Peter "Treeman" Jenkins

The Leaves Are Falling

          The deciduous trees are starting to drop their leaves. This is a true delight because it adds another dimension to the tree climbing experience. Picture floating leaves and the sway of the tree as the wind tickles your hair. Add the sensation of true surround sound, and the tree climber has entered into another world.

It is a time of change, when many tree climbers who have hesitated grab their tree climbing gear and head out. It’s a prime season that is transitional in nature.  

            Thank goodness trees don’t drop their leaves at the same time. Some trees drop their leaves early, while others hold on to their leaves for a longer time. Even trees of the same species can have a different clock as far as leaf drop is concerned.

            Weather conditions can affect leaf drop. We are having a severe drought here in the South, and that is affecting leaf density and the timing of leaf drop on some trees. Some trees are dropping their leaves prematurely. Some scientists think it has something to do with conserving energy. What ever the timing, leaves fall in a temperate forest.

            The adventure is to know when the leaves are falling and go climb. Here are some things I look for:

• Listen for the wind. Then look and see what is falling. The peak tree climbing moments arrive when you see large quantities of leaves falling.
• Color preference. Do you have a favorite color? I personally like bright golden colors. Ginko and hickory offer my local color eye-fest. Pick a day when they are falling, and get bathed in your favorite spectrum.
• Lines of leaf fall. You’ll get vertical lines of color and movement on a day with little wind. Horizontal movement comes with higher wind velocities. The drama of the climb is significantly increased during wind gusts as the tree bobs and weaves in the wind. Now you can see the wind currents flow around you in full color!

 

Don’t get so busy you forget to go tree climbing. Soon the extreme season of winter will come with freezing winds aloft. Right now you can still climb wearing light clothing. Feast your eyes to the colors around you. You’ll be amazed and transfixed by yet another natural wonder.

Fall Tree Climbing

          Thank goodness fall is here! This is a great time to grab your tree climbing gear and go tree climbing. There is often a big sigh of relief when this season arrives. Fall is a transitional season. You won’t find it extreme with bone shaking cold nor will it drench you in your own sweat. You’ll need to bring along liquids to replenish the body but it will no longer be a life or death situation with the threat of dehydration. Bring a jacket for the cool breezes but leave your arctic clothing at home for use a few months down the road. However, people living in the high mountains or in the northern regions might pack a wind breaker along with an insulated jacket for surprise cold fronts.

 

          Rain often appears more extended during fall months. Summer storms are usually violent and pass quickly. The cold air masses in temperate regions are gaining strength which means their effects last longer. Pack a set of rain gear and a change of dry clothes if rain seems a possibility. Nothing is more miserable than a climber packing out of a climb wearing wet clothing.

Rapid Descents

Experienced tree climbers avoid rapid descents. Recreational tree climbing just does not lend itself to flashy rappels like rock climbers or the speedy rides of zip lines. I think there are several reasons why knowledgeable tree climbers avoid these maneuvers.

· Tree climbers aren’t in a hurry to leave the tree. We usually find a place high in the tree and succumb to the urge to hang out. Trees do not lend themselves to a conquer-and-leave mentality.

· The rope can get damaged from friction heat if the descent is too quick. The rope is viewed as a precious lifeline, something not to be damaged.

· The tree branch can also get hurt from excessive friction heat. This is especially the case when the rope is making direct contact against the tree. This is why sleeves or other cambium savers are used.

· The hands can get blistered if the tree climber moves down the rope too quickly.

But I’ve personally had a couple of good reasons to get out of the tree as fast as possible. I’ve disturbed a few hornets nests and a quick retreat was my only option. I knew that the farther I got from the hive, the better. They stayed with me all the way down and a little bit into the woods. But eventually I got away. I didn’t notice my blistered hands until later. It was frightening to hear them buzzing around my ears.

The other time I was high in a pine tree when I heard thunder in the distance. I counted out the seconds and figured I was safe because I had counted more than 30 seconds from seeing the strike to hearing the thunder. That meant it was 6 miles away. About a minute later there was a deafening strike just blocks away! I didn’t think twice about flying out of the tree as fast as possible. Who cared if I had friction burns on my hands? Now I am a bit quicker in deciding to come out of the tree when I hear thunder in the distance. 

