# Scared of heights?



## chipper (Mar 23, 2005)

The other day i was up in acer and had already topped it. With just the stalk left, I had only to block cut the remaining stalk which was about 50'. As I was lowering myself to the next cut, I had this deep fear inside me. Started to get a bit dizzy and tightened my saftey strap around the trunk. I have done this many times and have never had any feeling like this before, even when i wasn't properly tied in. Anyone had this before? Or am I just turning into a wuss? I love climbing.


----------



## Newfie (Mar 23, 2005)

It might be something as simple as head cold or allergy congestion. It can screw with your ears and affect your sense of balance or even cause vertigo at heights. As for the wuss, I wouldn't say that. You're up there at least. I'm afraid of heights when I'm on terra firma.


----------



## chipper (Mar 23, 2005)

Thanks Mike. Sometimes I feel that I'm going sour. It is a gift to have a job that you love and I don't want to lose the ability to do it!


----------



## Ryan Willock (Mar 23, 2005)

I'm still afraid of heights and I've been climbing almost three years, however it does not stop me! I know what you are talking about. :Eye:


----------



## begleytree (Mar 23, 2005)

I believe it to be normal. IMO, Its the 1,000 years of intellect trying to overcome a million years of instinct.
Just trust in your experience, check that you're tied in correctly, and safely, have a smoke, and get back cutting.
-Ralph


----------



## Stumper (Mar 23, 2005)

I'm afraid of heights. Seems normal for anyone who has the intelligence to understand that falling can cripple or kill you. Remind yourself that your rope and saddle are taking care of you, breath deep and go on. One nit to pick-Corn has a stalk. Trees have trunks, branches, leaders , or (a word that is correct but I dislike because it sounds small to my ear) stems. :angel:


----------



## MasterBlaster (Mar 23, 2005)

I love it. The higher, the better.


----------



## gumneck (Mar 23, 2005)

*Ayatolla*

I love it. The higher, the better.

You couldn't be the AYATOLLA if you didn't!


----------



## Lumberjack (Mar 23, 2005)

oops Guess I did this to bump my post count.


----------



## Monkeywitha_saw (Mar 23, 2005)

i get the same feeling almost on a daily basis cuz of the sway of the palms in the wind just take a rest and try to continue best of luck


----------



## jason j ladue (Mar 23, 2005)

any1 w/ any sense of mortality must have a fear of heights. except of course the blaster. but nobody here is even sure he is not actaully a machine. more likely he has forgotten what it is to be scared of heights. i have never heard of anybody not having that phobia to some degree. well maybe there are a couple androids out there. this fear is like any other- as you face it, it is defeated. the higher you work (on a regular basis) the further up the "ceiling" goes. newfie was right too. if you are sick (hungover)your perceptions can be distorted. your mind can play games w/ you. i bet if you were to chicken out and come out of the tree you could probly come back the next day and whoop that trees ass. the only difference being the frame of mind you are in @ the moment.


----------



## MasterBlaster (Mar 23, 2005)

1. Anything above 10 feet is hazardous, and anything below 10 feet is dangerous.


Heights are cool!

:Eye:


----------



## chipper (Mar 23, 2005)

Thanks folks. Well, it can't be a hangover; I don't drink. So I guess it's just natural.


----------



## ozy365 (Mar 23, 2005)

Pay attention to physiological responses such as:
1. Low blood sugar 2. Adrenaline fall off after dropping the top 3. Illness as previously noted 4. Blood pressure changes (cinching belt too tight keeps BP higher in the torso and head) 5. Visual dissonance in relation to vestibular input (focusing on close object to the exclusion of distant objects while moving, IE puking after reading in a moving vehicle, watching you saw as the tree rebounds from top drop) 6. Previously mentioned evolution wanting something under your feet, not just a saddle under your butt.

I would guess one or more of the above. I would firmly rule out the wuss factor.


----------



## chipper (Mar 23, 2005)

Thanks ozy. I think that pretty much sums it up. Most of my worries are just natural and simply reassuring that I am human, i guess.


