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By STEVE KORNACKI, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 3, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - E.J. Richardson had just descended from his first attempt at canopy tree climbing. He peered back up into the 60-foot live oak at his wife, Theresa, who looked uncomfortable standing on a high limb.

"You want me to call the fire department?" he shouted.

She laughed before purring, "Meow."
Theresa Richardson didn't need to be rescued Saturday at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve. She managed to get down just fine with one of 14 rope pulley systems set up for tree climbers age 6 and older.

The trend of climbing into the tops of trees and swinging through the canopy was spawned by those who thought scientists looked like they were having fun up there.

"It's been going at least 10 years and is snowballing in popularity quite quickly," said Michelle Flint, assistant director of Pathfinder Outdoor Education. The nonprofit St. Petersburg organization sponsors the tree-climbing class at the park on the first Saturday of each month.

Climbing into trees 60 feet above the ground might not look safe, but Flint said the only way someone could get seriously hurt would be to cut the rope or disconnect a clip that users are instructed not to touch.

She said climbers haven't experienced anything more serious than rope blisters in the 2 1/2 years the class has been offered.

Pathfinders has a $50,000 blanket liability insurance plan that covers its activities, Flint said, which promote team-building through outdoor adventures such as canoeing and rope climbing. The trees used for climbing are regularly inspected for safety by arborists, Flint said.

Saturday, at least 55 climbers donned helmets and harnesses before receiving instructions on how to use the ropes to pull themselves into the canopy of a sprawling ancient oak.

Katie McGilvery, 8, dangled upside down from about 40 feet and let go of the rope with both hands.

"Woo-hoo, Katie!" shouted her mother, Charlotte Neikens of St. Petersburg.

"I thought she was scared of heights," Neikens said, "but she loved it."

Debbie Starling, 38, of St. Petersburg received instruction on descending quickly and head-first before rolling out near the ground like a gymnast doing a somersault and landing feet-first.

"Oh, it's fun," she said. "It's a thrill, really. I called that descent the Spider-Man move."

Mike Eddy of Riverview brought his children, Elias, 12, and Brianna, 10, for a family tree climb.

"It's hard," Brianna told her father, as she struggled at first.

Elias, who got moving up the rope faster, said, "It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it."

The Eddys were first-time climbers and didn't venture past the lowest limbs before coming down head-first, which all three agreed was their favorite part of the climb.

"Dad, can we do this every month?" Elias asked. "I want to go higher each time until I'm not scared of heights at all."

The cost for the first climber in a family is $10 and $5 for each additional member. For information, call (727) 328-0305.

Rebecca Sharp, 13, of Bradenton had to be coaxed into climbing on her first visit in November. But she got up early Saturday to rush her mother so her and a friend, Cameron Parker, 13, could climb. They kicked and pushed each other on the way up, and particularly enjoyed getting up into the netting that formed a hammock.

"Pass me my Cheerios, Mom!" Rebecca shouted while laughing.

Cameron added, "Being up there that high in a cool breeze. That was the best."
Theresa Richardson of St. Petersburg laughed at the teasing from her husband about her looking like a cat stuck in a tree.

"Really, I was up there that high and had no fear of falling," she said. "And that's surprising because I am a bit of a scaredy-cat."

Reporter Steve Kornacki can be reached at (813) 731-8170 or skornacki@tampatrib.com.

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