[TICKING]
CHARLIE: HEY, GUYS JUST ONE THING REAL QUICK BEFORE
WE GET STARTED HERE, THIS IS NOT AN INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO
BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE CRAZY.
WE ARE NOT EXPERTS AT ANYTHING,
WE GOT HELP FROM A WHOLE LOT OF EXPERIENCED,
GOOD-LOOKING PROFESSIONALS TO MAKE THIS WORK,
LIKE MARK, AND JUSTIN, AND DAVE, AND JED TOO.
HE’S THAT KID ON THE RIGHT.
SO IF YOU WANNA LEARN HOW TO TREE-CLIMB LIKE US,
TAKE LESSONS FROM THEM HERE.
OH, SHOOT, IT’S TIME TO START THE SHOW.
LET’S GO!
[CLOCK ALARM]
[FIREWORKS].
♪ ♪
HEY GUYS, THIS IS CHARLIE.
TODAY, I’M ACTUALLY GONNA TELL YOU A STORY ABOUT
MY LITTLE SISTER KIRBY.
SO, KIRBY’S PRETTY AWESOME AND I’M GONNA TELL YOU WHY.
WHEN WE PLANNED OUR EXPEDITION TO VISIT THE COOLEST FOREST
IN THE ENTIRE U.S. KIRBY WASN’T SATISFIED AT FIRST.
SHE DIDN’T JUST WANNA VISIT THE FOREST,
SHE ACTUALLY WANTED TO TAKE IT A STEP FURTHER
AND CLIMB THE TREES.
SO, WE MADE SOME CHANGES, GOT SOME EQUIPMENT,
WENT TO CORNELL UNIVERSITY TO LEARN HOW TO CLIMB AND
WENT UP SOME PRETTY INCREDIBLE TREES IN SOME
REALLY AWESOME FORESTS.
AND IT WAS GREAT AND ALL, EXCEPT IT’S STILL WASN’T
REALLY CUTTING IT FOR KIRB ‘CAUSE YOU SEE,
WHEN KIRBY DECIDES TO DO SOMETHING,
SHE DOESN’T DO THINGS HALF WAY.
SHE DOES THINGS WHOLE WAY AND KICKS IN A EXTRA HALF OR TWO
JUST FOR GOOD MEASURE.
HERE ARE FEW EXAMPLES, ONCE KIRBY DECIDED SHE WANTED TO
RAISE CHICKENS, SO SHE SPENT TWO MONTHS DESIGNING AND
BUILDING A CHICKEN COOP IN OUR BACKYARD WITH HER BARE HANDS.
WHEN SHE REALIZED ALL THE BEES IN THE WORLD WERE DYING,
SHE INTERVIEWED THE BEST BEE EXPERTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
RAISED 15,000 BEES AND HARVESTED 85 POUNDS
OF HONEY IN ONE SUMMER.
SO, YEAH, KIRBY’S PRETTY INTENSE.
SO WHEN WE DECIDED WE WERE GONNA GO CLIMB SOME TREES,
KIRBY DIDN’T WANNA CLIMB JUST ANY TREE.
SHE WANTED TO CLIMB THE BIGGEST TREES IN
THE ENTIRE WORLD, A GIANT SEQUOIA.
YEAH, A GIANT SEQUOIA WHICH IS PRETTY NUTS BECAUSE
GIANT SEQUOIAS CAN BE UP TO 310 FEET TALL.
THAT’S TALLER THAN THE STATUE OF LIBERTY.
KIRBY, BY COMPARISON, IS ONLY 5’2 WHICH IS
SIGNIFICANTLY SHORTER THAN THE STATUE OF LIBERTY.
SO THIS WASN’T GONNA BE EASY.
AND FOR WHATEVER REASON JUST CLIMBING TO THE TOP STILL
WASN’T ENOUGH FOR KIRB.
KIRBY DIDN’T WANT TO CLIMB TO THE TOP OF THE GIANT SEQUOIA,
SHE WANTED TO CLIMB TO THE TOP, SET UP A HAMMOCK,
AND SPEND A NIGHT THERE LIKE SLEEP THERE OVERNIGHT
AT THE TOP OF THE GIANT SEQUOIA.
