I got spooked today

  • Thread starter Frans
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Frans

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Monday's job was to remove a CA. bay Laurel tree. This tree was split down the middle, so my job was to remove the entire tree.


for some reason I got spooked while dropping the double leaders.

I think what got me was in a normal tree, you feel it moving in the wind and reacting to your weight. This tree was like a rubber band stretched to it's limit; no flex at all.

I got the leaders down just fine, but for the first time in many years I was shook up. The back side was totally rotten on the main stem. My spurs just sank in and plowed through the duff...

I checked it out before I climbed it and thought I would tie into a nearby Redwood tree, but when it came to actually doing the job, I thought "lets just get it done and stop worrying about it".

Just thought I would share this experience...
 
freaky, you arent one of the guys I would picture to get sketched out in a tree. Good to hear you came away clear.
:)
 
Getting spooked is always a strange affair. I never give myself a hard time when my spider sense kicks in, it means i'm still paying attention
 
glad you made it safely.

the day i don't get nervous is the day i stop climbing.
 
My spookiest experiences amount mostly to inexperienced groundmen holding onto a line that I want to run. Usually a top being caught in a block. Slender, flexible stem..... that will woop the crap out of me if they don't let it run.

Now rotten trees is another. Good to see ya made it, Frans.
 
hornett22 said:
the day i don't get nervous is the day i stop climbing.
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I'll give you that to a point, the adreneline rush is always cool, but when it doesn't feel right, it doesn't feel right and I walk away and re-think it!!

Gut feeling takes over everything else!!!

Glad it went well Frans, and I am also suprised to hear this from you, but it proves you are human:lol:
 
the little voice......I know when I start talking to myself..Im skeered. Nice work Frans...and you get to live, got any pics?
 
gf beranek said:
My spookiest experiences amount mostly to inexperienced groundmen holding onto a line that I want to run. Usually a top being caught in a block. Slender, flexible stem..... that will woop the crap out of me if they don't.
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That is so right on. There is no replacement for experience... & no experience like living your mistakes.
I have lived through tossing my climber because I tended the ropes / porty too tight. Hugging & apologising will never cover it >>> A groundy's got to guarangoddamntee it will never happen again. That only comes from experience.
 
I'm glad that played out OK... It's one thing to be alert and on edge... it's entirely another to get spooked. My feeling is, if you're spooked, you need to do something different because your mind is telling you something is wrong. With the kind of experience you have under your belt, I have to believe there was damn good reason to be spooked.
 
Blinky said:
I'm glad that played out OK... It's one thing to be alert and on edge... it's entirely another to get spooked. My feeling is, if you're spooked, you need to do something different because your mind is telling you something is wrong. With the kind of experience you have under your belt, I have to believe there was damn good reason to be spooked.
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I completely agree.
But there are also times when your gut says, "OMG, NO!", that you might need to re-assess & rethink.
I guess it's 'cause I just can't stand walking away from a job.
Stepping back = yes.
Walking away= very rare.
 
Lucky you; ignored your sense to tie in elsewhere--or maybe lashed the stems together?--or maybe lashed the rotten stem to an adjacent tree?--and still came out okay.

Lucky you--next time I hope you take your time, or it may be the last time.

Glad you're okay, and that you shared.
 
TC3 said:
I completely agree.
But there are also times when your gut says, "OMG, NO!", that you might need to re-assess & rethink.
I guess it's 'cause I just can't stand walking away from a job.
Stepping back = yes.
Walking away= very rare.
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Same here... at this point, I don't think I've ever walked away from one. I just try to engineer my way through it. I love those kind of challenges.

But now, more than ever, if a tree spooks me, I ain't climbing it without some kind of protection. No amount of time pressure will change that. Riding one tree down and surviving is great luck, going down with a second one and living is statistically improbable. Plus, I had to buy all new sheets and towels to get rid of the blood stains... I can't afford to do that again.
 
Glad it worked out Frans. I've done a couple of leaners lately and was pretty sensitive to any movement in the tree.
 
gf beranek said:
My spookiest experiences amount mostly to inexperienced groundmen holding onto a line that I want to run. Usually a top being caught in a block. Slender, flexible stem..... that will woop the crap out of me if they don't let it run.

Now rotten trees is another. Good to see ya made it, Frans.
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I think thats what frustrates me more than anything... Having an idiot on the ground doing something stupid.
 
Now that we exorcised our sphincter and kept it in good health, let's please be care-full out thar! Listen to the wind and yourself!
 
Been there, done that, got the T-shirt-used it to wipe up the blood.

Glad it turned out okay Frans but don't hurry, it seldom pays well.
 
I'm glad it turned out ok Frans. I walked away from a removal last week cause I got a bad feeling about it. Always better to be safe than sorry.
 
I love walking away from jobs! Wish I had the opportunity to do it more often. I've never regretted a job I didn't do. Good for the other guy if he was an idiot and took a chance on it, hope his luck lasts. I most certainly do not like adrenaline. I like fun and excitement. Adrenaline indicates danger or something left to chance.

Good to know you're OK, frans.
 
Hollywood said:
I love walking away from jobs! Wish I had the opportunity to do it more often. I've never regretted a job I didn't do. Good for the other guy if he was an idiot and took a chance on it, hope his luck lasts. I most certainly do not like adrenaline. I like fun and excitement. Adrenaline indicates danger or something left to chance.

Good to know you're OK, frans.
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