Holiday Thankfulness...a Tree Climber's Viewpoint.

Cory “Lotsaletters” Feig Sandoval climbs a 110 foot white oak named “Hold Fast”. Difficulty rating: 5.7

I pause to think about what I am thankful for around this time of year. A lot of what I am thankful for revolves around tree climbing. I have always been a tree climber. The only difference from my childhood tree climbing days is that now I climb safer and climb higher. So here are three things for which I am thankful:

1. I am able to climb. It takes a certain degree of fitness to climb up a rope. I am thankful that I have the strength and stamina to go vertical. I don't always go all the way to the top, but I do leave the ground and get up into the tree branches.

2. I have trees to climb. I live in an area where there is a wide variety of different tree species. I am thankful that I have pines, tulip poplars, and oak trees that are healthy, numerous, and over 100 feet tall.

3. I have good tree climbing gear. Tree climbing gear is not cheap. I am thankful that I have the gear to not only climb personally, but a lot more gear to teach others how to go tree climbing at my school.

So what are you thankful for...from a tree climber's viewpoint?

The Treeman’s New Tree Climbing Blog

This is an introduction to my new blog that’s all about tree climbing and trees. Rope and saddle tree climbing has become much more popular in the time since I created the world’s first recreational tree climbing school in 1983. I was a tree worker and Certified Arborist with my own small tree care company when I decided to combine some of the skills of rock climbing with the skills tree workers use daily to create a new recreational activity. I began with one student. Now there are recreational tree climbing schools all over the world.

I’ve got a world of stories, facts, techniques, and gear knowledge locked up in my head. It’s time I get them out in my blog.

Here are some of the things I want to talk about:

• Personal stories. The life of a tree climber is a string of happenings.
• Climbing adventures. Adventure involves risk and doing unusual things.
• Climbing in weather. From wind tossed trees to steamy days.
• Climbing the seasons. Every season brings a new perspective in the treetops.
• Tree gear. Hundreds of different kinds of colorful gear for your every need.
• The trees we climb. Every tree and every tree species has a different feel.
• Useful facts about trees. Why do trees behave like they do?

And I’ll talk about the astonishing assortment of characters that climb up into the treetops.

But I’m not going to just talk about myself. I want to hear from you too.

• What are you doing in the trees?
• What incredible trees are you discovering?
• What is tree climbing bringing to your life?

So don’t be a stranger. Let’s talk trees and tree climbing.

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Yours waving from a treetop,
Peter “Treeman” Jenkins