murphy4trees
Addicted to ArboristSite
First time in 26 years of climbing that I had my spikes kick out yesterday... Good news is that the worst thing that got hurt was my pride.... Slid down the trunk about 6-8 feet before the lanyard caught. This was my first day back after taking almost all of february off. Small Norway maple near a house..
Working down the spar. I instinctively went to bear hug the tree and felt like I was getting a decent grip before the lanyard caught. My co-worker said he thought I should have pushed away from the trunk and reset my spikes like they do coming down the poles on in logger's competitions.
I guess I should sharpen the spikes which I rarely do. In retrospect, I did have a rope guide with me but wasn't using it, because I was throwing 4-6' pieces, and thought I would save some time, until I got down to where I was going to block down a piece. Probably should have just taken the extra time to set the rope guide. Also not a bad idea to leave well placed short, 2-3" stubs to catch the lanyard in such cases. Short enough to catch the lanyard, but not long enough to casue the brush to hang up.
In the end I think it was a good wake up call to keep from getting complacent. A good reminder of my mortality and therefore a reminder to focus on safety.
Your feedback and suggestions are appreciated.
Thank you.
Working down the spar. I instinctively went to bear hug the tree and felt like I was getting a decent grip before the lanyard caught. My co-worker said he thought I should have pushed away from the trunk and reset my spikes like they do coming down the poles on in logger's competitions.
I guess I should sharpen the spikes which I rarely do. In retrospect, I did have a rope guide with me but wasn't using it, because I was throwing 4-6' pieces, and thought I would save some time, until I got down to where I was going to block down a piece. Probably should have just taken the extra time to set the rope guide. Also not a bad idea to leave well placed short, 2-3" stubs to catch the lanyard in such cases. Short enough to catch the lanyard, but not long enough to casue the brush to hang up.
In the end I think it was a good wake up call to keep from getting complacent. A good reminder of my mortality and therefore a reminder to focus on safety.
Your feedback and suggestions are appreciated.
Thank you.