Major Loss

Steve Connally

Steve Connally

Been here much more than a while
Location
Suffolk, Virginia
So, I lost a close climbing partner yesterday. My Camelback water bottle! I bought that thing the first time I went to Jackson Hole at Teton Mountaineering. It has hunted Antelope, Mule Deer, Whitetail, and ELK. It has rinsed off remnants of all those mentioned plus Moose, Buffalo, and Sheep off my hunting knife. It climbed Clause Peak in Wyoming Range, Grayback Ridge. 10,604 ft, the 347th highest mountain in Wyoming and the 3161st highest mountain in the Unites States. It has also climbed many a tree with me in the last 10 or so years. It has flown thousands of feet trough the air to a groundie waiting to send it back up to me full of cold water. It has seen 4 different tree companies including my own run at it for 5 years or so. Yesterday it met its demise. I Unclipped it off my saddle and dropped it from waist height. I blew the bottom rite out of it.

My blue bottle was a collage of tree gear stickers some around 10 years old. Some were so worn away it was just a white vinyl square. My tree lunch box has a ton of stickers but the coolest were set aside for the water bottle. My favorites: Treestuff spidey hand, Treestuff EAB with the big crazy black head and white eyes, DMM available at Treestuff, the elusive Petzl sticker, Rock Exotica professional use only. When you stop and look at those stickers, you have to keep in prospective the thousands of dollars of gear I have bought over the years that resulted in those free stickers. I would guess I spend over 1k a year on tree goodies. Over a decade, that's some dough!!!!!!

The new water bottle will most likely outlast my climbing days as I'm not getting any younger. It's nice and all but I miss my old friend. Farewell blue water bottle, sorry I couldn't give you a proper burial in the recycle bin but your not recyclable. I did the best I could. Peace
 
This is what happens when cycles to failure is disregarded (not to mention the way you abuse your gear). I hope you learned your lesson sir.
 
I did learn my lesson. Don't drop anything at waist level as throwin it from 100' is much safer for the gear. I'm glad your hardhat holds tight from the stickers. I was a rookie sticker putter onner at the time. Now I know exactly where to place them for maximum equipment abuse.
 
I'm a little funny about my truck. I'm basically a sub. A week or so ago I was told to take a groundie with me and head to another job. I drive my own spotless clean interior truck and take great care not to dog it out every day. So this day was like 98 with 99% humidity. He was dirty and nasty. So was I but I had a towel for the seat. I told the foreman I'm not company transportation since he didn't even ask if I minded. He just told me to do it. I replied if you've got something he can sit on then I'll take him. They all threw a hissy fit so I made his arse ride in the back. My truck. My diesel. My gear and saws. My rigging equipment. Not the transportation for the company employees. That's the burden of the boss to make sure people get where they gotta go. I don't get paid fuel for driving to 4 different jobs every day so tough doodoo. So....... Not a billboard. Lol
 
Steve Connally said:
I'm a little funny about my truck. I'm basically a sub. A week or so ago I was told to take a groundie with me and head to another job. I drive my own spotless clean interior truck and take great care not to dog it out every day. So this day was like 98 with 99% humidity. He was dirty and nasty. So was I but I had a towel for the seat. I told the foreman I'm not company transportation since he didn't even ask if I minded. He just told me to do it. I replied if you've got something he can sit on then I'll take him. They all threw a hissy fit so I made his arse ride in the back. My truck. My diesel. My gear and saws. My rigging equipment. Not the transportation for the company employees. That's the burden of the boss to make sure people get where they gotta go. I don't get paid fuel for driving to 4 different jobs every day so tough doodoo. So....... Not a billboard. Lol
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I like the cut of your jib sir
 
C
Steve Connally said:
I'm a little funny about my truck. I'm basically a sub. A week or so ago I was told to take a groundie with me and head to another job. I drive my own spotless clean interior truck and take great care not to dog it out every day. So this day was like 98 with 99% humidity. He was dirty and nasty. So was I but I had a towel for the seat. I told the foreman I'm not company transportation since he didn't even ask if I minded. He just told me to do it. I replied if you've got something he can sit on then I'll take him. They all threw a hissy fit so I made his arse ride in the back. My truck. My diesel. My gear and saws. My rigging equipment. Not the transportation for the company employees. That's the burden of the boss to make sure people get where they gotta go. I don't get paid fuel for driving to 4 different jobs every day so tough doodoo. So....... Not a billboard. Lol
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Check this out! Can't be afraid of a few customizations;)
 

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Steve Connally said:
That's creative. Can you hear he radio through the rattling? You know where everything is that's for sure!!
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Radio no problem. Drilled more holes in the doors and moved the screech and keep the pointy stuff down low now and screwed-on a holster for secateurs and pliers. Place for everything and everything has its place.
What was your favorite sticker?
 
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