SO, WE MADE IT HAPPEN.
THE FIRST THING WE DID WAS HIT UP OUR FRIENDS AT
CORNELL TREE CLIMBING IN BERKELEY UNIVERSITY
WHO ARE STUDYING SEQUOIAS IN CALIFORNIA.
WE WERE ALL LIKE, “HEY, CORNELL HOW’S IT GOING?”
AND THEY WERE LIKE, “HEY CHARLIE, WHAT’S CRACKING?”
“ALL RIGHT, SO GET THIS, KIRBY WANTS TO CLIMB
A GIANT SEQUOIA.”
“GO ON.”
“AND SPEND THE NIGHT AT THE TOP OF THE TREE.”
“OH SHOOT, THAT’S CRAZY, MAN.”
“TELL ME ABOUT IT, KIRBY IS THE BOSS.”
“CAN WE CLIMB ONE OF YOUR TREES?”
“OH, FOR SURE CHARLES.”
“AWESOME,” “SICK.”
“COOL, COOL, COOL.”
“ALL RIGHT, SEE YOU LATER.”
“I LOVE YOU.”
“AH COOL, THANKS, BYE.”
OOH, SO WE CAME TO THIS PLACE WHICH IS THEIR RESEARCH
SITE JUST OUTSIDE SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST.
AND HERE, THERE ARE GIANT SEQUOIAS ALL OVER THE PLACE.
IT’S AMAZING.
PEOPLE FROM CORNELL AND BERKELEY CLIMB THESE
TREES ALL THE TIME.
FOR A STUDY THEY’RE DOING ABOUT SEED CONES.
THEY’RE DOING AN AWESOME JOB ON SOME REALLY IMPORTANT
RESEARCH OVER THERE.
AND WHEN WE WERE WALKING AROUND THE FOREST,
KIRBY DECIDED THAT THIS WAS THE BAD BOY
SHE WAS GONNA CLIMB.
WHY… BECAUSE IT’S ENORMOUS AND WHEN KIRBY
DOES SOMETHING, SHE DOES IT RIGHT.
SO, IT’S TIME TO GET READY TO CLIMB.
WHEN YOU CLIMB A TREE THE WAY WE DO,
ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS YOU GOT TO DO IS TOSS
YOUR ROPE OVER A BRANCH NEAR THE TOP OF THE TREE.
BUT THE TRICKY THING IS IT’S REALLY HARD TO
THROW YOUR ROPE REALLY HIGH.
AND WE HAD TO GET IT UP 300 FEET.
SO, THIS REALLY WASN’T GONNA HAPPEN.
WE HAD TO FIGURE OUT SOMETHING ELSE AND
THIS IS WHY KIRBY IS BEEN HAULING AROUND THIS CROSSBOW.
HERE’S HOW THE WHOLE THING WORKS.
FIRST, YOU TAKE ONE OF THESE ARROW THINGS AND
THREAD IT WITH A FISHING LINE.
YOU PULL BACK THE BOWSTRING, LOAD IT, AIM AT A BRANCH,
AND LET HER LOOSE.
WHEN YOU FIND YOUR ARROW ATTACHED THE FISHING LINE
TO A BIGGER LINE, USE THE FISHING REEL AT
THE FRONT TO REEL IN YOUR LINE.
ATTACH A BIGGER LINE TO YOUR ROPE,
PULL THAT ONE IN AND JUST LIKE THAT AFTER A FEW KNOTS,
YOUR LINE IS READY TO GO.
SO, NOW IT’S TIME FOR KIRB TO CLIMB.
THE FIRST THING SHE DID WAS CLIP
HER ASCENDERS TO THE ROPE.
SO, THIS IS AN ASCENDER, IT’S WHAT ATTACHES YOU
TO YOUR ROPE AND KEEPS YOU FROM FALLING.
COOL, COOL.
SO NOW IT’S TIME FOR KIRB TO GET ON UP THAT GIANT SEQUOIA.
GAME ON MAN, GIDDY UP, LET’S ROLL!
