DAY 291
01.20.08
TREE 141
I had a very strange, gross, restless, and crappy night. I am still sick today, still sitting on the toilet every hour, but it feels as if I could go all the time. Besides water I don’t know what I’m eliminating since I haven’t eaten anything. My head, back, and stomach are killing me, but at least I’m not vomiting. And, oh yeah, I have a high temperature. I lied in front of the TV all day. Until about 6pm when I decided I just had to go climb before it got dark and I lost the will.
So I silently went upstairs and got dressed then back down stairs and right out the front door. But once I unlocked it and it made its awful squeak my mom asked where I was going. I said I was going to climb a tree. She obviously disapproved as any sane person would but she knew not to stop me. I was determined. She asked where, and I told her I was just going in the front yard. I chose this tree for its ease and location considering my condition but it isn’t anywhere in the right order. This January I am reclimbing October trees and taking down their white ribbons. Well, I didn’t climb any at home last October because I still lived at the Mount. Still, just climbing a tree is an accomplishment, so I am climbing the tree I climbed November 7th, the morning I left for Portland, Oregon.
All the weather reports on TV have said how cold it is. Well, with a high fever it didn’t feel that cold to me. I jumped for the first limb and had to squeeze the trunk with my legs and inch up a little to get it. By the time I got to my feet I was sweating and exhausted. This is stupid, I thought. I looked up at the orange ribbon flapping in the breeze. It looked so high.
Maybe I wouldn’t get there. Fuck that, I’m going all the way up to get it, I’ll just be sure to take breaks... were my thoughts on that first limb. So I did. I climbed ever so slowly and stopped many times to breath, take off my wool hat, take off my hood, to question my judgment. Ultimately I have decided that I put the completion of this unbroken chain of daily climbs for one year above my own life. Ironic? Yes, but I was in no condition to make rational judgments. I was there to climb, and I just kept going up and wondering if my grip would hold each time I grabbed a limb.
But I reached that ribbon,
and I took some pictures,
and I dropped my keys all the way to the ground from the top.
I laughed at my stupidity but I was feeling a fraction more clear. In that state of rationality I knew it was time to climb my ass down. And that became even more clear just after I started because I had to sit on the pot real soon. I made it down, went right inside, and ripped off my clothes. Dammit! I did it. I am sick and I have not missed a day. I am alive and I will climb again tomorrow.
1-21-09: I love that picture above, the one where I am looking down and you can see my foot. It is slightly out of focus which fits exactly with the mood and feeling of the climb. I remember being up there, sweating with one arm hooked over a limb just thinking I wasn’t going to make it. I couldn’t believe how quickly it tired me out. But I made it to the top and survived the climb so I feel pretty good about it in retrospect. (I bet my mom loves reading this entry.)
I don’t remember how I dropped my keys. I think I must have pulled my camera out and the keys came with. Thank goodness for being healthy.
—
Last Monday I let the day go by again without climbing. The bitter cold night came and I begrudgingly bundled for a walk in the elements. Most of the snow from the day before had melted and only patches of mangled white remained where the shadows had been. Underneath each remnant footprint was a black, slick layer of ice. I was careful as I walked down Washington to Spring and was anxious to see my funny foot prints from Sunday’s walk. They had mostly melted into nothing or covered by others’ prints. I could only hope that when they saw my prints before they melted that they laughed or imagined the fool who made them. I turned right down Mellwood against one-way traffic. The wind was blowing pretty good and I shoved my hands deeper into my pockets. I went past the antiques building on the left and saw the railroad tracks.
I looked into the air for a tall tree in the distance and saw just what I was looking for
just beyond a low billboard.
I checked for cars, then walked to the base of the tree. The undergrowth was slightly in the way and I almost lost my balance trying to step through it without removing my hands from my pockets.
I was about to jump and shimmy up the split trunk
when I saw a person walking along the sidewalk paces away. I stayed silent and moved behind the trunk out of view. It was a hitchhiker trying to get out of the weather. Once he was out of sight I got to it. I had to shimmy about 10 feet before I could reach the first branch. Then I climbed up to the top from there.
It was a fun climb besides the cold wind on my bare fingers. I took pictures of what I could, trying as always to stay still to capture what had light.
I did another one where I moved the camera on purpose, only this time tried to pause on two main areas on either side of the shift.
Then I saw the cold was wearing down my camera battery so I put it way and climbed back down. I slid to the ground, took a few more shots then my camera finally died. As I started to walk back home I heard the most horrendous noise. The pigs at the nearby Swift plant were screaming and squealing for their lives. It was a sad ending to a decent cold climb.