----------



## Jumper (Mar 24, 2005)

The day you do not have an appreciation for height and gravity is the day you should stop climbing (or jumping as was the case when I first heard this). It is all about overcoming an inate fear, through a combination of good training, good equipment, practice and faith in you own ability.


----------



## Michael B (Mar 24, 2005)

Jumper said:


> The day you do not have an appreciation for height and gravity is the day you should stop climbing (or jumping as was the case when I first heard this). It is all about overcoming an inate fear, through a combination of good training, good equipment, practice and faith in you own ability.



That just about sums it all up. 

I get those butterfly/headspin feelings on occasion. Usually happens when the wind is acting against me. check and double check your equipment and attachments and go back to working the plan. One other important thing to remember is to stay hydrated at all times.


----------



## blue (Mar 24, 2005)

i have no fear of hieghts in a tree.i'm with masterblaster "the higher the better".trust your equipment,your rope or strop won't suddenly break for no reason.also know your own capabilities,never get yourself in a position were your not sure or confident you can do it.never be afraid to admit defeat and let a more experienced climber do it.

anyhow it's not falling that hurt's it's the sudden stop at the end


----------



## jason j ladue (Mar 24, 2005)

i dont worry about my gear failing- it aint gonna. i worry about the tree failing. but that has little to do w/how far off the ground i am. there are usually other factors @ work...


----------



## Jumper (Mar 24, 2005)

Michael B said:


> That just about sums it all up.
> 
> I get those butterfly/headspin feelings on occasion. .



No sheet! Try looking straight down 12,500 feet!!! Then you get on with the program. Nothing like concentrating on a job at hand to rid yourself of the spin. There is a reason military mock jump towers are 34 feet above the ground, which is more or less what most climbers work at.....high enough to believe sincerely you will splat severely if you fall, but not so high that the ground becomes abstract. Personally I always still appreciated the ground even from 2 1/2 miles up.


----------



## Old Monkey (Mar 24, 2005)

I've always found it interesting that you can put someone up in a sixty foot tree with all its limbs and they feel good. Take off all the limbs and leave a sixty foot pole and most folks tense up on it. The tree without the limbs is stronger for the lack of weight but the tree with the limbs feels more secure. I used to limb and top trees then deliberately make them sway to "feel" how secure they are and allay my fear. Palm trees on windy days still make me pucker. I keep thinking about all the hurricane footage I've seen on the news and how they bend and don't break. FEAR=NORMAL
I too think Butch is a cyborg, climbing all those years and he's still ambulatory.


----------



## chipper (Mar 25, 2005)

It's not that I don't trust my gear; I do. I think that it is just a sudden rush of mortality.


----------



## Beast12 (Mar 28, 2005)

Old Monkey said:


> I've always found it interesting that you can put someone up in a sixty foot tree with all its limbs and they feel good. Take off all the limbs and leave a sixty foot pole and most folks tense up on it.



I am that way. I can climb a tree and not be too bad but once it is just the top and I have cut most of the bottom branches off I don't feel as "comfortable". I think it has a little to do with the fact that I can actually see how high up I am (less obstructions).  

-Matt


----------



## clearance (Mar 28, 2005)

I not that scared of heights as much as I used to be, but some trees scare me. Today we slayed 7 big cottonwoods on a res. job. We had a bucket truck so buddy took off as many branches as he could, then I climbed out of the bucket. One was a leaner and as I got in it it started raining like crazy and the wind came up. Anyways, when I saw branches and tops disintegrate when they hit the pavement it gave me a queesy feeling, like what if it brakes below me?


----------



## MasterBlaster (Mar 28, 2005)

Cinch up un yur lanyard, and you'll be fine.

Pay attention to the task at hand.

Ignore the scenery.

Accomplish the task... Err...

Git it done!


----------



## jason j ladue (Mar 28, 2005)

why does the wind always wait til yer in the top? would some1 splain that to me...


----------



## MasterBlaster (Mar 28, 2005)

To keep the mosquitos off ya.


----------



## jason j ladue (Mar 28, 2005)

HA! butch you are the coolest. no doubt.  you are cooler than snoopy...


