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Hey Folks: Been away for awhile and came back reading this thread. Great discussion about "Trust but verify". I wonder if the problem is the order of the words? I'd like to verify things before I trust them, not after. The example of the couple with cans at the gas station is an example...

Hello Jed: Sorry for the late reply. We're a bit SE of Belen next to the Rio Grande. Not nearly as nice as the Peco Wilderness! You must have some great tales about those three + years.... Howard Snell

As Tree09 & lxskllr mentioned, Silent Partners were self belay devices for rope solo rock climbing. I used to use one when I wanted to climb alone but still pretend that I was safer than if I'd free soloed (I was never brave or good enough to actually free solo 5th class routes). Rock Exotica...

What a great truck!

Thanks again for the suggestions. I'll do some research on Anthracnose, treatments and mitigation. Then I'll come back to this thread with a potential plan to see what you all think. At the moment we're slowly removing branches that overhang our garage from two moderately large cottonwoods...

Your shots often remind me of growing up in southern California! We lived in the foothills west of Alpine (San Diego County) and I roamed the chaparral searching for remote groves of oak and hidden caves among piles of boulders for years until I headed to South America in the mid 70’s. We go...

Thanks for the suggestions. We'll work on getting water and mulch under the deck sections and look for signs of Anthracnose next spring. Right now I don't see signs of fungus on the leaves, but I understand it is more likely in the early spring. Howard

Folks: I'm looking for advice about caring for three trees at our house in the north central Rio Grande valley of New Mexico. While I'm a biologist, I usually work with reptiles and amphibians and know almost nothing about plants! These three sycamores define our deck & yard area on the south...

Our Rio Grande Valley monsoon rains got into full swing last week & the red velvet mites (“Rain Bugs”) were out and about. Saw several instances of one chasing another and then these three in a circle. Only lasted less than a minute, but definitely fun to watch.

Hello Jonchitect: For a really brief period I thought I could use one of my rock climbing harnesses. That silliness ended after a couple of hours in a tree! I switched to a Petzel Sequoia and have been happy with it. However, my experience is really limited compared to most others here so...

We like New Mexico a lot - lots of open space, much of it public land open to all of us. The Tour Divide goes through some fantastic country - I've taken day rides on a couple of stretches here in NM. Those self-supported multi-day "races" seem like a great inclusive model and are gaining a...

I just discovered this thread! While I'm definitely a neophyte at tree work, chainsaws, and nearly everything else at Treehouse, I've been riding bikes on and off (in several contexts) for at least 60 years. I last raced road bikes from 2004 through 2008 but had to give it up when a West Nile...

Thanks for the wise words - you guys are definitely correct. Howard

That would have been more acrobatic than I'm comfortable with! I wouldn't say it couldn't have worked but I don't think I could have pulled off that much free climbing. Howard

I wish I had Brian's limb walking skills. Last weekend I needed to trim some dead branches off the end of a long nearly horizontal elm trunk about 30' off the ground. I couldn't get a TIP above the trunk at an angle that I liked and couldn't reach the dead limbs with the pole saw I had at the...

Lxskllr: I initially found DRT impossible (teaching myself) and body-thrusting was more like fish flopping on the deck. Thought I was just too old & weak until I saw a suggestion somewhere to extend my hitch climber from the bridge so I could pull down on the climbing line below the pulley...

Hello Sean: I'll get some photos early in December - we're off to Bend, Oregon for a couple of weeks tomorrow. I'll have some questions about crown reduction of three sycamores that define our backyard. New Mexico is a great state, especially if you like getting out in the backcountry without...

Sean: Thanks, I'm working my way through this one. Howard

Thanks for all the replies & encouragement. I'm embarrassed to admit I never thought of the compromise suggested by many of you - pull the climbing line and leave a throw line. Perfect. Tree09 brought up fixed lines in mountaineering. While they are often used, there are some horror stories...

Hello: New to the forum & new to tree climbing. You folks seem a good group to learn from. I have experience with rock climbing, moderate mountaineering & canyoneering, simple rigging for 4x4 recovery, sailing, etc. but little roped time in trees. I'd like to take care of our residential...