DAY 276
01.05.08
TREE 124
It’s a rainy Saturday and I have got a big party today. Drew’s surprise birthday party that I helped MaryLiz plan. It starts early at 3:30pm because it is also the UofL vs. UK basketball game. Then after that it’s beer pong and pizza! I planned on drinking so I knew I needed to get my climb in early. To follow the order in which I climbed the trees the first time I needed to go to Cox’s Park for tree #108. I was excited as the tree there is a good one. I remember how physically exhausted I was after open gym, but still managed to pull off a difficult climb. The sky was clear and the sun was shining that day. Well, today, as I drove to the park it startedto pour. I parked right by the tree and waited a while hoping the rain might stop. It lightened so I went for it. But what I went for was impossible. The bark was covered in green growth that when all wet is very slippery. My run up was a fool’s errand. I looked for another way. Even though the large limb I wanted to climb on was reachable from the ground, it was too big around to get a grip. I tried anyway and my hands just slipped right off. I looked up and saw something sticking out of the underside of this limb. I reached for it and could just grasp it. A tiny steel rod!? It looked menacing and right in my way. It was a sign to wait for a dry day. And like that… I left.
But where to go? I had to reach back into my memory of trees with white ribbons. Ah! It hit me, the beech tree in Cherokee Park I climbed on that rainy day, tree #124.
It would be perfect. So I drove to the park thinking I’ll have just enough time to climb and make the party by 3:30.
The park was pretty deserted and I parked right by the tree at Hogan’s Fountain. I put my hood up and quickly walked through the muddy grass to the base of the tree. All around the tree was thick mud which I unfortunately stepped in. I began my climb and as I went my feet left light brown smears all over the limbs. One thing that was very different this time from last is that the underside of the limbs didn’t have little streams of water gushing down them. That was a good thing for my sleeves but I kind of missed them. It was a beautiful thing to see. Another difference was how easy the climb was this time. Maybe these two differences are directly connected.
At the top, without all the leaves, I had a good view out but not of much.
This tree really isn’t that tall. But I took a few pictures. What I really liked was the white and green spots on the limbs. Like beautiful, natural, camouflage.
I tried to get a good picture,then I had to put my camera away before it got too wet. I climbed back down doing my best to avoid putting my hands in the mud from my shoes. I actually did pretty well. Then I went to the bathroom and then on to the party. It was a really good time.
1-9-09: Memories that I have in trees when I reclimb them are so vivid. Memories about the first climb of that tree, anyway. Like the one I had about the gushing water streams flowing down the branches. It’s not like I read my entry from the climb just before, it just came to me when I saw the tree. A lot of very specific details come back to me when I climb a tree the second time. It’s an amazing flash back experience.
I’ll also say that the party was a great success. We all hid in the TV room and when Drew and MaryLiz showed up we all popped out. I wore all purple that day since I didn’t want to seem partial to one team or the other. I figured I’d just take UofL’s red and UK’s blue, mix it together and I’d be happy for which ever team won. I think I was just excited to be with friends, eating pizza, and playing beer pong. Which got really fun when Drew’s mom jumped in for a round. Good times.
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As for Drew’s birthday this year, I was still at my grandma’s. I missed what sounded like a good night at Richo’s and the Frankfurt Avenue Beer Depot. Sorry I missed it, happy belated birthday Drew.
Well, my trip to my grandma’s ended last Sunday, January 4th 2009. We shoved off after a big lunch planning to head to Coffman Park in Dublin, Ohio to show my sister, nephew, brother-in-law, and mom and dad my shell bodies. We drove through some thick fog and just as we got onto I-270, just miles from the park it started to rain. It wasn’t ideal for a walk in the park but they seemed willing to continue. With our coats and umbrellas we trekked through the soggy grass to each of the bodies in the trees.
I think they liked the one in the large burr oak tree that the City of Dublin was gifted by the Dublin Arts Council for their permanent collection.
We tried to point them out to Mitchell but I am not sure what he thought of them.
I actually think the weather made for great pictures. Anyway, we finished the tour and went our separate ways. Amy and her family to West Virginia, and me and my parents back to La Grange, Kentucky.
When we got back I gathered my things and headed back to Butchertown so I could get a climb in. I settled in then knew exactly where I planned to go to climb. Just at the corner of Cabel Street (just near my house) and Adams Street there is a large tree that I have seen often and thought it looked just a little too difficult to climb.
(The tree is the large one in the middle)
But with my advances in my shimmying lately I figured I would give it a shot. When I got to the tree I could tell it was a linden, or basswood tree. These kinds of trees have very large, vertical ridges for bark.
They make for great finger grips. I knew I was going to be able to climb this tree. I started my shimmying and was making good progress. I reached the first low limb and rested. My only problem was the cold. Since I was squeezing so hard with my fingers the blood would get pushed out of the tips allowing them to get very cold very fast. They went numb and it was very difficult to rewarm them. I figured I had quite a bit more shimmying to do and should just get it over with and try to warm them at the top. I continued upwards pausing shortly whenever I reached a branch. Then towards the top I was able to do a few normal climbing movements up a few branches. I reached very near the top and tried to warm my hands before taking pictures. Then I captured the usual images of downtown,
lights streaking by on the interstate
and road below me,
the bridges,
the nearby buildings like the Challenger Lifts across the street,
the cars in the junk lot behind me,
and of the tree itself.
Before I knew it, my fingers had regained their feeling and I myself was feeling quite warm. Shimmying is quite a work out. Once I finished shooting I prepared myself for the slide down. I was excited to try to slide most of the way down without using any of the branches along the way to pause and readjust. But I couldn’t get the whole way down without pausing. It was a long way and there were some spots where I couldn’t avoid readjusting on a limb. On the ground I felt very warm and that strong feeling of accomplishment filled me. As I started to walk back to my house I noticed that a truck driver was parked nearby and was just sitting in his cab. If he had not been on his laptop I am sure he would have seen me. I think I go unnoticed most the time.