But unless there is a real need for a rapid retreat, my advice is to make your descents slow and even in speed. Stop often while on the way down to take a closer look at the details in the tree. It truly is a fascinating world aloft. Cherish your time with the tree before getting caught up again with the fast-paced regular society.

No Child Left Below- Part 1

            More than half the people who attend the public climbs twice a month at Tree Climbers International are kids. The beginning tree climbers range from 5 years old to 12 years old, with a few teenagers mixed in. They arrive with adults in tow, who usually climb along with them.

           My job is making sure kids are successful with their tree climbing experience. Children are usually ready for the challenge. They live in the world of “now” and are eager to get started. It’s sometimes difficult to keep their attention while giving the tree climbing demonstration. You have to keep scanning the little faces as you talk to them and bring them back if they get distracted.

          The beauty of tree climbing is that it is a repetitive activity.  You repeat the same motions over and over to gain height. Pull down on the rope, slide the knot up. Pull down on the rope, slide the knot up. There are no unique movements, like climbing a rock wall. Once the child understands the two movements, they are headed up. A big smile comes on their faces when they get the two-step progression. Repetition has its own feeling of security because there are not a lot of choices to be made.

          Height is stimulating. This is especially true for a child. The higher they go, the more stimulated they get. Most kids are fearless and the only thing that prevents them from going higher is the position the rope is set. They can not climb above their anchor point.         

          In this series “No Child Left Below” I’m going to tell you about my experiences teaching tree climbing to children. I’ve learned a lot about folks and life teaching tree climbing. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed getting people up trees.

Ominous Buzzing near My Ears

           The sounds of winged insects terrify me when heard near my ears while I am tree climbing. I’m talking about stinging insects. They could be bald faced hornets, bumble bees, honey bees, yellow jackets, or other wasps.

 

Bumble bees make the loudest noise. While climbing a tree one day, I was lightly poking an old squirrels’ nest to see if anyone was home and instead flushed out a few bumble bees that had taken residence. Their wing sound was low-pitched and very loud. They buzzed my ears and got the desired reaction: a rapidly retreating tree climber.

 

 Another time while tree climbing I got too close to a small hornets’ nest hanging below a twig. They had just started building the nest when I bumped it with my hand. It was the size of a tennis ball. A few of the hornets buzzed my face and ears, creating a medium-pitched sound. These are large stinging insects and their sound matches their size. I made a gracious exit from the tree.

 

 Yellow jackets, the kind that live in the ground, sometimes take to the trees for nesting. These insects get very protective and are particularly aggressive as the fall season approaches. Their flight is much faster and their sound is higher pitched. They usually crawl around on clothing rather than focusing their attention on the face. You don’t hear them too often; instead you feel them sting. Nothing is more disconcerting than seeing yellow jackets crawling around on your clothing.

 

 Honey bees are much more docile. They usually send out guard bees first to check you out. They fly around you in wide circles and report back to the hive. They don’t get too close to the face until they are ready to attack. This is not the case with the aggressive killer bees, however. They attack en masse.

 

 A seasoned tree climber knows the value of listening. Insect attacks are rare. Please don’t think that it’s a common problem, because it is not. However, use your hearing as a safety tool. It’s part of paying attention while you’re tree climbing.

Leaving Your MP3 Player Behind

I notice a lot of folks listening to music and such these days. But I’ve never seen a tree climber with two wires coming down from their ears. Tree climbing and MP3 players don’t mix.

It takes a lot of concentration to climb trees. There’s a lot of decision-making too. Which branch will I hang my rope from? Where will I put my feet? How hard will my next throw be while up in the tree?

Trees offer a whole new gang of sounds aloft, wildlife sounds you might not have heard so clearly while on the ground. There’s the wind too. It’s 360-degree surround sound unlike anything you will hear out of speakers or headphones.

I once carried up a Walkman cassette player and listened to jazz on an overnight sleep in the treetops. Talk about ancient technology! But I quickly gave that up when I could hear noises from miles away in the small hours of the night from my high-perched hammock. I didn’t need man-made sounds. They paled to the quips of sounds that seemed to show up unexpectedly during my time aloft. They were surprise packages sent special delivery. Many of them I could not identify. It’s funny how your hearing improves when you do not know what to expect. It brings a vivid color of unpredictability to your climb.

