Old Growth Ascents: Take 3
The Sunday-Climbing-Team was in full-force today. Professional arborist Brendan Kelly joined Morgan Thompson, Eric Tartter and David Katz for a fun day in the canopy. We all cruised into the old-growth forest near Trumansburg, NY in search for good laughs, good scenery, and to learn some new techniques and experiment with new methods of ascent! The yellow sugar maples and the orange American Beech were spectacular. We climbed three trees: “A Day at the Beech”, “Unicension” and “Brendan Sweats.” After bailing out of a 30mph plus windstorm with horizontal hail, my mom picked us up and took us back to a warm home with hot tea! Big thanks to those great parents!
Some of these pictures depict the use of Morgan Thompson’s ever evolving amazing unicenders which miracously can go up the rope, and also provide a controlled descent down the rope. We tested the hot-off-the-press device which has a top-secret name! Brendan taught Eric and me some new skills utilizing both ends of an arborist-type rope which allowed for horizontal movement within the canopy. And man, Brendan strong! He must have climbed to the top of a giant tulip polar in less than a minute, a nearly 70′ climb! We named this tree, appropriately, “Brendan Sweats,” because if he didn’t sweat after a 70′ climb, he would be a super-monster! Tartter held down the awesome lunch sandwiches: organic whole wheat bread with peanut butter and frair-traded bananas!
Check out the pictures, and send them along to people who might be interested in old-growth forests or recreational tree climbing.
Tree Research, Education and Exploration.
