Last Friday and Saturday I had the opportunity to run a workshop with Phil Kelly here in Seattle. Very generously Kathy Holzer opened her house and yard for this event and her partner, Levecke, spoiled all attendees rotten with first class catering.
The event was by invitation only, so we were able to work with a very competent, switched-on group, which resulted in interesting, animated discussion. What I take away from this one is – once again – the value of face to face interaction, and the fact that every region poses its own challenges depending upon prevalent species. Here in the Pacific Northwest, due to the many very large conifers,access can be a major challenge. These are not easy to install a safe anchor point in for the initial ascent, consequently it was one of the discussion points.
A further lengthy debate was had regarding the opportunities and challenges that new materials and techniques offer, and how to respond to these. Certainly there are not easy answers here, but gatherings such as this one are certainly part of a process of collectively gaining a better handle on some of these issues.
This trip has been not only fun, but also inspiring, I will be taking away a number of points I will be mulling over in the weeks to come. I would like to warmly thank all who made this event possible and who attended it.