treeServices

I was up at least 30' over the top of the houses below and got careless. I'd cut a branch off on my right side and was passing the chainSaw between my face and my climbing rope to cut one off on the left.

Of course I leaned back away from the tree and pointed the bar of the saw straight up to present the narrowest profile as it went between me and the rope. My saw was idled up high enough to keep he chain spinning (a noNoNO!) because it didn't like the water, alcohol, and gas mix from the last station. You see where I'm going with this?

Well, not that far. The tip of the saw barely touched my rope and cut it half through. I dropped the saw to swing below my feet on it's lanyard and grabbed both ends of the rope above the cut. Luckily I use a doublebraided rockClimbing rope that's abraisionResistant. That ain't cutProof tho.

Murphy (of law fame) and serendepity (luck's sister) were both smiling. It didn't cut all the way thru, but it did cut the standingEnd away from my D-Ring. I lost about 60' of rope, which I had to trim off while standing on spurs with my bucking strap. And yeah, it WAS a tall assed tree.

Luckily I didn't have to pull all 240' of rope up. It was buried under and woven through a pile of dropped branches. The tree was between and over two houses, both about 8' away. I had to drop the branches straight down the tree trunk and my groundMan was pretty slack.

I was so exhausted I was light headed. That's why I got careless. I've still got pretty good strength in the short term, but I can't pull in enough oxygen to feed the muscles without taking frequent breaks. I was pushing to finish the job. Metaphorically, I'm like a bull dozer with a dirty air filter.

That tree must have been over 90' tall 'cause when I rappeled down I had to drop the last 8'. Ran out of rope. For the 1stResponders and extremeSportsMen out there treeClimbers use the doubled rope rappel anchoring the working end to the saddle with a long tailed bowlin and use the tail to make a brakeHitchKnot on the body of the rope. The rope just slips over the top anchor point as you move up or down. That lets you turn loose and work with both hands while suspended. The brake ain't between the saddle and the rope. You don't need no fancy release knot at the top anchor. It does cut the ropes working length in half, but it also divides the stresses on the rope and the brake by two everywhere but at the anchor.

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