We all face obstacles that we’ve got to overcome in life. But they’re likely nothing compared to the woman who had to live in a 180-foot tall redwood tree for over 2 years, facing everything from attacking helicopters, to ferocious thunderstorms! Let's uncover the unbelievable story of Julia Butterfly Hill, the woman who lived in a tree for 738 days!
Who Is Julia Butterfly Hill?
To start our story we’ve got to go back to the seventies, 1974 to be precise. That was the year Julia Lorraine Hill was born in Mount Vernon, Missouri. Julia’s father was a traveling preacher, briefly staying at each church he visited. Hopping from town to town, the family never had time to settle. In fact, until she was about 10 years old, Julia lived in a 32-foot campervan with her father, mother and two younger brothers.
Unsurprisingly, the tiny camper was crowded. Little did Julia know, living, eating and sleeping in confined quarters would be perfect training for what was to come. Living out of a campervan also meant Julia didn’t have many toys or clothes, like other kids her age. Instead, she explored rivers, and looked out for any wildlife to follow.In fact, Julia’s life was so different to the rest, she didn’t even start school when she turned 5. Her parents decided, with their on the move lifestyle, it’d be best for juvenile Julie to be home schooled or campervan schooled more like. In fairness, she learned to read, write and solve math problems in her family camper.However, her favorite lessons took place in the great outdoors. The whole family enjoyed hiking in forests together. On one hike, when Julia was just 6 years old, something incredible happened. As she was trekking through the shrubbery, a monarch butterfly landed on her finger. Even more amazingly, it wouldn’t budge, resting there for the entire hike. So gob-smacked were her brothers, they gave their older sister the nickname, Butterfly.
From that day on she became known as Julia ‘Butterfly’ Hill. By the time she was 10, Julia’s family settled down in Arkansas. So, that meant, finally, she could start going to school. Julia was finally learning about the periodic table and Pythagoras’ theorem, although the strict school schedule also meant she spent less time exploring all things nature. Nevertheless, Julia went on to graduate from high school, before heading off to college.
During her time there, the teenager made ends meet by modelling for a clothing company and working as a restaurant waitress. Following one of her waitress shifts, something happened that would change Julia’s life forever. While driving home she was waiting at a red light. Then, all of a sudden, both Julia and her car were rocked forward.
Shockingly, a drunk driver going full speed in a Ford Bronco had rammed into the back of her. The near-fatal crash saw Julia bed-bound in hospital for weeks. It took almost a year of intensive therapy for her to finally regain the ability to speak and walk. During her lengthy rehabilitation,
Julia had plenty of time to reflect on her life.Redwood Trees
After months of thinking and reflection, she came to the conclusion that her life was out of balance. In Julia’s eyes, her nature-loving past was a fading memory. Instead, her life now revolved around career and material possessions. While that would sound a-okay for most of us, Julia was more interested in devoting her time to making a positive impact on the future.
It didn’t take long for the nature-lover to stick to her word. Shortly after recuperating from her accident, she and some friends paid a visit to a forest of redwood trees in Humboldt County, California. If you didn’t know, redwood trees, with their reddish-brown hue, are among the tallest trees in the world, often exceeding 300 feet! That’s around the height of the Statue of Liberty!
So rangy are redwoods, they can create entire ecosystems! Hundreds of flora, like ferns, moss and lichen have been found living in the canopies of redwoods. That in turn provides food for swarms of insects and amphibians that also call those trees home. As well as that, many more species of birds and various mammals, like bats and squirrels, nest and find food among the foliage.But, that’s not the only way in which redwoods are hugely helpful for the environment. Thanks to their large size, long lifespan, and rot-resistant wood, redwood trees can capture at least three times more carbon dioxide from the air than standard trees, before transforming it into the oxygen we breathe.
Down below the surface, those genius giants help out too. Typically, a redwood’s roots will extend no more than 12 feet underground. Instead, they travel outwards, sometimes extending up to 100 feet out from the trunk! That massive root system allows them to intertwine their roots with each other, providing support and stability for those formidable flora. Crucially, redwood’s expansive root system also helps to bind soil together, anchoring it in place.
On top of that, their roots absorb large amounts of water from the soil, preventing saturation. That, along with their large trunks and dense canopy, which help break the force of wind and rain, massively reduce the rates of soil erosion. And, considering soil erosion reduces the land’s ability to absorb water, leading to increased surface runoff, as well as a higher risk of flooding and landslides, that’s pretty important!So, to sum up, redwoods are among the tallest trees in the world, create entire ecosystems, reverse climate change and prevent soil erosion. And, it’s fair to say Julia was in agreement. After visiting the redwood forest in Humboldt County, she was so in awe, that she dropped to her knees and began to cry, overwhelmed by the wisdom, energy and spirituality the forest gave her. Considering how terrific those trees sound, who can blame her?
