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To get away from the wife - she can't follow me.

Just kidding, it's actually the kids!
I have always found refuge in the woods and a special respect for trees of nearly any kind. As I get older, it bring me back to my youth to go hang out in the woods and climb.
 
Wow, that's a loaded question. I initially opted to learn to climb trees for recreation and my first challenge was a 3K year old Redwood in the Eastern Sierras. Despite various physical setbacks, I trained 6+ months with rigorous physical conditioning. This alone was a transformative experience, but once I completed the Redwood climb, I was hooked and wanted to become a fully self-sufficient and self-equipped climber.

What compels me to climb trees is the fact that it connects me with nature and offers an objective reality that provides mental, physical and spiritual challenges. The fact is, I get such a rush from tree climbing that it sharpens my focus and ability to perform various tasks more effectively and efficiently, lasting sometimes for days or weeks after a climb.

Another residual benefit from tree climbing is being able to travel, mingle and associate with other like-minded individuals, such as those who climb trees to help orphan orangutans aclimate back into the jungle, protect and preserve fragile rain forests, and teach climbing to others, including children with special needs. I've also been welcomed by tree care professionals, and competitive tree climbers who are some of the nicest folks I've ever met.
 
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Bob Bob said:
Excellent response John@TreeXP! Looks like focus was on both our minds. I liked how you talked about how you initially got into climbing.

Tree climbing has also taught me an incredable amount about trees, the various species and forest ecology in general.
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My initial motivation came when I stumbled upon a woman doing a tree-sitting protest to protect a piece of undeveloped land, from a strip-mall development. She gained national attention in the media and raised awareness. While I was supportive of her endeavors and inspired by her courage, I felt I could also help raise awareness about the benefits of trees in a less confrontational manner, by becoming a living example, sharing my ongoing experiences and passion for nature, as well as my love for trees.
 
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Tree climbing recreationaly for me usually begins as a way to test new gear, climbing system or technique. However, once I am in the canopy there is always a sense of peace and tranquility that is associated with it. Being one with nature, where you can truly connect with yourself and your surroundings is a sublime feeling that once aquired is never forgotten and must be repeated. It doesn't happen every climb but when it does it is outer wordly. The gentle sway of the limb under foot is like an embrace and you truly feel connected.

I also enjoy the exercise, stress relief, sense of adventure and adrenaline associated with it. Plus as an added bonus it improves climbing skills which increases productivity. And it is fun as hell.

Cheers
 
The same reason I Scuba dive in underwater caves, it requires 100% of my attention to stay alive. I also get to see places that very few have ever been.

There is a room in a cave in Utah that only 4 people have ever explored, I was #3 and took #4 in there a week later. Trees can be a similar experience.


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Why I climb? I enjoy it; as a sport, as recreation. Liked others, I find it relaxing if I'm chilling out, other times it's an adventure and really exciting.

No matter, it requires attention and focus and keeps me sharp. It's literally a life and death sort of pursuit and you need to manage risk, but with good practice and skill is incredibly safe.

Climbing is great fitness and good for building core and arm strength. Not so good for cardio (some may differ, but I'm into cycling and that's another level), but a great way to get a good workout and feel good.

Gear and knots are things I really enjoy. I'm more of a gear nut, but really enjoy knots and the technical deep dive you can get into whether it's rope construction and rope attributes or selecting and getting a hitch cord dialed in for my climb systems. Add in splicing and there's so much to have fun with.

Otherwise, I just enjoy moving around a tree, trying to be smoother and quicker for comps, abseiling over and over, ascending over and over, limb walking for fun or comp style, setting up comp stations for practice, playing with gear, thinking about and using force vectors, problem solving my way out of a situation, staying out of situations, going old school, going new school, etc, etc.

I also really enjoy chatting to climbers about climbing, following the buzz and good videos and images, podcasts and general tree climbing gear and industry stuff.
 
