BOGACHIEL SPRUCE BOGEY

Left: Dan Kraus stepping into the Mar-bar ascenders at the base of the 10' dbh Bogachiel Spruce.
Below:  This photo of Ben Thompson, who works for the Washington Department of Natural Resources, was taken May 12, 2002 in Victoria, British Columbia.  Ben & fellow arborist Dan Kraus had just come out of the 175' tall, 7' dbh Douglas fir. It has a broken top at the 30" diameter level, so about 50'-75' of the upper portion is missing.  The tree with my size 15 boot is a mirror image of the one he is leaning against. We traversed among the trees visible in the pic.

The climb was at Royal Roads University, which is the site of the ISA regional tree climbing jamboree.  Ben was one of the 29 contestants.  Dan & I volunteered for the 12 member judging staff.

The competition event was organized by Buchart Gardens arborist Rupert Evans, who also took 3rd place in the Masters Challenge event.  We spent an enjoyable, educational, and inspiring weekend, living the high life.

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