Sadly though, not everyone shared Julia’s sentiment. On New Year’s Eve 1996, heavy storms battered much of Humboldt County. The storms brought plenty of rain with them. Usually that wouldn’t be much of a problem. However, the relentless rainfall sent a 20 foot-wall of mud and rock sliding down the forest’s slopes, and onto the small community of Stafford.
Luckily no-one was seriously hurt, though more than 30 homes were damaged or destroyed! For the residents, the culprit was clear. They were certain that Pacific Lumber Lumbering Company’s logging of redwood trees in the area had weakened the soil, making it vulnerable to heavy rainfall.The Company Pacific was first founded in 1863, the family-owned business, otherwise known as PALCO, were widely praised for their sustainable forestry practices. Then, in 1985, Charles Hurwitz, a Texan billionaire, and head of Maxxam corporation, acquired the company.Yet, environmentalists argued that in order to finance the $800 million of debt incurred in the takeover, PALCO aggressively stepped up its rate of redwood logging. As we already know, one of the many negative effects of logging is the greater risk of soil erosion,
which can potentially trigger tragic events like the Stafford landslide.Despite that, Pacific Lumber Company refused to take responsibility for the act. Instead, the company said the blow-out was an ‘act of God’. Stafford’s residents thought PALCO were barking up the wrong tree! After offering the residents a measly $1,000 each, the company began logging the remaining area of forest around Stafford, including the Stafford Giant, a 1,000 year old, 180 foot tall redwood.Although the logging company was engaging in environmentally dangerous practices, legal efforts to stop them had failed. Yet, by the 1990s, only 5% of California’s redwood forests remained. So, environmentalists willing to commit civil disobedience, organized protests in the redwood forests in an effort to prevent their destruction.
After learning about the threat to her beloved trees, Julia joined ‘Earth First!’, a radical environmentalist group that opposed the Pacific Lumber Company’s logging in Humboldt County. By late 1997, in an attempt to dissuade the ever-increasing logging in the area, the disruption tactics of Earth First! became more and more outlandish.The most ambitious of those involved the Stafford Giant, the humungous tree found within the forest area owned by PALCO. Members of ‘Earth First!’ constructed two platforms up the tree, with the hope that someone could provide a human presence up the redwood, preventing its destruction.In December 1997, ‘Earth First!’ were looking for a volunteer to sit in the Stafford Giant. It was anticipated to only take a few weeks of tree-sitting before PALCO would give up and move on to some other forest to log. Saying that, sitting up a redwood tree for two weeks in the freezing December conditions.Then, Julia, remembering her devotion to make a positive impact on the future, put herself forward. It was going to be a hard two weeks, but in the end it’d all be worth it, if it would save the redwood. What she didn’t know, however, is that that tree-sit would be far longer and more terrifying than she could ever imagine.
Living In A Tree
On 10th December 1997, the 23 year old began her colossal climb. Since the Moon was rising at the time she was climbing, activists chose to name the tree ‘Luna’, which is Latin for Moon. And just like the Moon, Luna was high up! In all, Luna stretched some 180 feet above the ground, making that towering tree around the height of the Leaning Tower of Pisa! To get a real sense of how hugely high that tree went up, take a look at the post below!
Imagine how tiring that ascent must’ve been! Finally, after hours of harnessing her way up the redwood, Julia reached the platform. So exhausting was the climb, she immediately collapsed. But, that was the easy part, now came the not-so-small task of actually living up a tree!Julia had two platforms in the tree. The lower of the two, found around 100 feet up, was a 6 by 8 foot slab of wood, that served as her living space. For context, that’s around half the size of an average bedroom! You won’t be surprised to know that wasn’t the fanciest living space going either.A sheet of blue tarp was tied to the trunk to act as a roof. And as for the bed, well, all Julia had was a sleeping bag! Another platform, at a loftier height of 180 feet, was used as a storage space. Whether it was climbing gear, extra clothes, cleaning supplies, or food, that place had everything Julia needed to see her through her time up Luna.You’re probably wondering how exactly she managed to get some sustenance 100-plus feet above the ground. And, before your mind runs off with thoughts of her chowing down any birdy neighbors that she might come across in the canopy, Julia being an eco-warrior, was a vegan. Instead, once a week, an eight-member support crew at the bottom of the tree hoisted food and supplies up using a pulley system.
Typically, Hill’s diet would consist of raw fruit and vegetables, although she also possessed a camping stove and cooking utensils, allowing her to whip up dishes like her famously delicious potato squash stew. Imagine how cool it’d be to have those views while tucking into your dinner!
