Young man spends more than 2 years on a tree to prevent his felling

This is another example of those strong people who go through totally transformative experiences and inspire us all. An activist, the then-young Julia Butterfly Hill was known worldwide for spending 738 days of her life on a millennial tree to prevent it from being felled.

The tree in question was a 60-meter-high redwood tree that stood next to other equally old trees in a grove in the city of Stafford, California, a region that had been suffering from constant deforestation during the 1990s.

Several activists had already spoken out against the cutting of the millennial plant - which was affectionately nicknamed Luna - and camped in and around the tree to ensure its safety. On December 10, 1997, Julia climbed the tree in order to stay for two weeks, but the young woman descended from there only 2 years later, on December 18, 1999.

Love of nature

To stay on top of the tree, Julia set up a 3-square-meter wooden platform 50 meters from the ground and covered it with a waterproof tarpaulin to protect it from the rain. The activist was fed by a team of people who arranged to raise food to the platform. At one point, officials involved with logging responsible for deforestation tried to stop the food reaching Julia.

According to the Hypeness website, she still had a cooking stove, an airtight pouch for her needs, and a sponge to bathe with rainwater. Small solar panels allowed Julia to charge her cell phone and keep up with current news and negotiations about Luna's overthrow.

Many television crews and other media outlets have contacted the young woman to better understand her goal of staying so long. You can even check out a kind of documentary that shows the first months of Julia and Luna's life here.

On land

Julia's protest ended only on the day she managed to issue a legal document signed by the logging company that said Luna and other trees in the area would not be cut.

Today Julia Hill is 39 years old and has traveled the world talking about her experience, promoting lectures on motivation and environment. The activist is vegan and has also written a bestseller - The Legacy of Luna - which has already been translated into 11 languages.