----------



## Beast12 (Mar 29, 2005)

jason j ladue said:


> why does the wind always wait til yer in the top? would some1 splain that to me...



It's always there, you just don't notice it until you start to get nervous. That'sd when you notice EVERYTHING! "Hey that hole wasn't in the tree when I went up the first time!"  

-Matt


----------



## Tom D. Wilson (Mar 29, 2005)

its not about fear itsself but how you control it - any one whose in this game says they'v never been Sh1tt1ng themselves at some point is a liar or an idiot. keeping your cool is the measure of the man i reckon


----------



## Tom D. Wilson (Mar 29, 2005)

and i dont mean they'r fraid every day but at some point you'v had a twitchy ring


----------



## underwor (Mar 29, 2005)

When I lose the respect for the heights we work at, I had better quit! After 38 years I still notice the breezes that waft across the ND plains and gently rustle the tree tops. But it is still fun. I am still considering a climb of the Underwood Tree, 297' redwood, on my 60th birthday if I can work out the details in the next 2 years. I tell my students that they are safer at 200' than at 10 feet. In a fall, when you hit the ground head first, the results will be the same, however from 200' you might catch a limb and you might learn to fly. You have time for neither from 10'!!!


----------



## MasterBlaster (Mar 29, 2005)

Tom D. Wilson said:


> and i dont mean they'r fraid every day but at some point you'v had a twitchy ring




A "Twitchy ring?"

Hahahahahaaa, sweet!


----------



## Old Monkey (Mar 29, 2005)

underwor said:


> In a fall, when you hit the ground head first, the results will be the same, however from 200' you might catch a limb and you might learn to fly.



If I didn't find a sudden aptitude for flying, I think I'd go through all the major religions I know asking their deities for some timely intervention. If that didn't work, I'd ask myself, "What would Wiley Coyote do in this situation?"


----------



## clearance (Mar 29, 2005)

underwor-that big redwood sounds like it would take a long time to strip&chunk. Guess you need spurs with really long gaffs to climb that. If you can drop 41'6" logs from the top down and have them land flat, that would impress me totally. How big of a butt log do you have room to fall? Good for you, the biggest tree I ever cut was a 140' Douglas fir I climbed to the top (after I climbed out of the bucket, so only 70' counts).


----------



## Tom D. Wilson (Mar 30, 2005)

Old Monkey said:


> , "What would Wiley Coyote do in this situation?"



probably hit the deck stick his head out of the hole before getting tonked on the head by his chainsaw and then the tree landing on him - you'd have thought the he would have stopped using Acme by now - none of their stuff ever works - he needs to learn his consumer rights


----------



## Al Smith (Mar 30, 2005)

*Fear of heights?*

Fear and respect are two different things .I've been dancing high steel for over 30 years .It's only a danged fool that is not concerned at heights .Use your perifial vision to orient yourself.Keep your eyes on the task,not the ground .As has been stated already,many things can affect your sense of balance,congestion,low blood sugar etc.I think,in my own little life,that my concern,not fear,is what has kept me alive so long.The higher I get,the slower I go.Then again,I get paid by the hour,and not everybody can climb,so,in a way,it's a good thing,or at least it works for me.


----------



## jason j ladue (Mar 30, 2005)

butch, i was thinking about your words yesterday. "focus on the task @ hand". up in the top of a white oak -all vertical stems, but pretty good sized. it had been real blustery all day on and off. i got clear up there and tied in to two different stems so i could go all through the middle of it and grab a couple big dead ones. and one good sized hanger. the sky had turned dark gray. began to rain hard. 25mph gusts. this was about 65' up- all over the top of this nice house. i was rockin and reelin. i started thinking "what other meteorlogical could ya dish out?" then while i wasn't looking the kid next door had come out to fetch the garbage cans from the curb. have you ever noticed how much like thunder those things sound when they're empty- especially when youre rolling em two-at-a-time. i thought for sure an electric storm was coming. made me laugh, but that wind was not funny. just kept thinking to my self "focus on the job @hand..." well, i guess it worked. thanks blaster. and btw...not one mosquito bite all day. oh yeah. when i got down and was eating my sandwich there was'nt a cloud in the sky or a spot of wind. typical...


