Celebrated my first solo crown raise on a big red oak today

I work for a small crew in Ohio and usually just do cleanup and ground work. Today my foreman let me handle a red oak in a tight backyard near Dayton. I took off about 8 feet of lower limbs with a handsaw, working slow to keep the cuts clean. Felt good to finally put those practice climbs to use without messing up the bark. Anybody else remember their first time running a job alone?

3 comments

3 Comments

perry.jesse18h ago

Did you at least remember to tie your boots before you started climbing?

cora81317h agoMost Upvoted

and honestly that whole thing about being so focused on one part you mess up another, it happens everywhere. i see it all the time with regulars at the bar, they get so worked up about one thing like how to handle a rude coworker that they forget to clock out or leave their keys on the counter. it's like your brain only has so much room for worry at once.

the_drew18h ago

Heard a story from my buddy Mike about his first solo trim. He’s a pretty cautious guy, spent like an hour just planning the cuts on a big old maple in a cemetery. Said he was so focused on not messing up the bark that he forgot the rope placement and had to re-climb the whole thing twice. Ended up being a four hour job for what should have taken one. He still laughs about it though, says that’s how you learn to think ahead. Pretty sure your foreman was watching you closer than you thought, too.