10
Six years ago I climbed my first 80 footer in a thunderstorm and swore off tree work forever
It was a July afternoon out in Medford, Oregon. My boss sent me up a dead oak after the rain started, with lightning maybe 3 miles off. I got about 60 feet up, a branch snapped under my foot, and I hung there for what felt like 10 minutes waiting for the rope to catch. It held, but I came down shaking and told him I was done. That was the worst day of my career, but now I look back and laugh. Any of you ever had a moment where you almost walked away for good?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
jakejones1mo ago
huh, you guys are making this sound way more dramatic than it needs to be. i mean yeah a branch snapping is sketchy but you had the rope, that's literally the whole point of using gear. sounds like you just got spooked and made a big deal out of it later.
9
wadew511mo ago
...and then you had to come back inside to an iced tea and pretend you weren't still shaking. I swear, tree work is just an elaborate way to find out how much stupid you can fit in one human body before gravity decides to intervene. That dead oak probably knew it was going to snap before you did. Glad you got down in one piece, even if your nerves didn't. I've had moments where I sat in my truck for 20 minutes just staring at the steering wheel wondering why I don't just go flip burgers instead.
2