oikos

[corivax]

She is tiny, birdlike, with short spiky black hair, almond-shaped eyes. Her head falls well short of my shoulder, and I am not tall. But she has fingers like cablesteel under lined watersilk, and she checks the purple-anodized carabiners at my waist, a slide and a tap and a pull, like a martial artist stretching her joints, like they're part of her

Comments

[beowabbit]

Wow!

So how is the rope attached up in the tree? Not just by a crossbow bolt sunk in the trunk, I hope; I have a hard time imagining that holding a person’s weight for very long.

[corivax]

The crossbow is fired *over* a branch, trailing silk parachute cord. The climbing line is attached to the end of the parachute cord, and pulled up and over the limb.

[beowabbit]

Ah! That makes sense, thanks. (And thanks for beautiful pictures and interesting stories.)

[twoeleven]

neat! climbing tall trees looks like fun. :)

modern skeletonized x/bows are nifty. i should get me one of those.

[thewronghands]

That's fantastically beautiful. If you ever want to go again, I would love to go with you if your party takes newbies. Rainforest envylustgorgeous.

[pickledginger]

*waves hello*

Thanks for the lovely essay and the gorgeous photos. Thanks, rather, for taking us somewhere that most of us will never go.