How'd it go today?

Will do Andy...going back tomorrow if it doesn't rain. Will get a few pics if I can find my camera...my old school phone which has actual buttons doesn't take very good pictures.

Speller, bye you lookin' good! :)
I agree with Gary, sometimes you really don't know how you are going to accomplish something until you actually get up there. Many times I've been on a branch and looked up to the next place I have to go and thought...how the h#^^ am I going to get up there? Then move around a bit, judicious use of the lanyard and some loop runners and before you know it, you've solved it.

Have you checked out the beginner's tree climbing tips thread yet?

Oh and don't worry about your throwing, I'll be the first to raise my hand and say I throw like a girl, even if I am a girl! The Big Shot is my best friend at the start of the day :)
It helps mightily to achieve that lovely high TIP right from the get-go.
 
pantheraba said:
hahahha...headslaps and "Doh!!" are the norm lots of times, trust me. Always learning, all of us.
Click to expand...

Glad to hear it, Gary! I'm just trying to be sure that the "headslap" moments don't lead to any "bouncing off the deck" moments! :O

inbredJed said:
That was really cool to see Jeff. Keep throwing stuff up when you get the chance. When guys like Gary chime in... a little bit goes a long ways. ;)
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Thanks so much, Jed. I'm SO appreciative of the TH wisdom!

Fiddler said:
Job done, nothing damaged, and you made it home in one piece! You achieved all the really important goals. :thumbup:

Don't be afraid to stop and think ahead. Try to picture the easiest and safest way you can do each thing. A little time spent thinking can save a lot of time and bad words in a tree. Things like not tying in high enough have been done by most everyone at one time or another...the extra effort spent usually pounds that lesson into the brain, as it will with other things.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Fid. One thing that has become SUPER clear to me is the importance of nutrition and hydration when climbing. On two of my three total career climbs, including this one, I had not eaten properly beforehand. It effects everything, especially endurance. And when you are starting to feel gassed, weak, etc. you can have a tendency to hurry and that's BAD mojo. On a few occasions, I just forced myself to stop, hang, get a drink, and just chill for a second. It's so beautiful up there in so many ways, that to just slow down and be mindful of your surroundings is a real gift. That's a long way of saying that I think you can think through problems better if you are well watered and fed!

candoarms said:
Spellfeller,

Each and every one of us was a beginning tree climber at one time in our lives. I never poke fun at a new climber, mostly because I have a very good memory of what it was like for me.

One day soon all of us old guys will be retired and sitting in a chair licking our lips every two seconds. Guys like you will be taking our place in the workforce.

Learn all you can. Practice with your new equipment at safe heights of less than 10 feet off the ground. Stay safe and enjoy your new hobby.....maybe your new career.

Joel
Click to expand...

Thanks so much, Joel. Alas, I am 47 years old and a career teacher/administrator in middle schools! I am a trained wilderness educator who's spent a lot of time on rope, rock climbing and on challenge courses, but the trees are a whole new (wonderful) climbing environment. There is NO doubt, had I discovered treework 20 or 30 years ago, I might have made another choice, but I am super glad to have discovered it now. I think there's no doubt I'll be climbing as long as I can. I look forward to getting my students and four sons in the trees, once I feel more confident in my own skills! (And get some formal training and the right insurance!)
 
pantheraba said:
And don't let on-lookers get in your head. When you are in the tree YOU are calling the important shots. My wife used to look up in a tree I was working in and call out, "is that all you've gotten done?" Yep, I was (and sometimes still am) pretty slow. Don't try to be faster than you are comfortable. Coming through unscathed is the first goal. Nay-sayers and "what takes so long up there?" don't have a clue.

You do.

But don't discount the perspective of someone on the ground who has good sense. My son has used his good common sense and different perspective from the ground to help me decide better ways to do something than I had initially planned. Always let you mind be open to changing the plan. Many times people will ask me how I plan to do a certain part of the tree. I say I'll know when I get up there.
Click to expand...

OMG, you hit the nail on the head, Gary! My wife (whom, let the record show, I adore) was on the ground with the camera saying things like, "That limb looks too small to walk on!" or "You're slipping. You have on the wrong shoes!" Pretty hysterical in retrospect but kinda unnerving in real time! :lol:

On your other point, my groundies are 13, 11, 11, and 9 so there's not a ton of experience there...yet! :/:

Grendel said:
cool! 8)
Click to expand...

Thanks, man!

