등반해보시겠습니까 - 호주 펨버튼의 글로체스터 나무

[다다]

호주 펨버튼의 글로체스터 나무에 대한 글입니다.

펨버튼시를 둘러싼 거대한 숲의 화재를 감시하기 위해 60m가 넘는 나무 꼭대기에 화재감시소를 만들고

나무둘레로 사다리를 박아 오르내릴 수 있도록 해 놓은 나무입니다.

지금은 1937년~1952년 사이 지은 8개 중 1개만 남아있고, 서호주의 관광 명소가 되어있지요.

저 아래 흑백사진 속에 있는 사람인지, 저렇게 오르락내리락하며(한번에 6시간이 걸린다니)

전망대로 좋은 나무를 고르고 지었다고 합니다.

올라가는데 한 10분쯤 걸렸을까, 올라가다보면 내려오는 사람 발에 손이 밟히기도 하고-.-;

일본인여자아이랑 정상에 서서는, 우리 일하는 농장이 어디야? 하며 찾아봤지만 보이는 건 오로지 바다처럼 펼쳐진 숲.

2002년에 등반객 100만명을 돌파했다고 하니 난 아마 구십팔만천삼백이십칠번째 정도 등반자가 아니었을까...

음... 다른 책을 보니 올라가다가, 혹은 올라간 후 망대에서 심장마비로 죽은 사람도 있다고 합니다.

http://www.calm.wa.gov.au/national_parks/previous_parks_month/gloucester.html

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Gloucester National Park

The Gloucester Tree, in Gloucester National Park, is probably Western Australia's most famous karri tree. This 60-metre-high giant towers above the forest surrounding Pemberton. In the past, foresters maintained a regular fire lookout from its lofty crown. Today, visitors climb to the cabin in its upper branches for sensational views of the surrounding karri forest.

The Gloucester Tree was one of eight lookout trees built between 1937 and 1952 in the karri forest. The construction of fire lookout towers in the tallest trees of Western Australia's karri forest was the practical response to one of the most serious threats to forest communities in the South-West -- fire.

Building the lookout

The Gloucester Tree lookout was built in 1947, in the highest of the tall karri trees near Pemberton. The floor of its cabin sits 58 metres above the ground. The tree was one of a group on a ridge overlooking the Eastbrook in an area that had not been logged when timber cutting operations of the Pemberton Sawmill passed through. Conveniently located just three kilometres from Pemberton, it gives a commanding view of the surrounding countryside.

The suitability of the tree as a lookout was verified by forester Jack Watson after an epic climb. Using climbing boots and a belt to scale the tree, it took him six hours to reach a height of 58 metres and return. The ascent was made more difficult by the massive girth of the tree, some 7.3 metres, and the fact that limbs had to be negotiated from 39.6 metres. This feat is claimed to be a record climb, and is widely recognised in forestry circles as one of the greatest efforts of courage and endurance in the Australian forest.

Pegging the ladder, and lopping of the branches, was carried out by another legendary south-western forester, George Reynolds. During this work, a branch which he had cut through twisted in its fall and snapped off a number of pegs. George remained aloft for several hours while his assistant Len Nicol repegged the damaged section from below.

The construction of the lookout coincided with a visit to the South-West by the then Governor-General of Australia, His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester. A viewing of the operation was included in his itinerary and the royal party enjoyed a picnic in the bush and watched Reynolds at work. They were reportedly impressed with the cool manner he displayed while cutting through branches 40 centimetres in diameter, nearly 70 metres above the ground, as he removed the top-most branches with his razor-sharp axe to provide a base to accommodate the cabin. The lookout, and eventually also the national park, were subsequently named after the Duke of Gloucester.

Climbing the tree

Since its construction, the Gloucester Tree has captured the imagination of thousands of visitors to the karri country. A survey taken in 1963 revealed that 3000 people had climbed the tree in that year. As its popularity continued to grow, the original wooden cabin was demolished in 1973 because its timber was deteriorating. It was replaced with a steel and aluminium cabin and visitors' gallery.

By 1990, the number of visitors to the Gloucester Tree had 'climbed' to about 223 000, of which 44 600 made it to the top. With the Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree, completed in 1988, and the Diamond Tree, built in 1939 and located 10 kilometres from Manjimup, it now makes up a trilogy of karri tree towers which are open to the public.

However, there is more to the Gloucester National Park than the lookout. One very popular recreation site nearby is The Cascades. Here, the Lefroy Brook tumbles over a series of rocky shelves, which vary from a gentle flow in mid-summer to a raging torrent in winter. These rocky rapids, set amidst the karri forest at the southern end of Gloucester National Park, provide a place for an outdoor lunch, a leisurely afternoon stroll, or a few peaceful hours of fly fishing.

Extracted from Lookouts of the Karri Country by Dave Evans

[felix]

딴지 거는 것은 아닙니다. 발음이 "글로스터"에 가깝습니다. 비슷한 예로는 Leicester 가 있는데 "레스터"라고 발음하더라구요. 런던 중앙역에서 라이체스터 가는 기차표를 달라고 하니까 아가씨가 말똥하니 저를 노려 보는데 한참 당황했습니다.

[다다]

오우 그렇군요. 발음기호를 찾아보니 글라스터/글러스터 정도로 되네요