I spend many hours scouring the mountains for native trees suitable for bonsai. Occasionally I have very interesting experiences, and I thought you might enjoy reading about one recent experience in particular.Some of you may not realize that collecting Yamadori can be quite dangerous in several ways. There are the obvious risks of falling from a rock face, down a crevasse, and being pinned or crushed under shifting boulders. It's also easy to get caught in severe weather when you're exposed on the side of a mountain - the same typeof weather that creates such awesome character in the trees we seek. Granite with lichen gets insanely slick when wet! Several Japanese collectors met their demise falling from steep cliff sides where they collected the coveted Shimpaku Juniper Yamadori. We are lucky to have far better climbing gear these days, but fortunately it's not needed in most cases.
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