The Capitol Christmas tree has arrived safely in Washington, D,C, after a 4,000 mile trek by land and sea to the delight of everyone involved, according to ABC News.
The tree has come all the way from Alaska for the first time. The Lutz Spruce was cut down on Oct. 27 in the Chugach National Forest in Alaska, shipped to Tacoma, Wash., and then placed on a large flatbed truck for the drive across the country to its final spot, but not before making several stops along the way.
A GPS tracker was strapped to the flatbed so people could actually track the tree in real time on the Capitol Tree's official website. John Schank, Alaska Trucking Association's 2014 "Driver of the Year," who has driven 5 million miles in his 40-year career, drove the tree the whole 4,000 miles.
Selecting the Lutz's Spruce for the 2015 Capitol Christmas Tree https://t.co/UMBGURkSEr pic.twitter.com/OOu24mXbam
— Bill Blevins (@billblevins) November 20, 2015
This year's 74-foot Lutz Spruce weighs 7,500 lbs, briefly shutting down traffic on First Street as it arrived in the capitol, according to The Washington Post.
The Capitol Christmas Tree has been lifted off of the truck. In holding pattern b/c it's too windy to raise up pic.twitter.com/GQajKrsfPw — USDA Forest Service (@forestservice) November 20, 2015
The actual tree lighting ceremony doesn't take place until December, but in the meantime, the caretakers have plenty to do to stabilize, decorate and prepare the tree for its moment to shine.
