Falling Out of Trees Story

 One of the more interesting topics from the German state of Hessen over the past hundred days....has nothing to do with Covid-19.  It's about the approved autobahn project in the northern part of the state....A49.  For several decades, it's been in court and fought pretty heavily by the environmentalists.  This summer, the court gave permission for the project (roughly 40 km) to wrap up.  In German chatter, it means no more court arguing...no more environmentalists confrontations....just start digging, and figure a five-year project to pave a autobahn (40 km in length).

Well...the 'kids' (the environmentalists) have gone to maximum 'turbo' in protest action.

Over the past three weeks.....they've gone from ground-level action....to attaching themselves into the trees....to prevent the log-cutters from doing any advance work.  Police involved?  Oh yeah.....probably a minimum of 150 police almost every single day....having to drag the 'kids' out of the trees.

A harsh weather pattern in the past ten days have settled in the area of the Dannenroden Forest.  With that....came 'kids' tumbling out of the trees.  You see....they attached themselves with rope, up about five to seven meters above the ground.  Somewhere in the mess...the ropes haven't held, and they hit ground (5 meters equals 16 feet).  So you can figure....a 16 to 20 foot fall.  

Injuries?  Well...some.  It's not terribly serious but it's bad enough that a ambulance gets a phone-call and a crew has to pick up some wounded 'kid' and tote them off to the hospital.  

The police?  They are a bit worried over the 'kids'.....preferring them to either attach themselves to the bottom of the tree.  The 'kids' haven't said much but you have to figure that the cold climate of the woods....misty rain....near 0 C, it just makes for a pretty miserable experience.

The cutter crew?  If you gaze at the map, I doubt if they get more than 60 meters forward each day, with the width of the autobahn as their base point.  To clear out of the Dannroder Forest?  I'd take a guess that a minimum of four months (maybe going to mid-summer) are required (if you figure half of each day is wasted on 'kid' removal). Staying there and having some 'kid' fall every three days, and face up to snow shortly?  It's not a pleasant experience.