The Air up There: Canopy Tourism
In regions across the United States from the Southeast to the Pacific Northwest, a growing interest in under-explored natural environments and the desire for unique family getaways has led to the increased popularity of a terrific lifestyle-fitness hobby and crosstraining activity: recreational tree climbing. Known more formerly as canopy touring and no longer just in the realm of the professional arborist, the pastime has been taken up by people young and old worldwide.
Tree climbing, which is done with a rope-and-harness rig (known as “technical” climbing), is usually offered in group classes, which is strongly advised if you’re just starting out, but it is eventually possible to purchase your own equipment, find like-minded people or groups in any location, and take up the activity yourself by carefully following certain rules and guidelines. Tree climbing is statistically much safer than many people think, with falls from trees virtually unknown, at least within the carefully monitored structure of group classes.
Southern Exposure
At the Georgia-based Tree Climbers International (TCI), you can take their Basic Tree Climbing Class and be climbing trees immediately. This 26-year-old organization has a “climber finder” tool on their web site which helps members to connect with one another, and offers links from a Climbers’ Favorites page to places to climb in both the U.S. and around the world. Georgia offers excellent tree climbing in general; the Nomadik Outdoor Life Guide recently published an article on tree-climbing family vacations in the greater Atlanta area, and even tells the story of an 81-year-old woman named Marge Felder who enjoyed the experience. The article also notes that with their lower centers of gravity and lighter weight, children often climb past their stronger parents with ease; indeed, the minimum age requirement is five.
Pacific Heights
In Oregon, the legendary forests of the Pacific Northwest offer some of the best climbing in the world, including treetop views of the Cascades. At New Tribe Tree Climbing, courses last a more rigorous two-and-a-half to seven days. And at the Pacific Tree Climbing Institute (PTCI), guided day expeditions of old-growth forests promise to get you up close and personal with Douglas fir, hemlock, cedar, and spruce, with some trees reaching 300 feet tall. Oregon is also home to the famous northern spotted owls, as well as golden eagles and ospreys. PTCI offers canvas “treeboats” to relax in at the top of your climb, where you can enjoy the majestic temperate rainforest on a two-inch thick air mattress.
Surprisingly, there is no climbing experience necessary for these climbs. Tree climbing is similar to but less strenuous than rock climbing. PTCI says that ascending a tree is comparable to hiking a mountain with a day pack. The ACSM’s Compendium of Physical Activities Tracking Guide places “hiking up a mountain” at 8.0 metabolic equivalents (METs); it would seem PTCI’s exertion estimate is accurate, as the ACSM lists “general forestry” at 8.0 METs, as well as rappelling at 8.0 METs. As activities, both general forestry and rappelling would seem to be much like the rope-and-harness method of tree climbing.
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Technique
Beginning climbers use the double-rope technique (DRT), used commonly for trees up to 100 feet tall. With DRT, the rope is draped over a branch using a throw bag, and both rope ends, in conjunction with a series of climbing knots, are used to ascend and descend. A branch protection device is used between the rope and the bark to protect the tree. The climber attaches himself to the rope and harness, and climbs either using arms-only, or using a foot assist method that easily helps him/her walk up the tree. For this reason, spikes are never worn for tree climbing. Hiking boots or even basic athletic shoes are adequate footwear for the job.
When you aren’t climbing, the main knot (or “Blake’s hitch”) holds you safely in place automatically. Whenever climbers want to pause and enjoy the view, all they have to do is let go. Eventually the climber reaches the branch the rope is looped over. Securing yourself to a new branch and continuing the ascent may be relatively easy or require considerable skill; descending, on the other hand, is easy. Climbers often place slip knots along the rope to prevent themselves from coming down too quickly. Another protection from getting hurt is the Blake’s hitch, which, again, automatically stops the descent when the climber lets go.
Tree climbing is great exercise for your upper body, including chest, shoulders, back, and arms. Pull-ups are a great way to build up strength in the muscles you’ll use when climbing. Tree climbers also spend a lot of time twisting and turning; having a strong core will help. Ankle and calf muscles receive a good workout during tree climbing as well.
Still, any reasonably fit person can make it up the tree with the help of technical climbing gear and an experienced instructor. There's never any pressure to climb higher than you wish, and when you reach your upper limit, resting in your harness until you've acclimatized to the height is often all you'll need to continue. Though minor scrapes are certainly possible, the most common injury is blisters, something easily avoided by wearing gloves.
If you’re climbing unsupervised, do not climb a tree that shows any signs of wear or weakness. Also, do not unnecessarily prune tree branches, and never climb near power lines. Stay away from nests and nesting animals.
Views Beyond
For the more adventurous, a vacation hideaway known as the El Remanso Rainforest Wildlife Lodge located in the remote Osa Peninsula in southwest Costa Rica offers canopy touring for $75 a day. Here you might catch sight of more exotic creatures in a rarely experienced environment. The tree life there includes sloths, spider monkeys, anteaters, and various colorful birds, such as the chestnut-mandibled toucan.
Though guided tours and classes are necessary to start you out properly as a canopy tourist, eventually you might want to purchase your own equipment. Still, a DRT climbing kit with rope, harness, helmet, carabiners, tree savers, throw lines, and throw bags, could cost you $500 or more. On other hand, once you've invested in the basic gear, there are very few further expenses. You won't have to travel too far to find a tree, and you can climb most trees for free. Tree climbing is a year-round sport. During the hot months, you have the canopy to provide an awning for shade. In winter, the awning is taken down, and there's no barrier to the warm sunlight.
Depending on which regions of the country you climb, you can significantly alter your experience of the biosphere. California, Georgia, Michigan, Iowa, Oregon, Kentucky, Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, South America, and Japan are just some of the places where more spectacular tree climbing is readily available.
Many tree climbers describe the experience in quasi-spiritual terms. They say that time slows down; they connect to the trees and feel stress float away in the peace and quiet. For biodiversity, scenic lookouts, and a unique educational experience for your kids, tree climbing is an outdoor activity akin to few other hobbies—snorkeling comes to mind—that encourages deep respect, wonder, and knowledge of the world around you.
For more info, visit TCI online at http://www.treeclimbing.com, or PTCI at http://www.pacifictreeclimbing.com.
TCI, http://www.treeclimbing.com/
Nomadik Outdoor Life Guide, “Tree Climbing in Atlanta,” by Charmian Christie, http://www.nomadik.com/adventure-travel-advice/fit-family-vacations/tree-climbing-atlanta.aspx
New Tribe Tree Climbing, http://www.treeclimbingnorthwest.com/
Pacific Tree Climbing Institute, http://www.pacifictreeclimbing.com/?title=page&page_id=2&page_title=What%20We%20Do
ACSM, Compendium of Physical Activities Tracking Guide, http://prevention.sph.sc.edu/tools/docs/documents_compendium.pdf
Trails, “How to Train for Tree Climbing,” http://www.trails.com/how_29437_train-tree-climbing.html
El Ramanso Lodge, http://www.elremanso.com/activities/tree-climbing.php
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