A Whiney Icky Day in the Woods

[slowp]

Its not always nice. Woke up at 0 dark thirty to something making a racket on the roof...limbs. OK, got busy and went to work cuz everybody is trying to get their logs yarded in before snow. Hear about a wind warning on the radio. Drive up to logging side. Hooktender needs me at top of unit. I hike around and up in horizontal downpour. We end up almost on top of the ridge and he's talking about look up, those trees are really whipping. I decline, it is never a good idea because it might be scary. We hike around figuring out which trees to cut for tying back the tail trees. Get that done, hike down to landing. Discuss how much nicer it would be to be home baking cookies. Chaser is freezing. Shovel operator gets out into the storm wearing t-shirt and jeans (dry) to announce that I look like I've been swimming. Then gets back in. I leave. I take the short cut. Almost at end of shortcut is a tree across the road. Large tree. I get out and look at it. Still dumping rain. Get Twinkle out and start cutting up from the bottom. Tree cracks and shifts so I stop and let it settle. Then cut again. Tree pinches Twinkle. I cuss. I get out wedges and pound em in. Twinkle finally is released. I start cutting again, using wedges so as not to get pinched. . Get to crack in log, saw is stuck again. Pound wedges. Wrassle Twinkle out. Finally get one round out. I study the tree again. Start from top down, pounding in wedges and cutting up to widen the kerf. Get below crack and Twinkle is stuck again. Pound and wrestle, pound. Twinkle is released. Mutter a nasty word before it, and load gear and leave tree in road. I'm soaked, and I've had raingear on. Leave note for crew that the road is blocked. Come on in the haul route and see trees have been down all over that road. I'm home, in dry clothes, with the wood stove going and a Yukon Jack. I'm thinking tomorrow I'll throw Fluffy in the rig so I can get 2 saws stuck!! The wind is still blowing....

 

[Tree Sling'r]

Never mind the Yukon Jack, sounds like you need some cheese for your Whine, I mean wine.
Sorry man, could'nt resist.
I hear ya, nothing worse than a bad day in bad weather.

 

[sILlogger]

ummm....Yukon Jack....100 proof and sprite....can't go wrong

 

[056kid]

how big a tree was it

 

[2dogs]

Quit posting like this. I almost spilled MY drink laughing. BTW it was a beautiful warm sunny day here. Oh, and last night we sat outside by the fire kettle till 8:30 after cooking some ducks and a pheasant in a dutch oven. Phhhtttt!

Uhmm, we could use some of your rain if you're done with it.

 

[slowp]

how big a tree was it

I was attempting to cut it on the smaller end and I'd guess 32" there cuz Twinkle's 28" bar was buried. I finally had to sit in the hot tub for 45 minutes to get warmed up. The Yukon didn't do that. Winter is here....and another day tomorrow to embrace the weather (and more blowdown, I'm sure.)

 

[tek9tim]

(and more blowdown, I'm sure.)

Woohoo! That means it'll be easy gettin' wood for my ma next spring. BTW, which road was that tree on, and was it doug?

 

[LarryTheCableGuy]

Uhmm, we could use some of your rain if you're done with it.

++++1 !!

 

[Lakeside53]

Nope.. we're keeping all OUR rain... 'cos we want SNOW

 

[056kid]

I am scheduled to get back to Oregon here in a month or so. This time in Eugene. i didnt realize how much i hated this humid hardwood Im ready to get back to the PNW.

 

[turnkey4099]

Got some of that wind over on this side but the high gusts were logged at about 50. Heard there were 90+ ones over on that side with lots of power outs and trees down. Did have some power outages over here but not in my area.

I started carryign two saws many, many years ago and wouldn't leave the house without at least two. Current stable is, alas, only two.

Harry K

 

[slowp]

Woohoo! That means it'll be easy gettin' wood for my ma next spring. BTW, which road was that tree on, and was it doug?

It's on the 76 road, about 2 miles from the 25 jct. Nice D-fir with very few limbs on the part across the road. Looked really straight forward to cut until the settling started. It isn't up in the air, probably easy for experienced folks who aren't tired and in the last throes of lung fungus. The wildlife nazis will only allow ditchline to ditchline in that area. They get real snarly when we do more there. I must admit, I was thinking about firewooding it too! But I have easier wood to get on private land. And it was just one of those miserable days. There were smaller trees cleared out of the road at the 28/Cispus junction. We'll probably have phones going off the hook today from people wanting to cut firewood. I am thinking it is a good time to use up those firewood tags before January.

 

[mini kahuna]

had a few days like that,saws breaking,skidders popping hoses,etc,etc.
sounds like you were lucky to get back home in one piece!!!!

 

[tek9tim]

It's on the 76 road, about 2 miles from the 25 jct. Nice D-fir with very few limbs on the part across the road. Looked really straight forward to cut until the settling started. It isn't up in the air, probably easy for experienced folks who aren't tired and in the last throes of lung fungus. The wildlife nazis will only allow ditchline to ditchline in that area. They get real snarly when we do more there. I must admit, I was thinking about firewooding it too! But I have easier wood to get on private land. And it was just one of those miserable days. There were smaller trees cleared out of the road at the 28/Cispus junction. We'll probably have phones going off the hook today from people wanting to cut firewood. I am thinking it is a good time to use up those firewood tags before January.

That's pretty odd, I was picturing the 76 road when I was reading your first post. The new firewood rules there are kind of frustrating, but still better than they used to be. I got some really good doug this spring up on the 47 road on the Packwood end. I suppose my mom has enough wood for this winter though, any more would just be money in the bank.

Back a few years ago there, the road survey lady was out driving around and came across a 5 foot doug fir across the road, so she called the road crew to come up, they showed up, looked at it, and called Julie to bring a can of paint. She painted it, and the next day there was no sign of the tree but the limbs.

 

[slowp]

That's what I did on the Watch Mtn. road last year. Wrote FIREWOOD in green paint on it and it was gone. I think the loggers attacked yesterday's tree this morning. One pickup sized chunk scooted to the side of the road. I slapped green paint on it. The Cispussians will probably take care of that.

 

[tek9tim]

The Cispussians will probably take care of that.

Nice term