first climb / first deadwood pruning

A month or so ago I climbed my first tree. (That is if you don't count childhood tree climbing of course...) A water oak, Quercus nigra, in an undisclosed location...The identities of the ground crew and photographer (all one person) will also remain undisclosed. I was both learning how to climb for the first time as well as removing deadwood and hangers, i.e. dead branches that had already fallen but gotten hung up in the canopy. I used an arborist hand saw - no chainsaws yet. Walk before you run and all that. I was also using a rope system to ascend and move around in the canopy as opposed to using spurs on my boots, the method that is generally associated with tree climbing. Climbing with ropes is actually more common, more accepted, safer, easier, and does a lot less damage to the tree. It was a blast. I hope to do it again soon. I've caught some kind of primate fever.