MasterBlaster said:
Just get up there and Take Care Of Bidness!!! :rockon:
Click to expand...

Rockin' on, Butch! ;)

pantheraba said:
And probably the most important thing MasterBlaster taught me:

NO STUBS!!!!!
Click to expand...

Definitely got this memo! Trying to cut flush while not compromising the branch collar! :thumbup:

Bermy said:
Speller, bye you lookin' good! :)
I agree with Gary, sometimes you really don't know how you are going to accomplish something until you actually get up there. Many times I've been on a branch and looked up to the next place I have to go and thought...how the h#^^ am I going to get up there? Then move around a bit, judicious use of the lanyard and some loop runners and before you know it, you've solved it.

Have you checked out the beginner's tree climbing tips thread yet?

Oh and don't worry about your throwing, I'll be the first to raise my hand and say I throw like a girl, even if I am a girl! The Big Shot is my best friend at the start of the day :)
It helps mightily to achieve that lovely high TIP right from the get-go.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Bermy. Definitely got to get some runners for redirects. SO much awesomeness in the new climbers thread! Big Shot is on my list, especially if my family gets into rec. climbing, and I have to set multiple lines. Though with four boys in the house, we have a bunch of regular slingshots lying around, and I may just go this route! LINKY
 
pantheraba said:
Also consider the APTA...I have one and it is hugely useful.
Click to expand...

The APTA is a hoot, Gary. I've seen it in the showroom @Treestuff. It is one the most Rube Goldberg-looking things, but it really seems to be a better mousetrap.

Do you think it's 2x better than the Big Shot ($100 vs. $200)??
 
I usually try the regular throw line first, but for difficult trees I have a slingshot setup too. I have a fishing reel attached to a roughly 3ft dowel rod with a point on the far end. Stick that in the ground so the reel is facing the branch for a tangle free deployment, attach a small socket to the fishing line (I have a few 1/4 drive sockets in the truck for when one gets stuck or lost) and fire away. I like having the reel as it winds the line back in so quick and easy, and I already had it available (no purchase necessary).
 
Spellfeller said:
The APTA is a hoot, Gary. I've seen it in the showroom @Treestuff. It is one the most Rube Goldberg-looking things, but it really seems to be a better mousetrap.

Do you think it's 2x better than the Big Shot ($100 vs. $200)??
Click to expand...

2x better, I don't know..hard to quantify something like that. I think I am more accurate with the APTA...but I got a lot of good mileage from my big shot. Maybe some other folks will weigh in that have used both.

The APTA is not quite as quick to deploy for multiple shots since you have to pump it each time...with the BS you just pull the rubber back and let 'er fly.
 
Hey, now, you never know Jeff... You know what they say about the sawdust in the blood infection.

Weird day doing weird removals. I HATE when you have to remove a tree that is entwined with several other keepers. Makes for a tedious day.

This Hanoke Cypress was too close to the house.

unnamed-19.jpg
This Cherry was dead.

unnamed-20.jpg

unnamed-21.jpg
This Maple was a pita
unnamed-23.jpg
But this Kid ROCKS.... He actually put down the video game long enough to make a little table out of the Cedar we killed yesterday!
 

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inbredJed said:
Hey, now, you never know Jeff... You know what they say about the sawdust in the blood infection.
Click to expand...

That's a dangerous infection indeed, Jed! The more I do tree work, the more I love it.

MasterBlaster said:
Cool table!
Click to expand...

Amen!

SouthSoundTree- said:
You can hand throw to 40-50' reasonably easily, with practice, in hardwoods, IME.
Click to expand...

"With practice" is the key! I should just take an hour one afternoon a week and go chuck the thing at various targets. I like the two-handed, between-the-legs technique the best, but my release point isn't very consistent. As a result, my left/right "windage" is usually right on the target line, but my up/down "elevation" is pretty crappy...
 
Or parachute guys!
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/40oa1ec2QaU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
Well I've been working like a slave and then paddling(kayaking) like a madman. I've been doing some wrenching(auto) for a friend these last few days, long days 12hrs.

I am starting to entertain a crazy idea of starting some kind of business with kayaks. Renting/guiding/fishing? I dunno but ides are dangerous around me, once planted I seem to be fertile ground.
 
Ha I will be. I'm open to ideas as they come to me, but am really leaning away from having a traditional 'job'. I've got my plow contracting that will see me through the winters so something seasonal could work for me.

It's a new idea at this point so just kicking it around, If it sticks it would be something I'd launch next spring possibly.
 
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