Off to Alabama...outstanding timing, eh?

[Burnham]

Well, now...had a great trip to Alabama, weather was outstanding and the facilities and climbing sites worked out fine. We even had a 110' steel frame fire lookout to use for rec rappelling on the afternoon of the last day...about 50 feet higher than most of those folks had ever dropped from .

Nobody got hurt and everybody got certified to instruct, a fine outcome.

And Carl drove over from MS. to take me out to dinner, steaks and ribs. Thanks, whippersnapper! It was good to meet you face to face.

Here's some pics, mostly of the aerial rescue excercises. I guess I should say these people do most of their work off stacking Swedish ladders, making artificial nesting cavities for red cockaded woodpeckers (endangered species, ya know ). I learned how to plunge cut a box out of a tree just the right size to take the insert that is the cavity nest. Pretty cool.

I taught some optional skills...DbRT, SRT, spurs, and showed off some gadgets and methods that were new to this crowd. A good time was had by all, and the barbeque sandwiches catered in were outstanding.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I bet the rappelling was fun!!!

 

[lumberjack]

Great meeting you, Burn!

In the last AR picture, why is the rescuer's hand on the rope if there is a belay? The belay can lower the victim just dandy. Plus dude has his hand a bit close to the 8 for my comfort (but I'm not a safety dude, and it aint my hand, only making an observation).

I am opposed to more than 2 people running the same rope, belay's are supposed to be slack.

 

[Burnham]

Great meeting you, Burn!

In the last AR picture, why is the rescuer's hand on the rope if there is a belay? The belay can lower the victim just dandy. Plus dude has his hand a bit close to the 8 for my comfort (but I'm not a safety dude, and it aint my hand, only making an observation).

I am opposed to more than 2 people running the same rope, belay's are supposed to be slack.

Same here, Carl, a pleasure.

I agree with your observations. But this is how we get mistaken impressions from a photo taken at a single moment in time .

The rescuer, an instructor, had just allowed the belayer to lower the vic several feet as he demo'd how doing so allowed him the freedom to manage the vics body position as she came down. At the moment the pic was taken, he was re-establishing his brake hand to resume lowering control. Slack was given just after I pushed the button. He remained in that position on the ladder and lowered her the rest of the way, so his hand was very soon a better distance from the rescue 8 and getting farther away all the time...but it is too close right then, as you say.

 

[MasterBlaster]

That's why I try not to read a lot into a pic.

 

[lumberjack]

And that's why I asked a question starting with "why" and ending with a "?."

Good answer Burn, when I get out there you's buyin!

 

[Burnham]

I am indeed, Carl...when are you gonna be here?

I received some more pics from one of the other people there, so here's a few more, nothing great, but I got in some of them.

 

[lumberjack]

Tuesday week? We'll see.

People might find your box install informative.