The Capitol Christmas Tree finally made it to Washington D.C. all the way from Wrangell. It was barged to Seattle and then trucked across the country. Several people with Alaska’s U.S. Forest Service were part of the whistle-stop tour.
KSTK’s Colette Czarnecki called Wrangell’s Tongass National Forest Service District Ranger, Tory Houser, up when they were near D.C. to see how the cross-country tour went.
This conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.
I am in Washington, Pennsylvania, which is near 84 Lumber, one of our large sponsors for this Capitol Christmas Tree Project. So we’re going to visit their operation there and show the tree off to all the employees of 84 Lumber. Then our next stop is going to be in Hagerstown, Maryland, and that’s on the whistle-stop tour, and it is our last of our public events. So that’s the last time that we’ll be stopping and meeting with the public and talking about the Tongass and the Chugach National Forests and natural resources as we go across the country. So we have made it. It’s pretty amazing.
How do you feel about that?
Well, bittersweet, of course. It’s been so much fun. It’s a whirlwind. We drive a lot. Everything can be exhausting, but it’s so much fun to talk to people, and people are very excited about the tree. I mean, the people that come out to our events, they’re really into it. They ask a lot of great questions. They really want to know about the tree. They love the idea of signing the banner and having that go across to D.C.
I saw in the videos that were posted so far that you’re an elf, [I mean] you’re dressed up as an elf, and…
I’m not dressed up. That’s my normal clothes. I dress up as a person, right?
You, the elf, knows how to do the worm?
Of course. Well, that’s a Wrangell tradition. Anybody who’s been to the Wrangell adult prom knows that I can do the worm. That’s why I had to send it off in dedication to Wrangell.
Will you share a couple memorable moments [on the tour]?
Absolutely. I have enjoyed every stop.
I want to say there are people that are somehow associated with the National Forest Service. We’ve met up with several retired Forest Service folks.
We’ve met up with a lot of people who have always dreamed of going to Alaska, and it’s a very positive way to be able to talk and respond to questions. Some of the highlights across the country were when we were over in the West Coast in Renton, WA. We had a great stop there to start us off on this trip. Then we went across Oregon and Idaho and Utah, we had great weather, sunny, beautiful. We got a sunburn. It was just so much fun, like, we really kind of got into it.
The elf just started to do some somersaults and cartwheels. And although I’m kind of silly, I do want to say that all the staff here are working really hard. Like, it is fun, but by golly, it’s a lot of time, and we’ve got the setup of the tent and the tree really down to a science, so we can do it in 317 seconds.
Today we got to do a tour of the Kenworth trucking plant. It was super fascinating. And the folks that direct efficiency at the plant say that every job has to be done in 317 seconds. So I’m looking for efficiency in our setup, and I think we’ve got it – 317 seconds, little over five minutes.
Have there been any challenges?
I think it’s fairly exhausting to drive five hours and then try to put your best face on for the public when you’re sore. I think there’s a lot of people with stiff backs, but they shake it off pretty good. And everybody’s got a smile once they get to the place.
What’s the weather like right now?
Oh my gosh, in lovely Washington, Pennsylvania, it’s overcast, which I think is pretty typical of this area, having grown up near here, but it’s 60 degrees [Fahrenheit], so it’s warm and it’s not pouring rain, and it’s pretty nice.
When are you coming back to Wrangell?
I’m going to come back to Wrangell on December 6. So we’re gonna drop the tree off in Washington, D.C. on November 21, we stay and help decorate until the 23rd .
Then we all have the week of Thanksgiving, where you could come back to Wrangell but since I have a lot of family here on the East Coast, I’m going to stay here.
Then the tree lighting is that following week on December 3. So there’s a public event for the lighting of the tree in Washington, D.C., which we’re all going to attend.
I’m curious, for decorating the tree. Are you decorating it while it’s horizontal or is going to be vertical? Or do you just not know right now?
I think it’s a really good question. So right now it is decorated. I think you saw when we were in Wrangell, just a little portion of it with some example ornaments are on it. But when it gets to Washington, D.C., we’ll unpackage it from the trailer, and then we will take off all of the ornaments and the lights, and then the arborist and the Architect of the Capitol will put it up and then they will decorate it, and they also will add a bunch of branches and things that they collected from the Tongass and the Chugach National Forests. So they’re gonna make the tree a little fuller, since its ride may have made it a little tired.
How does the tree look right now?
It looks great. Actually, the misting system is working. The tree is still taking up water, which means it’s still respiring, or transpiring as trees do, and it’s definitely still alive and green and looking good.
Is there anything else you want to say to Wrangell?
I miss you Wrangell, and we’re trying to send some Wrangell good cheer all the way over here to Pennsylvania.
