200 FEET OF FUN: Treetop tours climb to new heights on Bainbridge Island

Published 10:28 am Monday, July 6, 2015

When weighing the options for a unique family friendly exploit this summer, islanders can choose to squeeze into the car or struggle through the arduous gauntlet of air travel and make the trek to a crowded, expensive destination.

Or they can stay on Bainbridge and go out on a limb.

A limb some 200 feet off the ground.

The aerial adventure that is canopy tree climbing, an increasingly popular alternative recreation option in Washington, comes to Bainbridge via AdventureTerra, a company specializing in rock-climbing excursions and instruction. The company began offering the treetop tours at their Holly Farm Lane location earlier this year.

Evan Bombardier and Brittany Hilborn, two of AdventureTerra’s professional climbing guides, agreed that climbing trees offered a very unique recreational experience, quite different from that of rock climbing.

“Everything we do, we try to keep it as natural as can be,” Hilborn said. “We do everything not to hurt the tree.”

This includes, she explained, taking great care in the initial setting of lines and in teaching climbers how to transverse the branches in the least destructive way possible.

“Another good thing is just connecting people to nature [and] giving them a different perspective of it,” she added.

Hilborn, a Poulsbo resident who was recently hired as the physical education teacher at Captain Johnston Blakely Elementary School, said that scaling trees is, at the very least, an exciting way to break up one’s workout routine with something new.

“It’s somewhat calming and relaxing and it’s fun, too,” she said.

Bombardier, a Bainbridge High School graduate and professional arborist who now lives in Port Townsend, said that the experience is invaluable for gaining an improved perspective on nature and man’s relationship with trees.

“I know how our culture is; we’re obsessed with extracting resources,” he said. “This is a way where we appreciate and see these trees, not as a resource, but as our home and things that we need to live.”

Tree climbing is actually illegal in many areas, including public and park lands, the guides explained, which serves to make the Bainbridge climb site — private property leased from Sacred Groves, a 10-acre forest sanctuary — uniquely perfect for such experiences.

Currently, if someone were to try to climb a tree in a city or state park, the guides said, they could get a $200 fine.

The AdventureTerra guides offer two treetop climbing adventures on Bainbridge; the Canopy Tree Climb and the Sunset Tree Climb. Prices vary by desired time and number of participants; visit www.adventureterra.com to learn more.

Each climb begins with a brief safety discussion and equipment demonstration, the guides explained, and then it’s up, up and away.

Canopy tree climbing is more technical than it is physically difficult, the guides explained, and because of that almost anyone at any level of physical fitness can climb.

The minimum age of climbers is 8 and no climbing experience is necessary.

AdventureTerra notes that since the founding of recreational tree climbing more than 30 years ago, there have been no known serious accidents or deaths from recreational tree climbing from climbers who have geared up with proper equipment and protocols. The company said recreational tree climbing “is amazingly safe,” and with basic rules and the right equipment, is safer than riding a bike.

The hard part, Bombardier said, is already taken care of.

“The act of setting lines, getting into the canopy initially, is a very dangerous aspect, so I would not encourage anyone who is not a trained professional to set lines,” he said. “That takes a lot of training to be able to do that.”

The guides have that aspect of the climb done beforehand, however, and guest climbers have only to gear up, strap in and work their way up.

Climbs go up to (and above) 200 feet from the forest floor, and guests are encouraged to bring water and snacks and pause at the top for a sky high picnic.

“When you’re doing this, you’re typically not thinking about anything else,” Hilborn said, adding that the repetition of climbing is relaxing and the physical coordination involved provides an excellent outlet for her and for her climbers as well.

“I don’t feel like I’m working,” she laughed. “I feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be.”