DAY 314

DAY 314
02.12.08
TREE 161

My boss called last night and said I didn’t have to come into work today.  We finally got some real snow here.  And by real I mean about 2-4 inches which is quite pitiful.  But it closed all the schools down.  People really freak out here with a little snow.  Granted, we did have freezing rain as well leaving all the tree limbs covered in ice.  That aspect seemed a little foreboding for me.  But as the day progressed the temperature rose above freezing causing most of that ice to melt away.  I stayed at home all day just in case I got called in to work.  About mid-afternoon I looked outside and the ice was gone off the branches and a fog had formed.  It looked amazing out there.  So soft and inviting.  I suited up and went into the back yard. 

I saw bunny, raccoon, and bird tracks in the snow.  Then I added my own to the mix. 

It sounded like it was still raining but it was just the melting from the trees.  At the base of my tree I could tell it was going to be a cold and wet climb.  Water trickled down the trunk and I needed to hug that trunk tight to shimmy up to the lowest limb.  I just embraced the conditions and went for it.  At least I was just in the back yard, feet from warmth and a change of clothes.  I got to the first limbs and began to climb them.  Some crooks still had ice and snow that made my hands pretty cold.  I paused a few times to warm my hands.  As I went I had to be careful not to slip.  I wore my boots because of the weather but they are awful for climbing.  They have no grip and no flexibility.  I have still not found any shoes as good as my 5.10 Freerunning shoes with Stealth Rubber soles. 

When I finally got to my ribbon

I looked all around me. 

I didn’t feel very high in this small tree amongst the giants in the surrounding woods. 

I took pictures of the fog but I don’t think they turned out so well.  It seems pictures can’t relate the feel of fog.  And the limitation of focus prevents the penetration through the fog.  What I mean by that is, when we strain out eyes to see as far through it as we can, we become hyper-aware of the dimension and volume of space.  Pictures remain flat.  And strangely, in pictures it doesn’t feel as though you’re surrounded by the fog, only that you are viewing it from a distance. 

I also really hoped to capture some of those creatures making their foot prints in the snow.  But I did not. 

I slowly and carefully climbed back down and slid to the soggy ground.  I looked at my pants and saw huge wet marks all on the insides.  I could even fell the wetness on my sweatpants underneath my rain pants.  My hoodie was also quite damp and dirty.  I checked the bamboo which had recently begun to lift from the icy weight

and then went inside.  Bad weather can seem so uninviting until you force yourself to enter it, look at it from a different perspective, and then you appreciate it.  It is a different kind of beauty. 

2-13-09:  For an entry with a lot of complaining about the pictures I sure had many that I liked.  I think I warm up to the images over time.  Since the actual clear memory fades all I have left are the pictures I took.  The comparison is no longer there.  Often I am highly critical in the tree of the pictures I take because I have to look at them on a tiny camera screen while I am up in the tree looking out and experiencing the view in real time, with sounds, movement, and tactile stimuli. 

Earlier this week when Nate and I were walking through Central Park here in New York, we found this mass of ice on a rock.  It was quickly melting in the warmth and we could see the water trickling down underneath the translucent ice.  At first we both thought to take a video, but then thought better of it.  It was definitely cool to watch, but I knew that if I filmed it, it would be a boring video.  Then that video would eventually take the place of the memory which was much cooler. 

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Wednesday of this week I planned to look for a tree in Washington Square Park.  I left my brother’s apartment about 3pm and walked to the park.  I was not happy to find that 2/3’s of the park was closed off to  construction.  The last remaining 1/3 was crowded with mobs of people enjoying the unseasonally warm weather.  I walked in a few circles before spotting a possible tree.  I sat on a bench and studied the tree and did some people watching trying to ascertain the possible responses from my potential motley audience.  I was not comfortable with the thought of climbing in the midst of the crowd.  I did not want to be a spectacle, and I did not want to draw a crowd.  I also did not want to draw disdain nor be told to get down.  Maybe if I had a friend with me to give me a little support, a little courage, and to explain or calm any questioning or worried onlookers.  I eventually gave up and went on keeping that tree in mind for another less crowded day. 

I walked north to Union Square Park.  Again crowded but with people seemingly less curious.  I felt they would give more disapproval but mostly leave people to their own tasks.  I spotted a possible tree and leaned against a fence rail to study and the surroundings.  I got an uneasy feeling and figured I’d skip this one too.  Good thing, too, because a park ranger with a badge and puke green uniform walked by moments later.  Who knew New York City Parks had rangers?

I walked on again, and this time came to Madison Square Park.  This one less crowded but still well populated.  A path was cordoned off and there were a few lifts.  I looked up and people were taking down a tree fort! 

I looked around the park and saw that there were a few more tree forts high in some trees. 

What is this!? I thought.  I walked around and saw an informational plaque. 

It got me thinking.  It would be awesome to have an installation in a NYC park.  But with all the attention in the trees, I felt it was a bad place to climb one. 

Again I walk north and come to Bryant Park.  All tall sycamores with no low limbs.  Cops around.  Just no good and I could tell from the start.  I walked through and continued onward to Central Park.  There, I found a large rock with a tree to the side.  It over looked the ice rink and was near the south end of the park.  I imagined I was going to get some amazing shots.  But there was a cop in a 3-wheeled cart just yards away.  Bollocks!  It was getting darker by the minute and I was getting tired of second guessing and uncomfortable feelings. 

I came to a nice meadow, closed for the season, and lots of good trees in there.

I finally decided that maybe I should just sacrifice good views and climb a pine tree.  I would be well hidden by the needles and at this point, I just wanted to get it over with.  As I approached one in a relatively quiet and unpopulated area I saw my tree. 

I squat beech covered in initials and odes of love. 

So many people have climbed this tree how could they get angry with me?  I started right in, moved past all the scarred bark

and settled into my spot on a main limb. 

I was happy I didn’t have to sacrafice my views.  I could see distance buildings,

views of the park,

and particularly these neon green, fenced in grassy areas just below. 

The setting sun was changing the colors of the sky over the skyscrapers

and I was finally content.  Central Park is definitely going to be my main attraction during my visit here in the city.

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On a quick side note:  Thanks to the blog Made In England by Gentlemen for linking my blog and giving such kind words.