Hi, meet a female climber

[Lumberjack]

Originally posted by VTclimber
Look guys, you've all got big johnsons, and you're all obviously good and and into what you do or else you wouldn't care enough to give me advice. Put them away and lets have a logical conversation. You don't have to argue your point, everyone has a different opinion, and we can all embrace someone else's opinion, even if we don't agree with it. Just read and learn.

She aint got no problem speakin here mind.

It is kinda pointless... sounds over 120 or so decibels causes instant damage, constant at 80dcb causes hearing loss.

Handsignals work for me, or i just pop the plugs in and out as needed. Also helment mounted muffs get the job done easier, if that is what you like.

Possibly off topic to this thread... (Lumberjack, the official unofficial moderrator of stayin in the proper forum)


Silver, I started tryin out DdRT last week i think.

 

[treeslayer]

her logic's not lost, just not viable.
she's young, I understand. and to be commended for being safety concious.
but to each their own.
I did not get where I am today by being ignorant, but the bottom line is I should not post pictures without approval from the safety dept.

 

[che]

I was worried about being a woman in a mans world

THEN....you found out how much FUN they were having!!

Welcome to Arboristsite! There are a couple other females here...only heard from one other female climber since I've been here, last fall...I believe. I look forward to your posts.

Che (I only lurk on this forum usually....the highest I climb is up into a tractor seat! )

 

[NickfromWI]

Treeslayer, young has nothing to do with it. Safety conscious does. I've worked on many crews. You make it seem like it's necessary to not wear the plugs.

On most of the crews I've worked with, hearing protection was used by the ground crew and the people up in the air. Right now you think you NEED to not wear the plugs just because that's what you're used to. If you wear them for a while, you'll learn some hand signals real quick, and the ground guys will, too.

Then thirty years from now you'll still be able to hear.

love
nick

Lauryn, I like the cut of your jib!

 

[ORclimber]

Welcome to AS. Way to start off working safe. As you can see, bad habits can be very hard to change down the road.

 

[Toddppm]

Good to see you two here. What co. do you work for?
BTW I would hire a woman climber in a second that's willing to learn if you have any friends interested but it wouldn't be FT tree work, we do alot of landscaping too.

 

[VTclimber]

I'm not really interested in making a living out of taking down trees with big saws, I'm definately more into pruning on big trees, but lets be honest, sometimes the tree has to come down. I love just getting up in a tree and being there. I didn't really want to start a huge debate on PPE or hearing loss or whiny wifes, but I guess thats how these things tend to go. Oh well!

 

[Gypo Logger]

Hi Lauryn, Don't you just love how many woodticks crawl out of the woodwork as soon as a new member makes a first post?
Welcome, from one woodtick to another.
John

 

[murphy4trees]

Welcome and if you're open to some MORE advice... I'd like to 2nd Big Jon's recommendation to buy quality gear... Ya it's a few more bucks on the front end, but money well spent in the time and energy saved and the overall sensation of harmony that working with good equipment can bring...
Maybe you could make the same suggestion to your boss and get him/her to chip in the extra cash...
I Am used to it now, but when I first got my Butterfly, I felt like Peter Pan floating around those trees for a while... It just makes the work soooo much sweeter to have equipment like that...

 

[SilverBlue]

Originally posted by VTclimber
First of all, any time I go into a tree, saw or not, I'm smart enough to wear a hard hat and the rest of my personal protective equipment, so I figure I'm already a step ahead of some.

Second of all, I am small, so I'm working up to using the big saws. I never used a saw at all until about 2 weeks ago, but its been a great learning process. Hopefully I'll be fairly proficient soon and I'll be doing big jobs just like anyone else.

Two weeks of experience running a saw in a tree is insignificant even if a safety course has been taken on proper operation. But it seems that you have a good head on your shoulders VT so don’t let anyone push you until you are positively sure you can handle a large saw in a tree. The accident that nebclimber had with his saw is still in the back of my mind.
Don’t take the woodtick comment seriously Lauren, gypo logger has a problem with talking down to other members at times.

 

[VTMechEng]

Trust me that VTclimber can hold her own out in the field, a tough girl. When it comes to safety there is one thing I have carried over from my Engineering experience...While it my cost more to be safe, and may even seem cumbersome, it is a lot cheaper than having to go to the hospital and much more fun then permanent physical damage or a trip to the morgue. Just because you haven't been hurt doing something in the past doesn't make it safe. Most important of all is to be safe for those around you. Yeah, I am new to this gig but all this just seems like common sense. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to push my views on anyone, just speaking my mind (and rambling a little).

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Originally posted by treeslayer

I'm 40, and still hear well enough.

Mmmmm I don't know about that!

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Originally posted by che

Che (I only lurk on this forum usually )

Our loss. You should drop in more often.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Originally posted by SilverBlue

Don’t take the woodtick comment seriously Lauren, gypo logger has a problem with talking down to other members at times.

