DAY 311

DAY 311
02.09.08
TREE 151

At about mid-afternoon I thought I should go climb my tree.  I knew which one I was going to climb.  The tree in the next neighborhood up 393.  The one on the edge of this one property where, last time, I was scared as hell because the owner came out with a flash light because his dog wouldn’t stop barking at me.  As a result I got cut up in the thorn bushes as I rushed my escape.  So today I thought it would be good to contrast the last dark experience with a light one.  Then I quickly changed my mind as those memories came back.  My dad asked if I was going to go climb and I said, "not yet, I think I’ll wait till dark."  I wanted to make it a stealth climb.  As I waited through early evening I prepared myself for the mission.  Wear dark clothes, stay in the shadows, don’t make a noise, act natural if cars or joggers go by.  Technically it’s trespassing so getting caught was not an option.  Know my escape route, be efficient.  The worst thoughts I had were of the dog barking again and the owner walking out with a gun ready to shoot on sight.  Silly, but I thought it. 

So darkness came.  I walked outside and one side of the sky was a deep dark blue retaining the last bit of light from the day.  The moon was amazing, just a thin crescent but the rest of the circle visible like a ghost.  I walked fast hoping to catch some of this in my photos.  As I crossed 393 into the neighborhood I made sure to check all angles for watching eyes.  Then as I got close to the tree I casually crossed to the edge of the thorn bushes at the barbed fence.  Dogs began to bark and I freaked.  I quickly walked back to the street, but stopped.  This is my tree, I am not going to bail!  So I went back and crouched down into the bush.  I used the wire of the fence as a ladder to step onto the wooden post.  Then I leaned over to the lowest limb of the tree.  I was quiet as a mouse.  I reached one foot to the trunk, gripped with both hands on the limb, and pulled myself to the tree.  Then I heard running footsteps.  I froze in place, glanced behind me and saw a man running on the road.  In these moments I often do two things.  I freeze thinking they are like the T-rex in Jurassic Park and can only sense movement.  And like a child playing hide-and-go-seek, I look away.  If I can’t see them they can’t see me.  So far these tactics have worked.  But really, it’s dark, I’m in a tree, who’s looking anyway?  Though I was well lit by a nearby street lamp.  The jogger passed and I quickly climbed up and around to the opposite side of the tree so as to be less visible from the road.  Which was good because the jogger was back by in less than a minute.  I realized he was doing laps on the short neighborhood street. 

So as I continued further up the tree, silent like the cool breeze, I paused as he ran by. 

Every now and again I heard dogs bark and I would get a little paranoid.  I’d look to the house whose property I was on and upon close inspection saw the light dance in the window from the television.  Good.  That shit is like a drug, it numbs you from most exterior stimuli, I should be safe.  Plus I also heard some yapping that sounded more like coyotes which was probably why the dogs were barking, not me.  I was being stealthy. 

I easily made it to the top of my leader branch. 

I took down my ribbon,

got into a comfy crouch, and began to take pictures. 

A few cars passed by and the jogger came and went again.  As they did I made sure to cover the light from my camera.  I took a bunch of shots and began to get more comfortable.  I got so daring as to take a picture of the jogger when he came by once again.  But he moved too fast for the shutter speed.  In the picture it’s as he never existed!

I put my camera away and stared at the moon. 

Little, light clouds floated swiftly through the sky.  An Audi TT sped out of the neighborhood.  I was invisible.  Then it was time to climb down.  My exit strategy was the same as my entrance: smooth and quiet, pause as needed.  So I paused for the jogger, surprised he hadn’t stopped yet.  Then I continued down.  The reach for the fence post was a little tricky but I succeeded.  I had to.  I climbed down the fence and snaked through the thorns untouched.  I walked out to the street… home free.  Now I was just a pedestrian who could deny everything. 

Mission accomplished!

2-11-09:  What the hell was I thinking… coyotes in Kentucky?  Ok, I stand corrected.  I am kind of shocked to hear of coyote sightings in Louisville.  But since my parents live out in Buckner, a more wooded area, it would make even more sense.  I could tell that the sounds were not dogs, and seemed to be multiples close together like a pack.  Do foxes make noise?  Wiki tells me that most foxes are solitary and not pack animals so that settles that.  Maybe I did hear coyotes that night.  Interesting. 

—

Last Sunday, February 8th, I woke early and had breakfast with Stefan and packed up.  He drove me to South Station in Boston and I waited for my 9:30 Bolt Bus to New York.  This new express bus line is known for having power outlets in each seat and wireless.  I could have caught up on my blogging (hence me talking about Sunday when I should be talking about yesterday’s climb), but instead I listened to my iPod and looked out the window for 5 hours.  There is something about bus rides that make me not want to be productive.  It was like that in college when I took buses to see Rachel.  I always had homework I could do but could never bring myself to it on the bus. As I looked out the window and looked at all the trees and thought, when I get to the city it will be much harder to find trees. 

So, anyway… I get to New York and hop on the 1 subway down to Christopher Street.  I went up to my brother’s apartment and since it was so nice out we decided to go for a walk.  Plus I needed to climb my tree for the day and figured I shouldn’t wait.  We walked down to the pier and all sorts of runners, walkers, bikers, rollerbladers, and the like were out in force.  We walked south along the Hudson and passed many tiny trees.  I knew this area pretty well from my last trip to New York in 2006.  I used to run and do parkour almost every day there.  So I was hoping I would find a good tree near the park we were approaching.  When we passed the playground I spotted a small but decent looking tree. 

The park was crowded and I knew people were going to see me, but I just had to go for it and hope for the best.  I went up and climbed a few branches till I could go no further. 

My brother waited below talking on his phone. 

I think some people spotted me but didn’t seem to care.  I took pictures of the park

and nearby buildings. 

The skyscrapers make my tree seem extremely insignificant. 

But I did have some pretty incredible views.  It was neat to look across the Hudson and see Hoboken (I believe). 

It’s good to be back in NY.  Having been there for 2 months in 2006 I really got familiar with the city and it was nice to be back and feel comfortable.  But I am viewing with new eyes, a tree climber’s eyes.  There are more trees than I remembered.  But I feel it could be difficult to go unnoticed.  This should be an interesting month.