Another close call fall...my flight to the ground.

scott_baker

scott_baker

Location
Seattle, WA
I have been dithering about sharing what happened to me. Thanks to Tom D. and others for encouraging me to post it.

In early November 2007 I fell 20' out of a willow tree to the ground. I have...I think...survived with no permanent damage.

I made an error in judgement and, as I was entering the tree SRT, the branch that held my rope broke. If you would like to read my story and laugh,learn or cuss...its attached.

Still groaning daily...Scott
 

Attachments

I fell about that far once, too. Pure free climbing, lol.

You learn real fast!

Live and learn, brothers!
 
Re: Another close call fall...my flight to the gro

I guess I didn't laugh much but I learned... and I cuss all the time no matter what. I'm glad your recovery has been rapid, I know about the expressive groans. Thanks for sharing and best of luck to you.
 
Re: Another close call fall...my flight to the gro

I heard a saying when I started climbing.

Accidents happen. Young climbers get hurt. Old climbers get dead.

So how young are you?

My Dad says I chose a very hard on the body profession. I can't say I disagree.
 
Re: Another close call fall...my flight to the gro

Glad to hear all is well. One nice thing about SRT is the fact that your line does not need to be around a single crotch. Alot of times my SRT line runs through multi. crotches and is tied off at the base of the tree. Like the say, Safety in numbers!
 
Re: Another close call fall...my flight to the gro

The only way I climb srt is to let the rope run over the branch then back to the ground to the trunk of the same tree or another.
If the branch lets go then there's usually a few more for the rope to catch on.
I got that from Tommy D.
Glad to hear you recovered, I fell twenty feet straight to the ground also unrelated to tree work.
That was a couple of years ago and I still feel it.
 
Re: Another close call fall...my flight to the gro

Hope you heal quick. By the sounds of the situation the srt might not have been the problem. Could have happened with drt.
 
Re: Another close call fall...my flight to the gro

Found this one a little late, but I'll pick it up. We all have someing to share, don't we. Now, what happened to Mark B 6 months back? "oh, I looked at it and thought, no problem." Pop! a three foot fall and breaks his darn leg.... And he seen it coming.

Now Scott, you seen it coming too. Hmmm. The old Pro's with yet more wisdom to pass on. One too tired and one too anxious to get started. Can't say I haven't done either. Fact is I been one of the luckiest tree tramps to drag knuckles through the duff.

Remember the "Halfway to Hell Club", A true confessions forum for climbers that survived a fall, or two, to share memories of the events preceding their falls.

Oh, I fell, but I didn't see that one coming, or even have the slightest inkling that it might. It just happened and I was knocked unconcious and lay in the redwood needles for a few minutes, I guess, before I woke up and felt like I was run over by a 50 ton truck hauling squeeling hogs to the market. Man, that hurt. An honest 40 footer. My error? Aha! Didn't see the end of the rope coming and it didn't even have a stopper knot. Dumb de dumb dumb. It took years to get over the damage to my body and soul. Boy I am lucky.

Thanks for the story Scott. It just might make someone think about what their getting into, and stop, and do it different.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New threads New posts

Back
Top Bottom