Students at UC Davis discuss the nostalgia, mindfulness and excitement of climbing trees
By JENEVAH HARRISON — features@theaggie.org
If you have ever spent time near the East Quad on the UC Davis campus, chances are you have seen a humanlike figure looking down at you from high up in the trees. Between studying for exams and writing essays, many students at UC Davis have taken to scaling the campus’ most inviting trees, channeling their inner Tarzans.
For some, tree climbing is just a fun way to pass the time; For others, it serves a more significant purpose. With the pressure of college life, it can be difficult to find moments of peace. Sometimes taking a quick break in between classes to climb a tree is all that is needed to heal us, with studies showing that tree climbing can be an extremely restorative and therapeutic pastime. Students can find this activity to be the perfect reset, discovering a sense of peace and joy within the swinging branches of a pretty tree.
“Sometimes, I will climb up one of the trees in the Quad here on campus and just sit up there for a while,” Angel Torres, a fourth-year sustainable environmental design major, said. “I’ve also done homework a couple times up there — it’s kind of just a way for me to reconnect with nature and fulfill a sort of youthful urge.”
Sometimes, finding time to rest and regroup can be hard, but students like Torres are finding fulfillment in the little things. Torres embraces this simple activity, and utilizes it not only as a nostalgic pastime, but also as an innate form of mindfulness. Sitting high up in the branches away from the campus crowds can allow students to unlock a sense of calm that is missing from their daily routines.
Climbing trees is often associated with childhood indiscretions, and just like most of these activities, tree climbing gets left behind as a forgotten pastime. However, many students on campus are rediscovering this simple pleasure and fulfilling a lost sense of excitement.
“It’s both comforting and exhilarating at the same time,” Torres said.
Torres also described the comfort of both re-living childhood experiences and testing the limits of your physicality — an often humbly rewarding experience.
For Siena Saffari, a first-year history major, her motivation to climb trees presents itself as a more rebellious pastime and personal challenge.
“I like to climb trees, because it is something I feel accomplished doing — it takes a lot of upper body strength, and the feeling of relief when you climb a tree is indescribable, to be honest,” Saffari said. “It’s also not a necessarily safe thing to do so it’s nice to be a little rebellious, you could say.”
While some may see tree climbing as reckless or childish, these students find that it’s the perfect blend of physical activity and relaxation. Scaling a tree requires both excellent physicality and a bit of courage, but once you reach a respectable level, the reward is a quiet place to sit, think or even study, as Torres does.
One of the appeals of tree climbing is the literal change in perspective. The higher vantage point offers a unique view of campus, offering a transformation of a familiar landscape into something entirely new.
“There’s something really nice about seeing everything from a different angle but also being outside of it,” Patrick Kemp, a third-year anthropology major, said. “It’s kind of like an escape from everything on the ground, including whatever stress you’re experiencing.”
For some, climbing is also a way to feel connected to a larger environmental presence. As UC Davis students, many of whom are passionate about sustainability and the environment, spending time in the trees enhances this connection on a more personal level.
“I definitely feel more connected to nature when I’m up in a tree, for obvious reasons, like you are literally sitting on a giant organism that grew from the earth,” Kemp said. “It sounds cliche, but it’s a super peaceful experience.”
Students are embracing these moments of adventure, youthful fulfillment and the simple relief of a quiet atmosphere, proving that climbing trees is a wonderful tool of escapism, even amidst adulthood and the tumult of college life.
“Or maybe,” Torres said. “It’s just a result of the primal urge from our monkey ancestors.”
Written by: Jenevah Harrison — features@theaggie.org
