# It's a climbing thing, you'll never understand



## begleytree (Jan 24, 2007)

I thought I'd start a thread for us climbers here. From the guy who only does removals to the guy who climbs to snip dead twigs, from the new guy climbing his first tree to the seasoned veteran, we all share something that makes us not only stand head and shoulders above the crowd, but many dozens of feet as well, comfortably wielding a chainsaw at heights that would cause a ground pounder to swoon in fright and cutting wood so close to our own bodies as to make others gasp in fear. 
We intimately know our charges, have caressed places only accessible to us and birds, we live our lives high above, tethered by a silky strand, understanding and manipulating forces of nature in such a way as to make it seem easy. Anyone can fell a tree, one only needs to cut it to accomplish this since gravity is still on, cutting wood to length while standing on the ground? childsplay, our students do this menial task hoping one day to accompany us to heights, to break free of their earthly bonds and walk with us where eagles fly.

So, here's to the climbers onsite, the upper echelon, the very ones this site was named for, the ones who can do everyone else's job, but only he can do his.
sound off climbers, how long you been above the rest?
-Ralph

Begleytree, climber, 20 years exp.


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## OTG BOSTON (Jan 24, 2007)

*Feelin' it*

Wow Ralph, did you have a religous experience recently??

Seriously though I hear what you're saying.

This year will mark my tenth in the business. I've been certified for seven. I climbed full time for seven and now I run the show in a major east coast city. If not for my climbing skills and the confidence that comes with it I wouldn't have lasted three months in my current position. I am no longer required to climb for work but I do to let the people who work for me know I'm the real deal.


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## frodo (Jan 24, 2007)

Two years, self taught, with the help of jepsons T.C.C. I've got a good ground man, (retired climber) helps me a bunch. I am studying to become certified. I would get alot more done if i could quit reading all the archives of this site, but I feel I am learning alot more reading these old conversations. Man this place is awesome!


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## Sunrise Guy (Jan 24, 2007)

Man, well put! 

Just two days ago it was slow around here so I decided to climb one of the red oaks, in my back yard. When I was up at around forty feet, a huge flock of Cedar Waxwings landed in the top of the tree. They hit Austin this time of year, every year, as they head south. I have never been so close to these guys before. The closest was only eight feet from me. I froze and watched them all for a while, then started whistling the Andy Griffith theme song. They perked up and listened but didn't say anything. Then I did The Adams Family and they seemed to look my way a bit more. I thought how cool it is to be able to be up there with these guys, in their territory, and I was thankful that I learned how to climb some four years ago. I will always seek the tops of trees for solace and a sense of serenity. Nothing can beat the feeling, and only we know that, intimately.


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## dshackle3 (Jan 24, 2007)

I take my hat off to all the people that climb and make it seem so easy. It is truly a gift. I just wish the customers could see you all in the same light. It never fails to amaze me the way people act like its a job anyone can do.


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## D Mc (Jan 24, 2007)

Hello boys, been climbing now 38 years but since this is my first post, I get to be called the "newbie". Works for me. 

P.S. Tree climbing is alot easier than keyboarding....

Dave


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## begleytree (Jan 24, 2007)

D Mc, climbing for 38 years hardly qualifies you for newb status! maybe newb to the site.
Welcome!
-Ralph


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## 04superduty (Jan 24, 2007)

D Mc said:


> P.S. Tree climbing is alot easier than keyboarding....
> 
> Dave



lol, and i say the exact opposite.


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## Timberhauler (Jan 24, 2007)

Fifteen years in the saddle for me.I have been blessed in the last year though to be able to now have two different crews and two climbers to handle it.I still do all of the difficult removals and all of the pruning.I wouldn't trade my profession for anything


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## Blinky (Jan 24, 2007)

Well, what 3, maybe 4 months climbing trees; been climbing rocks, towers and buildings, on and off, since 1977. I've been lucky to train with some pretty fair tree climbers so far. Best job I've ever had... I still can't believe people will pay me to climb trees. I shoulda done this a long time ago.


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## Manco (Jan 24, 2007)

16 years for me. Started climbing, worked out of a bucket on various Asplundh models and had a skidder with an LR50 mounted on it for a while, and now climbing again.
The tree tops are a place where you really have to have personal experience to know the feeling you are describing so well. I love the outdoors and can't think of anything I would rather be doing. It really is something that makes me think how good it is to get paid for something you love to do. There are the really tough times but there are tough times in anything you do.:jester: Chainsaws-trees-sawdust-sweat-blood-the various smells-the various sights-sounds-silence. A very infectious combination.
Things I like: a sharp chain that cuts faster than it does out of the box because you sharpened it just right, a new saw, the amazement of a homeowner after a technical takedown, the smell of fresh cut wood, spring time, poplar trees, being outdoors, the sound a large tree makes when the hinge-wood fibers seperate, feeling the ground shake when dropping a large trunk from the ground or in a tree 
Things I don't like: hitting a nail with a chain you just sharpened the chain, a saw that isn't running properly or is just a piece of crap, homeowners who try to tell you how do do your job or what they think you should do with no apparent concern for safety, the smell of sycamore trees, cold cloudy days, having one of the large sticker vines get caught in the teeth of the chain and slam a large thorn into your knuckle, being stuck inside, the sound of hinge-wood fibers seperating before you expect them to, feeling your chain come to a halt when a tree or top sets back:taped: What a job. I remember having one of the toy chainsaws as a kid. I remember chopping trees in the woods pretending to be a lumber-jack. I remember of wanting to go out West and climbing and topping one of the giants and eating lunch on top of the stub, hell, I'd still like to do that.


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## Stihl 041S (Jan 24, 2007)

*Gotta*

It was about 47 years ago i guess. I 'd climb a tree about 70 feet up, til my 8 year old weight would cause the tree to bend and tie a heavy belt to the tree. when a wind storm would come up, , climb up, strap myself in ,back to tree, arms straight out, and enjoy. My mom never found out, as I'm alive today.

Smart? no.

