DAY 50

DAY 50
05.24.07
TREE 56

Today’s tree was a fun challenge. It is located just off the path of the 12 Stations of the Cross, on the edge of the fenced property by the highway. It is so close to the old rusted barbed fence that I used it to get started. I needed to because the first branch was almost 15 feet high. Even at the top of the fence I still had to hug the trunk and shimmy to just grasp it. That alone was a challenge and a surprise that I succeeded. Once in the tree, the branches were pretty well spaced out for a good climb. I just had to watch out for dead limbs. And my desire to go higher ever increases. Now that I know the higher I go in tall skinny trees in the woods, the more reliable but bendy those branches are. So after stopping once and getting my ribbon ready, I shoved it back in my pocket, switched limbs and got a few feet higher. Again, the way down was not scary, and instead of dropping from the lowest branch, since I couldn’t get back to the fence, I tried hugging the trunk again. And before I could really think about it, I just did it, and got down nicely. I am truly starting to surprise myself in my abilities.

5-24-08:  I remember finding it really difficult to photograph this tree.  I wanted to get the whole thing in the frame but it was too tall and surrounded by too many trees.  You can’t see where I tied my ribbon but you can see the fence which is what I thought was the best part of the climb.  The shimmy up and the slid down the trunk were two exciting new experiences for me then.

Yesterday turned out to be an awesome day of climbing trees.  I left Norman’s after in the afternoon, dropped Rickey off at the airport, and then headed to Joe Creason Park.  I called Basil to see if he wanted to join me because he lives so close and also because he and Will have been climbing a lot of trees lately.  He did eventually show up when I was at the top of a tulip poplar tree.  Here is a video:


And here is another video of Basil climbing up to the top of the tree.  I think this is a cool video.


I also got some good pics from it too.

Then Will showed up and we climbed trees for awhile.  We climbed big ones and little ones, tall ones and short ones.  And Basil practiced his drop and roll.  Will kept going into the woods to smoke a doobie.  But it turns out that wasn’t true.  He doesn’t smoke doobies.  He was just climbing trees too.