Summer Starts Here

WHAT DO YOU THINK A WOMAN WOULD LIKE TO DO TO CELEBRATE HER 76TH BIRTHDAY? Perhaps a nice dinner at an upscale restaurant? Maybe go to a spa for a day of pampering? How about climbing trees? Yes, that's what one Winnipeg woman and her family are looking to do to mark the adventure-lover's birthday. She's an example of the wide variety of customers Amanda Huculak and Chris Barkman have had since they partnered their two companies to provide recreational tree climbing in Winnipeg in 2014. "We didn't realize it was going to be so popular," said Huculak, who co-founded Travel Roots with Lori Fast in 2013. "It's something really unique. "When we would kind of just test the products beforehand, we would have strangers walking around and looking up, saying, 'What is this? What are you guys doing?' "Normally people don't really look up and appreciate all the amazing trees we have in the city so this gives you time to go up there." Travel Roots designs independent travel packages, cultural educational tours and alternative experiences that take people around the world and off the beaten path (travelroots.ca). Barkman is an arborist whose company, The Barkman, offers tree care. After taking tree-climbing training through Tree Climbers International in Georgia, he began running the recreational tree climbing that's promoted by Travel Roots. Options include private climbs, birthday parties, guided climbs, tree time (lying in a hammock in a tree) and special events. Prices start at $59 per person for a 90-minute climb, including the use of ropes, harness and helmets. This year's revamped packages are at thebarkman.ca. Barkman grew up in Landmark, Man., and scaled a lot of trees as a kid. "I have some pictures of me with a bunch of cousins and I'm at the top of every one," he says with a chuckle. When he moved to Winnipeg as an adult, he was astounded by the size of trees such as elms in River Heights. The trees he uses for climbs are on private land or in parks. He's developing a relationship with the City of Winnipeg's parks department to have better access to park trees. The top priority is the health and safety of the tree and the safety of the climbers, he says, noting the ropes have guards so the bark and branches aren't damaged. He also selects trees that offer an interesting climb for customers who have ranged in age from five into their 70s. "If I'm going to do a bigger climb, I make sure there are lots of routes," Barkman says. "An elm that has a twisty, spirally architecture is really unique. Or if you get an oak, you'll get something that's nice and tall. "Sometimes if I'm doing a kids' climb, I choose something smaller so that kids don't have to climb as high to get up in a tree." There is also an educational component to climbs. For example, during a guided climb he may talk about Dutch elm disease and tree biology. "For kids, it's so discovery- based," Huculak says. "They see a squirrel, but they see it living in the tree – a little higher, different perspective. "They get a better feel of the branches and the types of leaves, little bugs and birds and everything living in the tree. They're getting that hands-on appreciation for nature and doing something kind of fun and physical – taking them away from their device and whatever else. "And with the adults, they get to feel like a kid again. So many of the adults are like, 'Oh my gosh, I climbed trees all throughout my youth and now I get to do it as an adult in a safe way.' The adults end up acting like kids again." ✹ By Judy Owen for the Free Press A pair of local tour companies have teamed up to provide a recreational tree climbing class that offers people a chance to see the city from a different perspective. SUPPLIED PHOTOS

• Cover