South African man Vernon Kruger broke the world record by being on top of a pole as high as 25 meters from the ground for more than 2 months nonstop. Kruger lived in a barrel installed at the end of a pole in Dullstroom City.
The 52-year-old man carried out his actions until January 20, 2020 and broke the Guinness World Records record that he made himself in 1997.
“Sleeping in this barrel is not easy. This is a very small place to curl up and I have to lie down like a fetal position. My house is the sky,” said the man who works as a diver.
Everything he needs is done on the pole, including food. His team prepared food from the bottom which he pulled up using a rope and basket.
To defecate, the barrel is designed so that he can do it there, including disposing of trash.
He also washed clothes at the top of the pole. Kruger washed twice a week from water held in a small basin.
This idea first appeared when climbing a palm tree on an island while on vacation.
“Someone said, why didn’t you break the record by sitting in a tree? At first, it was just a joke and then I got a challenge from friends to do it,” Kruger said.
After doing a little research, Kruger got information that a man from Indonesia broke the record by sitting in a tree for 28 days.
He then canceled the idea and replaced the tree with a pole.
“The record is 54 days,” said Kruger, who decided to take up the challenge and sit on the pole for 64 days.
Despite complaining of cramps and back pain, Kruger repeated the action 20 years later.
“It’s a bit frustrating here especially because I can’t do many things myself,” he said.
On Monday, Kruger spent 67 days at the top of the pole, beating his own record.