Julia Butterfly Hill Shares Her Journey Living 738 Days In The Ancient Redwood Luna

It was December 1997 when activist Julia Butterfly Hill climbed a 1,000-year-old Redwood tree in California’s redwood forest in a protest against the Pacific Lumber Company that was trying to hack down the trees for commercial reasons. Hill was persistent, and nothing deterred her determination from protecting Luna, the ancient tree. So much so that she stayed on the tree for 738 days without touching the ground even once. Her work to protect the environment gained a lot of media attention. The selfless work ended only when the official authorities assured that they would not harm the tree and the forest.

After many years since the protest ended, Hill shares her relationship with the tree. She says, “When I first saw Luna, I felt such a special energy from the tree. Every person I know who has ever had the chance to make it to Luna all have the same experience. It is a magical and special tree.”

Her work doesn’t end till saving Luna and the redwood forest. She has put her heart and soul into many protests against causes related to the environment. She says, “I have done many direct actions even after coming down from Luna. I am just not as famous for them. I have been arrested and thrown in prison for doing direct action. I have done hunger strikes and never stopped being in service. Just continued in many different ways over the last 25 years. I only had to stop doing direct action now because I have had serious health and physical challenges. Had I not had these, I would still be doing direct action. But even though my body has serious challenges, I still serve in many other ways. That has never stopped.”

Being an activist is certainly not the easiest thing. It comes with a lot of challenges. Hill advises young activists that activism isn’t easy. She says, “Remember this is a lifetime of work. Pace yourself accordingly. We do not need activists who get burnt out and angry. We need young people who live a life of service and still find joy, creativity, and community with one another. I got involved in direct action when I was 23. I am 51 years old now. My body can no longer do the hard, physical things that I could do when I was younger because I have had serious health and physical challenges, but I still find ways to show up and serve with as much love and joy as I can in other ways. But I have seen a lot of other activists get angry, depressed, and despondent, and give up over the years because they burn themselves out doing too much for too long.” 

­Hill has also written a book on her journey saving Luna and the intense hardships she faced during her time. One of her quotes remains with the reader who has read her book. “It became clear to me that our value as people is not in our stock portfolios and bank accounts but in the legacies we leave behind.”