I am pierced with a distant ancestral memory as I move within the canopy of this twisted grandfather oak.
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My ancient ape DNA activates as I reawaken to this founding relationship of humanity.
Suddenly I remember the closeness to our friends, the trees.
In the past they gave us shelter from predators, wood for our fires, and materials for our homes. We made spears from them to protect our tribe and canes to bear us in our old age.
They were everything to us.
In these modern times it is all too easy to forget our bond with the trees.
Climbing with them is an essential part of our rewilding and reconnection to the Earth and to our ancestors.
Photo Credit: Cork oak on the mountain. Courtesy of the Author