It was a hell of a ride...

[pro94lt]

So be a little more descriptive about the ride down, ride to hospital. .. that's my worst fear, snapping a tree over ive got to greedy on with the top rigged to and tje ground guy doesnt let it run. They either let it free fall or brakes on full force. you are truly blessed!

 

[Overwatch]

Amazing... Bad luck and good luck all at the same time.

Get 100% well soon and God bless!

 

[TheJollyLogger]

So be a little more descriptive about the ride down, ride to hospital. .. that's my worst fear, snapping a tree over ive got to greedy on with the top rigged to and tje ground guy doesnt let it run. They either let it free fall or brakes on full force. you are truly blessed!

Well, we were going to throw the top behind me, you know, a swing and drop redirect. I told Jacob as soon as he felt a pull on the line to just let go,but the tree failed before the top even came off the hinge. Couldn't have been a 200# top, I only had 10-15' above me. Looking back on it, I'm still surprised I didn't feel any wrning signs on the way up. Just brittle, and when it failed, it failed.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

As far as the ride to the hospita, there wasn't one. One I got untangled, I took pics, and then we finished the job and went to urgent care. They sent me to the ER from there.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

So be a little more descriptive about the ride down, ride to hospital. .. that's my worst fear, snapping a tree over ive got to greedy on with the top rigged to and tje ground guy doesnt let it run. They either let it free fall or brakes on full for

ce. you are truly blessed!

As far as the ride down goes, it was quick, with an abrupt stop at the end, and seemed like it took a lifetime.

 

[KenJax Tree]

Sometimes you do everything right and **** just happens.

 

[Griff93]

Things like this scare me when I'm climbing. Glad to see your ok other than your shoulder. It always concerns me rigging a top out due to the weight and leverage on the top of the tree. If I read your description correctly it started going when you were making the back cut so the force of the top falling was never exerted on the top of the tree, right?

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Things like this scare me when I'm climbing. Glad to see your ok other than your shoulder. It always concerns me rigging a top out due to the weight and leverage on the top of the tree. If I read your description correctly it started going when you were making the back cut so the force of the top falling was never exerted on the top of the tree, right?

That is correct. It started going over just from the force exerted by the top tipping ovet.

 

[imagineero]

Sorry to hear of your injury, best wishes for a speedy and full recovery!

We all take risks like this pretty often. Like most guys I don't like rigging out tops, and I'd rather climb higher (even real small!) and just let it drop. For maximum safety I tend to keep the saw going in the cut and once it has committed to the lay just pop straight through the whole hinge... no release at all. I've climbed right way up to maybe 3-4" on skinny pines to do that rather than rope them. Sometimes you can even just spear them down if there's not much room.

I can't comment on your tree.... local knowledge comes into play so much with species and their characteristics. I know all my own local trees, how much they'll hinge or how brittle they are, what sort of weight they'll carry at different diameters, which are more susceptible to rot or bugs etc... I don't know anything at all about that kind of tree you were in we don't have them here.

 

[treesmith]

Glad you're alright Jolly

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Thanks, TS

 

[DR. P. Proteus]

You know what sucks, is anytime soomething goes wrong, I always go back and figure out what I could have done differently. This was just a case of the wrong damn tree. It's kind of haunting me, because I wouldn't hve done anything differently with the information I had.

I would have !

I just have to come right out and say it though its not like I am happy about it.

Yes, given the information you would not catch me that high in those trees without some sort of back up for WHEN the stem collapses.

The first thing I thought when I saw the picture was, " Wasn't there some one there to tell you not to do that?"

Trust me, I feel bad I am not apologizing for your accident like everybody else. I am glad you survived this lesson but I am still going to ask if you know what you are doing. Cause from what you said and what happened it doesn't look like you do.

Now if you come back and say that everybody you know climbs those trees like that then I will really **** my pants.

 

[Tryin]

^^^And what factors come into play for you in this case? Genuinely curious.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

OK, Dr. P., how do you handle an aspen like that?

 

[DR. P. Proteus]

OK, Dr. P., how do you handle an aspen like that?

Don't go very high without a remote secondary TIP plus support for the tree itself period.

Not sure why that is not engraved into your everyday thinking. I am really not. It is now. Hope I helped. Listen:

In my book the Poplar family is listed as high alert for this matter of stem failure. I'm not joking, it really is, I have it right here, the book, I am looking at where I have always looked and pondered this specific family ever since the day I saw one and had to deal with it I can't remember how many years ago, I was still a kid, that I remember. coming from my perspective I would think that before you ( or anybody) got to the point of blowing out the stem of a poplar tree that some where along the line you ( or anybody) would have learned that is what happens when you try to **** with a poplar tree.

What? Did you just happen to come across a tree you never knew or saw and it just happened to be the one kind of tree that you just DON'T climb up there with so you really have no clue that the stem was going to snap whatsoever?

I'm really surprised. And sorry to be the one to tell you.



No ****! And I can't believe no one said it! I have to be the bad guy? WTF!

My main concern, not to berate but really get an understanding of how it is that you don't know and help spread the word to others. Really, I would have stopped you man. I would have just told you if I had been there and seen you what you were thinking of doing.

 

[DR. P. Proteus]

I am sorry that you had to learn what I thought everybody knew the hard way.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Don't know what book you're reading from, but hasn't been my experience. Aspen is usually a pretty limber forgiving wood, based on the last couple thousand I've climbed. Is it strong wood, no. Is it limber and forgiving, yes, just like any other poplar. Honestly, wondering what your experience is. Secondary tip on anything above 50'?

 

[pro94lt]

I can say this the meth guys will climb anything any time anywhere. I've seen Em in stuff my 6 year old would turn down

 

[DR. P. Proteus]

Sometimes you do everything right and **** just happens.

See what I mean!

NO NO NO. Its all very wrong.

The fact that this senerio doesn't make you all automatically think, " stem blowout" is indeed freaking me the **** out.

All joking and drama aside I say now you know. And am I glad. If you would have run it by me first I would have went off just the same as I am now about it just to make sure these trees have this potential even when they look solid and even when they are solid cause they are never solid.

Aspens
Cottonwoods
Poplars

All in the same family - Poplar

All have this potential when growing slim and tall with lots of healthy foliage up top.

A ****ing hair trigger is what it is. Even standing straight up and down, god forbid any amount of lean, the amount of pressure exerted on the crap ass wood these thing are made of will cause them to collapse.

Yes, I thought that was common knowledge.

 

[pro94lt]

Cottonwood?