"People in the trees" - original art work by Dave B.
- Donated to Waukesha Community Arts Project |
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Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." - Theodore Roosevelt. |
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Treetop Explorer, LLC provides recreational, educational, and therapeutic treetop experiences to promote health and well-being.
Our climbing events enable people to challenge and develop themselves in a fun, encouraging, and accepting atmosphere. Recreational Tree Climbing has tremendous physical, emotional, and developmental benefits for the human body. Bringing educational lessons and activities into the mix, the cognitive benefits are greatly enhanced. Treetop Explorer LLC brings the tree climbing experience to communities across Wisconsin. We are also available for Private Events such as birthday parties, scouts outings, and staff retreats. We provide climbing adventures at your property if you have a favorite tree. Otherwise, we will introduce you to beautiful trees in various municipal parks. 
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Meet Your Tree Climbing Adventure Guides:
Formally trained as an arborist, I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to study, climb, diagnose, treat, prune, plant, teach, and talk about trees for over 25 years.
I climbed into my first tree as a professional in 1995, and have taken friends and family up to enjoy the perspective over the years. However, I did not actually "discover" recreational tree climbing until about 5 years ago. As rewarding and exciting as climbing as a working arborist was, it was through climbing simply for enjoyment where I found a deeper connection to trees. Climbing trees provides peace and rejuvenation unlike any of my other outdoor hobbies. Treetop Explorer LLC allows me to expose others to these therapeutic benefits through our recreational and educational tree climbing adventures. When I’m not in the trees, Jen and I are enjoying our time together. You may find us planning our next excursion, relaxing in the garden, or working on our goal of completing a half marathon in every state. I have climbed trees around the country and have enjoyed countless hours of tree time. Alone or with others, each climb brings a greater appreciation for nature and deeper understanding of myself. The simple joy of climbing a tree today, takes me back to where my love of trees began. (See The Climbing Tree below, an excerpt from an essay I wrote many years ago) Hope you will join me in the trees soon! - Certified Arborist - International Society of Arboriculture - Certified Treecare Safety Professional - Tree Care Industry Association - Consulting Arborist & Trainer - Tree Health Specialists (owner) - TCIA Approved Instructor - Tree Care Academy - TCIA Tree Care Academy Certifications: Tree Climber Specialist, SRT Climber, Aerial Rescue, Tree Care Specialist, Plant Health Care Technician - Recognized Lead RTC Facilitator - Global Organization of Tree Climbers - Global Organization of Tree Climbers - Board member, vice president - Bachelors of Science in Urban Forestry - University of Missouri Jennifer Andrews - owner, tree climbing facilitator
My first ascent into the trees was in a beautiful white oak in Indiana almost 15 years ago. Sitting on top of a ridge, the view from high in the canopy stretched out for miles across rolling wooded hills.
Little did I know the course our lives would take to bring us to today. With the desire to create a better work-life balance, Curt and I are fortunate enough to be able to actively pursue our dreams, one of which being to impact people's lives in an enjoyable and rewarding way. While pursuing our respective careers, we worked hard at my previous business in order to provide a comfortable and engaging atmosphere in our Irish pub. The enjoyment and pleasure of providing a quality customer experience is addictive, which is part of the reason we found ourselves drawn to creating a new business focussed on the customer's experience. After achieving many milestones and selling that business over 5 years ago, we found ourselves at a point in life where we were once again ready to take a turn and head down the unpaved path. Climbing trees can be energizing and therapeutic, very much welcomed at the end of a hectic work week. It also fits right in with my other hobbies: yoga, hiking, reading, walking, camping, traveling, and finding new ways to relax outdoors. As I continue the pursuit of my personal career, it is a pleasure to be able to host climbers at as many of our climbing events that my schedule allows. - Recognized RTC Facilitator - Global Organization of Tree Climbers Tory Meyer - lead facilitator
As a kid, I climbed the backyard sugar maple to escape my brothers. Then, at 13, I started over a decade long stint in the apple business. I walked many miles in those magical forests of fruit, from the delicate blossoms of mid May to the knee-deep snows of January. In the off hours, I'd free climb the oaks and maples bordering the orchard to take in expansive views and relax in the revitalizing power of nature.