As you know though, all that food had to go somewhere eventually. Fortunately for anyone stationed at the bottom of the Stafford Giant, they didn’t have to watch their head for any dirty droppings. Instead, she’d do her business in a garbage bag-lined bucket, before sealing it up and lowering it to the ground when her support team were present.
If that wasn’t gross enough, Hill barely washed. What chance do you have of finding a shower up a tree? Instead, poor Julia had to make do with a small basin filled with water, that she’d use for an occasional sponge bath. In the first few months up Luna, she bathed just three times.Interestingly, when Julia did bathe, she wouldn’t wash the soles of her feet. It may sound disgusting at first, but Julia’s unwashed soles stuck to the tree sap better, allowing her to move about the tree’s canopy without the fear of falling down.As weeks became months, Julia still remained in the tree. So, what was the hold up? After all, that tree-sit was only meant to take a couple of weeks. Well, sadly for Julia, PALCO were refusing to budge. Annoyingly for the lumber company though, as the months progressed, Julia’s mind-boggling feat was becoming more and more newsworthy.By the time spring had sprung in 1998, she’d virtually become a celebrity. In fact, most of her days up Luna were typically spent reading through the hundreds of fan mail letters she’d receive, as well as conducting radio interviews through her solar-powered cellphone. Reporters and photographers even braved the two-hour climb just to get up close and personal with the star.
At that point, Julia was the queen of the forest! In fact, it wasn’t just ordinary folk who were looking to pay Miss Hill a visit. Singer-activists, Joan Baez and Bonnie Raitt also dropped by or climbed more like with Baez calling it ‘one of the most remarkable experiences’ of her life. Yes, Julia Hill’s extraordinary activism work was reaching heady heights!But, just as Julia’s profile was raising, so were the threats against her. For some context, the 1990s were a time where tensions between loggers and activists were at their fiercest. In 1997, Humboldt County police officers dabbed the eyes of activists surrounding trees with cotton swabs soaked in pepper spray.
One year later, David Chain, among several other activists, was protesting through the forests of Humboldt County, when disaster struck. One timber worker, named Arlington Ammons, was getting increasingly more furious at the presence of protestors in the forest. Activists even recorded Ammons swearing and threatening them. Sadly, those threats would soon be realized.Apparently, after spotting a group of activists sitting down for some lunch, Ammons started to hack down a 135-foot redwood. As the tree fell, it collapsed onto Chain. As you can imagine, that didn’t end well for him. Incredibly, despite the mountain of evidence against Ammons, the Humboldt County District decided not to charge him for Chain’s passing, putting the tragedy down to bad luck.Now you know, the redwood forests of northern California weren’t a safe place to be in the late 1990s, especially if you found yourself camped up a redwood tree! And, it’s fair to say, it didn’t take long before Hill’s life was in danger too. One morning, as she was still waking up, the activist noticed something strange. There was a vicious whirring sound getting closer and closer.
While strange sounds in towns and cities are common place, they’re not something you’d expect to hear while you’re all alone at a height over 100 feet above the forest floor. As the sound got closer and closer, Julia started to get blown away. Then, all of a sudden, with Julia desperately clinging onto Luna, there it was, whizzing above her! It was a helicopter, sent from PALCO, intended to intimidate Hill into de-scaling the shrub.Though the threatening chopper eventually flew away, Julia’s troubles were far from over. Figuring the next best way to break Hill’s spirit was to cut off her supplies and food from coming in, PALCO effectively besieged Luna. For no less than 10 days, the area surrounding Luna was roped off, while three security guards stood at the base of the tree, stopping anyone from getting supplies to Julia.
As the days ticked by, she was running extremely low on food, and her phone was fast running out of battery. With her last bit of juice, Julia phoned some fellow activists to hatch a cunning plan to stop the siege. A swarm of activists hiked up to a hill near to Luna, where they jumped around and shouted in an attempt to catch the attention of the security guards.With the guards distracted by the strange sight and sound, a few other of Julia’s companions quickly clipped a bag of supplies onto the rope, which she hauled up, all before any of the guards could notice. But the victory would soon get even sweeter for Julia. Embarrassed that they’d been fooled, the security guards decided they may as well pack up, leaving the forest the very next day! It seemed nobody could match Julia’s determination and resilience.Yet, PALCO’s intimidation tactics weren’t the only terrifying threat facing Julia. Unsurprisingly, living way up in a tree, with nothing to keep you cozy but some tarp and a sleeping bag, isn’t luxurious especially in winter! During the colder months, temperatures dropped to a chilly 40 degrees!