Wonderful. OH Yeah

Take big bites out of life, moderation is for monks-Lazarus Long

Ralph, great post

Rob


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## treeseer (Jan 24, 2007)

Professionally 41.5 years, to seek my refuge and my strength about 50.

The site's named for arborists, and there are a few good arborists who are terrestrial. But I agree, as we were told to Touch Trees to know them, we who touch them all over can know them best.

I can go a day or two without climbing but if it gets close to a week I'm way out of sorts. I need to get off the ground to feel grounded.

Climb to Live, Live to Climb.


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## boo (Jan 25, 2007)

I'm not sure I can describe it in words. 
The things we've done, places we've been, and things we've seen.
So different yet, so the same.
15 years on a rope 
nice thread btw Begleytree


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## elmnut (Jan 25, 2007)

15 years for profit, 30 for fun, lost out on 3 years right off the get go due to parental supervision. Raking sucks.


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## Night Owle (Jan 25, 2007)

*In A Word "Envey"*

I would see guys in the tree's and think "Wow That Is So Cool".
I'm not the kind to sit on the bench as it were,this was something
I HAD to learn.
But it looked so hard to do, How dose all that gear
work...? All those terms they use.....And so on....

But little by little (with some exhalent instruction) it
seemed to come together.Now I look forward to the next
Job.I love the feeling I get tieing My friction hitch and
clipping it on My saddle and UP We go....

Now I get to watch other people as They are Amazed
at what We do.This Truly is a Unique Occupation...!

Night Owle......


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## Thillmaine (Jan 25, 2007)

Licensed for 2, climbing for 2. Loving it since I was a little kid. Remeber a time when my father and I climbed a blue spruce up about 70 feet when I was just a lil fella, treework is in my genes, my grandfather was a logger in the south, and my great grandfather was from the rich agricultural section of Germany (Rhine River Valley) where he as well was a logger. Myself I am a little more refined I like the PHC and clibing rather then just felling. Awesome thread.


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## Sparko (Jan 25, 2007)

Been training since September. Pruned my first tree from a rope with an MS200T today


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## BonsaiJedi (Jan 25, 2007)

great post...I've always been jealous of you acrophillic types but my own fears (and 10 year old snowboarding injuries!) keep me grounded...alas...


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## diltree (Jan 25, 2007)

Ralph, I really enjoyed the way you composed your post, it was articulate, creative, and may I go as far to say poetic! I Climbed my first tree when I was 15, I recall having problems putting the saddle on the right way and learning to tie the taught line hitch, but once I made my way to the top of that 40 foot maple, I felt a unparalleled sense of accomplishment, one might think the top of that 40 foot maple was the top of the world! Recently, I have enjoyed climbing recreationally; subtract the noise of the equipment and the pressure of rigging and cutting, and tree climbing really becomes a wonderful recreational activity. I climbed a huge Rock Maple with fellow arboristsite member Jeff B yesterday, Jeff always has some new tricks to work on, it was a great time!


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## kevinj (Jan 25, 2007)

dshackle3 said:


> I take my hat off to all the people that climb and make it seem so easy. It is truly a gift. I just wish the customers could see you all in the same light. It never fails to amaze me the way people act like its a job anyone can do.



Does getting on a ladder, leaning against a tree count?
No. I feel the same way. 
I've got tons of respect for you guys. 
I wish I could get up there, but I'm terrified of heights.
Think I'd rather bring em down to my level.
Good thread, Ralph.
I think this will be right up there with OLE TOM 361.


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## treevet (Jan 25, 2007)

This is a great thread. I ve been climbing since 1970 when returning from Viet Nam without any lapses. I have a 55 and 75 foot aerial truck but there is still lots of stuff you can t get to. Love climbing from the onset and never was a groundy or spray guy. I operate a tree service w just one employee but before you start feeling sorry for me I have mass equipment, a beautiful home and best of all--I am still a climber. I love the way it makes my body feel. You hit muscles you don t get in the weight room and pull harder on them when it may be your life not just a dumbell on your big toe. Everything took a decided turn when I quit drinking and crooked cigarettes 17 years ago. To get the scared anymore I got to be in the 100 foot plus. There is just sheer pleasure in moving around in any tree w your bodyon auto pilot w the balance and skillsinvolved and either working on a beautiful living organism or the ability to remove a difficult takedown. The only similar feeling in my life is taking a 100 mph sweeper on my triumph speed triple or a racquetball match (i can still compete at top level in my area bcs of tree work) w both of us blasting the ball at each other. You guys are all lucky or smart or both to choose this profession. Ditto: "Touch trees". Al Shigo.


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## jmack (Jan 25, 2007)

begleytree said:


> I thought I'd start a thread for us climbers here. From the guy who only does removals to the guy who climbs to snip dead twigs, from the new guy climbing his first tree to the seasoned veteran, we all share something that makes us not only stand head and shoulders above the crowd, but many dozens of feet as well, comfortably wielding a chainsaw at heights that would cause a ground pounder to swoon in fright and cutting wood so close to our own bodies as to make others gasp in fear.
> We intimately know our charges, have caressed places only accessible to us and birds, we live our lives high above, tethered by a silky strand, understanding and manipulating forces of nature in such a way as to make it seem easy. Anyone can fell a tree, one only needs to cut it to accomplish this since gravity is still on, cutting wood to length while standing on the ground? childsplay, our students do this menial task hoping one day to accompany us to heights, to break free of their earthly bonds and walk with us where eagles fly.
> 
> So, here's to the climbers onsite, the upper echelon, the very ones this site was named for, the ones who can do everyone else's job, but only he can do his.
> ...


'81 summers, '83 fulltime sweet career!


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## Tree Slayer (Jan 25, 2007)

I was sent up in a very large Linden tree with another climber when I was 16 on summer vacation. That was in 1977 been doing trees ever since.I don't climb as much as i use to, but still climb when I have to or feel like it.


