[at-l] funny true story that is kind of trail related

["Wisperlight" <miller84@matrix.newpaltz.edu>]

this is long so if you dont have time dont start reading it
<and dont try anything in the message it is not safe>

i was talking about my bear baggin experience of climbign up a tree to get
my bag rope down.... and i remember a funny thing that happend to me when i
was younger....


there was this tree(a white pine) that was taller than my house and right
next to it....  my house beeing on a small hill in maryland from atop the
tree you coudl see very very far and i used to climb up it alot and hang out
on top of the tree and look about it was before i became dizzy in high
places..   one such day it was windy (which is the best kind of day for a
kid to climb a tree....)   and i figured heck my kite might be loosened and
i can get it from teh tree while i am up there....

so i climbed the tree and got my kite what was left of it... i still have
the taill from that kite but the kite was ruined.    in fact the tail was
flying in north carolina last summer.  so i dropped the kite and stuff to
the ground below... i was about level with the rook of my house...

my house is oe of thos esteep pitched roofs... called an A frame it really
looks jsut like an A and the roof goes almost a entire story abouy the 2
floor making the house about 3 story tall outside and 2 stories tall inside
with a funky attic shape.

so i started to get bored so i startd to climb down the tree. after about to
branches my foot slipped... and i started to fail... i was abotu 1.5 stories
from teh ground...  as a little kid would do i did not panic but jsut stated
to try to grab branches to either stop or at least slow down my fall worring
abou tth emoment only not thinking of anythgin but NOW...  i ended up what i
call "winnie the pooh"ing down the tree..  i hit my back on a branch and
then my stomach and the my feet and cartwheeled down the tree for what
seemed quite while. finally i grabed a branch firm enough to slow my fall...
to my dismay i caught the last branch and coudl not hold on...  so i was
heading feet first very fast towards the ground.  however ther ewas a  bad
side effect of the catchign of the branch it was to swing me into the tree
trunk and i rubbed down the trunk like sand paper quite thoughouly ripping
up my side. especially my arm pit area. on my right side if my memory serves
me right.

a crunmpled on the groudn how only a flexable child could and climbe dto my
feet took two steps and relaized i HURT and in child form started crying and
i had pine sap in my wounds and i was miserable for a few days...

last summer was the first time since then i have climbed high up in a
tree...  not that high but high enough to make feel uncomfortable to get a
bear bag rope from a failed attempt to use a stick to throw a bear bag rope
instead of a rock.  it was interesting top say the least  we had much
trouble bear baggin that night ther was only one tree and it was less than
good...

i however have been scaried of heights ever since that experience and have
been trying to control my dizzy and fear spells in high areas for my entire
life since that experience... i stood on the edge of a cliff this year.. i
am proud of myself..  it was at annopolis rock on the AT infact.

lookign back i think it is a funny story and i am thanksful i was quick and
limber enough to avoid hitting my head that whoel time i fell.   and i also
thank god for a childs strong resilant bones and my limber underweight form
at the time.

i shall conquer that fear and stand on a tree tip some day again wind in my
face and gazing aroudn like a pirate in a crows nest.

(just so people dont try this at home... dont go ALL THE WAY UP THE TREE...
you stop when the tree starts to sway under your weight it might snap if you
go higher... when i say top of tree i mean about 10 feet below the real
tip...   you can actually climb all the way up on some pine trees and they
will bring you to the ground liek a cartoon rabbit trap thingy but dont try
that at home either cause i long ago forgot what the tree looks like). TRY
AT YOUR OWN RISK


man i wish i was 5 years old again those where good times. how simple life
was. i feel pity for those people who can not remember when they to were
only five and had not a care in the world but what should i do NOW. amazing
children live though childhood. but i guess kid dont do that stuff anymore
they dont even play on swing sets in the park... much less go flying off the
swing seeing who can get farther down that steep hill..  that is another
story resulting in a friend spraining his arm and an apple fight  i won.

i can not wait until i am on the trail with not a care in the world but how
far am i gonna walk today.

Wisperlight the Bi-Polar Bear coming to a AT near you this summer
<Bi-Polar As In Manic Depressive>

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