Exposure to such cold conditions over an extended period of time can lead to hypothermia, where the body loses heat faster than it can produce it. And, considering hypothermia can be fatal, it’s not something you want to experience perched 180 feet up in the air! Fortunately, by wrapping herself tight in a sleeping bag, leaving only a small hole for breathing, Julia just about survived the frosty conditions.
There would be worse, though. She also had to face fierce thunderstorms. One particular storm, named El Niño, ripped through the forest with blistering 90 mph winds that lasted some 16 hours! Julia herself said:
Imagine you’re on a bucking bronco. Put that bronco on a ship at sea, in the middle of a storm. Then put that 180 feet in the air.Sounds terrifying, doesn’t it? Fearing for her life, Julia grabbed Luna’s trunk and started praying. She passed out, yet, miraculously, she later woke up, still clinging to the redwood. She’d survived the storm. Clearly, nothing could break Julia and Luna’s bond!Initially, PALCO refused to negotiate with Hill, as their CEO John Campbell explained, ‘she was breaking the law. She was trespassing. And, you don’t negotiate with people who are breaking the law.’ However, as the months turned to years, and everything from hateful helicopters, to surging storms failed to discourage Hill, PALCO finally admitted defeat.In late 1999, a resolution was reached. PALCO agreed to preserve the Stafford Giant, as well as all other trees within a 200 foot radius. In exchange, Hill would vacate her heighty home. However, as part of the agreement, Hill and her supporters would also pay $50,000 to PALCO, making up for lost logging revenue in the area. Fortunately, the company decided it’d be best to donate the sizeable sum to Humboldt State University for forestry studies.
With the agreement in place, Julia could finally leave Luna, safe in the knowledge the tree wouldn’t be felled and turned into tissue paper. On December 18th, 1999, 738 days after Julia climbed up the redwood she finally came down again. Can you imagine being camped up in the canopy of a redwood for over 24 months? I don’t think I’d last 24 minutes before crying for my mama! Unsurprisingly, when Julia finally touched down from her tree, she collapsed in the mud, before exclaiming, ‘we did it!’.Despite getting one over PALCO, Julia’s work was far from done. She continued to advocate against the practice of logging on her various talk show appearances. On top of that, the terrific tree-sitter became an author, motivational speaker and co-founder of the ‘Circle of Life Foundation’ a platform that produces speaking tours, eco-friendly events, classroom visits and workshops.Yet, for all her good work, not everyone was an advocate of Julia’s eco-conscious cause. Tragically, in November 2000, less than a year after she’d completed the tree-sit, Luna was cut into. Vandals, armed with a chainsaw, slashed a 32-inch deep gash around the base, just less than half the circumference of the tree’s trunk.
Thankfully, after the gash was treated with a herbal remedy, and the tree was stabilized with steel cables, Luna made a full recovery. Still, it went to show that, despite all of Hill’s heroics, her fight was far from finished.In 2002, Julia, along with several other climate activists, pitched outside the offices of Occidental Petroleum in Quito, Ecuador. This time she wasn’t protesting against logging, but a planned oil pipeline that’d rip right through an Ecuadorian forest brimming with rare birds. Sadly, on that occasion, the protest fell on deaf ears, as Julia was detained by Ecuadorian authorities, before being deported back to the U.S.
Not satisfied in her efforts, Julia was out on the protest trail once again in 2006, this time to protect the South Central Farm in Los Angeles. At 14 acres, the South Central Farm was one of the largest urban farms in the U.S, providing a community space for gardening, and source of food for around 350 families.Yet, despite its importance to the local community, the farm was sold in 2004, with farmers evicted in 2006. As a last ditch effort to save the farm, Hill, among other protestors, participated in a three week long tree-sit. Considering her experience, that must’ve been a walk in the park! Even still, despite the environmentalists’ efforts, the sale of the South Central Farm still went through.Since then, Julia has largely remained out of the public spotlight. But even today, her legacy remains as strong as ever. She’s been the subject of several documentaries, interviews and books, including her own 2000 memoir, ‘The Legacy of Luna’.On top of that, she’s mentioned in songs by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Neil Young to name a few, and has even inspired The Simpsons episode, ‘Lisa the Tree Hugger’. But most importantly, Julia’s dedicated devotion to the cause has inspired a whole generation of environmental activists who look up to her work in more ways than one!The lesson Julia can taught us, is a simple one. No matter who you are in life, if you’re determined and resilient enough, you can achieve anything you put your mind to, however high the climb may seem. And with all that in mind, who knows? Maybe in the future, one of your extraordinary feats will see ‘The Simpsons’ create an episode in your honor?