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## beowulf343 (Jan 25, 2007)

Best job there is!! Nothing like the feeling of dropping out a top from seventy feet in the air, roping huge leads over roofs and dropping them in a tiny landing areas, muscling a 394 through a cottonwood while still thirty feet up, the smell of the saw when you first start it on a cold winter day, feeling the tree flexing under your feet when you are up on a windy day, the awe on people's faces when you drop a thirty foot stem into a little backyard-man I could just go on. Got to give credit to my groundies though-without the excellent work they do, my job would would be nowhere as awesome. 
Twelve years professionally.


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## underwor (Jan 25, 2007)

40 years since I started. Not full time now, but I try to keep up to help warp the young minds that I have in class. I tell them that I will not make them do anything I wouldn't. Usually have to back that up at least once a year. Enjoy every minute in the tree.


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## Davey Dog (Jan 25, 2007)

I am coming up on 12 years saddle time now...... I wouldnt change anything about the choices that I have made in my life. I love the work I do and wouldnt go back if I could.

Great thread......


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## adkranger (Jan 25, 2007)

Great thread Ralph.. 20 years experience in the trees, not counting my boyhood facination in driving my mother absolutely crazy by climbing the willows, hemlocks, maples, silos, barns and pretty much everything else in the woods around our house. Climbed full time for ten years before my current career, but could not get it out of my blood plus still had all my own gear so I've been climbing "on the side" for the last ten years. Plus my day job affords me lots of rope time on rock, ice, the occaisional rescue and my personal favorite out of a helicopter. Nothing like a 100' rap off a floating anchor with nothin' but air around ya.:rockn: 

Nothing draws an appreciative suburban crowd like a skilled climber workin' tricky riggin' on a sporty take down. The puzzle of figuring out how you're going to work that big nasty down into crowded little yard. The feeling when you pull off a move you knew you could do, but still there was that little nagging voice warning you that it had to be perfect or...... When that last piece is off safely and you're down to the bare stem. It's all good. I liked reading the previous posts. From the 40+ year guys to the guys just starting out, cheers.


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## Xtra (Jan 25, 2007)

Going on 4 years now. 
I spent 14+ yrs behind a desk getting lazy and fat. After being "downsized" and getting laid off all my old work mates thought I had gone crazy or must be a middle life crisis, to start up a tree service company and god forbid do manual labor. Well, now I'm trim and tight and feel great. I have more energy to play with my sons (8 & 3 yrs). The wife still hasn't completely bought into my lifestyle change - too physical & dangerous.

My two best experiences in the tree.
Two years ago about 70 ft up in a pine on the highest point in town next to the river. I was able to see above all the houses, out to the ocean, the giant hangers at Lakehurst Naval Base, and people water skiing below me. I thought if I erased the manmade stuff, I was looking at what the indians would have seen some 200 years ago. Then the sun came out and I was just hanging up there basking in the sun and taking in the beauty.

The other experience was doing a tall dead oak and looking down in the lot next door. Through the overgrowth I saw a cherry tree I used to play in as a kid (and broke my collar bone when the rope snapped that I was swinging on some 35 years earlier). About that same time my kids came down to see what Daddy does up in the trees . . . life kinda came full circle that day. 

BTW:
Excellent description Ralph. If only my wife & clients could understand it.


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## vharrison2 (Jan 26, 2007)

dshackle3 said:


> It is truly a gift.



dshackle, I agree.


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## Bermie (Jan 26, 2007)

I've been working outdoors since 1984, a four year stint teaching, then I finally got my feet off the ground in 2003 and I wish I hadn't taken so long. 
I love it, I love the anticipation of sizing up the job, of doing what's right for the tree, hanging out on a branch in the sun, taking a phone call from a friend who's stuck in an office:biggrinbounce2: 
I love looking back at the trees as you leave the site, and visiting them again to see how they're doing. 
I love a fell that goes right, and talking with friends who share their experiences and advice when you need to talk about something that didn't go so well.

We're all waxing so poetic...I don't like loads of scratches and sawdust in my eyes, and sometimes the aches are a bit much, well, if that's all that's wrong, it's a pretty good job! 

I DO NOT miss raking leaves, spraying chemicals, hours with a weed whacker or hoeing flower beds!


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## adam (Jan 28, 2007)

*walk with us where eagles fly...*

20 years for me, mostly "where racoons defecate", but I love it
adam


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## EngineerDude (Jan 28, 2007)

BonsaiJedi said:


> ...acrophillic ... ???



Not sure what you're getting at.


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## treeseer (Jan 28, 2007)

EngineerDude said:


> Not sure what you're getting at.



acro = heights

philic = loving

Opposite of acrophobic. What's not to get? It's all Greek to me.:jester:


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## EngineerDude (Jan 28, 2007)

Ralph, I agree with diltree and all the others who said "great post"!

I guess I'm a newbie, having only been climbing with ropes for a year or so, and at that, far less frequently than you guys who do it for a living. And I suppose I'm a late bloomer too, as age 50+ probably isn't the typical time to begin.

Someone else in this thread used the term "envy". My envy is for all you guys who've been doing it and loving it for so long. But the bug has now bitten me, and I'll just say better late than never.

BTW, reading the thread brought back some wonderful memories of my mother, who used to be so frustrated with my coming home from free climbing our evergreens, all covered with pine pitch, and yet she never punished me nor forbid me from doing it. Wishing she was still around so we could share a laugh on it.

Great post!


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## booboo (Jan 28, 2007)

Sweet thread. 10 years full time, mostly climbing, some in a bucket. 10 more years "on the side". Still love every chance to get off the ground...not many people can say that they come home pysched after a day of work they've been doing for 20 years. The sounds, the smells. I personally love looking at a piece of wood, figuring out what it is going to do, and then making it do exactly that. That and getting to the top, and just taking a deep breath and a look around...it's a lot more quiet up there. There's very few people that can pull off some of the stuff we do. That's a great feeling.

:rockn:


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## nitwit dolt (Jan 28, 2007)

While thinking about how long I've been climbing I realized that I haven't been to church since I started climbing trees. I still say my prayers, I just found a better place to say them.


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## M.D. Vaden (Jan 28, 2007)

treeseer said:


> Professionally 41.5 years, to seek my refuge and my strength about 50.
> 
> The site's named for arborists, and there are a few good arborists who are terrestrial. But I agree, as we were told to Touch Trees to know them, we who touch them all over can know them best.
> 
> ...



