RE: Homemade climbing stick?
Ive used lumber to make a ladder! Not quite a stick, but much more stable and safer.
get some 20 ft 2x4's and then screw steps to the top of them.
I'd brace it back to the tree mid height, or strap it to the tree vertically like a step. Im a "structural" engineer, and i'll tell ya those things are flimsy but as long as you keep it close the to tree (as vertical as possible) it will work.