At Drake Well Museum and Park in Titusville, PA, on the brink of June, the pink horse chestnut flowers were just starting to fade.

Tree climbers gathered along Oil Creek to compete at this year’s Penn Del Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture’s tree climbing competition.

41 climbers from every corner of the state, and as far away as South Carolina and Kansas City, made up a stout competitive field.

The Friday evening scene at dusk reinforced the stereotype that tree climbers are a nomadic and tribal bunch.

Campers and tents were tucked into the woodline next to the train tracks under old hawthorne trees. Everywhere gear was being tinkered with under the glow of headlamps. Some slept in the bed of their trucks, some in hammocks. Some, like that old tree wizard Bert Kuhn of New Jersey, camped cowboy style, en plein air.

On Saturday morning at the walk-throughs before preliminary events got underway, Chris Edson, retired lead arborist from the Pennsylvania State University, addressed the crowd. Edson stressed the importance of giving back to the chapter in the form of volunteer service. He also highlighted safety as the core principal of the weekend by sharing a memory about Glenn Riggs, the current TCC chairman of the chapter. Edson said that he remembered Glenn had a picture of his family taped to his throwline bucket (long before cubes were in vogue). It was a reminder of where Riggs wanted to be at the end of his day.

That left a lasting impression on Edson, he said.

My group this year boasted some incredible young talent, including 3 first-time (apprentice) competitors. Our team was comprised of Tyler Boyd (New Jersey), Mason Biester (apprentice, New Jersey), Donovan Warren (apprentice), Peter Cosentino (apprentice), Zach Fidelibus (John B. Ward), Eric Sease (Northwood Tree Care), Johnathan Harker and Andrew Giorandano (SavaATree, Southern Chapter).

We started our day at the 59′ Ascent Event. Head judge Pete Fixler kept the mood light in lieu of the first-event-of-the-day-jitters that inevitably work their way into each climber’s psyche. Fixler, lead arborist at the University of Pennsylvania’s Morris Arboretum, was a long time competitor. He represented the Penn Del Chapter at the International Tree Climbing Competition in Portland, OR in 2012. Fixler has since moved into a role of chapter service. 

Out of the 5 preliminary events of this year’s competition, 3 were built into the crowns of sycamore trees. We were climbing on the flood plain of Oil Creek, and there is perhaps no other species that characterizes a Pennsylvania riparian buffer than that of platanus occidentalis.

This year’s work climb was engineered by Jim Roach, who represented the Penn Del Chapter at the international competition level for several years in the early 2000’s.

Rob Kruljac perfectly described Roach’s work climb architecture: “It’s a downhill race.” 

Both Jake Riggs and Alex Roberts were the in-tree-tech duo at the top of the work climb, swapping climbing systems and ropes from the ground and moving climbers into position at the top course all day long. Roberts is the chapter lead for organizing Penn Del’s Arbor Day of Service each year.

Riggs and Roberts teched the event like the well oiled machine, not unlike the steam engine housed in the wooden shack across the property used to drill for the first oil in Pennsylvania back in 1859. This juxtaposition struck me as ironic: an arboriculture industry poised on promoting environmentally beneficial services set against the backdrop of the birthplace of the fossil fuel industry in Pennsylvania. 

It’s hard to have your cake and eat it to.

Bert Kuhn and Paul Biester served as judges at the Work Climb event this year. Both are members of the New Jersey Chapter of the ISA, yet they are perennial volunteers at the Penn Del Chapter competition. It was Head Judge Rob Thigpen that reminded us of what Mark Chisholm said about the great relationship between the Penn Del and New Jersey Chapters: that it’s not about crossing borders, it’s about building bridges.

Towards the end of the day I looked across the site saw Archie Autenreith at the top of a 90’ sycamore tree tearing down the throwline event. Autenreith selflessly checked on volunteers all day, making sure they had water and any other resources they might need. He hand-delivered barbecue lunches from Smoky Martins (Meadville, Pa) to each event area. It was a perfect example Edson’s sentiment on service earlier that day.

From the men’s division, Derrick Martin, Tucker Chaikin, Collin Bricker and Nick Hensel qualified for the masters event. Jennifer Welk and Katarina Deutsch qualified out of the women’s division.

