First: Find a big tree.

Yes, that is a leg you see up top. A coworker climbed it…he was daring, I was not.

Second: Get up close. Wrap your arms around it.

Third: Don’t forget that it might dwarf you.

We found our largest tree so far, at least I think so…we’ve seen some rather large stumps that were logged, too…a Nyssa aquatica aka: water tupelo. This one was hollow and had cool air coming from the little crevice in its base. I peered inside, got a whiff of musty odor and found nothing living there. We decided it’d be a great place to camp out if the base was larger. We got out the DBH tape for curiosity’s sake: 188cm, that’s 6′ 2″ in diameter. We measured a few the other day that were a bit over 100cm and those were dwarfed by this one. Wondering why it wasn’t logged—it was pretty close to the river (Neches).

Yep, that is my work outfit! No high heels for me—just rubber boots and blaze orange!

Go hug a tree!