Recreational Tree Climbing Part 1

Recreational Tree Climbing for Fun and Exercise

WHAT AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE! That’s the first thing that I think about when I reflect on this past weekend’s adventures climbing trees in beautiful Northern Michigan. My journey to the top of the tree started about one and a half years ago when I first heard about the possibility of using rock climbing gear to ascend into trees.

Being from Northern Michigan, I realized I would never get the chance to climb rocks, mountains, or ice cliffs more than one or two times a year. The sandy dunes of the Third Coast were the only way I could really experience the height some people witness after climbing mountains with their gear on their back. I knew I wanted to do the same sort of thing, but never knew how.

Then, an old friend of mine was hired, while in college, to work for the US Department of Forestry to do seed harvesting in southern California. He was climbing the redwoods and other massive trees, picking seeds to be saved in a seed bank. That got me looking, and I set out to learn more. After days of researching, I decided to pick up a book by Dick Flowers on Recreational Tree Climbing.

After I got the 55 page book, I read it back and forth, multiple times, enjoying the story every moment. Somehow, as luck would have it, Dick taught at the local college in a neighboring town. That’s right – a world-class tree climbing expert lives only 25 miles from me! The rest is history, as my girlfriend purchased a weekend class for the both of us, for my birthday.

Boy was the class AWESOME.

Keep reading at Part 2!

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