Happy New Year!!!!

I am just wishing all of my tree climbing compadres, those who I have met and those who I have yet to meet, a very Happy New Year. Occasionally, in this past year, we have had some differences in opinion but hey what family doesn't?

Wishing you all another year full of safe, goal setting climbs.

Peace Out!
Harry

Happy New Year to you, Harry, and to the entire tree climbing community. Agree/disagree. Life would be very boring and dull if everyone agreed with each other. I think respect for another’s opinion and taking the time to listen is key for getting along.

Last year a lot if charged topics were discussed here. I hope this year will bring just as many, if not more, differences to the table (message board). I do not know about everyone else, but I get a lot of insight from reading the postings here. It takes me out of my own box, and has me question my own motives and choices; which can be both happy and painful at times.

New Year has this flavor of starting over again. For me it is a good time to take stock- see what worked and did not work for me last year. What are your resolutions? Here’s mine.

1.Get rid of stuff I do not use. Give it away or throw it out! Two trailer loads are now gone, Gone, GONE!!
2. Focus on what is important. Count daily the number of times I can say “no” (to myself or to others). Keep score.
3. Write daily.

That’s it for me. I find for myself if I list too many things I get overwhelmed and get nothing done. Besides- 3 is a magic number, plus it is an odd number to boot!

Hi all treeclimbers,
[/b]Happy new year to all of you the tree lovers.
With a thought to Asia and if your look the sattelite photos, you will see that most of the trees had resisted....wild animals had run away, and Nature shown us what she can do to take back her land.
We are not the owner of the earth, but just the passengers, and we have many lessons to learn about Nature, Trees...

Happy New Year 2005.
Jerome Hutin
http://arbresvenerables.new.fr

May 2005 be a lot like the first tree I climbed this year -- a mature yellow pine on a ridgeline with a fantastic view of the mountains to the north.

The climb started easy enough when my first pitch of the throwline went over the big limb at which I'd aimed.

I used a combination of climbing techniques -- single rope Texas style for the entry climb, double rope with a Blake's hitch for the next four short pitches, single rope "yo-yo" style for the final pitch at about 70 feet, then a single rope descent with a mechanical descender. Maybe someone who's into New Year's Day pronostications would say this means I should use all necessary means to climb this year...!

The climb itself started off a little hazy (but not from the champagne I'd consumed about 10 hours earlier at midnight. Instead, it was a very warm morning for the first of January (about 60 degrees and headed up to nearly 70) and there was a lot of haze from the residual moisture in the air. About halfway up the tree the view began to clear up some as the warm morning sun "burned off" some of the low clouds; a few of the closer mountains were plainly visible about 10 miles away. As I neared the summit of t he tree the view got almost crystal clear, and even peaks that I suspect are 50-plus miles away became somewhat visible.

I'll take this to mean that the scope of recreational and adventure treeclimbing will improve throughout the year, and those of us who've devoted a lot of time and effort to our sport will be welcomed into the mainstream of outdoor activities.

Hey, it's a good dream anyway...!

I too rung in the First with a climb. Weather was beautiful for Colorado in January, clear and about 40 degrees. I found a 100+ foot ponderosa on the banks of Bear Creek in Evergreen, an emergent that promised great views of the canyon, the creek, and the skies.

I was going to SRT if I could make my entry into a nice clump of branches, but they were higher than first thought and, with one foot in danger of slipping into the creek, I could only reach the lowest branch by cradle throw, about 70' up. DRT'd up to the top using double split tails.

The views didn't disappoint. The sun had gone below the top of the canyon leaving some high rocks illuminated while other hills were in shade. I could still see and hear water running through the partially ice-covered creek. The sky was deep blue.

I am happily sore today after having happily engaged all the usual problems and situations one meets on a wild climb.

Yes, we tussle and struggle a bit on this board. But when all is said and done, what a wonderful experience we have in common. A Happy New Year woof to everyone out there.