High school is often a whirlwind of memories—shared laughter, late-night study sessions, and fleeting moments of connection. As graduation arrives, the bittersweet reality of moving on begins to set in for many students. Among them, senior Peter Ashline and his friends decided to channel their bond into one final, unforgettable project before heading off in different directions: building a treehouse.

While it might not be the first project that comes to mind, it was exactly what Peter envisioned.

As a kid, Peter loved woodwork and tinkering with his dad. So when he started thinking about a meaningful way to spend time with his close friends before college, one idea kept resurfacing: a treehouse.

“The project started when me and my friend Logan [Bryson] were just thinking of cool stuff to do,” Peter said. “We knew we wanted to do something big over the summer, and I originally wanted to build a catapult, but eventually we thought, ‘Hey, let’s build a treehouse!’”

From there, the project took off quickly. A top-secret location was chosen (which the Chronicle agreed not to reveal), and just a few days later, the group started building.

“It was about eighteen guys at the start, most of whom I’ve known since all the way back in kindergarten. Everyone was mostly pretty excited, though there were a few downers. But otherwise, everyone was totally down and excited for the idea,” Peter said.

On day one, Peter took the lead—sketching blueprints and planning what they would need to cut and construct.

“Initially, our idea was a pretty shoddy one,” he admitted. “We mostly got big sticks and logs from the forest and were gonna make something more like a Lincoln Log cabin before we realized that wouldn’t actually get us anywhere.”

Thankfully, Peter’s dad, a woodworker, donated pallets and materials to help the group upgrade their plans. The rest came from what Peter called their “expeditions,” including dumpster diving, van trips to Menards, and collecting scraps from neighbors’ homes – always on the hunt for free wood.

“At the beginning, it was just a way to hang out with all my friends and was pretty chaotic before evolving into a place where we could make some pretty awesome memories,” senior Logan Bryson said.

For Peter, the experience mattered more than the outcome. Even the most mundane moments became memorable because of the people he shared them with.

“Having it here, it’s a symbol of all that friendship, really,” Peter said. “Having all these little things you can do with your friends is super meaningful to me, and was completely worth the cost of all the supplies we needed.”

Though Peter once envisioned adding a second story to the treehouse, practicality – and safety – ultimately got in the way.

“It would’ve been fun,” Peter said, “but there were very significant safety concerns that came with a bunch of teenagers working with power drills and saws on top of a wooden platform.”

As fall turned to winter, construction slowed. But Peter’s enthusiasm for the project never wavered – and even now, on the brink of graduation, it remains one of the most meaningful parts of his senior year.

“I’d love to get back out and work again,” he said. “Especially because I’m a senior now, it feels like college is so close. Really finishing what we started sounds great – especially if that means it’ll last ten more years for another group of people like us.”

That treehouse, built from mismatched pallets and teenage dreams, stands as a monument to friendship. Peter, who will attend the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee this fall, hopes it outlives their time together.

“Even though most of us are going separate ways after high school, the treehouse will stay there for years, and I think we’ll come back one day and connect like we never left,” Bryson said.

Peter encourages others to follow their own big ideas – even if it starts with just a few friends and a pile of scrap wood.

“I’d just like to thank everybody that worked with me on this project,” Peter said. “It was an amazing time, and it’s something I’ll always be able to remember. And I highly recommend that everyone builds their own treehouses. Be safer about it than us, though.”

Peter’s father, Christopher Ashline, watched the project unfold with a mix of admiration and nostalgia.

“He’s always been creative—especially when it came to building structures: forts out of blocks, blanket forts, Lego forts… building a treehouse just seemed like a natural progression,” Christopher said. “I’m really proud of his creativity and seeing him grow up. He’s a leader, and I know that will continue in college.”

This story was originally published on Wildcat Chronicle on May 19, 2025.