I think John was calling everyone else a woodtick. All that barsh chest thumping.

This thread gave me a good laugh this morning. You go girl!

I'm glad your with a company that will let you get comfortable with your gear.

Do you have an SSA chapter at school? There conferance/competition is in MN this year.

The 8th Annual Student Society of Arboriculture Conference and Job Fair

April 16-18, 2004 at Eagle Bluff in Lanesboro, MN

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

in defense of Gypo (am i really nuts? ); he calls a lot of the tree cutting brethren woodticks, as you see, himself included. i too think Che should more than lurk, as well as others of such 'persuasion'. Light, even balance.........; not much like it.

i think a lot of things that at first you think might stand against ya, you can bend their power to your way, by the right invocation and re-view of the principals and circumstances.

i also think, that said; that for a Lady, a rolling/pinching D; placed chest high might need another exam-eye-nation; irregardless of loose clothing/hair stuff (not good idea either) i tried to lead from previously to that point. Also that the utility of a rolling D, might not be as noticeable for a smaller person; with more freedom of movement than some others. So with less utility recieved for your person, you might incur greater non-positives in trade; making the cost of the situation rather high possibly for what you personally may get back, JMO.

VTMechEnga-neer has a point of: part of the challenge of the worker's puzzle is not what you can get away with most of the time, but how much you can generously overcome your task, totally commanding the situation safely and mechanically; giving as high a SWL factor in as many ways possible; to include proper safety gear IMLHO.

-KC

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

Originally posted by SilverBlue
Hi Lauryn, Welcome and congratulations for picking such a challenging career. Do you handle removals? And I am sure we would be interested in the climbing hitches you use. Would I hire a female climber? Absolutely if she is qualified and pays attention to details.
Watch out for those smooth talkers like Butch, nice guy, great climber, but he only likes the outdoors when it’s dry

id hire a chimpanzee at the moment ive had a job vacancie advertised for a week or more and only 1 call..id hire ,women ..little children you name it id hire them if they could climb and use a saw :

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

Originally posted by VTclimber
Well Silver, I'm pretty new to all of this stuff so I haven't done too much on my own yet, but the company I work for and the people I work with are doing a great job of training me. I would like to learn how to do everything there is to do in this field and to be as proficient in all of it as I can be, but no one is perfect....not even Butch

I first learned how to climb using a tautline hitch with a figure 8 stopper, but iI have switched to a Blake's with a stopper. I find it doesn't roll out as much as a tautline. I use a split tail, and I'm a fan of spliced lines, cause I feel like if I don't have another not to tie then thats one more thing I can't screw up, but if I have to tie in I use a bowline. Where I work, we all pretty much do the same thing, but I'm sure everyone on here has their own way of doing things. I guess thats one of the things I'm most interested in learning about from this site, just the different ways people do stuff. Both VTMechEng and I are new so we want to soak up as much knowledge as possible to get as good as we can.

im the biggest fan in the world of the good old prussik loop

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

Originally posted by TheTreeSpyder
i still haven't got my 'trainee' more than this 3' off ground to play in tree; so i guess Miss Lauren is doing alright.

And getting prolly a lot earlier start than this 47 yr. old, that has stood the tests of time and children so gracefully! Dang, gotta respect that!

na then lad send that lass ova and upta yorksha.un mi old uncle tall have that young lass a climbing up un about trees tin no time.nout such thing as too old tin yorksha..what the lass needs is less tuv that current bun [sun ] and a drop ert wet stuff [rain].an a good feed ov pork pie un mushy peas .barm cake ,haddock an chips wi scraps..a couple pints tetleys bitter..by ek youll have a gooden tun books [a new climber]

 

[SilverBlue]

Originally posted by TheTreeSpyder
i still haven't got my 'trainee' more than this 3' off ground to play in tree; so i guess Miss Lauren is doing alright.

And getting prolly a lot earlier start than this 47 yr. old, that has stood the tests of time and children so gracefully! Dang, gotta respect that!

Three feet off the ground and she's at eye level with you Kenny??

Hey you make sure that she gets the best climbing equipment if she does go a climbing, lot's of people count on her in the ICU

 

[che]

Our loss. You should drop in more often.

Thanks JP and KC! :blush: I probably WOULD....if I could knew anything about climbing. I'm enjoying it vicariously through you all.

I've got to be careful and not get too cocky though...I've heard over and over on how bad spiking up a good tree is here (something I didn't know.) I met my new neighbor who's son does some climbing, she was showing me how he spiked up a pretty nice pine tree to clean it up a bit. First words out of my mouth is "Spiking's not good for your tree, you know." I kinda burst her bubble from the look I got from her. A little bit of knowledge can be dangerous.

BTW, I've always assumed 'woodtic' was more of a term of endearment...like 'family'...used for those who are at home in the woods. I'd take it as a compliment.