Fear cost me a job with a company today

[climbingmonkey24]

So I’ve already got a couple crane jobs under my belt with the new job I got. Nothing huge but still a new experience. Gonna help me get out of my comfort zone.

Need to get comfortable trusting the crane cable as life support however. Get a little uneasy going real high being tied into the crane only.

 

[Leroy]

The crane is likely to be more safe then any tree or aerial lift you've ever been in, granted it's been certified and inspected.

 

[islandarb]

So I’ve already got a couple crane jobs under my belt with the new job I got. Nothing huge but still a new experience. Gonna help me get out of my comfort zone.

Need to get comfortable trusting the crane cable as life support however. Get a little uneasy going real high being tied into the crane only.

Jump on a knuckleboom then....

 

[southsoundtree]

The crane cable is not going to break under your load, for sure.


Go find a big tree and do as big of tree swinging as you can.

 

[JoshR]

 

[CanadianStan]

Im enthralled that you posted Mr Honnolds video. Honnolds presentation mentions rigorous preparation, repetition and rehearsal of every move, citing that the challenge for him was mostly mental and psychological.

Unfortunately we as arborists don’t necessarily get to practice the exact tree we have to remove ad infinitum. With that said, I also think it’s unfair to use Honnolds as an example.

Check out this fMRI scan showing Alex’s reaction to stimuli (that would bother other people). Alex’s brain - whether by original design or extensive training - clearly doesn’t expérience stress, risk, or fear the same way that the rest of us do



Image from Nautilus, Science Magazine Neuroscience issue.

The Strange Brain of the World’s Greatest Solo Climber
http://m.nautil.us/issue/39/sport/the-strange-brain-of-the-worlds-greatest-solo-climber


———
To OP, you mention these trees were around 100’ tall. Chances are, if you développéd as a climbing arborist where @rico works, you would start to get equally freaked out at 200’, but feel cozy at 100’

Take some time on the weekend and go rec climb some 80’ trees. As others have said, bounce around, take some swings. Once you’re comfortable in that, go find 90’ tree, repeat. With exposure you will get more comfortable

 

[rico]

Im enthralled that you posted Mr Honnolds video. Honnolds presentation mentions rigorous preparation, repetition and rehearsal of every move, citing that the challenge for him was mostly mental and psychological.

Unfortunately we as arborists don’t necessarily get to practice the exact tree we have to remove ad infinitum. With that said, I also think it’s unfair to use Honnolds as an example.

Check out this fMRI scan showing Alex’s reaction to stimuli (that would bother other people). Alex’s brain - whether by original design or extensive training - clearly doesn’t expérience stress, risk, or fear the same way that the rest of us do

View attachment 55492

Image from Nautilus, Science Magazine Neuroscience issue.

The Strange Brain of the World’s Greatest Solo Climber
http://m.nautil.us/issue/39/sport/the-strange-brain-of-the-worlds-greatest-solo-climber


———
To OP, you mention these trees were around 100’ tall. Chances are, if you développéd as a climbing arborist where @rico works, you would start to get equally freaked out at 200’, but feel cozy at 100’

Take some time on the weekend and go rec climb some 80’ trees. As others have said, bounce around, take some swings. Once you’re comfortable in that, go find 90’ tree, repeat. With exposure you will get more comfortable

Cool post Stan. Those images of Alex's brain are amazing. I observed very early on that certain guys just seemed to be wired to thrive in the danger that we were constantly exposed to while high-ball yarder logging. As I got older and continued logging and climbing this phenomena was very obvious. Was it genetics, life experiences, or a combo of both?
I can honestly say that I have experienced very little fear in my 40 years in this game. In my case I believe it was my life experience that made me this way. I was exposed to some serious violence during most of my childhood, so my brain was developing in a pool of cortisol. The king of stress hormones. I believe my young body adapted to constantly operating in a state of fight or flight, making me more wired for this line of work than most. Being at heights was very easy compare to the shit I was dealing with at home, so my nervous system actually got to go to a more relaxed state while working. Just a theory of mine, and might be utter bullshit. Who knows? I have also had the privilege of working with a couple of younger men in the last few years who saw serious combat in the middle east. Both turn out to be fearless, kickass tree-men. I have discussed my thoughts with them and both agreed.

 

[JoshR]

Definitely a valid point @CanadianStan. I still think some of what he talked about can be valid for one trying to manage the fear that they have. And it’s surley going to be different for everyone as @rico has said. One question I pose is that who knows if Alex was born with some low fear response or if he developed in a way. Do we know that the 2 rock climbers were shown pictures of heights or of some other fearful images? Or even better, many different types of “arousing” images?

