Two words, Tim...
Zero training!
Wow, Butch. Does this mean that you just jumped into arb work as a way to make a living on your own initiative, with no more experienced hands around you to tell you anything? If it were not for the internet, and all of the kind arbs in the world that freely share their knowledge, I would never have attempted to climb in the first place. I would not have had a clue as to how to even begin.
Back when you started, no such network existed, I would be almost certain. I'm wondering how you even figured out how to climb at all. For you to press on with the work, with no outside help, shows a lot of courage, especially after you've had some close calls. I'm glad you lived to tell the tale.
I've given credit to this guy before, but Daniel Holliday of climbingarborist.com is largely responsible for the fact that I climb at all, because of the comprehensive set of videos he put online that showed the knots, systems and techniques needed. Elsewhere on the web the information is disjointed, fragmented, etc. His series allowed me to believe that it was possible to do, even though I had never ever even met a real live tree climber in my life, at that point. I owe him a great debt, that cannot be repaid.
The online forums, such as yours, were and are also an enormous help. All of the details that can help one to improve a setup or a technique are discussed on these forums. A world wide network of like-minded people, sharing their knowledge and experiences. It is just an amazing capability to have at our fingertips.
Again, glad you made it through, and were able to start this forum. It really is making a difference in the lives of a large group of people.
Tim
