DAY 72
06.15.07
TREE 80 & 81I walked past the white water tower in the nature sanctuary ready to try the third path. Unfortunately it led right into the second path after about 100 feet or so. But since I didn’t take the second path too far last time the territory was still new. That is until I realized where it led. A few more hundred feet and I was approaching another little field. And just to the left of the path’s opening was that little triangular cedar prayer shelter. The one I had found on April 30th and wrote in the journal. Before, I had come to it in a roundabout way. I sat and reread my entry and read a couple others. Then stepping out of the structure I noticed this large tree with one nice climbable smaller tree growing right next to it. The path was clear and I stepped towards the small trunk. My first obstacle: no low branches. There were a few knots so I shimmied like a koala till I could reach the first branch. I’m getting comfortable with that procedure. Then up I went till I could step onto the first large branch of the bigger tree. Many of the offshoot branches were dead and rotten so it was a little slow and precarious. I paused to study a way up further. But there was none so I looked out and down. The branch I was on curved down towards the ground with a few dead and live branches shooting off. I could picture the possibility of a path to the ground but dangers existed so I hesitated. Then that voice in my head that urges “nothing ventured, nothing gained,” whispered in my ear, so I said “fuck it” and went for it. Slowly and carefully, choosing to inch backwards on my ass at first then strategically slithering through the limbs till it got so steep I had to rotate underneath for the rope-like climb down. But before doing so I tied my tag. Making sure next time I would have to risk the same path. The arm climb to the ground was quick but with a constant fear and ever expecting body preparedness for the limb to break, but it did not, thankfully. Great climb! And 5 ticks to boot.
6-15-08: Those five ticks did not attach themselves to my skin. I just found them on my clothes or crawling on my legs. To follow my path on the above picture find the red and white sign. The smaller tree is just to the left. Go up and to the right to the large tree. The large limb that curves down is what I took to get to the ground. It is too bad that you cannot see the ground in the photo. Also, as you go out on a limb, it really starts to bend down, so what may not seem close to the ground becomes so. One of the more memorable climbs where I took the risk and it paid off.
Happy Father’s Day! Yesterday I felled a tree in my parents’ front yard. Since I actually did learn a thing or two at my tree service job I was able to help my dad out so he didn’t have to pay the big bucks for someone else to do it. All went smoothly, we cleaned it up and then I climbed onto the garage roof to saw off a limb that was hanging over it. Chainsaws are dangerous, but pretty cool.
Then, yesterday I had a parkour jam at water front park down town. Basil, Will, and Josh were there. We headed over the newest section of playground by the Tumbleweed. That place is awesome, especially the structure that looks like a steamboat. There are countless lines (lines are different paths through any set environment) on the structure. Like when I climb trees and enjoy solving the puzzle of getting to the top, finding lines in parkour gives me that same stimulation only it is more open… free. A puzzle with limitless solutions. We are definitely going back there again and again.
Afterwards I went to Cox’s Park and climbed a beautiful tree right next to the river just after sunset. The colors of deep red and orange still hovered in the distant clouds. The night was cool and the tree couldn’t have been better for a climb. Please enjoy the pictures and my video.
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