View Full Version : Perfect Fall (near miss)
Hatchet_1697
09-01-2017, 17:24
20 Aug 2017 pop-up storm on the AT, 40mph sustained winds, gusts to 70mph, rode it out in the Darlington Shelter. Had a 7" tear in a brand new cuben fiber tarp! Hammock Gear fixed it for free (they are awesome!).
Could have been a lot worse.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170901/c73db6157020b6c0dd3d7ee686fa2367.png
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I'm assuming the tree in foreground was intact when you cocooned. Scary morning scene! So glad you weren't hit.
Traffic Jam
09-01-2017, 20:05
That is too close for comfort. Glad you weren't hit...those damn shelters come in handy sometimes.
Hatchet_1697
09-01-2017, 20:13
That 50' tree was fully upright when we setup, it snapped during the storm. We were lucky. Lesson learned is to really look close at all the trees around camp no matter how tired you are.
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Looks like that tree was alive...that makes it scarier!
yes alive, but badly diseased from the looks of it.
Yep, scary. I've had a couple of occasions when I've noticed something similar after I've set up camp. Hard choice sometimes deciding if to move or not.... how likely is a storm tonight?
orthofingers
09-01-2017, 23:47
Trees or big branches falling can be scary and sometimes so random. I run in the woods about a mile and a half every day with my dogs. Same woods, same route, every day for the past 12 1/2 years, rain, shine, wind or snow (well, in deep snow I wear boots and can't really run but, I do get out there). Because I go the same way every day, I notice when a tree has come down (especially if it falls across the path I take), and, of course, they usually come down in high winds . . . But, not always.
This past Tuesday, August 29th, I was about half way through my run. It was about 6:45 am with absolutely no wind whatsoever and a big black birch tree just decided to fall down about 30 feet to my left. I guess it was not healthy because it didn't look like it had much leaf cover in the crown. It wasn't a close call or anything because it fell away from the path but, I remember thinking what a random occurrence it was in light of such still air.
LOTS of dead or dying trees in that general area. I was across the way on Peter's Mountain and had a tough time finding a camp without some sort of potential fall hazard. Also saw a bunch of downers after a similar storm on Aug 19.
What's the cause. Disease? Pests?
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Hatchet_1697
09-04-2017, 09:44
Good question, should have looked closer in the morning but we were rushed to get back on the trail. The crown of the tree had leaves but the lower limbs were gone. Looking at the pic there are signs of trouble about 8' up, but mostly on one side.
There are a couple possibilities according to PA DCNR, but I'll leave it to the tree experts.
http://www.dcnr.pa.gov/Conservation/ForestsAndTrees/InsectsAndDiseases/Pages/default.aspx
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