There was one especially big oak tree on our property that I did sometimes climb. Oak trees sometimes just topple, so it might have been a bit dangerous -_-
Yes, I climbed trees until I found the perfect climbing tree. The branches were not difficult to reach and the tree may have been 50 feet tall. I climbed and climbed until I reached a more difficult stretch and stopped to look around. I was so high I knew I would probably not survive if I fell. I became weak and tremulous and decided I should come down. I worked my way slowly, carefully down and never climbed another tree. Be careful what you wish for.
This is the tamarack, also called salt cedar. It has infested large parts of Arizona The needles are covered with sticky resin and salt, but it is possible to climb one without getting too much itchy mess on you. And that is what passes for climbable trees in this area. The other common type is the mesquite, which is popular for barbecue smoke flavor. It also repels mosquitoes. You don't climb a mesquite. You just don't.
Yes, I climbed many trees in my youth. In front of our house were three big maples. My pal across the street had two giant pine trees behind their house (very sticky to climb). Every house in our neighborhood had trees in their yard.
My earliest memory of tree climbing was climbing one of those maples high enough to wave to my mom in the second floor window. She was horrified. I had to be about 4 y.o. because my brother and sister were in school at the time and I was trying to amuse myself. Because of the date of my birth, I was allowed to start school at 4 and I wasn't in school yet.
Benedict Arnold 