Took me 4 hours to climb a white oak that should have been 1 hour tops

Honestly I thought I could deadwood this big white oak in the backyard near Portland with just my rope and saddle, no big deal. But the crown was so tangled with ivy and dead hangers I kept having to reset my lines like 7 times. Has anyone else had a simple job turn into a whole afternoon because of hidden vine mess?

3 comments

3 Comments

abbyhall16d ago

Seven resets? I would have been losing my mind by the third one for sure. Those hidden ivy tangles are the worst because you can't even see what you're getting into until you're already in the tree and committed. I had a similar thing happen with a red oak last spring, thought I'd be done by lunch but ended up fighting with vines until almost dark. Made me want to just leave the whole thing for the squirrels.

samreed16d ago

Got up there and found a whole wasp nest the size of a basketball hidden in the ivy. Had to rappel down real fast, grab the spray, and go back up. Took me an extra hour just dealing with that.

jana50916d ago

Oh man, a whole basketball sized nest? That's nightmare fuel right there. I've had my share of hidden wasp surprises but nothing that big. Must have been buzzing like crazy when you got close. Extra hour sounds about right for something like that, glad you got down safe before dealing with it.