WA - Bicentinial tree

The main draw to Denmark is the tall trees which you can climb. These old trees were used by firefighters, who climbed to the top to look out over the forest and guide people to where the fires were.

The Dave Evans Bicentennial tree, is a memorial, rather than an ex-lookout, but this tree is the highest in the area at 75mtrs. We're not too sentimental about these things, and thought if we're gonna climb this thing, and scare ourselves sh*tless, we've got to do the daddy of all trees ;)

As you can see from the photos, the climb isn't at all safe, and is best explained as a ladder made up of metal poles screwed into the tree!!! No safety nets, except for mesh on the outer side of the poles, no harnesses, no guides or instructions, no phone for emergencies - just a sign saying "climb at your own risk"!! Can you imagine this in our nanny-state of the UK????

At the bottom, looking up this giant, we ummed and ahhhhed, and eventually, Marc just went for it and started climbing. We thought that this initial climb would take the most balls, and once we were going the focus and determination would get up to the top. Just don't think about the

climb back down, or that a slip would be fatal for us and anyone else climbing below.

At about 25mtrs, there was a platform to rest, and a sign saying "That was the easy bit". Oh God!! There were lots of "don't climb further if..." and we made our biggest mistake and paused to read these. Then 1 min passed, then 2, then 3, and with every passing 2nd we were getting more nervous and less likely to climb further. Then we decided, less thinking and more action, and just went for it.

We, think the photos tell the next part of the story. When the tree was too thin for the winding "ladder", which incidentally was now swaying slightly in the wind (the top can sway 3mts in strong winds), there were more platforms with standard ladders. These if anything were more scary, as you had to lift yourself through a hole to a standing position, and when feeling slightly off balance, on a windy platform, you feel a bit unsecure ;)

The views from the top were awesome, though with the rush, we probably didn't appreciate them and they were a mere sideshow in comparison to the climb. As We looked down, we saw two lads begin their climb - they joined us at the top within a few mins. The climb took us about 20 ;)

View from the top

Spot our car...

Coming down was easy in comparison to the climb. Nothing seemed as high any more, and it was nowhere near as difficult as we had anticipated. In climbing down, you do have to look down to see where the next step is, which is a bit scary, but as long as you are careful with where you step, you're fine. This was definitely a step towards conquering our fear of heights ;)