I had the privilege of going rock climbing a couple of weeks ago with a buddy. Known simply as Maverick, he is becoming a pretty good rock climber, knows where to go, has all the equipment, and even let me borrow an old pair of climbing shoes.

Now, in rock climbing you don't wear socks, so loaning out a pair of shoes to a guy whose feet are in sweaty work boots all week, well, that's generous. Or maybe it's just part of that living on the edge, damn the torpedoes mentality that gets people like my buddy attracted to sports like this.

Anyway, it was pretty fun. Actually it was a lot of fun. We climbed the 2 nd Flatiron overlooking Boulder. We knocked it off like the first round of pancakes at an all-you-can-eat-breakfast and eyed the opening date for the 3 rd Flatiron.

I have made a living doing tree work, and a fair percentage of that work involves hanging from a tree on a rope. I have been asked many, many times if I also rock climb. My standard answer has always been along the lines of "No ma'am/sir, I get enough exercise and excitement from my work. I prefer a beach and a beer in my free time".

And that's more or less true, however the full truth is I never had anyone around to take me out and teach me the basics of rock climbing.

Though the two are different I could always see the kinship. Like distant cousins with the same smile, they share similar traits and attract similar lovers.

Well, after a couple expeditions with Maverick, I am beginning to see the differences and similarities between tree climbing and rock climbing a little more clearly.

Both involve climbing vertical (or near vertical) objects. Both involve ropes and hanging all sorts of things off of you like some sort of walking hardware store.

Both tend to cause the same type of reaction from onlookers, kind of a "wouldn't catch me doing that" sentiment.

Doing either will usually result in a good view away from the crowds.

Both attract members of both sexes. I once met the world champion tree climber and she was a gal from Germany.

With both it is helpful if you have the ability to block out distractions, focus on the task at hand, and not get caught up in negative thinking about "what-ifs".

Like, "what if I can't hang on and I fall? What if this tree/rock breaks? What if the freaking rope breaks?"

It also helps in both if you don't have a fear of heights.

However, I have found that tree climbing pays more. Rock climbing costs more.

Of course if you are rock climbing you climb whatever you feel like climbing. Not so true in tree work. At least not if you hope to get paid.

Those things you find hanging off your midsection are different, too. In rock climbing you've got all sorts of cool looking gizmos designed to wedge into rocks and stuff.

In tree climbing you have a greasy, smelly chainsaw weighing twice as much as all those gizmos the rockers have. And a lanyard that's covered with pinesap, and a handsaw and maybe some loppers or a pole saw or something to that effect.

In rock climbing you can wear shorts, a T-shirt, those sock-less shoes I mentioned earlier, and a nice lightweight helmet.

In tree work you're wearing long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, kevlar chaps, heavy boots, gloves, and a 10 pound hardhat with ear muffs and a visor.

When you're dressed to rock climb you're the epitome of cool. When you dress for tree work you're in your own sauna from hell.

Tree climbing is pretty much an individual thing. Yeah, you have a ground man to keep your rope clear and to pick up the mess you're creating, but you're up there by yourself.

In rock climbing you want a partner. You don't need one, but it makes the whole process much easier, and if you screw up they can save your butt.

In rock climbing you and your partner are fleeting parts of the immediate environment, and the wish is to leave it unchanged.

In tree climbing (at least the work sense) you'd better change something, that's what you're paid for.

In rock climbing, if you have a rocker buddy like I do, you've got these sweet 2-way radios where you get to say cool things like "belay on" and "belay off". You also get to listen to Johhnny talk to Dad in the other car on the Boulder Turnpike from time to time.

In tree work everything is so freaking noisy, and you're wearing earmuffs anyway, that it all becomes hand signals. So you signal mundane stuff like "get out of the freaking way so I don't drop this 200 pound branch on you!"

In rock climbing when you're all finished you get to saunter by all the cute girls and jealous fat guys in the parking lot of the county park while carrying all of your cool stuff over your shoulder.

In tree work the homeowner locks the door and draws the curtain when she sees your sweat-stained, sawdust covered, gasoline smelling self come to the door to ask to use the john.

In rock climbing you are part of the fringe, but it's a cool fringe. In tree work you're also part of a fringe, but you're liable to get something thrown at you, the least of which is curses.

I mean, when's the last time a rock climber got called "rock-killer"?

Both are extremely satisfying on a personal level. Both take you places few have been. Both involve taking responsibility for yourself, pushing the boundaries of what you think you can do, putting hand over hand in a vertical fashion, and that peculiar phenomenon known as "exposure".

Dang, I'm getting myself fired up for another rock climb.

Time to call Maverick and bum onto another expedition.