first climb and safety question (pic heavy)

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Spellfeller

A noob wising he had more time to cut trees...
Joined
Jun 14, 2014
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Location
In Western NC when I'm lucky...
Well, THAT was awesome!

Yesterday, I got tired of waiting for my gear account to grow and decided to get in the tree with an "arborist" rig made mostly of what I had around, which included the following:
  • Trophyline Tree Saddle: (link) A discontinued hunting saddle that relies on the hunter using tree steps to get into the tree. It is not a bad place to "hang out" for a few hours--once up the tree--but climbing in it is pretty much agonizing. Given the abuse I was suffering, I told my wife it's a good thing the children are already born. This unit is certainly NOT to be confused with the New Tribe Aero Hunter, which might be less of a torture device.
  • 50m of Mammut climbing line: 15 years old but almost no hours on it and used only as a top roping line, never for lead climbing. It's absorbed exactly zero falls and been stored in the proverbial clean dry place.
  • Petzl helmet & REI carabiners: same vintage
  • Foot Prusik: it's made of two smaller pieces and therefore has twice as many knots as it should. dopey.
  • Throwbag and line: from setting pull lines to control the felling of dead beech on my MIL's land in NC, purchased last year
I stopped in at Phil's Arboreal Candy Castle (aka Treestuff)--which I am VERY fortunate to have as my local supplier--and got a 13" Samurai HD and a cambium saver. I'd also been studying an online copy of Tree Climber's Companion on Scribd but picked up a hardcopy too. Here we go!

My wife's visual documentation of this adventure started after I was in my work position, secured by the Tree Saddle's lanyard. As you can see, I had to clamber to a point almost even with my anchor, which I know is a major no-no and was a huge PITA. I just couldn't hit the higher crotch I wanted with the throwbag. (Actually, with the small water bottle I had to substitute when my only throwbag got hopelessly snagged in the dead bark of the limb I was trying to remove! I DID get it back but need to get a backup.)

Out comes the Samurai...again! (Dead limb already has a kerf in it.)
i-2dBmq8m-XL.jpg


I have to say that getting to this spot using a traditional Clove hitch /pulley-less Blake's hitch and the green foot prusik you see at the lower right of the frame was slow and TOUGH. I was gassed, and I hadn't even started working yet!

In fact, the only thing slower than the climbing was the sawing...
i-RBchVgL-XL.jpg


And the sawing...
i-DgVnDmq-XL.jpg


And, um, more sawing...
i-NF9dGr9-XL.jpg


I pretty much thought my arm would fall off before the limb came down.
In the below picture, there may have been some prayer involved.
i-G7vm9XX-XL.jpg


Finally, gravity prevailed!
i-CGqNXDz-XL.jpg


And I could start my descent.
i-5DT5KD9-XL.jpg


Why the hate face?
i-xvJhhwW-XL.jpg

Could have been the saddle...

So my main technical safety/question--aside from the Reagan-era equipment (I kid)--is whether my descent was "by the book." All I had was my left hand above the Blake's and my right on the rope at my hip (see below). I came down slowly, stopping at points, but had no Figure 8 or other belay device. Was that dumbassery or not?
i-rJQZtKK-X2.jpg


Here's the last pic, and the most whipped I've felt recently. Looks like I am mumbling incoherently. I may have been at this point. Mad props to the guys who do this all day! :bowdown:
i-ZPbGrbs-XL.jpg

Regardless of the agony, it was a LOT of fun and the sense of accomplishment was great. I plan to do more; the trees on my property need a lot of deadwooding.

Things I learned. Alas, most of these lessons cost money!:p
  1. Stay ahead of hydration and calorie intake.
  2. Get. a. PROPER. saddle!!
  3. Upgrade the old equipment for peace of mind
  4. Have a backup throwbag and keep trying to get the crotch you need, not the crotch you can get.
  5. A Micro pulley and a foot ascender would be pretty awesome.
  6. So would a top handle saw.
Thanks to AS for a lot of wisdom and inspiration!
 
If that was the biggest limb I was cutting would be tempted to leave the chainsaw in the truck... (Silky Sugoi...I have a Samarui too, it is nice, but not for making money...good for recreational climbing)

Do upgrade those to auto-locking carabiners, not screw locks.

Yes...back up throw bag (and second line) is a life saver at the right time. (I might have heard of a "friend" who actually had to go to 3rd string :innocent:

I have a foot ascender, and have used it only used it a couple of times. A micro pulley is a huge plus, I'd recommend that way ahead of a foot ascender.

That proper saddle will help. No doubt, it is hard work, but it is amazing how a little comfort cuts down on the amount of energy you burn.

Don't hesitate to have your helper put down the camera and send up a bottle of water.

Finally, do NOT prune red oak during the growing season (Oak wilt). Hold off on those until September/October.

Enjoy and be safe!!!
 
Super helpful reply, ATH. Thank you!

Looks like the summary is:
  • Stick with the handsaw (work on the sawyer's conditioning!)
  • Auto-lock biners
  • second bag and line
  • micro pulley before ascender (do you use a prusik?)
  • new saddle
  • water from the groundie!
If I could pester you a little longer, this worries me the most, as I'd hate to jeopardize the tree...
Finally, do NOT prune red oak during the growing season (Oak wilt). Hold off on those until September/October.
This has nothing to do with live vs. dead limbs, right? It's about not creating openings in the tree.
Should I wait to do all pruning in the fall?

Last, was my descent lacking hardware/somehow unsafe?
 
Good list to work from! Sure, a top handle saw should be on the list at some point...but it is MUCH safer to learn to climb with a handsaw. And with a limited budget, you can spend that money on a safer/more efficient system. By the time you get used to that, and save some more money, you will be safer with the chainsaw.

Yes, I use an eye-to-eye for my friction knot. you can get by without it...but for $25, it is a good buy to me - especially combined with a DMM Hitch Climber pulley...almost pushes the friction knot up for you.

Was your descent unsafe without assistance? I think that has been debated endlessly - and I am not sure I have a perfect answer. It is fine as long as you don't freak out and grab the rope real hard...of course if you do you will probably burn your hand and your natural reaction will be to let go, so maybe that is fine? If you have a figure 8 and let go, you drop like a rock, but if the friction knot is still in place when you let go, that will catch you, so that seems like a good system (friction knot above figure 8). But an 8 twists your rope. Also, I haven't figured out how to put that on below the Hitch Climber in a way that I like. I have a Grigri 2 that I have used for descending, and don't love that either. If you take it slow, I don't have a problem without a mechanical back-up, but I do think it is a good idea to have one. clear as mud???
 
Wanted to give the oak wilt its own reply:

You should avoid any wounding to the tree any time during the flight season of the beetles that vector the disease. I would give this advice to anybody within 3 counties of known infestations. Sure...that probably means you are safe...but it is so deadly why risk it - most of the time the pruning can wait.

If you are JUST cutting dead wood, that is probably OK...but if you cut a little into live tissue, the tree is releasing volatiles that will attract the beetles. Why risk it...just wait 2.5-3 months.

This only applies to oak...I'd say all oak, but especially red oak.

Google "Oak wilt". Lots of good resources - especially from Texas, Minnesota, and the USFS.

Dutch elm disease (American and Slippery elm) is the other pest you schedule pruning around...but unless you are treating the elm, it probably doesn't matter.
 

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