In good standing
By Nick Simonson
I’ve never been fond of heights. Despite being marketed (and statistically confirmed) as the safest way to travel, airplanes have always made me uneasy. Even the top
of the Ferris wheel in the Fargo Scheels makes my stomach drop a little bit when my son and I reach the apex on the slow-moving trip to the second story. With lightning striking
and rendering a trusted deer stand inoperable, what with its melted bolts and connection points, charred footpad from the point of impact and twisted legs that transferred the discharge into the ground, I began the process of shopping around and balancing my need for concealment in the treetops this coming season against my well-established
acrophobia. Of course, as with all good things, the lightweight telescopic aluminum model I had secured some time ago was no longer available for purchase, even in the deepest
reaches of internet, as the business which built it had been acquired by another, which in turn discontinued the model. Perhaps the nicest thing about the electrified set of scrap resting alongside my garage was its adjustability from eight feet on up to 15 feet. It could be easily raised or lowered to match branches on a tree and came mostly assembled straight out of the box. But with all the interlocking holes showing the stress of 1.21 gigawatts, it was beyond saving. Thus, I was left to procure a standard ladder stand to replace it, and the options
were endless and towering.