----------



## Old Monkey (Mar 31, 2005)

I got lucky today and slushy wind driven snow came down during my lunch time, the rest of the time it was just a bitingly cold wind.


----------



## chipper (Mar 31, 2005)

Thanks everyone. I really got something from "focusing on the talk on hand" just yesterday. I was up in some more massive maples and was testing myself. As soon as my concentration left the height and more on the work, it became less bothersome and more of a fun challenge. I haven't been climbing for that long, but every once in a while it just gets to me. As for the 279' redwoods, ????, sounds like a trip to me!!Thanks again all. I just need to remember why I got into climbing in the first place......because I really enjoy it and get a great rewarding feeling after a job safely and well done.


----------



## Davidsinatree (Mar 31, 2005)

I have found that just focusing on where im at in the tree I start feeling more at eas.

'' Look at the small picture , not the big picture.'' One move at a time leads to the next move. 

Looking at the big picture can sometimes overwhelm us. But when we break a job down into little pieces it suddenly seams possible......wether its trimming trees or building a house.


----------



## MasterBlaster (Mar 31, 2005)

Word!


----------



## jason j ladue (Mar 31, 2005)

hehehe...i gotcher back dog. its _all _ good


----------



## Old Monkey (Apr 1, 2005)

*How about scared of a sudden decrease in height?*

I took a big unplanned swing today. The job was a no clean-up limb removal on a big silver maple. The tree had been hard topped ten or fifteen years ago except for the spar that went out over the house(maybe it was too hairy). My job was to remove said spar. I got myself as high of a tie in as I could trust the nasty old tree, descended on my branch and got to work. At about 45 degrees from my tie in I had a branch that was touching the house drop where it connected to the house. I had no way to swing it off without smacking the line so I decided to set my spurs on the branch and lean out far enough to cut, grab, lift and throw. I have a groundie who is a big guy like me and wants to climb. I wanted to show him how to lessen my weight on the limb by leaning out on my climb line. "Hey Scott watch this! See how the limb I'm standing on lifts up when I do this...*POP-POP* uuuuugh!" I took two branches with me the one I was standing on and the one my core line was on, both about three inches in diameter. Both missed the house and thanks to my prep work I wasn't impaled on any stubs behind me. The whole thing was surreal. I didn't fear for myself, just the house. I had to climb back up and finish the spar, another fifteen feet beyond where the breakage occurred. I had no rigging options because of the house and the power lines. Using a lowering line I tied it off and put half hitches on the spar on the way out in case of another catastrophic failure. I climbed a lot slower and more tenatively and finished the job. I wished I smoke or drank when I got to the ground. My heart was still racing and my hands were shaking. The whole incident reminds me of the joke, "What are a rednecks last words? "Hey, watch this!""


----------



## jason j ladue (Apr 1, 2005)

isnt it funy what goes through your mind when the sh!t is hitting the fan. i know a guy who fell 40-some feet outa fir tree. landed in kneeling position. broke his back. he was using a fairly big saw when it happened an 029 i think. he held onto it all the way down. i asked him why he didnt let go of the saw. he said "i guess i just wanted something to hold onto" i couldn't help laughing... btw he was back climbing 18mos later...one tough customer.


----------



## njforestfire (Apr 1, 2005)

Stumper said:


> I'm afraid of heights. Seems normal for anyone who has the intelligence to understand that falling can cripple or kill you. Remind yourself that your rope and saddle are taking care of you, breath deep and go on. One nit to pick-Corn has a stalk. Trees have trunks, branches, leaders , or (a word that is correct but I dislike because it sounds small to my ear) stems. :angel:



This is the best quote I have heard in a LONG time. You hit that right on the head! 

Stumper RULES!!

I, too, remind myself when i get 'uneasy' up in the tree.


----------



## topnotchtree (Apr 1, 2005)

There are a few instances where I get the "un-easy feeling." Mostly when I am way out on a limb over a high voltage open aluminum. I go with the notion that the sooner I get this limb off, the sooner I get back to the comfort of the big wood. Dead or rotted trees give me that feeling too!


