Tire swings
Back in the 60s-70s-80s we had several swings at the cabins. One was a tire swing, the old-fashioned kind tied with heavy rope and thrown over a hefty maple tree branch.
There were many ways you could ride it. You could sit in the tire on your butt or stomach, or just grab the rope above the knot and hang on. If you were real brave you could stand up in the tire or sit back and dangle upside down. Dad kept the ground below well-stocked with sawdust from the family sawmill to keep your shoes clean.
The tire swing was immensely popular with our cousins, kids staying at the cabins and really with any teen or young-at-heart adult who wandered by. It was like a magnet. As soon as you spotted the dangling tire it was pretty impossible to not go for a ride.
Dad built a second swing on the slightly smaller maple tree just up the hill next to the #5 cabin. This swing was a flat, octaganal board (aka “the seat”) about 8” x 12” x 2” with a hole drilled in the middle to accommodate the thick rope, which was knotted beneath. To get on the swing, you’d grab the rope, jump on the seat at the top of the hill (near the tree trunk) and then swing out. It was perfect. You felt like a high-flying bird and as you swung back you could kick off the tree trunk to change your direction or increase your momentum.
We used to ride these swings for hours. They were so freeing. When you hopped on you felt like you were defying gravity shooting out at least 10-20 feet over the ground below. I remember the seat was worn smooth from all the butts it held over the years.
Occasionally the ropes wore out and snapped but in the 30 years that these swings were there no one ever got hurt. Sure, we got the occasional sliver from the rough rope but no one complained. The ride was totally worth it!
Today, these swings are gone and the original tire swing tree has died and fallen. The other tree is now the size of the original and remnants of the rope remain on its largest branch. I miss the swings and the joy they provided. Perhaps it’s time for a reboot.
Photo credits: Manninen archives, Clay Dobrovolec.