Time in a Tree Trunk

The tree was dead. We later figured it had been standing for 133 years or so, the last 3 waiting to fall. A drought had killed this Sub Alpine Fir. We were taking it down before it fell on the wood shed or worse, the Teton Treehouse, a bed & breakfast located on a north facing slope of a hill just off Heck of a Hill Road in Wilson, Wyoming.

Time is a relative thing. On this particular visit to see Denny & Sally Becker, the owners and innkeepers of the Treehouse, my wife and I helped Denny move a 1941 Jeep that hadn’t moved in 29 years. It had sat just off the side of a service road on the property and we needed to move it before the great tree could fall. We ended up using a tow rope after Denny had reinflated the tires that had sat idle since 1980. As it turns out, the Jeep and Denny were created the same year, 1941.

I deliberately walked on ground that hadn’t been walked on in 29 years. There was now a vacant space where the jeep used to sit. The dead tree stood idly overhead. Soon, there would be a vacant space in the sky where the 75 foot tree had stood.

I started coming to the Teton Treehouse some 19 years ago, on a special backpacking trip commemorating my 30th year on the planet. The Jeep had always been there, though I hadn’t paid it much attention. Year after year, season after season, the old Jeep had lain dormant. The tree on the other hand had been alive. Born around 1876, this tree had seen 130 years of the best and worst nature could dish out. A severe drought had done her in. But on this trip, it was the great sub alpine fir that was scheduled to come down.

A few select guests witnessed the big event. The great tree swayed as the chain saw whirled. Then, as is the case with all things, time ceased to stand still any longer and the tree began its decent down toward the earth. With a robust “Timber” the forest seemed to part and the mass of branches began to crackle as the tree picked up speed in its fall. The sound of the tree hitting the forested floor was like a giant thud accompanied by a small dust cloud. And then, it was quiet.

Denny cut me a 3” slice from the trunk. We counted the rings and came up with 130. Time again was being collected and recorded. This example was a tree. This tree had bottled time inside of her and we saw the proof of the seasons with each ring.

Denny & Sally keep a guest book of people who have stayed with them. Over the past 25 years or so, they have quite a collection of books that include a photo of each guest that has passed through their doors. Like rings in a tree, these photos capture the moment in time when a vacation, anniversary, or a special trip was taken. I myself have quite a history going and it is always fun to look back and see just how much or how little my appearance has changed.

Time is relative, but memories of days past are imprinted in our minds forever. The skyline on that hill off Heck of a Hill Road has changed. We have our slice of tree to remember. Denny has his 1941 Jeep to remember. Someday, a new tree will grow on that hill. And another generation will remember…