DAY 54
05.28.07
TREE 60I went to Norman’s again on an invitation. It’s nice to have him back in town. We went for a swim and helped him get a fridge and sink in at his house. While he built the stand for his sink I went for a stroll in the woods along the lake. I found a nice tree pretty close to the water. The first branch was a little high but after two tries I was able to use the knots on the trunk to shimmy up. Once in the branches the climb was comfortable except for all the whitish-green growth all over the bark that scratched and flaked off. I got up all the way to the top. It would have had a nice sway but there was no wind today. Besides the blood the trunk drew in the beginning it was a very nice climb to go with a very nice day.
5-28-08: Man, I wish I had some before and after pictures of Norman’s house that he’s building. I guess, technically, he’s not totally building it. The building already existed as the pump house for the reservoir on the property. It is a concrete structure that housed huge equipment and has a 49,000 gallon holding tank attached. It is pretty amazing what he has done with the place. Especially after reading this entry and thinking about where he was then and where he is today. He’s come a long way for just one young man figuring out all the stuff on his own.
The picture above is also one of my favorites from the first 90 days of the projects. The overlapping leaves made some amazing greens. And the craggy limbs that go in all directions, it just looks so damn inviting to a tree climber like myself.
After another good days work laying floor I drove to E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park to climb a tree. I saw a patch of tulip poplars but they all looked so easy. I turned my head and saw a towering tree across the street near the dog park. I walked over but couldn’t tell very well if it would be a good climb due to the vines that obstructed a clear view. Close up, though, for a tree this size, it had limbs going all the way up. I studied an entry and took a running step off the trunk and grabbed the first large limb. That always feels so good when you get it on your first try. Then I worked my way up clearing the dead vines and being careful on the dead limbs. I made it up very high and the wind was gusting somethin’ fierce. I took a seat in a crook between two branches and made a video and took some pictures. I tried to narrate my video but the wind was just too strong and loud… sorry. This was a thrilling climb.