Boy, Nick, you are quick..!!
I climbed up also.. David didn't feel it was safe to go all the way up..so I took the chance. I installed a sling at the last live branch, then he belayed me up. I put an upside down distel hitch on, to allow for a little slippage in the event of a fall. Now I am on lead, same as rock climbing...put in another sling 8 or nine feet up.
The first couple cuts were really rotten. I had my 346XP-G with 20 inch bar, and had to rip the pieces to make them light enough to toss 15 feet out to clear the landscape. This was a pain, as the wood was 22-26 inches, and the bar was too short. I was climbing on the stubs, rather than using spurs, which wouldn't have held too well anyhow.
Here's another shot from below... the ~48" dbh bigleaf maple which is touching the fir at the ground, leans right toward the house. It has small leaves, and may succumb in a few years..I sure hope not.....likely some construction damage... . We will start it on a mychorrhizae program.