opposablethumb
New member
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Today was probably the most interesting day yet in my long and illustrious tree climbing career of 3, count them, 3 years.
One of our company's clients is the Tennessee Aquarium. If you're ever passing through East Tennessee - Chattanooga - it's worth a stop. (And holler at me and I'll buy you a beer). It has the world's largest freshwater aquarium.
Every few years, our company comes in and reduces the canopies of the trees they have inside that grow up into the wire netting spread throughout the glass roof, put there to keep the birds from flying into the glass?? Most of the trees can be climbed in the ordinary fashion.
But I got tapped for the "special mission," which involved climbing out into the tubular steel framework that supports the glass roof, cutting a hole in the bird wire netting, anchoring off the steel framework, and dropping down on top of a Freeman Maple to prune its crown back.
Why didn't we just climb it from the ground?
Because 50 feet or so below, at the base of the tree, was the home of a nesting mama alligator.
Before we went over to that section of the aquarium to prune that particular tree, I asked one of the curators how big the alligator was.
He said, "Not very big. 7 feet."
Maybe not big by alligator standards, but certainly big enough by this 125 lb. tree climber's standards.
Can't beat a little extra excitement in the everyday life of a hazardous profession...
One of our company's clients is the Tennessee Aquarium. If you're ever passing through East Tennessee - Chattanooga - it's worth a stop. (And holler at me and I'll buy you a beer). It has the world's largest freshwater aquarium.
Every few years, our company comes in and reduces the canopies of the trees they have inside that grow up into the wire netting spread throughout the glass roof, put there to keep the birds from flying into the glass?? Most of the trees can be climbed in the ordinary fashion.
But I got tapped for the "special mission," which involved climbing out into the tubular steel framework that supports the glass roof, cutting a hole in the bird wire netting, anchoring off the steel framework, and dropping down on top of a Freeman Maple to prune its crown back.
Why didn't we just climb it from the ground?
Because 50 feet or so below, at the base of the tree, was the home of a nesting mama alligator.
Before we went over to that section of the aquarium to prune that particular tree, I asked one of the curators how big the alligator was.
He said, "Not very big. 7 feet."
Maybe not big by alligator standards, but certainly big enough by this 125 lb. tree climber's standards.
Can't beat a little extra excitement in the everyday life of a hazardous profession...
