T
he deep roars of howler monkeys fill the
treetops. Te sun is just beginning to rise. Te monkeys stretch in the tree branches high above me. Teir loud calls signal others to stay away. But the calls tell me to start hiking. Fog driſts around the trees. I step across
the squishy ground. Wet, lacy ferns brush my legs as I hike through the dim forest. Te towering trees make me feel small. I search for just the right tree. I need one
that will help me reach the canopy in this cloud forest. Te canopy is like a roof that forms when branches of trees grow into one another. Tis roof of branches makes shade that darkens the forest floor. Many plants and animals make the
canopy their home. When I first started exploring the canopy, people knew little about it. Te treetops were hard to reach safely without damaging the trees. We still know less about the canopy than most other parts of our planet.
Getting to the Top To get to the canopy, I climb a tree. Te trees are tall, so I invented a tool to help me. It combines a slingshot and a fishing reel. First, I attach a lead weight to a fishing line. I aim the slingshot and shoot the weight over a sturdy branch. Te weight sails over the branch. Te weight falls back to the ground and brings the fishing line with it. Next, I tie a strong cord to the fishing
line. I use the reel to pull the cord over the branch. Finally, I use the cord to pull my climbing rope over the branch. I tie one end of it to the trunk. Now I’m ready to go up!
18 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER
Moist air from the ocean moves up the mountains. There it cools to form thick clouds.
Into the Canopy I step into a pair of leg loops like rock climbers use. Ten I strap myself into a seat harness. I hold onto special metal clamps with one-way teeth that bite into the rope. I move the clamps upward one at a time. Climbing like this lets me stop and rest.
I can take time to study what I’m seeing. Tis way of climbing also doesn’t damage the trees, which is important to me. And it keeps me from touching the tree trunk. Some of these trees have painful spines, stinging insects, or snakes lurking on them! I can climb quickly, too. Soon, I’m sitting
on a tree branch over 10 stories above the ground. Now I have the rest of the day to explore the treetop canopy.
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