About Randy

Hi, I'm Randy Lee — professional freelance tree surgeon, now retired from climbing.

My father owned a second-generation rigging company. When I was about 8 years old, he would tie a rope to me and pull me up into trees. I'm not saying it was a good idea, but I did learn something about dealing with fear. I spent most of my childhood being scared to death, but I knew all my knots by the age of 10.

At the age of 23, I realized the family rigging business wasn't enough to satisfy my passion for climbing, so I set out to learn the tree business. Finding the right people to teach me the skills I needed was extremely difficult and dangerous. About 7 painful years later, I started my own tree business. I ran that business for about 17 years and then sold it so I could focus only on climbing.

I loved to climb more than anything.

I think my longevity as a tree surgeon can be attributed partly to staying focused on safety, being super analytical, and working efficiently.

Retirement

These days I'm fully retired from climbing. I'm still around, still happy to share what I know, and open to the occasional consulting job. I've had a long-time devotion to staying in shape — especially my balance — and living life to the fullest. Check out the Fun Stuff page to see what I mean.