DAY 201
10.22.07
TREE 124
When I woke at Norman’s this morning the sky had just a few puffy clouds when the sun broke through. Quickly more clouds moved in as I ate breakfast and then made my way back to the Mount. I went through the motions of my daily tasks and the rain began to fall. I knew this was coming and I resigned myself to a climb in the rain. I drove into Louisville and went to Cherokee Park. I wanted an easy tree. A beech. I knew exactly which one. I parked at Hogan’s Fountain and sat to wait for a break in the rain. None came. I put on my rain coat and readied my camera by wrapping it in a plastic sandwich bag. I headed to a beech tree I had visited before. I had warmed up on it in the past doing pull-ups in the lowest branches. I knew I could get in easily, only today all the limbs had tiny streams of water flowing down on the undersides. I strapped my velcro straps tight around my wrists to try and prevent water from rushing down my arms to my elbows. This only helped so much. As I climbed slowly up this tree my legs and feet began to get soaked.
I was extremely careful and made it up towards the top. Not very high, as this tree isn’t huge but good enough considering the circumstances.
I tied my ribbon and got out my camera after drying my hands on my sweatshirt under my coat. I tried to take pictures without getting my camera wet.
Soon that became difficult so I stopped. I collected some green leaves since there were none starting to change color.
Then I slowly climbed down trying (in vain) to not get anymore soaked than I already was. Afterwards I headed to Big Rock to watch the rushing creek overflow its normal edges. This rain I haven’t seen in quite some time.
10-26-08: Have you even woken up outside covered in dew? I’m glad I wasn’t covered in frost.
Speaking of frost, last week when I was near Akron staying with Cassandra and Jason for a few days I experienced some colder weather that I was not prepared for. They had frost in the mornings and their leaves were in the middle of the color change. It is so different than in Louisville. They seem to be 2 or 3 weeks ahead of us here. It made me think of the difference between Amherst, MA and Waterville, ME. I went to school at Amherst and it had unbelievably colorful falls, but I would usually go visit Rachel at Colby College in Maine on the first weekend of October and it would be a few weeks ahead there. New England falls are by far the best. I need to go for a visit soon.
I am getting off track here. On Tuesday of last week I drove around with Cassandra and Ani. She showed me where Jason grew up, and I got to go into the small house where Cassandra grew up. We did a little thrift shopping and then stopped at a really great state park so I could climb a tree. I tried at first to climb a large maple but wore myself out trying to shimmy up the trunk to the first branch. I even had my hand around the branch but then my leg grip failed and I slid to the ground. My arms and legs were fatigued so I waited a few minutes before climbed a smaller pole-like maple.
I wanted to walked up this trunk but the wet ground made my shoes slippery. I ended up shimmying up this trunk as well which really wore out my muscles. By the time I got to the first little limb I was pretty exhausted.
I looked up to see if it was at all possible to go higher, but I just gave up the hope. I pulled out my camera and took shots of the woods, Cassandra and Ani, and the nearby picnic area.
I looked down the trunk of this small tree to see all the leaves on the forest floor and my feet floating above them.
It is moments like that that make me forget that I am tired and my muscles worn. But just standing on a tiny limb soon reminds me that I can’t stay there forever and have to climb down. So I hugged the trunk and slid down to the ground.
That night the Woods’ and I had a great dinner and hung out. It was really a great few days there.
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