Which means that those who touch the tops, AND work with the roots like planting, have touched them best.

Climb and Dig to Live and Live and to Dig and Climb.

A tribute to those of us who have dug holes big enough to rival our heights  

It's not like I never had climbing gear


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## oldugly (Jan 29, 2007)

Some of you guys humble me...I've only been in the business 30 years, and I still get nervous over 50 feet with winds over 30 mph. Still do it all the time, but gets me a bit nervous.
I love working with other tree guys on the trees they don't want to do. Learning or trying new rigging techniques and watching my groundman, (my son) groan when he sees what I'm trying. I love going to work at dawn on a hot day, making the days quota and coming home to go fishing with some daylight left. I love the way the customers will watch with amazement as we pull down an "impossible" takedown.
I have enjoyed many things in this profession, but wonder how my life would have been different if I had a "real" job.  
Great posts guys. As it has been said before, no one will ever completely understand.....except us. Wow!


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## minderaser66 (Jan 29, 2007)

climbing since 87. seen some funny ????, some weird ????, some coon ????,some scary ???? and some ???? i never want to ever see again. wouldnt give it up for the world.
stand proud....this is a damn tough job,not for heroes or show offs.
sometimes after ive just blown the top out of a huge tree i just light a smoke , think about those turds who work in an office all day. the poor bastards!


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## Munkee feet (Jan 30, 2007)

*climbers*

I have been climbing trees since i was knee high to a grass hopper. I started making $$$ in 1988...and 19 years later...I think I am starting to make money..great thread...in that I know I cant be wrong on this one. 
Munkee feet


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## feller (Jan 30, 2007)

*what i like*

Finding a way to flop a 65 foot tree into someone's 50 foot back yard. :hmm3grin2orange: I like a saw that sings when under load. I like working with my mates!!! Tree bastards like me. I sometimes like those old tiny canvas saddles made by Asplundh. You can hardly tell your wearing one. I like a good climb. I like it when work is made simple by me and my crew. I dam well like a cold beer after a nasty climb. I like the feeling I get when i finnish a large trim, and I know it's my best. I like smooth bucket work. I like being proud of one set-up that reaches EVERYTHING !! I like a good clean-up, especially when I had nothing to do with it. I like having the site groomed before the climber comes down. What do you guys like? Stay safe/sane.


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## adam (Jan 31, 2007)

feller said:


> Finding a way to flop a 65 foot tree into someone's 50 foot back yard. :hmm3grin2orange: I like a saw that sings when under load. I like working with my mates!!! Tree bastards like me. I sometimes like those old tiny canvas saddles made by Asplundh. You can hardly tell your wearing one. I like a good climb. I like it when work is made simple by me and my crew. I dam well like a cold beer after a nasty climb. I like the feeling I get when i finnish a large trim, and I know it's my best. I like smooth bucket work. I like being proud of one set-up that reaches EVERYTHING !! I like a good clean-up, especially when I had nothing to do with it. I like having the site groomed before the climber comes down. What do you guys like? Stay safe/sane.



I loved watching my boss from a top of a tree, tiny, ant-size, insignificant figurine. Cold beer and clean-up done by somebody else are always good.adam


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## feller (Feb 1, 2007)

*prayers*



nitwit dolt said:


> While thinking about how long I've been climbing I realized that I haven't been to church since I started climbing trees. I still say my prayers, I just found a better place to say them.



Said a few myself.


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## feller (Feb 1, 2007)

*Where racoons defecate*



adam said:


> 20 years for me, mostly "where racoons defecate", but I love it
> adam


I treaded where racoons defecated today. I think your analogy is much closer to our truth than ''Where eagles fly'' Feller.


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## begleytree (Feb 1, 2007)

feller said:


> I treaded where racoons defecated today. I think your analogy is much closer to our truth than ''Where eagles fly'' Feller.



yeah well the eagles thing was more poetic 
-Ralph


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## feller (Feb 1, 2007)

*My boss. The tiny, ant-sized figurine.*



adam said:


> I loved watching my boss from a top of a tree, tiny, ant-size, insignificant figurine. Cold beer and clean-up done by somebody else are always good.adam


I once had a boss that was a tiny, insignificant, ant sized figurine!! Needless to say, he was a crappy boss!! He didn't understand what we do, and constantly he would be a pain in the ass on site. So, I would climb up much higher than necessary, and just look at him. He really was a tiny, insignificant ant sized figurine. I feel kind of sorry for him now, because my tree company now has 15 % of his gross sales. I should be ashamed of myself. Or not. Feller


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## feller (Feb 1, 2007)

*Poetry*



begleytree said:


> yeah well the eagles thing was more poetic
> -Ralph


I think your right. I like the eagles.


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## feller (Feb 1, 2007)

*Things I Don't Like*



Manco said:


> 16 years for me. Started climbing, worked out of a bucket on various Asplundh models and had a skidder with an LR50 mounted on it for a while, and now climbing again.
> The tree tops are a place where you really have to have personal experience to know the feeling you are describing so well. I love the outdoors and can't think of anything I would rather be doing. It really is something that makes me think how good it is to get paid for something you love to do. There are the really tough times but there are tough times in anything you do.:jester: Chainsaws-trees-sawdust-sweat-blood-the various smells-the various sights-sounds-silence. A very infectious combination.
> Things I like: a sharp chain that cuts faster than it does out of the box because you sharpened it just right, a new saw, the amazement of a homeowner after a technical takedown, the smell of fresh cut wood, spring time, poplar trees, being outdoors, the sound a large tree makes when the hinge-wood fibers seperate, feeling the ground shake when dropping a large trunk from the ground or in a tree
> Things I don't like: hitting a nail with a chain you just sharpened the chain, a saw that isn't running properly or is just a piece of crap, homeowners who try to tell you how do do your job or what they think you should do with no apparent concern for safety, the smell of sycamore trees, cold cloudy days, having one of the large sticker vines get caught in the teeth of the chain and slam a large thorn into your knuckle, being stuck inside, the sound of hinge-wood fibers seperating before you expect them to, feeling your chain come to a halt when a tree or top sets back:taped: What a job. I remember having one of the toy chainsaws as a kid. I remember chopping trees in the woods pretending to be a lumber-jack. I remember of wanting to go out West and climbing and topping one of the giants and eating lunch on top of the stub, hell, I'd still like to do that.


