Close Calls / Widow Makers

[terceiro]

So, pulled out by the roots? How are we going to guard against that situation?

The key is that I was on the bank of a stream. As I recall, some heavy-ish rains had eroded the bank somewhat and left the roots semi-exposed on the lee side. At least, that's what my forensic analysis of the tree concluded when I could look at things the next morning. Had I been setting up in the daylight I suspect it would have been very, very obvious that the tree was unsuitable.

My take-away lesson is to play it extra safe if setting up after dark: don't pick a site for it's great morning views if you can't inspect it fully. When setting up in the dark, pick safety over scenery.

[terceiro]

So, pulled out by the roots? How are we going to guard against that situation?

Also, though I have only thirty posts, I have been camping in hammocks since shortly after I registered for this forum in 2007: many, many nights in a hammock and only one tree ripped out by the roots. It isn't something I spend much time worrying about.

[Cannibal]

My girlfriend and I were hanging in Virginia a few years back and I finished my setup first. So, I was sitting there in my hammock watching her finish setting up her's. She finishes and goes to 'plop' down in the hammock. The instant her weight transfered from her feet to the hammock, the tree attached to the head of her hammock started moving. She didn't see it, or feel it. I yelled very loud with a sense of urgency and she jumped up out of the hammock. Probably thought I saw a snake in her hammock or something. We moved her to a different spot and went back over to the tree that did the leaning. It looked fine. I pushed fairly hard against it and stood back as it fell over. Not a huge tree, but probably at least 25'. I don't tie to anything anymore without giving it a shove first!

I also got to see the proverbial tree fall in the woods. It wasn't more than 100' from our camp. Heard a gawd-awful sound, followed by a loud 'crack'. Looked over to see a massive tree falling and tearing out the canopy as it went. It was on a slope, so when it finally hit the ground, it just started hauling butt down the slope. Eventually got caught-up among the other trees and stopped rolling, but it was crazy how much destruction came in just a few seconds. No way we would have been able to get out of its way if we had been in its way.

Trees are scary! Assume nothing.

[Old Dog]

ALWAYS check for widow makers and dead but standing trees. You never know when a wind will come up. A few years ago I was tarp camping with some friends. There was a big dead tree above camp that we had been keeping an eye on. It wouldn’t fall on the camp if it came down, but it was pretty much in line with a pickup that belonged to one of the fellows. One evening a heck of a thunder storm blew in, and high wind with it. The guy who owned the truck got up and moved it. A few minutes, sure nuff, down came the tree. It didn’t quite reach the spot where the truck had been parked; but if it had, and if the truck had still been there, the guy sure would have had an insurance claim.

[canoebie]

My wife and I were camped on the Manistee river on a hot, sunny summer day, no wind, and quiet. I went down to the river to fetch water and I heard what I thought was someone using an axe on the opposite shoreline. Looking to see the culprit, I heard it again. It was a loud pop of wood. Lo and behold as we stood there trying to figure out what it was a tree probably 2-3 feet in diameter fell across the river from the opposite shore where just five minutes earlier a whole group of yakers had just paddled by.

It did make noise for sure. That was 2 years ago and that tree is still there adding to the nice sounds of riffles in the river as I snooze in my hammock in the afternoon.

Learn to identify unhealthy trees. It takes some observation, and while not fool proof, it does improve our chances in the woods. An earlier post in here of a tree that fell showed clear signs of deterioration. We need to be able to identify those.

[Hiknhanger]

I don't have first hand experience, but do ya'll remember a video Shug did with a tree that randomly fell in the background behind him? I think whoever he was camping with had planned to hook up to the tree but hadn't yet. Pretty wild to see on video like that.

[the2nddeal]

I was in a tent in a vicious thunderstorm in 2004 with lightning popping all around. We thought about making a run for the car a few miles away, but figured we'd just ride it out.

The next morning we woke up to find a tree laying beside the tent. It had been hit by lightning. It was so loud that night that we didn't hear it fall.

That one was too close for comfort.

[Teegs]

Is there a thread dedicated to identifying unhealthy trees?

[Spikemaulmaster]

I am pretty paranoid in this regard. Look up. Push and pull load bearing trunks. Be very wary of oak trees in California. Widowmakers can "glide" almost. If you're on a slope (man I love hammocks!) they can really start to move out from their parent tree when they fall.
That said no close calls in my hammock. My car got murfe'd up by an Elm in my driveway though!

[Teegs]

I just wonder because I camp in a very dry area, that has seen forest fire before. Most (if not all) of the trees out there have seemingly "dead" looking branches on the lower portions, despite being healthy overall. And when you try to break off these lower branches, it usually takes a decent amount of force to snap one off. But the snap is definitely a dry, sharp, crack. Though because of the arid climate, even branches with green on them will produce a very similar (if not identical) sound.

An inch thick branch will kill a man if it lands the wrong way on him...

I'm guessing warning signs for diseased trees varies based on the type of tree, type of sickness, etc. Is there a good resource I can peruse, to verify some of these dangers?