You might be a tree climber if...

[CurSedVoyce]

All that to say, I think the 65 lb. and 90 lb. children were well within safe working limits of the available equipment.
Geez, I thought you were going to chide me about turning a 9 year old loose aloft with a Silky...

Meh, my 12 yr old climbs. Just got his own hand saw. Showed me he was meticulous about TIT and has used one on the ground. He was up over 85 feet solo with his own climb gear in one of our pines practicing. Had to reset his 150' Climb line (Vortex cool) to finish coming down. I just checked in with him. No saw on that climb. Was watching his sister as well. She was free climbing an oak...

 

[MasterBlaster]

Shoot, I'd have my kid climbing as soon as they could fit a saddle, probably earlier with some improvision.

 

[Burnham]

Me too.

Hell, I was using a hatchet and a 3 foot D saw at 5, carrying a real deal pocket folder or a fixed blade sheath knife every day at 6, swinging a shorty handled axe at 7.

I'm not so special, just had a father who expected a lot of responsibility from his kids.

My 20 month younger sister got the same...just saying.

Well, I guess I have to alter that last sentence a bit. She wasn't allowed to walk the 2 miles to the local market until she was 10...I got to do that at 8. The 'rents were realistic about risks, too.

 

[Stumpshot]

MB, we have a couple of children's saddles, just didn't have them for the spur-of-the-moment park adventure. So it was more the improvisation method for sure.

Stephen, our foreman started climbing when he was 12. His dad (tree surgeon [remember that quaint term?] for Davey Tree in Virginia) taught him the ropes, gave him the basic equipment to get started. He took off from there! His mom came out and saw him upside down in the tree, suspended from his line. She went to his dad, all worried and concerned about his well being. His dad just looked back and said, "He's tied in, right? No issue." He has monkey blood in his veins, for sure.

The humor from my original post was meant to be that for most folks, climbing a tree = free climbing. This thread answers the question, "You might be a tree climber if..." you have an abundance of climbing gear to draw on and your children are used to having access to all those exciting trinkets, instead of simply free climbing a tree!

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Darin (oldmonkey) sent me his daughters harness back when. I sent it on to Sean. Lilly is one that will free climb rocks. Not really interested in rope gear yet. Seth has a thing about heights like his bio dad. Levi, runs in his blood. Middle child. Just enough fear for respect of the dangers. He wanted his own gear one year. So I got him a new tribe, gave him some of my stuff, his own hank of samson rope. Made him a flip line. Now he wants to learn SRT. He started climbing on rope a few years back and even did a redwood with Jamie at the GTG. Yup.... kids like yours belong to a tree climber

 

[MasterBlaster]

I'll call myself a tree surgeon before I call myself an arborist. I'm old fashioned anyway.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I prefer certifiable arborist

 

[Burnham]

A fellow could do a lot worse .

 

[CurSedVoyce]

AMEN

 

[Stumpshot]

I prefer certifiable arborist

Certifiable usually has a far different meaning around here... usually implying rubber rooms and straight jackets...

 

[SkwerI]

So what's your point?

 

[MasterBlaster]

It's there somewhere.

 

[flushcut]

I think they are one and the same, being crazy and doing tree work.

 

[gf beranek]

I worked with a few over the years.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Yup...

 

[Ryan]

Family car ride the other night. The wife looked at houses we can't afford, the kids looked at dogs we'll never own and I looked at trees that I'll never climb. Buncha dreamers.

 

[MasterBlaster]

But, ya'll got outta the house and I'm sure a snack/food stop was part of the plan!

 

[Ryan]

Usually there is an ice cream stop involved but we all had dessert beforehand. I was thinking Mcflurries the whole time but the kids didn't mention it so we went without. Next time though...

 

[Altissimus]

Couldn't leave for job without Chipper key yesterday ... Was in the washing machine

 

[MasterBlaster]

I'd keep a spare stashed somewhere on it.

 

[Stumpshot]

We replaced the ignition on ours with a Bobcat one, so a replacement key is no problem.

(And like Brian, our key stays in the chipper ignition. May as well super glue or thread lock it in place -- it's probably rusted in place anyway!)

 

[SkwerI]

Never had the key out of my chipper. It is attached to a piece of wire so if it does happen to fall out it doesn't fall very far. I never want my chipper key to leave my chipper. The only thing that can do is cost me time and money on a job. Anybody here who thinks removing the key from the switch is somehow making your chipper safer or less likely to be stolen is simply lying to themselves.

 

[Burnham]

Same here, Brian. I agree completely. All my keyed small engine gear is permanently keyed, so to speak.

 

[squisher]

I bet that Jag has the keys dangling in it right now dying for me to take it for a spin.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Hahahahahaaa