Hinge wood snapping before you wanted it to? We all have some sh$!ty days, but we make it work none the less. Anyone who does not admit to that is not a vet.


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## treemendous (Feb 2, 2007)

that was kinda poetic.
Great post.
I do love doing this stuff. 
Certainly gets into your head thinking about trees, looking at trees, talking about trees. Oh, and tools too!
I like getting the mojo going when dropping a big top! 
I really love eating lunch 100' up on a big D-fir with a view of the ocean, eagles and hawks around with a cool breeze on a sunny day.


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## adam (Feb 2, 2007)

begleytree said:


> yeah well the eagles thing was more poetic
> -Ralph



poetic and very true. I was there too, contemplating the view. racoon stuff is very small price to pay for "eagle's" experience. adam


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## Thetreewisemen (Feb 6, 2007)

Best part of 20 years off the ground. Worked as a forester and a gamekeeper also...........but during that time was always climbing on the side for the extra $$ and of course the buzz. Smashed two discs in my back which kept me off my feet for almost 3 months last year, had a (freakishly large) bone chip removed from my elbow socket the year before and according to 'them' part of my hearing range is totally non existent. Cortisone and lidocaine baby.......and just say 'WHAT?' to the wife.


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## rebelman (Feb 8, 2007)

Tree wise man--that;s a catchy phrase.


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## Thetreewisemen (Feb 8, 2007)

Why thankyou..


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## cobbler (Feb 12, 2007)

nitwit dolt said:


> While thinking about how long I've been climbing I realized that I haven't been to church since I started climbing trees. I still say my prayers, I just found a better place to say them.



One spring in the mid seventies I got a "job" climbing into eagle nests around the Chesapeake banding the young. Before each climb I would get very meditative. The nest would be 70+ feet up, weigh 500 or more pounds and overhang 2 to 3 feet all around. All dead sticks and not much to grab onto. The last few moves up and over the nest overhang were always a trip. After that move I would lay in the nest next to 1 to 3 eaglets to let my arms and mind relax. The adults would be flying 1000 feet overhead chirping in that funny call. The sure don't sound like red tail hawks  Sit up, take a sip of water, pull the bands and rivet gun out of the bag and reach over for the nearest chick. Finish the job, climb back over the edge of the nest and set up the rappel down. Hit the groud and say the prayers again. Did not make my living from tree work but the impression was indelible. Cobbler


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## Thetreewisemen (Feb 13, 2007)

WOW!! that sounds incredible, I would love to do that. I've always had a fascination with raptors, eagles esp. Saw some golden eagles nesting back in the UK, but to actually get up in the nest with them, that's just magical! Were the parents 'dive bombing' you when you were banding the chicks? My back yard is on a tidal flow river, so I often get the chance to watch ospreys swoop down and pluck striped sea bass from the water, quite a sight. I'm trying to persuade the village that I live in to erect, or let me erect, a nesting platform for them, then I can get a decent spotting scope and watch the 'private' life of a family of ospreys. I helped out in a bird of prey centre back in the UK for a while also, mainly flying and hunting rabbits with a Harris hawk....that was pretty cool too.


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## cobbler (Feb 13, 2007)

Thetreewisemen said:


> Were the parents 'dive bombing' you when you were banding the chicks? .



We were never bombed by the eagles. I've been told that the only place Bald Eagles do that is in the Aleutians where they tend to nest on low ledges and get the habit from defending a nest from ground predators. There are not many ground predators that will climb 70 feet to raid an eagles nest in the lower 48. Goshawks and Coops are another thing. Don't want to climb into there nests without back of neck protection. Cobbler


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## begleytree (Feb 13, 2007)

cobbler said:


> We were never bombed by the eagles.


tell that to chris farley! remember the movie _almost heros_? c'on ya dam bird!!  funny movie!
my favourites were " whitewater in the morning", "the bear is worse!!" and "he's got something in his hands!"
-Ralph


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## hobby climber (Feb 13, 2007)

Nothing better than eating your lunch 75'+ up in a big cottonwood tree and having the best seat in the HOUSE! 

Just can't beat the view! HC


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## Industry (Feb 13, 2007)

Been climbing for tree work 2 years. I used to climb trees as a kid all the time. My friend and I used to climb up these two trees that were 4 feet apart at the top, then try to kick the other out of their respective tree. I can't believe we are still alive actually I don't know what we would have done if we had actually succeeded in kicking someone out of a tree top! I get to do all the fun stuff in trees like trimming over 19Kv lines, doing removals near those same lines, but I do like my Bucket truck on days when it's really windy or I'm just too sore to pull myself into the tree


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## PassionForTrees (Feb 14, 2007)

Hello to all you fellow Tree Freaks! I solute all of you. I too am feeling it still after 20 years back in the Hurricane Hugo Trip to SouthCarolina throught the years , Tornados, Ice Bad Bad Ice in Main, New Hampshire to Local Mishaps.
Self employes now for 7 years full time Passion For Trees L.L.C. here in CT.
Finding this site is cool, there are others like me?? no way cant be.
Seems like there is, I thought for real it was just me with the Passion, do it right , do it well. Make it count.
Everybody dies, But not everyone really lives!!!!!!!!!! Climbing is like being home as comfortable as you can litterally be. Many times I have the bucket and it is just easyer to climb it to do it right ( Pruning, Cleaning etc.) Costomers say " why would you climb if you have that big truck?" I tell them to do your tree the right way proper cuts not braking branches to get in there to reach everything etc. and on we go. I have a concience , I have heard it all, from groundman to big boss Crap. Talk Talk Talk
Maybe thats why I am the way I am , If I talk the talk , I will walk the walk I talk. Sorry to give you my little frustration throught the years. I look too much and see ???? work too much , makes me sick.
But the true enjoyment lies within. Has anyone been in large Sequoia, or tall Red wood, douglas fur? WOW Oh my god, Give it a try and enjoy.
Rich [email protected] 
Be Smart, Safe , work hard and steady and LIVE!


