El Tenador is a big new tree that was just "discovered" a couple of days ago while climbing other trees nearby. From the tops of the trees we were climbing we could see a really big one just a short distance away. Several big ones, not just one. The area lies deep in the forest along the Etowah River in the Dawson Forest of north Georgia

As I was navigating my way downward, through a thicket of poison ivy vines, in the big pine tree I had been climbing, WildBill and SwampFox, already on the ground, took off to check out these trees. El Tenador was the result of their scouting trip.

Standing well over a hundred feet in height, El Tenador was so named because it diverges into three "forks" about forty feet off the ground. Each of the three leaders continues upward to "top out" at over a hundred feet. The "Del Diablo" part was added to the name in honor of all the trouble it gave us on access and because of a rather "sketchy" setting for the entry pitch.

Today, Jeff "SwamFox" took the lead position, and when I saw the setting he had ascended on, I was glad that it was him and not me. Settings like that are to be expected in the rainforest, but not here in a silly pine tree, for goodness sake!

Anyway! After two advances, SwampFox had to bail out and head for the house, and I was left in the tree by myself to continue upwards. It was almost, but not quite, a "ladder" climb and I was tempted to climb on beyond the rope setting. Common sense prevailed. After an hour and a half I reached the top of the entry leader and began a traverse to one of the other leaders. Then it was another traverse to the third leader, from which I finally descended.

El Tenador Del Diablo is a great tree and a wonderful climb and I am sure that Jeff and I will be back within a day or so in order for him to reach the top himself. It is, after all, "his" tree!

Meanwhile, as Jeff and I were taking on El Tenador, Wiley Coyote, his son Christopher, and WildBill were climbing another new and big pine tree just a short distance away. This was Christopher's highest climb yet and he did very well.

We will be coming back to this area quite often in the future. There are still half a dozen noteworthy trees in the area that we want to climb. Too bad it's supposed to rain tomorrow!

This is not so much a "responce" as it is a "neighboring" adventure. My son Christopher and I had the great joy of sharing a climbing adventure with Swampy, Joe and Wild Bill today in the Dawsonvile National Forest. Our adventure started with an obligatory visit to Alice Lou then on to the nearby forest. After a brief half mile hike in (read that as "Joe's trying to kill me by trudging me across half of North America and a few neighboring continents!") we arrived at a very nice grove of Pines along the edge of the Etewah River. While Joe & Swampy challenged "El Tenador Del Diablo", Chistopher, Wild Bill and I set about climbing a neighboring Pine which Chris has since dubbed "The frontier" because it was a new frontier for him. I was voting for "Chris's first" because the climb involved a lot of firsts for him: His first wilderness climb in a never before climbed Wild Tree. His first climb over fifty feet. His first in-tree advance to a second & third setting. His first use of a split tail . Heck, he even hit his TIP on his first shot with the Sidewinder (This was not the first time he's used the Sidewinder, just a "one shot / one kill" first try.) However, since he had ascended before me and much higher than I had, he vetoed my suggestion and "The Frontier" it shall remain for now. Needless to say, it was a beautiful day to be in a tree. Blue skys, sunshine, mild temperatures and diverse woods by the river. We even got to exchange a friendly wave with a few fellow adventures as they paddled by on the river. After a grueling twenty bajillion mile hike back to the cars ("It's only a few more yards" says Joe) we picked up some really good barbeque on the way back to galactic headquarters. All in all a splendid way to spend the day. My thanks again to Joe & Bill & Swampy for sharing this special grove with us.
Wiley Coyote

Photos or it never happened.

Pix of Wiley Coyote and his son Christopher climbing "The Frontier", twenty yards north of "El Tenador"

Jeff, WildBill and I just got home from another climb in El Tenador Del Diablo. It's an awesome tree but it sure doesn't like climbers!

It took seven shots, two throwlines, and a total of four weight bags before we finally got a setting. Every single pitch was challenged by the tree. Stuck throwlines, stuck weightbags, ropes that wouldn't pass over limbs, falling temperatures, darkening skies, blowing wind...you name it.

It was a great climb! What else can I say?

After the climb we did a bit of hiking about and found some really neat beech trees along a tiny little creek. Next time we are going for the beech trees!