Modern Adventures in Tree Climbing
by Stephanie McKinnon
It’s like being in Mom’s arms. Cradled in the embrace of thick, round branches, protected by a delicate umbrella of green leaves, a tree sitter is almost lulled to sleep by the caress of soft breezes and the tickle of sweet, fragrant smells.
Maybe it’s this natural euphoria that convinced counselors and directors at Mystic Lake YMCA Camp to share the intimate sport. The YMCA of Lansing camp is the first in the nation to offer technical tree climbing, an activity sprouted from tree surgeons that is growing in popularity from the oak states to the redwoods.
The idea was Lee Snooks’, the executive director of Mystic Lake. An avid rock climber and cave explorer Snooks read an article on tree climbing and it struck him as a most obvious and fun sport for children and adults.
“Kids love to climb. And they love to climb trees” he said. “Adults love to climb too.”
After teaching children rock and cave climbing for years, Snooks knows that young bodies take to climbing quickly and easily. The canopy of trees offers a whole new experience from these other sports, though. With more trees than mountains, it could in fact become midwesterners’ alternative to rock-climbing. Using ropes, harnesses, carabiners and helmets, technical tree climbers ascend trees without hurting their huge hosts with spikes or other harmful devices. The chance for falling significantly reduced, the sport is a liberating change trom childhood tree climbing. Rather than the monkey-like maneuvers of reaching and swinging the body limb over limb, these technical tree climbers are more like spiders as they inch up silk threads in mid-air, pausing on limbs along the way. They can climb to the highest branch that will support them, walk a limb upright and fly to the ground as tast as Spidey.
The basic elements of nonrope climbing re main though. To get around a vertical barrier like a limb or trunk, a giant hug with thighs. arms and belts is necessary. Swinging is still one of the favorite thrills, and daydreaming in a comfy tree crotch seems to hold its reign as the goal of this sport. The leaders at Mystic Lake hope that the contact with the trees will help people gain new appreciation.
“I want to teach in a special way a respect and love for trees and wilderness,” said Kathy Snooks, who leads rock climbing, caving and tree climbing activities at Mystic Lake. She and Ricky Wright, summer program director and tree climbing assistant, recently completed an intensive tree climbing course at the headquarters of Tree Climb ers International in Atlanta-the most heavily tree-populated city. There they became addicted. They met people who picnic in trees and camp in trees. They heard about people who live in trees. Though there are only 450 members in this international group, the sport is budding with new climbers every year.
As she said, once you try it it’s hard to stay on the ground.
“You’re climbing with the tree, you’re participating together,” Kathy Snooks said.
In this way, it’s similar to rock climbing, a close contact sport with nature. A tree bends and sways for a climber, a rock provides grip holes, she said.
But unlike rock climbing, tree climbing is less about getting to the top. Climbers say it’s about explor ing a tree, enjoying the peace and admiring the view. Teamwork plays an important role too
Wright used to be afraid of heights. As a kid he was taunted by his playmates when he stayed at the lowest lirnbs. He hates ladders. Yet, at 70 feet in the highest crotch of an oak tree last week, Wright was as comfortable as a clam, seemingly happier than he is on the ground.
“There’s few words to express it but, ‘Wow!”‘
Wright, Kathy Snooks and two other counselors are in the beginner’s tree today, a 90-foot tall oak called Gulliver. There are four trees in the grove that have been chosen for climb ing. All offer about 70-foot climbs. Two other trees, near the lake of fer 90-foot plus climbs One is a white pine, named Grandmother, the other an old oak called Grandfather.
Wright yelps out a bark. The oth r counselors, also perched in various crotches and on limbs of the tree, respond with similar dog howls.
“This is a tree bark,” Kathy Snooks jokes. With that same camp humor in mind, they call the tech nical tree climbing program, “The Joy of Going Out on A Limb” and “Branch Out!” When someone reaches a new limb they’re called a branch manager. If a climber is shaken by a wind-blown limb, they call it “tree surfing.”
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Mystic Lake YMCA Camp.
A week of tree climbing and camping is $315 for non-YMCA members, $305 for members
June 18 and July 16. To register, call the office in Haslett at 339-3 l 09.
Individuals, businesses and groups are also welcome to climb.
The limrt is six people. The cost is $50 oer person per day for climbing, but special rates are offered for YMCA families.
For information, ca11 the camp at 544-2844
