Loggers World

C

cory

Branched out member
Do any of you get Loggers World magazine? Finley Hays is a retired logger/treetopper from Washington state and has a regular column in it. This month he wrote a funny story (if you're a climber and can relate). Finley: "...The first tree that I topped was while I was showing off...I was going to top a fair sized Alder tree on my granfather's propety but was waiting until I could show off in front of an audience. I got that arranged and with a show of confidence I went up that tree chopping off limbs. I got to where I wanted to top it and it leaned quite severely. Knowing that Alder specialized in easy splitting I deliberately chopped a very deep and gererous undercut. /forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif Too generous and deep as it turned out. I got almost thru the tree and the top leaned forward and split off a plank about 3 feet long on the back of the tree. This plank lifted my rope up the tree and over the top. Half hyponitized by this unexpected chain of events /forum/images/graemlins/shocked.gifI reached for the solid part of the tree and hung on. The plank lifted my rope, right in front of my horrified eyes, over the top of the tree and then fell free----turning the bight of my rope loose. I shakily climbed up to the top and with trembling hands dropped the bight of my climbing rope over the top of the tree. My audience never seen what happened, having wandered off in search of berries, or some such thing. I got to the ground, started walking away from the tree before taking my spurs off and the spike on my left spur bored into my right foot right where the big toe was connected to the foot. Hurt like the devil and didn't so my shoe any good either..." Crazy...
 
Yes, it's awesome..I haven't looked at it in awhile so I'm gonna have to now that you, reminded me. Jerry's book is awesome too...It's cool in that even though most of it is basic (which is good in that somebody took the time and effort to put the basics down in one place), when I'm leafing through it I always discover, or at least am reminded of, a tidbit that is cool and useful. One that comes to mind is p. 297, sawing lean into a tree. Jerry is one dude who sure liked to take alot of pics of treework and logging, fortunately for us.
 
The topper in "Spar Tree" was 63 years old when the movie was filmed. He's amazingly calm stripping the limbs & tops from these enormous forest trees. His brother spoke at the 2000 ISA conference in Seattle, and described the making of the black and white movie.

The idea is to use the trunk as a gin pole, to hang blocks & rigging for the yarding of logs from the forest.

The Pacific Northwest Chapter of the ISA has distribution rights for the movie, which is available for $15. ($18.75, non-member price) at: "Spar Tree"
 
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