WaitakKauri said:
Why I climb? I enjoy it; as a sport, as recreation. Liked others, I find it relaxing if I'm chilling out, other times it's an adventure and really exciting.

No matter, it requires attention and focus and keeps me sharp. It's literally a life and death sort of pursuit and you need to manage risk, but with good practice and skill is incredibly safe.

Climbing is great fitness and good for building core and arm strength. Not so good for cardio (some may differ, but I'm into cycling and that's another level), but a great way to get a good workout and feel good.

Gear and knots are things I really enjoy. I'm more of a gear nut, but really enjoy knots and the technical deep dive you can get into whether it's rope construction and rope attributes or selecting and getting a hitch cord dialed in for my climb systems. Add in splicing and there's so much to have fun with.

Otherwise, I just enjoy moving around a tree, trying to be smoother and quicker for comps, abseiling over and over, ascending over and over, limb walking for fun or comp style, setting up comp stations for practice, playing with gear, thinking about and using force vectors, problem solving my way out of a situation, staying out of situations, going old school, going new school, etc, etc.

I also really enjoy chatting to climbers about climbing, following the buzz and good videos and images, podcasts and general tree climbing gear and industry stuff.
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I agree with everything you said especially gear. I am a tool&die maker by trade, and love seeing how things are made and out together.
 
I have loved trees all my life and free-climbed constantly as a kid. As an adult, I always felt hesitant to climb anymore, since it is often seen as extremely childish or ridiculous for an adult to be up in a tree. And yet I did a lot of climbing in industry, rigging, crane and shipyard work, etc. So, what a pleasure to be able to combine the two and get back into the trees as I near retirement. With the right gear, and the fact that this a rapidly growing sport which is not dissimilar to rock climbing, it does not seem nearly as silly any longer to be up a tree. I tried rock climbing years ago and, while it was sort of a thrill at first, rocks were just not as friendly as trees and I did not feel there was anything I could do to make it as safe as I felt in a tree. A tree is another living thing you are bonding with; I feel like a tree embraces and welcomes you to a certain extent. I always feel very privileged and fortunate when I am up in a big tree, feeling again that child-like fascination for everything around me that we usually lose when we grow into adults. And it is terrific physical exercise; I have felt twenty years younger since I started.
 
I was interested in climbing pre tree climbing, but rock climbing was difficult to get into for me as gyms didn't appeal and outdoor climbs were a long travel and I knew no one into it.

I like that you can get started with a simple setup - easy to find tree, tree climbers companion book, sensibility, saddle, basic sit harness (cheap options exist), single biner, rope, bike helmet & sunnies and you can get started. Add 2 biners and your tail becomes a lanyard. It's not what I climb with, but you can have a ton of fun with that.
 
I started climbing because of the Emerald Ash Borer! My yard contains about 2 acres of woods which are mostly green ash. Lots of the trees threaten things of value--my house, driveway gate, fence, valuable trees, etc. They need to come down intentionally before they fall in the wrong direction and do some damage. Many need to come down from the top. I got into climbing out of necessity (can't afford to pay somebody to take down a couple of hundred trees). I found that I started to really enjoy being up in a tree. Working my way up the tree to top it, I found myself just hanging in spots enjoying the sensations others have already described. I now find myself looking for an excuse to climb a tree to take it down. Once the ash trees have degraded to the point they're no longer safe to climb, I have no doubt I will continue climbing for recreation. I get the same sense of meditation I do from kiteboarding and used to get from cave diving. The required focus allows you to flush all the daily distractions from your mind for a while, and refreshes body and soul.
 
I started climbing for t5 geocaching, but I found that I enjoyed climbing itself so much that I stopped geocaching and just climbed any tree that looked interesting.

I enjoy the challenge that comes with climbing a tree, and I like seeing how my skills improve over time. Hanging 50 feet above the ground, surrounded by branches, also somehow has a calming effect on me.
 
