Tip of the week: How to estimate the height of a tall tree

Find a tall stick. That and one good eye are all the tools you’ll need. With the stick in hand, walk exactly 11 paces from the base of the tree and mark the spot by driving the stick into the ground.

Get a little dirty. Take one more step away from the tree, then mark that point on the ground with an X. Now lie down and “put your eye as close to it as you can.”

Look up. Cast your gaze toward the towering tree. Note the exact point on the stick that, from your lowly vantage point, corresponds with the tree’s highest point.

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Do some calculations. Mark this point on the stick, then measure the distance to the ground. The measurement you get in inches will be roughly the same as the height of the tree in feet. Once you have that number, file the entire trick under “things your father should have taught you.”

Source: Esquire