Loading…
17
Pro tip: an old climber in Portland taught me to read a tree before I ever pull the rope
About 6 months ago I was doing a removal on a big silver maple in Portland and this older climber named Dale was helping me out. Before we touched anything he just stood there for a bit, walked around the trunk, and ran his hand along the bark. I figured he was just taking his time, but then he pointed at a spot maybe 4 feet up and said, 'she's telling you where she wants to come apart.' Turns out there was a small seam there and a bit of included bark that I would have missed, and it changed how I planned my whole cut. We ended up dropping the top in two pieces instead of one, which was way safer for the fence below. Now I do that same slow walk around every trunk before I climb, and it has kept me out of trouble more than once. Does anyone else have a habit like that you picked up from someone older in the trade?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
quinna8924d ago
My buddy Rick does a lap around every trunk since Dale taught him.
2