CanadianStan said:
To establish my dominance amongst the squirrels
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I laughed out loud :)

Tree climbing is like a three-dimensional multi-level puzzle where the consequence of failure is death.

Initially I hated the idea of climbing trees. But I was obsessed with rock climbing and got to the point where I couldn't even go backpacking without bringing my climbing gear. The problem was that I live in the midwest where I can count the number of places to rock climb on my hands.

When I started reading about climbing trees with a rope I hated it even more. Ascending a straight rope seemed horribly boring and pointless so I gave myself a reason to reach the summit: camping in the canopy! After failing my first treeclimb I realized that climbing trees was NOT just "ascending a straght rope" and I was hooked.
 
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Bob Bob said:
I'm in the midwest also and you are right there just isn't that many places to rock climb. Trees are plentiful in Ohio, so to the canopy! I'm confident if I lived in Colorado I'd be mountaineering and if I lived on the coast I'd be surfing.

George Mallory had a famous quote when preparing to climb Chomolungma (Mt. Everest). When asked why? he said simply "Because it's there".
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Conquistadors of the Useless :cool:
 
I was introduced to climbing by being hired as a groundsman and watching in awe the skill of the climbers at that company...
In the years that followed, I learned to climb, (began rock climbing as well), became a certified arborist, a licensed contractor, and started my own tree care company. My love of trees, being in them and devotion to their care kept me in the canopy for over 16 years.
I cannot think of a better way to stay in shape, enjoy sawdust and sweat, and have a satisfying way to earn a living. Even when working, there is a stillness.... a spiritual aspect to accessing the canopy of a large tree, being somewhere that nobody else has been, seen or enjoyed. I'm thankful for the skills/knowledge to be able to see the world from the top of a tree (and I'd always silently apologized if I was removing it).
I know, hippy dippy tree hugger ish. :burlas: but it's the Rec forum!
That was years ago - and Life changes.... moved, sold business, career change, family etc...
What does this have to do with why I "recreationally climb" you ask?
I went a few years without climbing. (Sad, I know) :cachetada:
But after recently feeding my latent gear addiction, expanding my kit to include updated SRT additions and trolling around this site for the last few years, I've ventured my way back up into the canopy.
(You know; the opposite of our primate evolution)
I must say, Climbing purely for recreation is f-ing awesome!
It's that silence, the stillness that I missed so much. Clarity. Heightned senses, The crisp air, all the scents, of the tree, bark, leaves, needles, a nearby woodstove, the sounds, the birds whistling, the breeze gently rolling through the branches (and of course, that damn jingle of aluminum coming from me, making my way through the canopy)!
Everything, from the enjoyable textile interaction of the knots on rope, the clicking/unclipping of my biners gates as I pass branches with my lanyard, clearing bark/duff from pulleys & ascenders as I go- to the morning dew showering me from the branches above as I move about the tree.
I get a workout,
I get to enjoy nature,
I get to play with toys,
I get to study wildlife, insects, mosses, lichen, fungi etc...
I get to practice skills (and work on new ones),
I get to bring along a hammock and chill high in the canopy (still tied in of course)
I get to be alone with my thoughts, meditate.... and just breathe.
These are a few of the reasons I climb for recreation.

I also want to say I'm VERY appreciative of all this new stuff (multicenders etc) that has been bestowed upon the tree climbing community in recent years. Not only does it make the work easier, it makes tree access for fun - fun!
A BIG thank you to Kevin, Paul, Gordon, Richard, Jamie (waiting for that black Akimbo)! and everyone else participating in the invention/advancement of tree gear!
...and I also appreciate all contributors to Treebuzz, especially folks all the way down here on the Rec forum, great posts and videos from Bob Bob, Moss, Treefool (I'm gonna get me one of your portaledges fluffy)! John@TreeXP - love your site too..... and there's many more.....
But I've really rambled on enough here.
 
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