But I'm not dead yet ... Age and climbing

[Graeme McMahon]

It's been a while since I have been about.
Still working 6-7 days a week between hand felling for logging and climbing for my tree company . Am 60 now and climbing for 42 years. Hand felling where the harvesters can't access in 35- 45 deg slope plus rock gives my legs more of a workout than climbing some days. Last Sunday they shut down the landing and I burnt 16 liters of fuel in my saw. Thank goodness for cold beer.
Regards
Graeme

 

[Mick!]

Well it’s good to read you anyway Graeme! Glad to hear you’re still on the tools.

 

[theTreeSpyder]

Graeme McMahon!
Been trying to find some legendary dynamite vids, but just broken tripod links etc..
You've been/are a legend and inspiration!
.
MB always says post count ain't spit;
but we certainly hope you hang around and increase yours!

 

[MasterBlaster]

I miss being a spry 60 year old!!!

 

[SeanKroll]

Graeme, do you have any wisdom for longevity?

 

[MasterBlaster]

Just the right amount of bad stuff and good!!!

 

[stig]

Graeme, do you have any wisdom for longevity?

Don't die!

 

[cory]

Still working 6-7 days a week between hand felling for logging and climbing for my tree company . Am 60 now and climbing for 42 years. Hand felling where the harvesters can't access in 35- 45 deg slope plus rock gives my legs more of a workout than climbing some days. Last Sunday they shut down the landing and I burnt 16 liters of fuel in my saw. Thank goodness for cold beer.
Regards
Graeme

Geez GM, you should post up some stuff about all that work. 6 years is way too long to be away.

 

[squisher]

Graeme, do you have any wisdom for longevity?

He already said........cold beer.

 

[Jomo]

I imagine the use it or lose it rule applies down under too.

Semi retirement's sure kickin my 59 year old butt!

The older I get, the more I have to depend on buckets and cranes and mechanical aids.

Graeme's got some mighty thick Ironbark to still be puttin in 6-7 day work weeks!

What's the secret mate?

Foster's intake?

Jomo

 

[theTreeSpyder]

Been trying to trace vids i remember,
Found this oldie thru wayback machine
http://web.archive.org/web/20070320165346/http://sherbrooketrees.tripod.com:80/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/sherbtrees_triplet_headfall.wmv
.
he has some newer on youTube.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y6hEfav9ZwI" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
.
i note the over the top lacing pull strategy@6.46
>>i think this gives best rotational input for most positive rotational output thru pipeline of rope device on tree.

 

[Mellow]

I've done some sketchy trees but I can't even imagine...

 

[MasterBlaster]

It's just a tree.

 

[Mellow]

I don't do much climbing these days but I can still put in a full day's work swinging a chain saw in the bucket. I found out Monday I can still jump and run pretty good for a 58 year old. I got attacked by an angry swarm of bees while up about 40 feet in the Nifty Lift. That darn thing is way too slow to fold up when you've got a few dozen bees stinging you. I unclipped and jumped the last fifteen feet because it was taking way too long to get to the ground. Luckily, we were working at a lakefront property so I headed straight for the water and dove in. I had to keep going underwater and swimming as far as I could to try and get away from the swarm that was following me. Every time I came up they attacked my head and face. My back and neck were pretty sore all day yesterday from the jump but I'm good as new today. My ground guys said they couldn't believe I jumped that far without breaking something.

 

[MasterBlaster]

You were lucky. Fifteen feet is HIGH.

 

[SeanKroll]

I've heard of bee-sting therapy before, but...I'll pass.

 

[Patrick A]

Not sure if it is the 90 minute IPA or the trippy music but I enjoyed this video. I was cleaning around the base of a tree this summer and hit a nest of yellow jackets, both the weed wacker and I ended up in the client's pool 100ft away. Everyone had a good laugh

 

[MasterBlaster]

The yellow jackets, too!

 

[Jonny]

Great video.
Nope! I'm not inherently scared of dead trees, but no way. Hope he made 5 figures that day.

 

[Mick!]

I don't do much climbing these days but I can still put in a full day's work swinging a chain saw in the bucket. I found out Monday I can still jump and run pretty good for a 58 year old. I got attacked by an angry swarm of bees while up about 40 feet in the Nifty Lift. That darn thing is way too slow to fold up when you've got a few dozen bees stinging you. I unclipped and jumped the last fifteen feet because it was taking way too long to get to the ground. Luckily, we were working at a lakefront property so I headed straight for the water and dove in. I had to keep going underwater and swimming as far as I could to try and get away from the swarm that was following me. Every time I came up they attacked my head and face. My back and neck were pretty sore all day yesterday from the jump but I'm good as new today. My ground guys said they couldn't believe I jumped that far without breaking something.

That is a very nasty situation, make sure that hasn’t affected your immune system so that the next sting sets off a dangerous allergic reaction.

 

[cory]

How do you make sure of that?

 

[Jonny]

There's lots of allergy testing you can get done. Talk to your family doctor or primary care physician, they'll get it going.

 

[No_Bivy]

you can develop a sensitivity at anytime......not necessarily a cumulative thing. My son has been in venom therapy for 6 years now. shitload of shots but it is working.

 

[Graeme McMahon]

It's just a tree.

It was fair, I felt as worn out as the tree was.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I didn't say it was an easy tree!