In the fall of 2012, after my second year running my own vegetable farm and continuing to work a full-time job, I burnt out on the long hours and I needed a drastic change to help bring me back to life. So, I set off to hike the 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail. It took me six months and I carried everything I needed in a 25 pound pack. Stripping away all the frivolity, excess and banal made room for the true stuff of life. Beauty, peace, meaning, freedom. That trail wildly changed my life. I resolved that whatever it took, I needed to spend fewer hours working and more time with the people I love, doing what I love. Recreational tree climbing crossed my radar after I read about scientists scaling several hundred foot tall redwoods to explore the never before seen canopies. Soon afterward, I became a recreational tree climbing facilitator, recognized by the Global Organization of Tree Climbers. I climb for the beauty, the serenity, the challenge and to share these profound experiences with other climbers. When I'm not trying to touch the sky, in the warm months you can find me near water, fly fishing, paddle boarding, or wading about scaring up crayfish. During the winter, I'm likely to be snowshoeing, skiing, hitting the yoga mat or reading something adventurous. While I was on the Appalachian Trail, I took in breathtaking views from high peaks, inhaled the scent of pine needles and scrambled up and down rocks pushing ever northward. Nowadays I take in breathtaking views from high trees, inhale the scent of earthy forest duff and scramble up and down branches pushing myself to achieve better balance, technique and a stronger connection with nature. - Tree Climber Specialist - Tree Care Industry Association - Aerial Rescue certified - Tree Care Industry Association - Recognized Lead RTC Facilitator - Global Organization of Tree Climbers |
The Climbing Tree
I do not recall the species of my first climbing tree. Ash, elm, oak, I couldn’t say. The memories, however, are still vivid in my mind.
At first, I had to ask my older brothers to give me a boost. As they hoisted me high, I stretched my scratched, bruised summer-time kid arms up to the lowest limb and pulled myself up with an “umph” to sit on the worn branch. In time I grew and was able to jump up and touch the limb. Not much longer after that, I was able to jump up and grab the limb all on my own! That was the climactic day that I could finally get myself into the tree relying solely on my own strength and skill.
By that time, I had already been climbing higher into the canopy and further out on branches. My older brothers had shown me where to hold with my hands and where to place my feet so I could discover different spots in the tree. They encouraged me to challenge myself until I could confidently reach out to the two swinging limbs- limbs you could hold onto with both hands and let yourself hang and swing and yell out wild calls into the canopy.
We had many adventures in that tree. We schemed harmless heists and mused over the standard philosophical school boy chatter. The tree served as our fort where we would plot our neighborhood mischief for the day. Even though it was our fort, we never used a single nail or board. The number of branches and the perfect sitting areas throughout the crown of the tree served as the ideal fort for us.
Oftentimes I'd head up alone on a hot summer day to lay back on one of the limbs that held me as if they had grown for just that particular purpose. Other times I would climb to the "crow's nest", a point where five branches emerged at the same point and curved upward to create a seat which cradled my upper body.
It was here that I could read a book, while swinging one leg lazily between limbs or doze off in the calmness and serenity of the canopy, as thousands of emerald leaves twisted and turned around me in a soft summer breeze. I had discovered tree time.
At first, I had to ask my older brothers to give me a boost. As they hoisted me high, I stretched my scratched, bruised summer-time kid arms up to the lowest limb and pulled myself up with an “umph” to sit on the worn branch. In time I grew and was able to jump up and touch the limb. Not much longer after that, I was able to jump up and grab the limb all on my own! That was the climactic day that I could finally get myself into the tree relying solely on my own strength and skill.
By that time, I had already been climbing higher into the canopy and further out on branches. My older brothers had shown me where to hold with my hands and where to place my feet so I could discover different spots in the tree. They encouraged me to challenge myself until I could confidently reach out to the two swinging limbs- limbs you could hold onto with both hands and let yourself hang and swing and yell out wild calls into the canopy.
We had many adventures in that tree. We schemed harmless heists and mused over the standard philosophical school boy chatter. The tree served as our fort where we would plot our neighborhood mischief for the day. Even though it was our fort, we never used a single nail or board. The number of branches and the perfect sitting areas throughout the crown of the tree served as the ideal fort for us.
Oftentimes I'd head up alone on a hot summer day to lay back on one of the limbs that held me as if they had grown for just that particular purpose. Other times I would climb to the "crow's nest", a point where five branches emerged at the same point and curved upward to create a seat which cradled my upper body.
It was here that I could read a book, while swinging one leg lazily between limbs or doze off in the calmness and serenity of the canopy, as thousands of emerald leaves twisted and turned around me in a soft summer breeze. I had discovered tree time.
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