Hensel, 28, an arborist for John B. Ward, was the final qualifier for the masters event in the men’s division this year, finishing 6th overall in a field of 41 competitors with a preliminary score of 132.14.

On Sunday morning, Hensel organized gear at the back of his car in preparation for his masters opportunity in yet another sprawling sycamore that leaned over the the Drake Well pools of Oil Creek.

“I’m definitely nervous,” Hensel said. “I couldn’t sleep last night thinking about it. It just had me so fired up. I’m really excited too. I’m just looking to have fun and do good.”

“It’s going to mean a lot,” Hensel said. “I’ve put in so much work this year in the off season. Jim Roach is always pushing us to be better. I think it means a lot to him that I made it. I’m going to give it my all.”

Jim Roach wasn’t the only mentor there toting a new generation of climbers. Long time competitor Aaron Feather, of Cumberland Valley Tree Service, also turned out with a handful of young talent from his firm as well.

Collin Bricker, of Cumberland Valley Tree Service, finished 5th overall in preliminaries, nudging past Hensel by 2 points. This was Bricker’s 4th competition.

Connor Fritsche, 26, another Cumberland Valley Tree Service arborist, competed as an apprentice this year. It was his first tree climbing competition and he finished 8th overall in the preliminary events with a total score of 128.95, barely missing the nod for the masters event.

Shane Eshelman, 21, also of Cumberland Valley Tree Service climber, finished 12th overall at his competition debut with a preliminary score of 117.98.

“I was so nervous,” Eshelman said. “But it was an awesome experience.”

Derrick Martin finished first overall in the preliminaries.

Martin just recently competed at the North American Tree Climbing Competition in Kent, Ohio, where he said he came up a bit shy of his expectations.

“I got nit picked, like a lot of others, on the rules,” Martin said. “The scores weren’t where I was hoping to land but it was a fun and I had good climbs.”

Martin said it’s not necessarily the points system that drives his climbing, but rather his personal style.

“I go out and do my climb, and then I hope the judges appreciate what I did and I score well from it,” Martin said. “But I’m always going to do my climb. I try not to deviate from that. I think it’s always good to fall back on your instincts.”

According to Martin, in the work climb event, usually competitors are following the same exact route through the tree, so it’s critical to be as smooth and technically sound as possible. Whereas in the aerial rescue event, there’s a bit more room for interpretation and creativity.

“I’ve never had to do a real-life aerial rescue, but I try to go into that event and just try to get my mind around the idea that I’m going to treat this as if it were happening in real time.”

Martin took first place at the aerial rescue event.

Jennifer Welk finished her preliminary events with a total score of 72.97, and Katarina Deutsch with 46.33.

Welk, an arborist from Lancaster, works for the firm Tomlinson Bomberger. This was Welk’s 5th competition and her 4th time qualifying for masters. In 2025, she represented the Penn Del Chapter at the ISA’s International Tree Climbing Competition along with Daniel Lawton in Christchurch, New Zealand.

According to Welk, the mature sycamore housing the master’s challenge would be sure to throw climbers off in their efforts to solve it’s puzzle.

“You’re hoping you can set your throw ball,” Welk said. “That sets the pace, but you’re always nervous.”

Welk noted that by way of her tree climbing competition journey, as well as by volunteering her time at other chapters, her circle of friends in the industry has grown.

“It really helps that all of the guys are nice and overwhelmingly supportive,” Welk said.

Tucker Chaikin, who just turned 26, finished second overall in the preliminary events with a score of 146.79. He has spent almost a decade working with longtime competitor, event volunteer and contract climber Mike Teti of Custom Climber Services.

“That’s the reason I’m here right now,” Chaikin said. “That’s the reason my climbing is getting to this level. I went to the private school of the tree world.”

Chaikin was relaxed and excited before his masters event on Sunday morning.

“I’m feeling great dude,” Chaikin said. “I’m blessed. It’s a beautiful day out. I get to go climb trees with my buddies.”

His plan and attitude was simple and infectious, a testament to why Chaikin also won the Spirit of the Competition award on Saturday.

“It’s a tree,” Chaikin said. “You see the bells. I’m going to get a tie in point and go to work. Don’t over think it. Go have fun. Look for some big swings and go have a blast in the tree.”

It was sage advice from the young climber.

Martin and Welk went on to win this year’s masters event and will represent the Penn Del Chapter in St. Louis, Missouri.