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## soutz (Feb 14, 2007)

Been in the paid game 8 years,been climbing anything since i could. hows this,live in new zealand on the coast, beautiful.Climbing up the coast from here and dead wooding a large pohutukawa over the owners clifftop mansion.awesome view taking a break in the harness and stopped just to bestill and pinch myself how wicked this journey is and at that moment a pod of dolpins whent past about 40ft below ,just cruizing and going about their day to day travelings i would guess.how good is that, you are in nature in this profession, up close and personal.


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## Shockthemonkey (Feb 14, 2007)

Unless you count the treehouse that me and my brothers built when I was 12yrs old, I've only been climbing trees professionally 20 yrs. I started trimmin in OKC in 1987 (April 1st what a seniority date) for Asplundh. Asplundhs estimate is that each trimmer ought to be able to trim 1 tree per hour if that's true that would be around 2,080 trees per year! After 20 yrs that would be 41,600 trees trimmed. I think Asplundh is a little high on there estimate but still If I have trimmed 1/2 that many, thats still a butt load of trees! Until 2yrs ago the biggest tree I had been in was a 100' cotton wood in Topeka KS I tied in at about 80' or 85'. I imagine some people will post here and claim to have no fear of heights. I personally have a fearful respect for heights. Two years ago I had the oportunity to go down to Houston TX and remove 3 loblolly pines that were about 130' tall, when you tie in at 100' and climb 10' over your tie in and pop the 20' top out of a loblolly I don't know about you but that scared the $hi7 out of me! I mentioned April 1st of 87 some of you have done the math and figured out 20yrs isn't till April 1st this year. Well April 1st guess what I'm doin  
Yall Climb Safely
Joe OH Yea If you Yahoo look at the pics album here: 
http://360.yahoo.com/profile-LQUrd3k7da7Uk3XHPJpEBQ--


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## Treeman587 (Feb 14, 2007)

Hi, I am new here. I have been in business for four years. Climbing for almost that long. I know we all have different outlooks on treework. For me it is nice to be up high. It is great knowing most people don't have the nuts to do what we do. But my favorite is dumping the top off. Making the back cut and as it starts to go, clicking the saw off, throwing an arm around the pole and riding it out.


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## DonnyO (Feb 14, 2007)

I saw a slogan on a tree company t-shirt that said. "you gotta have nuts, or be nuts!"


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## arborealbuffoon (Feb 15, 2007)

I guess it all started for me back in the mid 70's. I used to ride my bicycle off into the woods near my father's cabin and watch the loggers do their thing. To this day the commingled smell of diesel and pine resin evoke fond memories. The sight of a snot-nosed brat in the woods certainly caused many a raised eyebrow! Not long after those first voyeuristic logging episodes, I was "adopted" by a gruff yet loving neighbor who worked multi-purpose timber sales on his own. The Old Dead Logger (as we now fondly refer to him) took me under his wing, and before long I was schlepping around an old Homeheavy xl-925. We cut everything but pulpwood, including posts, poles, and sawtimber. Those summers in the woods were the best. I still miss my wise old friend, and I think of him often. He taught me more about saws and woodsmanship than I would have ever thought possible. (And he wouldn't have known a taut-line hitch if it bit him!)
This all ultimately lead me to a tree service job years later while 'back east' attending college. I learned the climbing aspect of urban forestry, and eventually started a tree care business in the early 90's. I still climb often, but I most enjoy the precise application of the old notch and back cut. Something about being able to put a tree exactly where it has to go still gives me pleasure. Simple combination of man, tool, and experience!


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## adam (Feb 15, 2007)

*pohutukawa*



soutz said:


> Been in the paid game 8 years,been climbing anything since i could. hows this,live in new zealand on the coast, beautiful.Climbing up the coast from here and dead wooding a large pohutukawa over the owners clifftop mansion.awesome view taking a break in the harness and stopped just to bestill and pinch myself how wicked this journey is and at that moment a pod of dolpins whent past about 40ft below ,just cruizing and going about their day to day travelings i would guess.how good is that, you are in nature in this profession, up close and personal.


I've never climbed pohutukawa and probably never will. could you post a picture of this tree? one on my pic is white oak.


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## rahtreelimbs (Feb 15, 2007)

Climbing trees gives me a sense of difference. I'm an average climber at best. Go to a gathering of friends or family and there aren't too many climbers!

Plus the freedom you get 80 ft. on a limbwalk cannot be described with words!!!


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## feller (Feb 15, 2007)

*Eagles and cranes*

One day I was climbing a very large Willow tree. When I was tied in at the top, a crane swooped in around my side of the tree, and landed on a limb about 20 feet from me. As it landed, I admired it. It took it's time folding up it's wings, and it reminded me of the reasons why I like working outside. I have also had the pleasure of being all the way up a tree when a flock of smaller birds landed in it. Maybe 300 or so?!! It was so noisy!!!! The ocassional racoon hangs out while I trim a tree, but they keep their distance. Some are a little scared of squrrels, but I don't mind them running down my back-they're only being squrrels after all. P.S. You were right, Ralph. Things I don't like: Lawers, Book keepers, Accountants, and confusing paperwork. I might as well suck it up though, as they all help me run my business.


