Re: OK, I\'ve hesitated to tell this story here...
Jamin, this thread popped up the other day when somebody spammed it... go figure.
Kevin, that's just creepy... you must be living right!
Daniel, I totally agree that going back over something like that is how you develop intuition. In this case mine clearly wasn't developed enough, but it fooled Guy too.
I think my primary mistake was sequencing and structural imbalance. The tree wasn't very massive so my weight on the lever arm was enough to break the plate.
I can't say for certain but I believe balance crossed my mind as I moved from the lead over the drop to the one over garden... I was doing them according to target risk, line first, then garden, then fence (the house was far enough away that it wasn't a factor... unless the whole tree fell).
Regardless, I'm pretty sure I thought about imbalance briefly and dismissed it. So yeah, I ignored one of those little gut feelings that I clearly should have listened to. I get those all the time, sometimes I listen sometimes I don't, in this case I misjudged.
I'm still here because I was topside of the lean. Had I been on the downside I would definitely be dead. I've pictured it in my mind a hundred times.
In retrospect here's what I learned:
-Uncover and inspect ALL root flares before you climb. It doesn't have to be a drawn out thing, but don't ignore it. Kick away the litter and thump some roots and that will tell you whether you need to take more time and maybe do an RCX or drill. And know that you still won't have more than a murky picture of what's happening sub-surface.
-Roots typically decay from the bottom up in a PLANE. I'd seen it before but never knew it was typical for most root rots until a seminar at TCIA Baltimore. Think about how that affects stability... almost NO tension support, only compression from the relatively sound flare above the decay plane.
-Never trust a red maple.
-It IS possible for a climber's weight to affect tree stability on even mid-size trees, especially if the leads separate and spread.
-If you're on spikes, stay topside of the lean. Seems obvious, not only is it easier, it's safer... like everything else, it's a guideline not a rule.
-If you have a concussion (or a chainsaw cut), you are in shock and not thinking right. You may very well want to keep working... don't. Listen to the people around you and go to the ER if they want you to. I didn't admit my ankle was broken till 3 days later at the radiologist... even though a guy at the scene kept saying it looked broken.
Trauma causes shock, shock causes bad judgment. When you've been hurt, listen to the people around you, they have a more objective viewpoint.
-It IS possible to footlock with a severely torn MCL, so long as it's your sweep leg... but don't miss a lock, the hyper-extension is agony... rough housing dogs at parties will do you too.
-I am freaky paranoid about dead trees now. It used to be I would climb almost any tree regardless of health. I'm a lot pickier now and I won't hesitate to set a highline or alternate TIP if the tree seems dodgy. My experience since has been that every tree I was freaked out about was actually pretty sound but I don't regret the extra time at all.
-Willy Schultz won the Geezers a month later in fine style and I took second to last place... got an 11 in the footlock though.
Seriously, that's what I remember about that injury... it was one month to the day before my first Geezers and I was crushed that I probably wouldn't be going. Bless you Stephan, Jersey and Scotty... and everybody else who supported me through it and made it happen. That was one of my all time favorite experiences.
Almost forgot... I believe in something, but I'm not sure I would label it God. This event didn't have an affect on my beliefs, more than once I've nearly died and counted my blessings after, so I kinda have all that sorted out at this point, I'm comfortable not knowing.
