Check...Double check...oops

[Bermie]

I dodged a bullet on Thursday...
I had two 60' Norfolk Pines to take down, they were on a sandy bank curving out over a house and lawn some 30' below.
I could not fell them or crash and smash as the bits would have bounced and rolled out of control down the bank onto the house, you get the picture.

I went up in a high lift, delimbing on the way up, no problem, stopped about 8' from the top and got set up to rig it down bit by bit.
I thought I was all stylin'... set up the rigging block, swung the cheek down to put in the rope, cut the notch, rigged up the chunk, got the groundie to take slack through the porta wrap, backcut, stopped and pushed the bit off...
I watched as it sailed merrily all the way to the ground happily trailing lovely yellow bull rope...

I had NOT CHECKED that the rope was actually in the block!!!! Happy ending was that the bit landed in the waste ground and we craned it out later. I was very embarrased, lift operator and two truckers watching...the rest of the day went very smoothly, luckily it was just my pride that was dented.

Lesson learned with no severe consequenses thank God...CHECK and DOUBLE CHECK!!!!

 

[CoreyTMorine]

Yeah, I’d be dead, bankrupt, or crippled several times over if it weren’t for good luck.

Sometimes I wonder though if luck isn’t located in that 90% of the brain that doesn’t seem to do anything. Maybe somewhere deep inside you knew that lowering the chunk wasn’t necessary; it would just crash in the brush and stop. Your training dictated that you go through the motions, but your subconscious didn’t issue a double check order because all was good.

Luck is funny; it seems to come from within. I double check most everything, but I also trust the little voices in the back of my head. It seems like it would be difficult, and time consuming, to have a checklist which covered all contingences. Keep your mind clear, and trust your instincts, they are good ones.

Thanks for sharing your story, and safe climbing.

 

[rbtree]

Don't feel bad, Bermie...it happens.

Recently, I was dismantling a difficult silver poplar. Was finishing up the front stem and then preparing to use their rigging points to swing the rear stem over. Tossed a line over a branch, let a loop down in the standing part, but couldn't reach the end with an improvised long reach made out of a branch. So I left it till I transferred over to the other lead. Then I made another stick, fetched both rope parts, tied a running bowline and pulled it tight with a groundies help. Watched as it came tight as it compressed a couple small branches. Had it put on the GRCS, then watched as it fell into a low fork and across a 25 foot tall lilac. Heh, I'd neglected to notice that the line was not around the entire branch, but just the twigs. Luckily it did almost no damage to the lilac, and the guys reached it and GRCS'd it up and out.

A few years back, I was removing a very dead pine. Had gingerly tip tied a couple fair sized leads and lowered them with as little shock as possible. Set a pulley to lower a small top...tied my lifeline below my feet for some additional security, and let fly...onto the driveway and into a wooden fence---and only broke a tiny top piece off a 1x2 board--forgot to clip the lowering to the top....might have been a subconscious reason there, as I was very concerned about the maneuver.

 

[clearance]

A few years back, I was removing a very dead pine. Had gingerly tip tied a couple fair sized leads and lowered them with as little shock as possible. Set a pulley to lower a small top...tied my lifeline below my feet for some additional security, and let fly...onto the driveway and into a wooden fence---and only broke a tiny top piece off a 1x2 board--forgot to clip the lowering to the top....might have been a subconscious reason there, as I was very concerned about the maneuver.

This type of thing really concerns me, you knew you were risking your life, your inner voice told you and you did it anyways. What was so important below you that you felt you had to do this?

 

[rbtree]

This type of thing really concerns me, you knew you were risking your life, your inner voice told you and you did it anyways. What was so important below you that you felt you had to do this?

Aww, clearance, it woulda been fine. The top probably weighed all of 50 pounds, and my top notch rope man woulda run it all the way down, thus never applying more than maybe 150 lbs to the anchor, downward angle maybe 80 Degrees, so not bad.....

I agree, though, when in doubt, let it fly, don't rope it out.