Slingshot Method

Sometimes you might want to put some lights up in a tree but your ladder just isn't tall enough. I'd fashioned a star out of plywood that was outlined with ropelight and had attached 23 strings of LEDs to it. My intention was to make the evergreen tree into a sort of megatree with all the LEDs stringing down from the star.

All you need is a slingshot, a fishing weight, some fishing line and some old waterski rope! Tie the weight onto the fishing line. Monofilament line works best since it'll slide through the tree limbs easier. I had some old red 8 pound test that I didn't like so I used that. The red made it easier to find in the yard later.

I picked out an opening in the tree branches and shot the fishing weight through it. Never having done this before, I was a little over-zealous in shooting the weight: I found it in between my neighbors' yards that live behind me... Then I tied the water ski rope onto the fishing line.

From the other side of the tree, I pulled the fishing line and ski rope over the limb of the tree

Then I tied the star/light strings onto the ski rope and simply pulled it up into the tree from the back side as high as I needed it to be. To secure the line, I tied the ski rope to a branch on the back side of the tree.

Taking it down was a piece of cake -- just untie the ski rope in the back and lower it down.