What do you do when you climb? Just up and down? Or do you do something while you're up there? I often time tow along a tiny hammock (sold by Byer of Maine http://byerofmaine.com/amazonas-traveller.htm )

I love to just sway in my hammock while up. I've played a few games, too. Here's a fun one. Take a piece of string, say 24" long, and tie a small weight on one end. Take a few of these and toss them into a tree to get them stuck. Now go up and practice your skills while trying to get them down.

I've heard some other fun games you can play while aloft.

What do YOU do?

love
nick

Read, laugh, climb, holler, throw acorns at squirrels, hammock, eat.

Josh

I do many things. I can’t help but chase dead wood that could fall and hurt folks. I leave big diameter dead wood for the critters. This is all off job climbing I am talking about. I like to play pranks too. I will go to the top of a tree and bark like a dog (German shepherd dialect) if I am in a residential setting. The dogs just explode!! The owners come out and then relate to their pets in a variety of ways. But they never look up for the source of the racket. Why? You’d be CRAZY if you looked up at a treetop for a barking dog. This is a fun thing to do at public parks where dogs are walked too.

I am a devoted birder. I like to call birds to my tree for conversations and identification purposes. At night I am very good at calling owls to my tree. I once called a flock of scarlet tanagers to my treetop. Wow!!

Sometimes I play my recorder in the treetops. If I play classical, folks tend to think it is an angel. If I do jazz-wellll- folks don’t know what to do. You see them looking all around trying to locate the source.

At golf courses, I’ll yell FORE!!! It really upsets folks at tee off time. Again- they spend a lot of energy trying to locate the source. Ya just got to keep your ropes pulled up and be dressed in natural colors.

I do other stuff too- like tree surfing. That’s riding the high winds in the treetops. But lots of climbers do that. Mighty fine experience- ridin’ the winds don’t ya know.

I have an addiction to dead-wooding trees. I leave little piles around many trees I climb. If I am in an area that is very "clean" it takes a lot of strength to leave all the deadwood in the tree!

I don't like cleaning up the mess afterward, though:(

love
nick

Anyone ever played "Tag" in the tree? Someone mentioned that to me a little while ago, and I've been dying to try it!

Seems like a good way to practice your skills. The first rule has to be that you must obey all normal tree climbing safety rules, even if you're about to get tagged!

love
nick

The art of pitching a throw ball can only be accomplished by practice and more practice.One of the games I play, using the throw ball, is throw ball golf. Pick a limb or dead wood or just a spot in the tree and attempt to hit that spot. The degree of difficultify ( throw ball strokes) can be decided by height,angle,other limbs in the way,ect... Number of strokes per limb (par) should be decided before starting each attempt.Many times I would have a "throw in one" followed by a "can't the side of a barn" throw.Its a mind game with a little physical effort but it makes for fun time.

Throwball games??? Tell more!

love
nick

ps- is it too early for xmas comments?

My friend Tom and I have taken the liberty to remove the english ivy from a large bigleaf maple tree that we like to climb. There are others that need the same attention, but we haven't gotten to them yet. We've also deadwooded here and there...

I like peter's vocalizations that he's listed. I've done that a few times before with nonsense words and sounds, but have usually announced my presence (directly or indirectly) once I start feeling guilty about some poor soul that's getting freaked out by bizarre noises coming from out of nowhere.

In college I used to go aloft to do my reading assignments. Best place to get away from others, and quiet too!

I've heard about playing tag as well, however I know it as "Tree Rally" It's kind of like capture the flag. There may be several flags or stations per climber, and your trying to get to each one of theirs, while defending them from reaching your own.

Static Ropes and Dynamic Climbs,
Benny

We did tree tag for a while. We tagged folks with tennis balls. But folks got a little crazy doing it. It got a little dangerous as folks did unusual things to get a shot with a tennis ball or avoid being hit. I think it would be good with experienced climbers, but new climbers seem to get caught up with the action and forget where they are- ALOFT!!

Many years ago, while learning to climb utility poles for BellSouth (back then it was called Southern Bell and was one of the many "Baby Bells" around the country) the instructors at the company training center in east Atlanta (which happens to be very near Peter Jenkins' place) would take us to the pole farm and we would have to spike (ouch, that word hurts now days just to pronounce it) our way to the tops of 35 foot poles. Then the instructors would toss up the basketball and we'd have to throw it from climber to climber. Anybody who missed had to climb down and retrieve the ball. It was a great way to practice our climbing skills and get comfortable at those heighths. A lot of the fun went out of utility line work when they switched to bucket trucks.

I've played a game in a tree in which musical instruments where placed throughout the branches. To win the game you must enter the tree, bang the drum, clash the symbols, honk the horn, etc. in the agreed upon order and descend to the ground in less time than your competitors.

One example of the "need" for speed.

Brad

Whaddya do with that there mistletoe?

love
nick

Hmmmmm. Mistletoe- the kissing thing or narcotic? Maybe sales at Christmas time? Beware the berries- very poisnous.