That oak removal where everything went sideways

Honestly, I still think about that job in Austin about 6 years ago. I was taking down a big old live oak that had some rot near the base, and I figured it would be a standard rigging job. But I got too casual with my rope placement and didn't notice a cracked limb up high. When I made the cut, that limb came crashing down and snagged my climbing line, jerking me sideways hard. I ended up dangling there for a minute with bark dust in my eyes, feeling pretty stupid. My ground guy had to toss me a second line so I could cut myself free and re-rig everything from scratch. Has anyone else had a moment where you just had to stop and re-evaluate your whole plan mid-climb?

3 comments

3 Comments

zara_sanchez10d ago

and tell me about it, that moment when you're just hanging there thinking "how did I get here" is the worst. I had a job with a big pecan tree a couple years ago, thought I had it all figured out, but I didn't check a branch that was kinda hidden behind some leaves. When I cut it loose, it swung back and smacked my saddle so hard I almost lost my grip. Had to have my ground guy feed me a whole new line while I just hung there with my heart pounding, feeling like a total fool. It's humbling for sure, but you never make that same mistake twice.

walker.julia10d ago

Oh man, that sounds rough! I had a similar thing happen a few years back where I got too comfortable climbing a big maple and totally misjudged a swing cut. The whole tree started peeling apart on me and I ended up hanging upside down for a hot minute while my ground guy screamed at me to stop moving. It's that sickening feeling when your brain catches up with your mistake and you're just hanging there like an idiot. The worst part is when you have to admit to yourself that you gotta start over from scratch on the rigging plan. That moment of silence on the rope where you're just thinking "well this is gonna be a longer day than I planned" hits different lol.

troychen10d ago

Walker.julia said it best about that moment of silence on the rope, isn't that just life in general though? You think you've got everything figured out and then reality smacks you sideways and you're just stuck there regrouping. Funny how we only really learn after we've been humbled, whether it's in a tree or at the grocery store.