The top planks of the platform are old fence boards which I found in a dumpster on the Terrace. They were exactly the right length and the right number and I found them at the exact time I needed them. Thanks Dumpster Diving Gods!

The platform is a bit larger than a double bed and can hold 3-4 people. Sitting on the platform is like being on a ship, as the platform moves as you move, and one of the trees it is tied to sways in the wind (the other trees are more solid and less exposed). Surrounded by leaves, it is easy to forget how far off the ground you are until you look over the side.

Bonus Crazy Adventure

I once abseiled off the side of the platform – about 4.5 metres up. I wasn’t really confident with my abseiling, so I tied a safety line to my harness which would catch me in case I screwed up going over the side. I would untie it when I was sure I was ready to abseil.

After I got myself over the side (maybe the scariest thing I’ve ever done) I discovered the safety line was too short, and I was actually hanging from it, not the main rope. Furthermore, I hadn’t tied a knot that could be released under strain. I was helplessly hanging from this thin line just slightly too far under the platform to climb back up. There was nobody within earshot, I had no cellphone, no helmet, and a fairly dodgy homemade harness.

Uh-oh.

I patted my right-hand pocket. Yes – I had my trusty knife with me. I would have to take a deep breath, check the main abseiling stuff I was hooked onto, and cut the safety line. It felt just like the scene in Vertical Limit, cutting the rope one is dangling from.

Luckily everything worked perfectly – I dropped ten centimetres onto the main rope and abseiled down without incident. Close call …

I made the rope ladder with cut-up broom handles from the Warehouse and used constrictor knots. It was surprisingly easy to get the rungs level.

The swinging chair is made out of sturdy 2x8s and 2x4s for the main seat and plywood for the back planks. It is strong, solid and surprisingly comfortable – after I made the chair, it sat for a few weeks in our kitchen, doing a passable job serving as a couch.

To hang the chair, I tied a string to a ball in a plastic bag and threw the ball over a branch about 5 metres high, then used the string to drag the rope over the branch.
A stitched panorama of the view from the platform. People in the Botanic Gardens wave when they see you up there.

To finish off, here’s a bonus picture of the bar I showed off previously, actually being used for its intended purpose: the conspicuous consumption of copious quantities of cognac, champagne, chartreuse, etc.

Posted by Luke H on Friday, June 1st, 2007 at 4:07 pm.