Lets get this party started...

[fattyphatcakes]

that's some nice looking grain, what happened to the wood?

 

[Derek]

Hey Gord, Great shots, love the first one..Almost leave it as a treehouse....

Good to see you not drawn in by our Phantom freind!

Heres a few in a row of a job i did while away from my reg gig, and before a pulled my forarm..

 

[Derek]

This shows how much of the trees are over the house/fence

And my groundie putting up her hair..

The tree on the left has to go..the 2 skinny ones in the forground aswell..Im tring to talk them into keeping the other bigone, just prune it..

 

[Derek]

Make a start. Got lots to do today!

 

[Derek]

I left my self a nice platform to work from. I put my Nick/facecut in BEFORE i start to tie lines, no chance of hitting it then..

Go up to the next branch, so im above the victims arm and hack it off.The Blue line at my chest will be my lowering line..

Let it swing! My wife Toni will let it down easy, just claims not to be able to take a shot when shes running ropes!

Hard to get good help!!!

 

[Derek]

She could of got a shot of me looking at the saw at least,
I must be Taking off some deadwood here, so it doesen't come off and hit Toni when I lower it...

 

[Derek]

break time!

I was up and down a lot helping toni with the larger limbs, she would just hold it while I sailed down on the pully you can see me still attached to, then body thrust up again..

Hey if I got one of those foot things for accending, can I still use it with spikes...Cant footlock with spikes for love or money!!

Could take a bit of the load off my arms to..

Love the ropes in this "chillin" shot..

"trust thy prussic knot!"...And the cute lil bunny ears to my sweethart with the camera (or the rope but not both) ..

 

[Derek]

Last one

Ok enough allready!

Ill leave you at the half time smoke break..you can see all the nasty stuff over the shed/house/fence is gone ( all with out incident, thank you Toni.)

I even cleaned out his gutter for him!

I have the best pose ever but its to blury and shakey to send ..
It's a bit further up leaning on that littel up right off the one im on.
FACEING YOU (smoking, the one im lighting here) the high line did most off the work..

I left that tiny shoot on top to use as my final lowering point, broke a strap around the main stem, and attached a pully to that..

I coulden't let the limbs smash to the ground, we lowered them as well, just left enough to help the spars go over..

Ill let you digest that lot, while i save a bunch more onto the new program Robb sent me..I hope i got the size right, and you get the littel "close up " button in the bottom right corner!

By for now..Derek..

 

[matthias]

Nice shots Derek! Here's a couple of pics from today as we carried on with our glorious line clearance. The golf course is closed already (frost) so we didn't have to worry about anyone crying about the noise.

Here's me trying to footlock and doing poorly.

 

[Gord]

hey look everyone! spurless line clearance!

nice picture that is mattias. footlocking on a single line is tough without a handled ascender or at the least some sticky gloves.

excellent pics Derek thanks for posting all those.

 

[matthias]

Just a shot of the tree but it comes with a story. The limb on the farthest right was close to the primaries so I planned on footlocking up there. After twenty or so missed shots with the throwbag (not much practice out of bucket) I got the bag stuck. I had to get up there the hard way which was a nice challenge. I would of had pictures of that but the cameraman finished my film with 7 pictures in about 45 seconds.

Anyone know how to string pictures together to create a continuous animation on loop? Hint hint Butch.

 

[matthias]

Originally posted by Gord
hey look everyone! spurless line clearance!

footlocking on a single line is tough without a handled ascender or at the least some sticky gloves.

I had both and it was tough! I think I'm lacking skill though.

 

[MasterBlaster]

One more reply busts 2000.

 

[Derek]

Originally posted by Gord
hey look everyone! spurless line clearance!

nice picture that is mattias. footlocking on a single line is tough without a handled ascender or at the least some sticky gloves.

excellent pics Derek thanks for posting all those.

Hi guys Thanx...Dident want to bore anyone..Ill post a few more..

So its not just me then?...I can get up all right without spikes on..I started out just foot locking..Now with spikes on most of the time i tend to use my long lankey legs to body thrust up..

In saying that, it's not real often that i do have to come down..
Stumper and others work alone alot, do you have a knot that you use to lower stuff without a groundie (No offence Toni)..??

My old harness used to have shorter straps to attach with, Aussie's old one has extraordinary L O N G straps.. I used to gain nearly a metre (3 feet) with each thrust!...Now I get 12" at a time, watching very carefully I dont get a mouth full a "crab" for lunch...( way to cheap Jason!) Hows the new one BTW?

Hey Matthias..I have 2 or 3 bags that now live permenitly in trees!
I have got 2 new ones these days...I expect to get it stuck..

try a few different weights (in the middle of 20 trys) you'll get a better feel for the one you realy want to send..

Going through the shots again I found this....No chance of mistakes on this job!

 

[Derek]

Every day stuff to fall, I drop Thousands per year just like it..

But not in this fellows back yard!..I put a rope on it..Just in case.

 

[Stumper]

Derek, For lowering without a groundie I like to carry some short pieces of eyespliced rope or some slings and ....carabiners. Run your lowering rope through a crotch or a slung figure eight and tie the end off on the tree. Sling the limb you are going to lower. clip the sling and clip the biner to your rope between the crotch/Fig 8 and the tie off. Cut. Lower. The 'biner rides on the expanding loop of rope. When you get it down, untie the end from the spar and drag it back through the 'biner. If you carry several slings and 'biners you can lower and retreive numerous times. -Just don't forget to gather up your slings and biners before chipping the brush.

 

[Derek]

Thanx justin, good advice as allways!

I did in the end of that job use a few prussic loops as snatch straps, but just on the lighter stuff...I was getting a bit stuffed up and down all the time!..(Well at least the up..The pully is a treat to desend through)..

Heres a PARTY shot!...Least it looks like im playing air music..

 

[MasterBlaster]

Originally posted by Derek
Heres a PARTY shot!...Least it looks like im playing air music..

Haha! It duz!

 

[Derek]

Originally posted by TreeCo
I got this idea from Stumper and have used it several times with good results. Take extra ropes up with you if you have them. Sometimes the limb will lay on your rope and you wont be able to pull your lowering line through the biner on the limb.

Dan

Hi Dan, I got this idea from being stuck in a tree at 30 meters..

That b/pac on my gogo gadjet vest is good for holding a 8mm (prussic cord) with a pre tied fig 8 and a super light biner, it's about 30m long..just in case..it also balances all the crapinmy pockets!

I had a limb on my ropes once, couldent get down...I was getting atacked by ants at the time to

And that was with a groundie!


Saw this shot...Got lots back remember?

UFS ...unidentified flying chainsaw?

 

[a_lopa]

any green tree ants up your way derek?