Look Up: Men in Trees!
What is this man looking at?
Men in trees, of course.
You never know what you’ll see on your morning dog walk in New York City.
Today, with the Hudson River as a backdrop, these guys were as good as a circus aerial act
or perhaps a troupe of nature-loving funambulists,
working with wires and spotters,
but without a net.
On this beautiful spring-like morning, it was like seeing tree spirits come to life
until they touched earth again
and were transformed back into humans.
You know, just, normal young guys with gear.
But don’t forget: these guys really do walk in trees.
Check back soon to find out what they’re doing up there.
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Tags: climbing trees, men in trees, NYC trees, tree walkers, unusual jobs
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Out walking the dog 
May 15, 2012 at 12:53 am
Hi…my name is Michael and I am part of the Manhattan ALB climbing survey project. I was wonderfully surprised to find your posting. As you may imagine many people take photos while we climb but yours has been the first I’ve found posted to date. I’ve emailed the post to the project team including those in the photos above. I think all will be very happy to see your interest and curiosity as i was.
I can’t speak for or make the same offer for the others but personally I have photos taken from the climbers view as well as shots of climbers throughout Manhattans skyline. I would be happy to make them available for your post. As a whole the team has many once in a lifetime photos of our journey during this final aspect of the project.
Again, I thank you for your post and interest. Our task has been fairly monumental in my eyes and I am proud to be a part of the project which has been a life experience for me and others.
Spread the word…Look Up!
Michael
May 15, 2012 at 10:05 pm
Wow, Michael, I’m delighted to hear from you & other members of your team (via email). As you could tell from my post, I was in awe of the skills of your team, and fascinated to learn about the work you were doing. I’ll email you soon, as I would love to run some of the photos the team has taken from up in the trees, and also to know more about the project.
March 22, 2012 at 11:36 am
Were they checking for ALB?
March 29, 2012 at 11:05 pm
Yes, they were! Exactly. For those who don’t know, ALB stands for Asian Longhorned Beetle, which is an invasive species that can kill trees. The men in trees say they didn’t find any, and they’ll continue to check the city trees in multiple locations right through the summer. I’ve been meaning to write a post about Asian Longhorn Beetles, but haven’t yet gotten around to it. Thanks, Georgia!
March 22, 2012 at 11:35 am
Were they checking for ALHB?
March 11, 2012 at 11:30 pm
wonderful and surprising — I was about to go to sleep and went to your blog before turning out the light and this made me smile
March 9, 2012 at 6:35 am
What fun – do you remember climbing around in trees when you were a kid Melissa? These fellows remind me of a group I had to my wee property to trim trees that my insurance agent insisted were dangerous… the experts said they weren’t but it was fun to watch them climb around from branch to branch… amazing skills.
And great photos.
March 9, 2012 at 8:27 am
I wasn’t much of a tree climber – never went too high – ad was always impressed by those kids who could somehow just scramble up a tree to the top. Was that you, Barbara?
March 9, 2012 at 5:04 am
Lovely! Tree doctors? checking out the heart, and pulse of these beautiful old trees?
March 9, 2012 at 8:29 am
Hello Liz, Thanks for visiting Out Walking the Dog! Yup, those are tree doctors, but of a very speicifc type. They’re testing now for one particular thing. One particular bug, in fact. I welcome anyone’s guesses. I promise to get the new post up within a day or two.
March 8, 2012 at 9:20 pm
I have a book for you: Wild Trees, by Richard Preston about a group of individuals who simultaneously found ways to explore the top of CA Redwood canopies. It reads like a suspense thriller. These pics would aptly illustrate it.
March 9, 2012 at 8:31 am
Charlotte, you are the greatest reference library – thank you. It made me think of another book, one I read many years ago, The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino about an adolescent who decides to live his life in the treetops … and does.