If nothing I find it insipiring as a climber to see people operate so masterfully at heights and in situations like that. I can tell you that I’ve gotten much more comfortable in trees from my beginning to now. Some days I still have to manage my psyche more than others. I’d be scared to drop over the edge to go window washing a sky scraper though so, I guess part of my take on some of it is putting yourself in the situation and working through it.

There’s focus and trust involved. Trust in your equipment, your balance and strength, (and the limits of each of those) and then remaining focused throughout. To me that’s only part of it. But I think as a muscle can be strengthened so can one be trained.

I just happened to run across this video the other day and it jogged my memory about seeing the post by the OP. Maybe it’ll resonate with him or maybe it won’t.
In my anchorman voice, I’m just throwing this out there.

 

[tomstrees]

I used to have a lot of fear centered around public interactions, speaking, etc., but through better physical strength and condition, I outgrew it. When I wasn't filing taxes, fear of the tax departments were disabling fears that went away when I filed.

 

[Scott-In-Trees]

Well....i'm pretty late to the party, but I'm kind of impressed by this guy...normally the only thing you hear from climbers is egotistical bullshit lol...i've always said the best danger gauge is between your ears. That gauge can always be re-calibrated, and certainly it will be in time...i was just impressed that someone ACTUALLY admitted to being scared. kudo's man...you'll do a little better every day and probably wind up being one hell of a tree slayer one day...

I'd have taken that opportunity in Virginia in a heartbeat too...earning while you learn with one of the best and most understanding guys in the industry is an opportunity most of us will never have. Plus, I've been up a few massive ass 100'+ tree's...and once you see the sun rise at that height, you'll crave it. 100 feet is where we top out at here in MI...and even those are mostly beech and cottonwood...99% of what i do now is boring shit under 60 feet...tops. Just keeping doing what you do well, only scaring yourself every so often..but making sure you finish the job when you do. That was key for me when i started. If you force yourself to take SMALL steps over that line today, tomorro you'll be golden doing shit you would have turned down yesterday. Keep it rolling man...i'm kind of interested in your progress hahaha.

 

[tomstrees]

Competent and energetic climbers are hard to find; knowing all the rope skills, other key tools, assessing risks in trees; there is no substitute for experience. I hired a climber for years who performed admirably, but he didn't have an arborist license. He could have taken the course and tests, but what difference would it have made? He had 30 years of quality experience, through the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s into the 2000s. There is no substitute for experience, being in top shape, physically, mentally, and having a good recovery routine after putting all that energy out.

Once we had a ground guy who had been a climber, but he was a drunk. That was a mistake; he pulled the rope at the wrong time, we were trying to get a stove pipe out of the way and it cut the climber's hand, not that terribly serious, he may have gotten stitches. The lush did not take responsibility for his mistake; you don't want impaired people on a job.

 

[southsoundtree]

Which is a better thread title

Fear caused me to lose a job today

Or

Doing what I knew was too much for me, cost me my legs and walking today?

 

[rope-a-dope]

Oh snap! Southsound in da house throwin shade lika gran' fir!

 

[stephen]

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet but personally, to me, if I don't feel a tint of fear, a little peak of fight or flight with each ascent I make, I walk away from the tree. Not having at least a .01% of fear each time you head up something means your ego has overtaken your primal respect of death to some degree. And those are the days accidents are likely to happen. 24 years in at this point, with 20 years climbing & not one work day has passed where I don't go through a mental checklist to compartmentalize those little hairs on the back of my neck telling me "hey dummy do this right or you could die". I don't have wood to knock on this second or I'd mention my safety record. Now how you take that daily tint of fear & process or compartmentalize it, seems to be wide open for discussion & ask 500 climbers & you'll get 501 answers on how that process goes. But if you don't see it before you start grunting up a trunk, you likely won't recognize it once you're aloft & then it can rear up on you & truly become dangerous. So far as the particular situation you were in with the company & the health/condition of the particular tree itself goes... if they didn't want you any more because you communicated to them a safety issue, or personal safety concern, even if it was majority just your inner stay alive mechanism, you don't want them as an employer. If you pulled it several times a week & were constantly having the fear issues, different story, but first day, one job, being let go? Nah, that's not good management of a tree service if you offer any other value in what you bring to the jobsite.

That is a gritty grass roots response that is straight from the belly of the sort of climber that stays alive and doesn't walk with a swagger . Lovely stuff and to be well heeded