A visit to my favorite tree on campus takes a trek to a different neck of the woods. Heath Creek — the section of the natural lands across Highway 19 — is a lovely enough location, but the area is really elevated by the presence of the Chair Tree.
The name Chair Tree may evoke a variety of images in your mind, but this isn’t simply a tree you sit on. Those walking a trail near the entrance of Heath Creek can look up to spy a wooden chair perched on the branches above them.
Questions ensue: Where did the chair come from? How did it get up there? Why was it put there? How has it not fallen down by now? Are the naturalists ok with this?
These are all valid inquiries that simply add to the mystique of the tree. When I walk past and see the chair is still besting the weight of gravity, I can’t help but stop and smile. Several of my friends have individually found the tree and experienced similar reactions, sharing pictures and jokingly describing it as a “budget treestand.”
The tree itself is fairly decrepit. Its defining natural features are general lack of life and a large groove in its middle which provides plenty of purchase for climbing — not that anyone should, as the trunk seems as though it could topple when met with a particularly strong gust of wind.
The tree’s natural lack of exceptionality, however, is remedied by the chair, which provides a quirkiness that establishes it as a real landmark. I am typically one to oppose signs of humankind intruding into what little natural areas we have left, but in this case I can give a pass. The Chair Tree is simple and harmless fun that has brought life back to a dying tree and brought humor to hikes.
My recommendation is to seek out the canopy chair of Heath Creek while it still stands. The Chair Tree is a little out of the way, but certainly worth a visit. It might leave you contemplating the intersection of human creations and nature, or simply chuckling to yourself. Either way, it’s as good an excuse as any to get outside this spring.
Sean Rogers is from Osceola, Wis.
His major is biology.
