Ch. 21
Getting Ready To
Leave
Ann hurried
around the apartment watering her plants
, cleaning out the fridge , washing clothes and all those things one would do
getting ready to be away from the house for a month or maybe two if they decide. Susie’s bowl would be packed as Ann
and Lee decided to take Susie with them on their trip. Getting a motel room
might be a little harder but in the worst case Susie could sleep in the van or
they all could if nothing was available.
Lee was at his
shop and he was gathering up all the equipment and double checking everything
including going over his tree lines to make sure there were no cuts or nicks
that might affect the integrity of their harnesses, and all this had to be
stowed in the backpacks he bought for Ann and himself to carry their equipment
into the woods once there.
Zip lining was
out as it required a cable that would be way to heavy to carry into the woods
and it also required some heavy tensioning equipment, instead they found a
place close to the park where they could experience the same thing only in not so
tall trees but still would be quite an experience and less cost for something
they will probably only use once. Instead Lee purchased descenders they could
use on rope lines, cavers use them for quick descents into large chasms, this
would allow for a quick and controlled slide from the trees in the event they
need to exit quickly. This was another small hand held device that added little
weight to the back pack.
The tennis ball
launcher worked better than Lee’s expectations. His experiments in the park
with Ann and Susie had him shooting balls with fishing line attached, at the highest limbs with ease. Recharge time
by air compressor just took minutes and was easily accomplished by the battery
packs and they were recharged by the solar panels. Lee was able to shoot balls
with pretty good accuracy and height to achieve what he wanted to, which was to
be able to put lines in some the tallest trees in North America so they could
climb. Lee found a website with information on other trees and features of the
Sequoia National Park including topographical maps that Lee down loaded to his
I pod for future reference. These maps included features and elevations of
certain parts of the park and would be invaluable to them in their quest. He
also scoured the web looking for information of anyone else attempting what
they were going to do. And found several stories, some good and some bad about
experiences others have had. He also found out that most national parks are
described as no climbing zones and that would also mean the Sequoias for sure,
in addition there are very sensitive organisms that attach themselves to the
bark of redwoods and sequoias making their ecosystem fragile. He was still
trying to figure out how the arborists for the national parks would get around
that problem and he still had no solution except rope protectors attached to
the rope and slung over the top of branches. Lee had no intention of harming these
giants as he would be no different than the loggers of old if the end result of
his climbing efforts led to the destruction of the trees he so prized.
Ann’s efforts
at getting ready to go on the trip involved visits to the local health food
store and a camping outfitter place that specialized in water bottles and
dehydrated foods they could take along and rehydrate into an impromptu meal to
recharge them if needed. Lee had given her specific weight limits of how much
she could take along. And food was selected for its ability to energize the
body, and yet be compact. Lee didn't know how far they may have to venture into
the forest to be remote enough to not be bothered by the park rangers, or the
general public. He wasn't looking for publicity but instead a chance to commune
with nature.
To not make
any noise but to listen to what nature has to offer you. A chance to turn off
the I pod speakers and just enjoy what comes to you. The beauty of a soft wind
blowing through the trees, the birds chirping in the distance, a locust
signaling a mate or a cricket calling to attention how lonely he is or where
food is, were all experiences for the taking. Squirrels playing on the limbs
you are now equal with wondering why humans just can’t leave well enough alone.
With that thought Lee said to himself, it is humans quest to find beauty and
understand nature no matter where it exists , just something we need to do. Ann
and he were going to do it. Lee was excited and cautious at the same time.
He had decided
after reading horror stories of others who had attempted similar events that
lack of experience seems to be the biggest factor in accidents happening while
climbing. They planned on heading to corner, Ohio and undergo a tree climbing course where
thy would teach Lee and Ann the techniques of knot tying , transferring limb to
limb in a tree , getting in and out of a hammock and other techniques including
tree transfer which would allow Ann and Lee to hop trees in the forests once there.
Lee felt for Ann’s safety and his it might be best if the practiced their way across
the U.S. climbing trees in obscure parks where tree climbing hardly exists or
authorities may not be aware of the interest in the sport. It had taken off in
recent years and plenty of certified tree climbing schools exist. Youngsters as
well as mature adults enjoy going out and gearing up and taking advantage of a different
perspective of nature as we know it.
Lee was excited,
as Ann was a little hesitant and scared of the heights yet but with practice Lee
hoped to change her attitude. Anyhow she was a willing participant and only
seeks to gain Lee s approval and would have followed him anywhere. Ann was
excited that Lee was finally subscribing to allow himself to be taught the
proper procedure of climbing and not allow his ego to stand in the way of their
safety when it came to understanding tree climbing. Hiring
an expert to teach them was what they needed to become skilled enough to take
on the giant Sequoias. (to be cont. )
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