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## feller (Feb 15, 2007)

*Asplundh-Making them money.*



Shockthemonkey said:


> Unless you count the treehouse that me and my brothers built when I was 12yrs old, I've only been climbing trees professionally 20 yrs. I started trimmin in OKC in 1987 (April 1st what a seniority date) for Asplundh. Asplundhs estimate is that each trimmer ought to be able to trim 1 tree per hour if that's true that would be around 2,080 trees per year! After 20 yrs that would be 41,600 trees trimmed. I think Asplundh is a little high on there estimate but still If I have trimmed 1/2 that many, thats still a butt load of trees! Until 2yrs ago the biggest tree I had been in was a 100' cotton wood in Topeka KS I tied in at about 80' or 85'. I imagine some people will post here and claim to have no fear of heights. I personally have a fearful respect for heights. Two years ago I had the oportunity to go down to Houston TX and remove 3 loblolly pines that were about 130' tall, when you tie in at 100' and climb 10' over your tie in and pop the 20' top out of a loblolly I don't know about you but that scared the $hi7 out of me! I mentioned April 1st of 87 some of you have done the math and figured out 20yrs isn't till April 1st this year. Well April 1st guess what I'm doin
> Yall Climb Safely
> Joe OH Yea If you Yahoo look at the pics album here:
> http://360.yahoo.com/profile-LQUrd3k7da7Uk3XHPJpEBQ--


Its true. I worked for Asplundh for a couple of years around 1996 and found them the same way. The crew that was bad for that was from Alberta. Although, I really liked my mate Jeff. We worked together in Winipeg. I also think that a healthy, average respect for heights is a good thing. It sure is a relief when you finally get to the top of a tree, after a 40 minute climb, and you get tied in. Happy birthday in that tree-if that's what your doin. Although I wouldn't spend my birthday there. :bday:


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## ropensaddle (Feb 19, 2007)

*very good*



begleytree said:


> I thought I'd start a thread for us climbers here. From the guy who only does removals to the guy who climbs to snip dead twigs, from the new guy climbing his first tree to the seasoned veteran, we all share something that makes us not only stand head and shoulders above the crowd, but many dozens of feet as well, comfortably wielding a chainsaw at heights that would cause a ground pounder to swoon in fright and cutting wood so close to our own bodies as to make others gasp in fear.
> We intimately know our charges, have caressed places only accessible to us and birds, we live our lives high above, tethered by a silky strand, understanding and manipulating forces of nature in such a way as to make it seem easy. Anyone can fell a tree, one only needs to cut it to accomplish this since gravity is still on, cutting wood to length while standing on the ground? childsplay, our students do this menial task hoping one day to accompany us to heights, to break free of their earthly bonds and walk with us where eagles fly.
> 
> So, here's to the climbers onsite, the upper echelon, the very ones this site was named for, the ones who can do everyone else's job, but only he can do his.
> ...


excellent post I have been in the
tree tops many years and one day it was not eagles! I was in a large water oak that everyone called a pin oak when a flutter of leaves caught my attention. I got to spend the next thirty minutes seeing something few do;
It was a flying squirrel that was not happy she would climb up to me then fly back down, squealing at me to get outta here home ! 

I decided to come down after noticing she had babies in hallow 
limb I was about to cut! I talked it over with property owner and decided to come back later after babies could make it on their own . I have climbed over twenty years this was the only time I ever saw these remarkable critters and I found out 'they are night critters'!!!

ps:good good post


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## feller (Feb 19, 2007)

*Tough stubs*

Over the years, I have come across a few tree trunks that were very difficult to cut through. Even cutting a thin cookie off the top made the saw feel like it was cutting crooked and binding up. (Although it was a brand new chain and very sharp) This occurs in trees that have had a heavy lean on the trunk with most of the tree's weight going one way. I'm only trying to block down the last 5 pieces of a standing trunk. Both examples ocurred when I was cutting through old leaning Manitoba trunks about 4 or 5 feet in diameter. Does a tree that leans heavily for many years cause it's own wood inside to become loaded, even when the whole top is removed and only the trunk remains? Does anyone even know what I'm talking about? I may not be explaining it well. RSVP. FELLER


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## feller (Feb 19, 2007)

*Silent saw*



Treeman587 said:


> Hi, I am new here. I have been in business for four years. Climbing for almost that long. I know we all have different outlooks on treework. For me it is nice to be up high. It is great knowing most people don't have the nuts to do what we do. But my favorite is dumping the top off. Making the back cut and as it starts to go, clicking the saw off, throwing an arm around the pole and riding it out.


I love to shut the saw off and have it on the lanyard even before the top comes off. Then listen as it makes that blowing sound as it sails to the ground. I dont like going for a ride anymore, so I sometimes make sure the top is completely severed before it even hinges over half way (as long as I can see it's going my way) Not having a dangerous ride makes your removal more smooth and professional. (Sometimes a little swing may be necessary - drop crotching a top off a skinny pine, or making a tree top hinge over all the way and fall like an arrow at the ground)


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## Kneejerk Bombas (Feb 19, 2007)

Yes feller, I know well of what you speak.
Today in fact, I was running a 3 foot bar through a tree at about 30 feet up where there was a bend. When the saw hit the compression wood it slowed way down. The grain get really tight and the wood is stronger than you can imagine.
You'd think the tension wood would be strong, but it's the compression wood that slows the saw down.


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## feller (Feb 19, 2007)

*Bringing it all back to simplicity*



arborealbuffoon said:


> I guess it all started for me back in the mid 70's. I used to ride my bicycle off into the woods near my father's cabin and watch the loggers do their thing. To this day the commingled smell of diesel and pine resin evoke fond memories. The sight of a snot-nosed brat in the woods certainly caused many a raised eyebrow! Not long after those first voyeuristic logging episodes, I was "adopted" by a gruff yet loving neighbor who worked multi-purpose timber sales on his own. The Old Dead Logger (as we now fondly refer to him) took me under his wing, and before long I was schlepping around an old Homeheavy xl-925. We cut everything but pulpwood, including posts, poles, and sawtimber. Those summers in the woods were the best. I still miss my wise old friend, and I think of him often. He taught me more about saws and woodsmanship than I would have ever thought possible. (And he wouldn't have known a taut-line hitch if it bit him!)
> This all ultimately lead me to a tree service job years later while 'back east' attending college. I learned the climbing aspect of urban forestry, and eventually started a tree care business in the early 90's. I still climb often, but I most enjoy the precise application of the old notch and back cut. Something about being able to put a tree exactly where it has to go still gives me pleasure. Simple combination of man, tool, and experience!


