"Life just wants to be, but it doesn't want to be much." Bill Bryson
I am amazed how occasional trees survive damage or disease and continue to grow and produce leaves. The tree above has been hanging on at our Bull Creek crossing for 30 years, producing enough foliage to survive. The burl of the tree below didn't seem to overcome its will to live.
We have found a number of trees with dramatic bent trunks that have resisted the pull of gravity. They are frequently called "trail trees," said to have been tied down as a sapling by Native Americans to mark the direction of a trail to future generations. There are some examples described in reputable sources described on Wikipedia.
There is no way to confirm the story on our trees and our examples are far too young to support this story. They were most likely pinned down by a falling tree while saplings and resisted the pull of gravity to grow to maturity. Either way, the size of these otherwise healthy trees is remarkable.
This tree above was on its last legs but still managing to produce a few leafy branches high up to catch what little light came through from its healthy neighbors. It gave up the ghost a few years later.
I have other examples posted on Flickr in the Strange Trees of Bull Mills album. Keep your eyes open when hiking the woods and look for other wounded veterans that continue to hang on.