Getting closer

I was able to get a little further along on our ash tree yesterday, I have about 2/3 of it gone now. Managed to avoid all the structures as well, so that was good. We already miss the shade from the tree, but was necessary due to the high potential for failure in wind events. We are planning on planting 3 quaking aspen, in a clump arrangement, in its place immediately after removal. I quit yesterday when it started getting windy, nausea set in.

This is my standard setup for climbing in a tree. It's a "closed" system using 3 knots. The left knot is a bowline which clips to my saddle, the knot in the middle is a type of friction hitch - called a "Blake's Hitch". As I ascend a tree this "knot" can be slid up along my climbing line, if I fall it'll tighten up under tension but can easily be slid up. The other 2 knots on the bottom and right are figure eight knots used as stopper knots.

An email forward

The email was titled "size matters". Hard to tell if its real or not, but its funny either way.

Bye, Bye Ash

Removal of the backyard ash tree has begun. So far it has been only the easier limbs (those not hanging over a structure). So far so good, only 1 branch landed on my neighbors garage, hehe. I believe it is visible in both pictures. I hope to get a few pictures this weekend when I am up in the tree with my climbing gear on. It should be an exciting weekend, we'll see how far I get.

Sunday morning

Sunday morning before church is the best... I have the computer to read through the morning news and the tv on Speed Channel watching a Formula 1 race, go Kimi! (google Kimi Raikkonen if you like)

September already

We were fortunate enough to have another fun weekend camping over the Labor Day weekend. Below is a picture of a baby snapper turtle that had just emerged; its hole is just visible on the bottom of the picture. The little guy had about 75 yards to get to the river. The lower picture is a shot taken during a hike, the previous day we paddled on that river onto Mille Lacs Lake.