STAYING ALIVE

Tell about the whole idea and experience of a sweat lodge, will you?
 
You do the fasting as well Randy? The three times I have been I wouldn't trade that experience for the world. Started as vision quest for me.
 
Not a religious experience unless possibly you want to make it so, but I prefer steam over just heat sweat. I think it is better for the lungs.
 
I try to fast the day of the ceremony.......but many times we have them late in the evening. Being a fat boy, that is tough for me. :D

I've been doing this for many years......it's as much about the fellowship and family as it is anything else at this point. I've made relations thru this path that I cherish very much. We are a tight bunch.
 
I agree that thinking too much on the 'what ifs' can put you in a funk.
I write up a risk assesment at the start of the day, lay out the first aid kit and phone, then get on with it.
I do talk to myself up in the tree...

I admit that working near the 'down rope' on SRT still causes me a certain level of concern (still fairly new to it)....been a bit 'clingy' lately and pedantic about my second tie-in.
 
mastermind7864 said:
I try to fast the day of the ceremony.......but many times we have them late in the evening. Being a fat boy, that is tough for me. :D

I've been doing this for many years......it's as much about the fellowship and family as it is anything else at this point. I've made relations thru this path that I cherish very much. We are a tight bunch.
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Can anyone go to a sweat lodge? I got invited to a sweat once by and Indian fellow I played music with, but only after he found out I was a quarter Eskimo.
He moved away before I could go but I think he was serious about taking me.
 
You have to know someone that does these things. If you have to pay.....it's total bullshit. The people I know that do them......if you offer them tobacco, and ask them to pour a sweat, they have to do it. Most lodges are kept sorta low key. Around here the "normal" religions say we are all gonna burn in hell.
 
mastermind7864 said:
You have to know someone that does these things. If you have to pay.....it's total bullshit. The people I know that do them......if you offer them tobacco, and ask them to pour a sweat, they have to do it. Most lodges are kept sorta low key. Around here the "normal" religions say we are all gonna burn in hell.
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Thanks. Yeah, ain't we all nice and tolerant?
 
mastermind7864 said:
Some of these knots baffle my mind. :/:
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Speaking of which, one of the things I do to stay safe is keep it simple and easy to see that it’s right. Some peoples minds move fast and maybe they do well with lots of variables. For me I like it a bit slower and simple and reproducible.

Perhaps try the Prusik Randy. It is an easy knot for me to see that it’s right at a glance and tying two wraps down, three up provides the perfect friction and smooth control without jamming for my usual climb weight between 250 and 270 lbs.
 
I've been tying the Prusik as well. Just getting a feel for a few different knots right now. I don't plan to be climbing until I get a few basic knots down in my mind.
 
Great thread! :thumbup:
Just found it and read through the whole thing.
I will always look at a tree when I'm bidding on a job and right away start working out "IF" I can do it. The next step is how can I do it safely? I'll start going over in my mind what would be the "easiest" way to "take it apart". I'll think about if I do "this" what could go wrong and what I need to do to keep it from "going wrong". I never dwell on what could go wrong but always try to be aware of the possibilities so I'm not caught "off guard" or blindsided. Of course all that goes out the window when I actually get up in the tree and start working.
Being fairly "new" to tree work(climbing), I will be very "meticulous" about how I work to be sure I'm doing things safely(to the best of my ability). I'll take more time to do a job than I probably should 'cause I'm checkin' knots, tie ins, etc, and going through in my head what my next task is and how I'm going to do it.
I guess what I'm trying to say is I think about what I'm gonna do before I do it and try to be aware of what "could" go wrong and make sure it goes right.
The more tree work I do the more I find every tree is different and yes, I follow that "gut feeling". I haven't backed off a tree(yet), but then again I haven't done anything I would consider an "ugly" like most of you all have done. I have however completely changed how/where my rigging was set(and the size of piece) 'cause my gut was "telling me" to "back off".
I've said it before and I'll say it again, the more I learn, the more I know I've got A LOT MORE to learn..... ;)
 
Tucker943 said:
I think one of the best things a tree worker can do in hairy situations is say no. For awhile I was doing some BAD removals. Some stuff I wouldn't even post on here. I was doing some removals where I wasn't sure if I could do it without getting killed. I opted for awhile to march right up those trees and take my chances. This past year, I have started shifting gears. Burnham has encouraged me a few times to wise up and remember the people at home waiting on me. For some reason, his words have followed me to some bids/job sites. I still do uglies. But Ive stopped getting in trees that I think run a chance of killing me.

Im starting to feel as though one of the biggest steps in dealing with hairy trees is deciding whether or not to step into it.
Click to expand...

Yep shoot the moon on the esti and walk away.
 
Bermy said:
I admit that working near the 'down rope' on SRT still causes me a certain level of concern (still fairly new to it)....been a bit 'clingy' lately and pedantic about my second tie-in.
Click to expand...

I was working with a guy this past summer. He was wraptoring up a spruce (canopy raise) and he was getting a little careless and he cut his down line. The fall was about eight feet. Look before you cut!
 
If a tree is dead or harzardous I double and sometimes triple check if there is a way to fell it safely. I used to climb everything spending more time in the tree than I would have by just moving some things out the way. I gained a lot more confidence in felling this year it has helped me finish faster, safer, and more energy at the end of the day.
 
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