INSIDE KIRBY’S ASCENDERS ARE SOME CRAZY SHARP
TEETH POINTED DOWNWARDS.
SO, THESE NIFTY LITTLE TEETH LET YOU SLIDE
YOUR ROPE UP BUT NOT DOWN.
YOUR ASCENDERS ARE ATTACHED TO YOUR HARNESS
WHICH HOLDS ALL YOUR WEIGHT.
SO TO CLIMB, ALL KIRBY HAS TO DO IS MOVE HER ASCENDERS
ONE AT A TIME UP THE TREE AND SHE’S ON HER WAY.
THIS WHOLE THING REQUIRES A LOT MORE CHOREOGRAPHY
THAN YOU MIGHT THINK.
SO, IF YOU WATCH KIRBY ATTACHED TO YOUR BOTTOM
ASCENDER, IS A LOOP OF WEBBING THAT YOU PUT YOUR FOOT IN.
SO, FIRST, YOU STEP INTO THAT FRONT LOOP AND STAND UP.
AS KIRBY STANDS UP, SHE ALSO PUSHES HER TOP ASCENDER
UP THE ROPE THEN SHE SITS DOWN AND CAN PULL
HER BOTTOM ASCENDER UP THE ROPE, TOO.
BY SITTING IN HER HARNESS AND THEN STANDING UP IN THAT FRONT
FOOT LOOP, SHE CAN PUT ALL HER WEIGHT ON EITHER HER
TOP OR BOTTOM ASCENDER.
WHEN ONE OF THE ASCENDERS IS FREE, IT CAN MOVE UP THE ROPE.
SO, IT’S A LITTLE CONFUSING TO MANAGE BUT KIRBY GOT
THE HANG OF IT PRETTY QUICK AND SOON ENOUGH SHE WAS
MAKING HER WAY UP TO THE TOP OF THIS ENORMOUS TREE.
KIRBY HAD TO DO THIS FOR A LONG TIME TO MAKE IT UP
THE ENTIRE TREE ABOUT 80 MINUTES.
IT WAS LIKE COMPLETING AN HOUR AND TWENTY MINUTE
FULL BODY WORKOUT; IT’S PRETTY TOUGH.
WHILE ALSO DODGING BRANCHES AND DANGLING HUNDREDS
OF FEET IN THE AIR.
IT’S TIRING, IT’S HARD,
AND AT TIMES IT’S PRETTY FRIGHTENING, TOO.
NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT WE DID THIS IN THE
MIDDLE OF A THUNDERSTORM.
THAT IS THE MOST DEFINITELY THUNDER,
JUST KEEP AN EYE OUT.
BUT KIRBY DOESN’T MAKE IT LOOK TOO BAD BECAUSE
AS WE’VE ESTABLISHED, SHE’S THE BOSS AND CAN DO
PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING.
AT THE TOP, ALL THAT WAS LEFT FOR KIRBY TO DO WAS TO FIND
A NICE SPOT WITH AN EXCELLENT VIEW OF THE VALLEY BELOW.
SET UP HER HAMMOCK AND GET SITUATED FOR A
WONDERFUL NIGHT AMONGST THE TREES.
TREES ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE IN THIS WORLD AND THERE’S
STILL A LOT WE DON’T KNOW ABOUT THEM ESPECIALLY ABOUT
EVERYTHING IN THEIR CANOPIES.
TREE CLIMBING HELPS HER BUDS AT CORNELL AND BERKELEY LEARN
A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON UP THERE, SO,
SOME SCIENTISTS WORK IN A LAB, OTHERS WORK UP IN THE AIR,
DANGLING FROM A HALF-INCH ROPE.
BUT IT’S ALL WITH THE SAME GOAL IN MIND.
TO FIGURE OUT WHAT’S GOING ON OUT THERE.
SO, SOME MIGHT CALL IT CRAZY, OTHERS MIGHT SAY
IT’S INSANE BUT TO KIRBY, THE WORLD BEATER,
IT’S JUST ANOTHER DAY ON THE JOB.
[FIREWORKS].
