DAY 260

DAY 260
12.20.07
TREE 185

The tingling in my fingers is just wearing off.  All day it was cloudy but dry.  I was tired from the moment I woke and it lasted all through the work day.  So when I got home all I wanted to do was take a nap.  When I awoke in the dark living room I heard the tinkling of raindrops.  Rain?!  I still have to climb a tree!  I ate dinner with my mom then suited u[ for a wet climb.  But where was I going to go.  I’m running out of nearby options and I need to keep a few backups for the coming holiday week since I’ll be home a lot.  But I’m tired, it’s dark and rainy… this seems like a good time to use one.  I put my camera in a sandwich bag and got in my car.  I drove down 393 and parked at the high school. 

Usually when I drive by in the evening the lot is packed for some event, and I was hoping for that tonight.  This evening I was the only vehicle there.  But that did not deter me.  I got out, donned my hoods and waited for no cars to cross the road.  Once on the other side I had a large grass field to traverse. 

As I began my straight line to my tree I came up with a stories to tell a cop if I get approached.  The first: My friend threw my keys out the window, I’m looking for them.  I thought, no, not good… uh, Ill tell him I’m going to climb a tree.  I figured the truth was best and if I actually did get hassled I’d be so nervous I’d end up telling the truth anyway.  I don’ lie well.  My feet stayed surprisingly dry across the field of tall, wet grass.  My body was still warm from the car heat.  My first thought when I got to the base of this tree was, man, what a gnarled, craggy beast… perfect! 

I took my hands out of my pockets and grabbed the first limb.  Wet, but not too bad.  I pulled myself up then muscled up to the next limb, then another and finally got a foothold.  Many of the limbs were dead.  What looked like an easy climb suddenly became a lot tougher.  I snaked around dead branches to reach sturdy ones and wound my way up to the first big split in the trunk.  Damn my hands ache with cold!  I wanted to pause and stick them in my pockets but thought better of it and pressed onward and upward.  A few more limbs and I got to where the main leader split in three at one joint.  That was my rest stop.  I got a good, safe stance and dug my hands into my pockets and looked around.  Could I go higher?  One lead looked enticing so I repositioned my feet and gave it a good look.  Maybe if it were dry, but not tonight.  I turned back around and tied my ribbon.  That was my high point for the climb.  Then I carefully took pictures as best I could in these conditions. 

Not much to see really. 

One more pause, then I was ready to come down.  Then I started to talk to myself out loud.  I am not sure what I was saying.  It was a stream of consciousness nonsense probably because my real brain was concentrating on the climb.  Finally back on the ground I was relieved.  Another successful climb.  Now time to go home, change, and warm back up.

12-20-08:  I guess I really tried to relate my thoughts from the climb.  That is what the italic sentences were if you didn’t get that.  It was a weird switch from past tense to my thoughts at that time.  I hope it came out clear.  I must have been experimenting with writing style.  I guess that is the only way to learn and get better.  I could use more of that really.  I could also take a refresher on Strunk and White’s Elements of Style. 

I also feel I should explain why I wanted there to be a lot full of cars.  I like to blend in and not stick out.  A lone car in a high school parking lot at night my draw attention from cops.  That is why I started to think of stories.  But rather than get caught up in some fabrication I figured I’d just tell them exactly what I was doing and reap the consequences.  So far I haven’t had to explain a thing to a cop.  I hope it stays that way. 

Yesterday I woke up to sunshine and 60 degree weather.  So strange, but pleasant.  I wanted to get outside and figured today would be a perfect day for collecting the mistletoe for the party.  I planned to head to where I knew a lot of mistletoe resided… the same tree I got it from last year. 

I got on my bike and headed down to River Road.  That is when I felt the strong wind.  Going west sucked and was a struggle, but once I started going east it was so nice.  I got to the park in no time.  I even got so hot that I took my sweatshirt off and was just in a t-shirt.  This drastic change in weather is really nice but I kept thinking how just a day ago there was ice on everything.  I biked on the path to the light post under my waiting tree.  I leaned the bike on the post and hung my backpack and sweatshirt on it. 

Then I walked over to the base of the tree.  I looked up for which bunch of mistletoe I was going to try for.  The spot where I got it before was bare so I found another large bunch nearby. 

Look middle left

Since I haveclimbed this tree twice before I knew exactly how I was going to get in.  I had to grab in the knot hole (which was filled with water) and jump to hook my arm over the other wide branch. 

As I muscled myself to get a foot hold I rubbed all over the wet moss growing all over the bark.  Then I got to both feet and started to maneuver around the branches from crotch to crotch. 

There is a fun and specific path I follow to get up to the branch I was headed for.  I remembered it like I had just climbed this tree.  I think it’s cool how familiar old trees become once I am in the branches. 

I first took another closer look at the old mistletoe spot since it was much easier to get to.  There were just a couple young sprigs with few leaves.  No good.  I moved on and got to the base of the long, thin branch with the large bunch of mistletoe. 

I was going to have to shimmy crawl out a foot to reach it.  I tested the strength of the limb then got started.  I squeezed very tightly with my legs and arms and began my inch-worm like movement.  It took a great deal of balance, strength and concentration to stay upright on the branch with all the strong gusts of wind, but I made it close enough to reach the bunch.  I squeezed even tighter with my legs and released one arm to break off a few sprigs.  They came off easy and were covered in white berries.  They looked so good.  I dropped them to the ground and tried to aim them at the bike so they wouldn’t fly away in the wind.  Then I scootchied back to my feet. 

As I started my climb back down I paused often to take pictures of the moss covered bark and branches, and the view out from the tree. 

I felt like this was my Christmas Giving Tree.  I spotted the bunch I’d go for next year.

I got down towards the bottom and reached my hand back into the wet knot hole, then lowered and dropped to the ground. 

I got to my bike which had recently fallen over from a particularly strong gust.  I stashed my mistletoe and hopped back on for the difficult ride back home against the wind. 

If you are reading this and in the Louisville area and want to go to a Christmas party tonight, you are more than welcome.  If you don’t know where I live, leave and comment and I’ll tell you.