----------



## MasterBlaster (Apr 1, 2005)

I must bee knutz. The crazier and wacker it is, the more I seem to enjoy it.

http://www.*********************/cranepics/6.JPG


----------



## jason j ladue (Apr 2, 2005)

blaster you are nuts. no doubt about it. only a maniac would do that. looks fun! wish it was my job you arent scared of heights-you're sacred of heights


----------



## daddieslilgirl (Apr 3, 2005)

jeeze mb you are as nuts as my husband!! he does all that. NOT a good thing, i dont need anymore gray hairs. i just cant believe you guys taking chances like that! if something should happen because of those things you guys do, what are we supposed to do when you are gone???


----------



## Old Monkey (Apr 3, 2005)

Vacuum the entry a lot less?


----------



## MasterBlaster (Apr 3, 2005)

Who's taking chances?


----------



## eyeinstine (Apr 8, 2005)

MasterBlaster said:


> I must bee knutz. The crazier and wacker it is, the more I seem to enjoy it.
> 
> 
> MB,
> ...


----------



## njforestfire (Apr 14, 2005)

those tulip poplars grow pretty big out this way...how big is the one you are talking about eyeinstine? Rough height and dia.? Any way to throw a rope in it and take it down in one shot? If so, call me so I can get it on video.


----------



## eyeinstine (Apr 14, 2005)

njforestfire said:


> those tulip poplars grow pretty big out this way...how big is the one you are talking about eyeinstine? Rough height and dia.? Any way to throw a rope in it and take it down in one shot? If so, call me so I can get it on video.



Hi John,

i didnt get a chance to go out and really look and measure the tree today, but i would say with an educated guess that the tree is 70' high and about 40"-48" at the stump..
There is PLENTY of tie in points for climbing.. Shouldnt be hard at all to climb(if your not scared of hights like me!), and piece down; just someone needs the ballza to go that high! Theres nothing below to worry about dropping limbs on.. If my pole barn wasnt in the way, i could drop it in one piece.. but i put the barn in 3 years ago without thinking about taking the tree down then... I really didnt realize how big the rot area was in the backside of the tree.. Still plenty safe for climbing, and the tree would probably be fine for MANY more years; but i want to finally finish the backyard and get the top soil in and spread, and some seed planted.. that is going to be the kids play area now. So i dont want to make a mess of the new turf area by taking the tree down later; and i dont want to take a chance of a dead branch, or god forbid, the tree fall when the kids are playing.. But like i said, it is plenty strong and safe right now..

You climb?!!? 

Ron


----------



## MasterBlaster (Apr 14, 2005)

eyeinstine said:


> MasterBlaster said:
> 
> 
> > I must bee knutz. The crazier and wacker it is, the more I seem to enjoy it.
> ...


----------



## eyeinstine (Apr 14, 2005)

MasterBlaster said:


> eyeinstine said:
> 
> 
> > Ha, that would be cool.
> ...


----------



## jeffrockhall (May 4, 2005)

it seems like the longer your in the tree that day it seems easier, i guess you get use to it. but the next day in the beginning it like it starts over again...


----------



## jeffrockhall (May 4, 2005)

i think i could of thought of something else to hold other than the chainsaw when i was falling


----------



## JonnyHart (May 19, 2005)

ozy365 said:


> Pay attention to physiological responses such as:
> 1. Low blood sugar 2. Adrenaline fall off after dropping the top 3. Illness as previously noted 4. Blood pressure changes (cinching belt too tight keeps BP higher in the torso and head) 5. Visual dissonance in relation to vestibular input (focusing on close object to the exclusion of distant objects while moving, IE puking after reading in a moving vehicle, watching you saw as the tree rebounds from top drop) 6. Previously mentioned evolution wanting something under your feet, not just a saddle under your butt.
> 
> I would guess one or more of the above. I would firmly rule out the wuss factor.


For sure. A good night's sleep and proper diet could contribute also.


----------

