Lex, Steele and Pace).

Rental or not? Rental. “If I wasn’t going to be there every single weekend, I kind of wanted renters to be able to enjoy it,” she said. Last year, she rented it for at least 190 days. The home accommodates four people, with a king-size bed in the bedroom and a leather pull-out sofa.

At a glance

Cath Simonsen’s North Carolina cabin has one bedroom, one bath and about 1,100 square feet inside (plus 800 square feet on the wraparound porch). The home was completed in March 2006.

Community overview

The one home on the market in Fontana View development, a private, gated community, is listed in the low $400,000s, said Tim Goodwin, owner of Watershed Cabins, a luxury log cabin rental company. Nearby cabins range from the $200,000s-$400,000s. The Tsali Recreation Area, a mountain bike trail system that surrounds Fontana Lake, is about 2 miles from Simonsen’s cabin. The cabin is also about 5 miles from the Nantahala Outdoor Center, which offers kayaking, white water rafting, hiking and more.

For sale

$419,000: 351 Bee Gum Ridge, Bryson City, N.C. 28713. A 2-bedroom, 2-bath log cabin with a loft on 2.58 acres bordering U.S. Forest Service land.

Getting there

Take I-85 north to I-985 toward Gainesville. North of Gainesville, I-985 turns into U.S. 441 north, which goes to Franklin, N.C. (Follow the signs for 441 Bypass, not 441 Business.) Stay on 441 to the towns of Dillsboro, N.C., and Sylva, N.C., where 441 intersects with N.C. Hwy. 19/74. Take 19/74 West toward Bryson City, N.C. Travel about 20 miles, pass all three Bryson City exits and continue to mile marker 59, where the four-lane highway splits into two two-lanes. Take the right fork, which is N.C. Hwy. 28N to Fontana, travel about 2 miles and turn left at Round Top Road, which leads directly into the Fontana View community.

Info

Watershed Cabins

www.watershedcabins.com

Fontana View

www.fontanaview.com

Swain County Chamber of Commerce

www.greatsmokies.com

Tsali Recreation Area

www.main.nc.us/graham/hiking/tsali.html

Nantahala Outdoor Center

www.noc.com

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