CHIMACUM — A sunny day brought out the adventuresome spirit in two Chimacum Middle School students, so they decided to climb the tree outside of the school Wednesday — and then couldn’t get down.
Marissa Thetford and Ashton LaDue, both 12, found once they had ascended several feet up the deciduous tree that the moss on the limbs was too slippery to allow them to climb down safely.
A friend saw their plight and phoned 9-1-1 for emergency help at about 3:30 p.m.
East Jefferson Fire-Rescue firefighters brought them down.
Both girls were unharmed, although they were a little cold and embarrassed.
“This was not one of my better ideas,” LaDue said after being checked out by paramedics.
Thetford was about 10 feet up into the tree while LaDue was in the higher branches — about 15 feet off the ground, according to the initial report, said Bill Beezley, fire department spokesman — at the time of the rescue.
LaDue was brought down first. Thetford followed after about 40 minutes in the tree.
Principal Whitney Meissner said the students “were guilty of nothing aside from bad judgment.”
Meissner said that the firefighters were happy to help.
“They said they’d rather help the kids out of the tree than patch them up after they had fallen out,” Meissner said.
While she was stuck in the tree Thetford said she was scared and thought she would get in trouble.
After talking to her mother, she was more relaxed.
“I don’t think I’ll get in too much trouble,” she said.
“Although I could get grounded for a week.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
