The Wild Trees by Richard Preston

[scottythepinetree]

Brilliant book, would love to get a close look at some of his kit. There's a Nat Geo video of them called Climbing Redwood Giants. Can only get region 1 but DVDdecoder can rip it to region free. Good to put faces to names and see what they're talking about in the book. One of the few situations where I'd recommend seeing the DVD before reading the book.

[Mark Bolam]

Awesome book.

 

One weird thing, he keeps on about Steve Sillet suffering from vertigo.

 

This is the bloke who free-climbed a 70-footer, leapt across to the lower limb of a Redwood, then free-climbed to 300 feet plus.

 

If that is vertigo, where can I get some?

[Mike Hill]

Read this a while back- Excellent tale, well recommended. Be warned- you will DESPERATELY want to go and climb them after you have read it lol.

 

Buy "High Climbers and Timber Fallers" by G Beranek and you will desperately want to go and Fell some Red Woods.OR at least knock 100feet off the top of one.

 

That man is a legend.

[tommer9]

I have been trying to get a copy for ages Mike. I would love to read that.

[Tommy_B]

Buy "High Climbers and Timber Fallers" by G Beranek and you will desperately want to go and Fell some Red Woods.OR at least knock 100feet off the top of one.

 

That man is a legend.

 

Definatley!! I'm working my way through the DVDs. I'm more or less certain that he will have forgotten more than I know!! haha!!!

 

Tommer, Nod at Treeworker sells the book!!

[Mozza]

Id love that book too, On my to buy list with a million other things

 

This is decent link http://www.forestryjournal.co.uk/PDFfiles/Beranek.pdf

[Jamie M]

Agree that it is an excellent read.

Another book well worth reading is Wildwood by Roger Deakin, it's in no way as 'full on' as Tall trees but is a gentle wander all over the planet with lots of interesting pieces about trees by a very personable writer.

[mdvaden]

Id love that book too, On my to buy list with a million other things

 

This is decent link http://www.forestryjournal.co.uk/PDFfiles/Beranek.pdf

 

Thanks for that link.

 

Pretty sure I read excerpts of it once, but not the whole thing with pics.

 

Pretty adventurous line of work.

 

 

On the Wild Trees Part of the OP, sounds like the "Skeleton Forest" of Australia mentioned in the book, went up in flames during those hot Australian fires. Was that last year? Anyhow, most is toast now, with new seedlings.

Edited July 19, 2010 by mdvaden

[rcarolina]

Great book - really makes you want to go to see/climb them. Probably not the best book to read if you have a fear of falling from height but the descriptions of some of the remotest/tallest trees is amazing.

 

Can you belive that these were felled for timber?

[BenR]

Here comes the controvesial bit, I read it and although it is a good read, its a little bit condescending, and tends to veer towards the "I'm so wonderful, look at me" school of writing. I thought that the first half of the book was a little bit twee and hard to read, but it definatley picks up towards the end.... Just my opinion...

 

I would have to agree Tom. Its more like a novel at the beginning than a book about trees. Some very good content too though!