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Cedar Rapids woman finds new heights to life through competitive tree climbing
How trees became an arborist’s work and muse
Dec. 7, 2024 6:00 am, Updated: Dec. 9, 2024 12:02 pm
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CEDAR RAPIDS — Some live to work. Others work to live. But Ashley Whittlesey finds the two inextricably linked.
The Cedar Rapids resident’s outdoor career first sprouted in the forestry department of Polk County Conservation 19 years ago. But as she climbs to new heights almost daily, tree climbing has become both her occupation and her passion.
“We’re kind of a different breed,” said Whittlesey, 39. “There’s not too many people who want to climb up a tree and dangle from a rope.”
Her interest in tree climbing was first piqued in 2010 when her boss was involved in a tree climbing competition at a park where they both worked.
Immediately, she was enthralled by the niche sport as she watched and learned. Within a few years, she built the courage to let herself get roped into tree climbing, too.
Starting with state-level tree climbing competitions in Iowa, she quickly found herself competing against a world of climbers through the International Society of Arboriculture Tree Climbing Championships.
In a competition this past October, she placed 22nd out of 36 in Savannah, Ga.
“In Savannah, we climbed massive live oaks we don’t have in Iowa,” she said. “It gets you out of your comfort zone, and you have fun while you do it. I’ve found that being uncomfortable is never a bad thing.”
Stepping out of her comfort zone has been a bit of a lifelong theme for Whittlesey. After migrating to a career that didn’t fit several years ago, she realized working indoors wasn’t her forte.
After leaving the security of that office job in 2021, she took a temporary job as a safety coordinator, helping crews with power line clearance in California. Then, after building some savings, she took the calling she really wanted to pursue.
On the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,650-mile journey from Mexico to Canada, she fostered more personal growth than she ever had before.
“It was almost like therapy. Being alone in your thoughts can be scary, but it wasn’t,” she said. “You’d find yourself thinking about everything. You’d think about your wedding day, your childhood, everything. Pent up things you hadn’t processed.”
And when she returned to Iowa, she was ready to spread her growth in new ways.
In January 2022, the certified arborist started “That Girl” Tree Care, a business that put to use her 18 years of arbory experience, and a degree specializing in Parks and Natural Resources.
For Whittlesey, tree climbing is now a calling and an occupation. Her daily work in various yards around the Corridor prepares her to compete in Iowa and internationally.
While other businesses like hers may incorporate lift equipment, her small business can’t afford the equipment quite yet. Each job is an opportunity to scale trees manually.
Ashley Whittlesey, owner of “That Girl” Tree Care, trims dead limbs from an oak tree in a client’s yard in Iowa City, Iowa, on Tuesday, November 19, 2024. Whittlesey, a certified arborist with about 20 years of experience, is also a competitive tree climber. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
Ashley Whittlesey, owner of “That Girl” Tree Care, makes her way to the end of a tree limb as she trims dead limbs from an oak tree in a client’s yard in Iowa City, Iowa, on Tuesday, November 19, 2024. Whittlesey, a certified arborist with about 20 years of experience, is also a competitive tree climber. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
“I’m in a tree pretty much every day,” she said.
She hasn’t fallen out of one yet.
Although she’s often the only woman in competitions, she finds a camaraderie unlike any other place.
The international competition, divided into tasks, requires climbers to scale large trees in various ways or while doing various tasks. Winners are determined by points earned in each segment.
Some require slingshotting 150-foot string lines with weighted sacks. Others are a test of speed climbing over 60 feet.
One requires zigzagging through a tree’s limbs, hitting each bell along the way. Another is an exercise in rescuing someone, using communication, practical and technical skills throughout the process.
The competitions have instilled a lot of knowledge about safety, which she brings home to her crew. But the still, living creatures she climbs have taught her a lot about how to navigate her personal life, too.
“I’ve always enjoyed trees because each tree’s different -- just like us,” she said. “They always find a way to overcome an obstacle (in places they grow). You keep going and figure it out.”
Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.
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