Trees Draft Like Racecars

How do you know tree climbing is safe during windy days? One thing you can look at is how the tree you intend to climb is positioned in relation to other trees. There’s a reason forest trees fare better during wind storms than trees standing alone. Trees break the wind for each other. It’s something race car drivers know well. The car in front takes the brunt of the wind while the following cars have an easier time of it. In a forest setting there will be trees out in front too, taking the brunt of the wind. These are called edge trees.

If you are out climbing, be aware of the edge trees and the wind direction. You might decide to climb an edge tree that overlooks a meadow or has some other scenic view. But stop and think on your choice if the wind is gusting or you expect a front to come in.

I was climbing a tree overlooking a meadow. The wind was coming from the forest side, but I knew a front was scheduled to blow in. Sure enough, an hour later the clouds darkened and the wind direction changed. Now the wind was striking my face as I looked out on the grassy clearing.

Suddenly a gust of wind hit my tree and the forest went wild. It was a dry squall line. The temperature plummeted in a few short minutes and my tree rocked as it held on for the ride. There was a loud crashing sound as a tree about the size I was in lost its grip and slammed onto the ground. I raced down out of the tree I was in and headed for the clearing.

The cold front’s violent passing lasted only a few minutes. I looked down the forest edge to see if any other trees came down. A half dozen trees lay flat on their sides. They were all edge trees. They took the brunt of the wind gust while the trees behind were left standing. But their falling also created new edge trees. Life is never static.

Carry a compass out in the field. Notice the wind direction. Beware if you are climbing a lone standing tree and high wind is predicted. You’ll be safer climbing trees that are surrounded by other buddies.

Antenna Whip Climb

One of the fascinating aspects of tree climbing is feeling the tree move in a breeze. Now, different trees move in different ways. Pine trees and other conifers have a certain way they move and can be easily compared to an antenna whipping about.

Conifers, especially pines, are considered “limber trees.” They have a lot of flex so they can move with the wind. If they didn’t have this flexibility, they would all fall down. Trees want to survive, like all living things, so they adapt to the environment over the ages. The whole trunk bends over as one unit as opposed to branches whirling about. It’s just like an antenna. When they bend over the whole tree snaps back.

I’ve always been a big fan of riding the winds in the trees, also known as tree surfing. The biggest rides are found in pine trees where the limber features bend in much wider arcs than their stiffer friends, the deciduous trees (hardwoods). The higher I go in a pine, the larger the arc. Thinner young pines, like an 18-inch tree, give a more youthful zip than the older, statelier pine trees. This is not to mention the unique sound of the wind whistling through the slim needles. It’s a high-pitched tone unique only to needled trees.

The next time you hear the wind come up go check out the pine treetops. Look how they gyrate around in the wind! See them move in broad sweeps while the stiffer oaks just sort of flap their branch ends like they are waving a flag. Now picture yourself up there where all the action is happening. Mighty exciting stuff! Make sure you trust the tree before going up in this kind of adventure. Being scared witless is not much fun.

Tree Hypnosis

Here’s something to watch out for before you even think about tree climbing. It’s the power of the tree to take your attention away from immediate concerns, like approaching the tree with all of your gear in tow. Here’s what happened to me a few days ago to illustrate how tree hypnosis can get you into trouble.

I’ve got this tree in my sight and I am eagerly anticipating which branch I am going to throw for first. I’m walking toward the tree and spot several good starting branches around 50 feet up when suddenly I feel myself falling forward. My only choice is to go with the flow and hit the ground. I have weak ankles due to a history of sprained ankles in the martial arts. One good thing about the martial arts is that you learn how to take a fall. I hit the ground with a rattling of carabiners and get up to see what happened.

My attention was up in the tree as I was walking forward. The tree was calling me! I was under its spell; hypnotized. I forgot to look where I was putting my feet and stepped into an ancient stump hole overgrown in vegetation. This probably sounds like elemental stuff your mother warned you against. “Watch out where you put your feet!” But things change when you see a magnificent tree you long to get up into.

Beware, climbers! Pay attention to where you are stepping. It could be a snake, fire ants, or even another tree you walk into. It’s like driving in a parking lot. Slow down and look around. The tree is not going any place. But you are.