How to climb Oregon's really tall trees

Finally, I did it!

The best part was the quiet, as I sat on a fat limb near the top.

• It was also super fun going down.

The surprise was that this kind of tree climbing is more about ropes and less about branch clambering than I'd expected.

• You have to get the hang of an awkward leg and arm motion to operate gear that helps get up the rope.

The scariest part was when sap on my rope jammed up my descent mechanism. I just hung out for a while until the instructor caught up and helped me shove the sticky part through.

I signed up through a class at Portland Community College, which partners with an outfitter at Silver Falls State Park.