This skill for flopping big trees into just the right spot takes a lot of experience. It also irritates the hell out of budding climbers who can't wait to climb a tree !!!!! I personally love shaving 2 hrs. off a job through skill and care.


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## spongygumz (Feb 20, 2007)

*Old timer*

I started climbing in 1979 and haven't looked back.Never fell,cut my rope once,dropped plenty of saws.But you know what? I STILL LOVE IT!!!! You don't see any web sites for concrete guys or plumbers or roofers.Same song,different jukebox.What makes us different?That is a question I truly want the answer to.I'm 51 and still get excited going to work every day.I love showing the hot shot tree climbers how to remove a hazardous tree with finesse and grace.I'm always thinking 5-6 cuts ahead.There's nothing like it.The most fun you can have with all of your clothes on!Giving me money to trim a tree ,is the same thing as giving a 10 yr old 50 bucks to ride the roller coaster and eat cotton candy all day.I took to tree work like a 16 yr old zit-faced kid takes to cheerleaders in tight sweaters!!! Yikes!!!


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## adam (Feb 20, 2007)

*the most fun*

Spongygumz, I agree 100% but also I pray that my clients stick to ????sites, if they read this they gonna ask me to pay them for climbing their trees.


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## adam (Feb 20, 2007)

I've ment sites with adult content, what is this?


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## ropensaddle (Feb 21, 2007)

*compressionwood*



Mike Maas said:


> Yes feller, I know well of what you speak.
> Today in fact, I was running a 3 foot bar through a tree at about 30 feet up where there was a bend. When the saw hit the compression wood it slowed way down. The grain get really tight and the wood is stronger than you can imagine.
> You'd think the tension wood would be strong, but it's the compression wood that slows the saw down.




I will second that just the word itself says so can be factor in
directional notching the tension wood can help here. they both
have different properties but compression is dense stuff.


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## feller (Feb 21, 2007)

*Mind Space*

Some of the big trees we cut down make you stop and think, "Why do I do this for a living?" Being a reletavely new business, we tend to get a lot of big removals. We do them all. But sometimes, looking at one of these huge trees, I can get a little bit discouraged when it comes on the wrong day. I have noticed that this frame of mind can seriously affect your BALLS. (I mean nasty situations are harder to deal with.) If you've dealt with these situations for many years, it can build up on you, especially when you are self employed and expecting a baby !!!!!!! When your frame of mind comes around and you're warmed up, you're a [email protected]#$i'n pro. Does anyone else suffer these mid-career blues?


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## booboo (Feb 22, 2007)

feller said:


> Some of the big trees we cut down make you stop and think, "Why do I do this for a living?" Being a reletavely new business, we tend to get a lot of big removals. We do them all. But sometimes, looking at one of these huge trees, I can get a little bit discouraged when it comes on the wrong day. I have noticed that this frame of mind can seriously affect your BALLS. (I mean nasty situations are harder to deal with.) If you've dealt with these situations for many years, it can build up on you, especially when you are self employed and expecting a baby !!!!!!! When your frame of mind comes around and you're warmed up, you're a [email protected]#$i'n pro. Does anyone else suffer these mid-career blues?



Yeah, my full time, pay the bills (sort of), keep the family insured gig that I'm about 1/2 way to retirement eligibility on is becoming a serious drag. It's getting tough to show up with much enthusiasm these days. I often think about going back to tree care full time...seems like things were a lot simpler then, but I didn't know it at the time.

Oh wait, that's not what you meant was it? :bang:


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## feller (Feb 25, 2007)

*Green grass*



booboo said:


> Yeah, my full time, pay the bills (sort of), keep the family insured gig that I'm about 1/2 way to retirement eligibility on is becoming a serious drag. It's getting tough to show up with much enthusiasm these days. I often think about going back to tree care full time...seems like things were a lot simpler then, but I didn't know it at the time.
> 
> Oh wait, that's not what you meant was it? :bang:


I guess the grass is always greener on the other side. Not that I dont love what I do, but with many years you can become all too aware of the pros and cons.


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## tree md (Feb 27, 2007)

Been climbing trees as long as I can remember for fun and refuge. I climbed a lot as a kid to hunt from an elevated position. Had a guy offer to put me to work on a tree job in 91, I guess I was 23. I worked that first day on the ground and watched two climbers work. They kept having to yell at me to get to work because I was mesmerized by the climbing and the technical takedowns (we dropped 14 trees that day). At the end of the day the guy I worked for handed me a hundred dollar bill and I told him next time I wanted to climb. Lol, the next day he sent me up a tree with a set of his older climbing gear and I never worked as a groundsman again. Sure, I worked on the ground when I had too but from then on I was a climber. I ended up buying the second hand climbing gear from the guy by working it off. Learned a lot from that old guy. I never will forget one I took down with that guy just before I went out on my own. It was about a 75' hardwood that was dead in the top and had three forks that went out over a swimming pool. I butt tied the three forks together and they tied the rope to the truck to pull the top off of me. I notched the tree just under the three main forks about 40' up in the tree. I noticed the neighbors across the street had gotten a video camera out and was videoing the whole thing. Three guys got on the rope along with the truck and pulled the top right off of me as I made my back cut. The dead top of the tree exploded when it hit the ground and came up to my level. I remember thinking "wow, apocalypse now"  . When I got down the homeowner was all smiles and the guy across the street just grinned and shook his head. I was handed 3 one hundred dollar bills for 20 minutes work and left the trunk for the rest of the guys to drop (I had another job to climb that day). I was hooked, lol.

I have worked from a pickup and I have worked for a couple of the largest services around. Done everything from arial lifts to kitty cat rescue and loved every minute of it

I took a bad fall back in 2001 and was out of commission for about a year. I have taken down a few trees since then but haven't been doing it everyday. Last week I took one down that was as big as the one I got hurt on. My first bigun since my accident. It was a cottonwood that was 5' across at the stump (we measured it) and I imagine 4' diameter at the trunk. Had to rope everything from over the neighbors house. I can't describe how I felt when I put that sucker on the ground!


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