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DebW
12-31-2002, 20:02
Do people have significant safety concerns about falling trees and branches? This is something I try to be aware of, ie. not camping under widow-makers (or widower-makers for some of us). I was once standing 6 feet from a dead tree as it fell over, confidently thinking I was far enough away because it was falling 90 degrees to me, but realized my stupidity as the tree broke into pieces which jumped into the air. I'm also frequently made to think when I walk around my yard and discover large tree limbs standing vertically in the ground, their tips burried several inches into the dirt. Of course we all want to stay in shelters on stormy nights when things are likely to fall, but the possibility exists any time.

Bandana Man
12-31-2002, 20:48
Never thought about this on a hike, but I will from now on. By strange coincidence a strong storm is right now blowing into central Florida and a huge oak limb just hit the roof maybe 2 minutes before your post! In my yard, I've picked up a lot of large tree limbs imbedded 6 inches into the ground. Never even occurred to me that the same thing could happen to me in my tent! Good post.

Lugnut
12-31-2002, 20:59
Shelters can be destroyed by falling trees also. That happened to Rufus Morgan shelter (the last one before NOC) a few years ago.

DebW
12-31-2002, 21:01
Originally posted by Bandana Man
Never thought about this on a hike, but I will from now on.

Aren't you glad I gave you something new to worry about? :D

PushingDaisies
12-31-2002, 21:21
I had two falling tree incidents on my hike. One while sitting near the bathroom near the Fontana Hilton. A group of were chatting and a hugh branch came crashing down very close to where we were standing.

The other one was a day or so before Hot Springs. The tree was caught by small branch on another tree across the trail. The small branch was breaking and we stood in the trail and watched it fall and get caught on another branch about three times. My hiking partner went up to base of the falling tree and used his foot and pushed it over.

Easyhiker
12-31-2002, 21:38
Originally posted by Lugnut
Shelters can be destroyed by falling trees also. That happened to Rufus Morgan shelter (the last one before NOC) a few years ago.

Well it didn't destroy it enough to have it removed, that shelter won't be missed if it goes away. NOC is only a mile or so away and the Wesser Bald shelter is back 4 or five miles. so its not a nessecity. Its one of the worst 3 shelters I saw. The other two are Sassafras Gap and the one before Buddy and Jensine's. We could go into top ten if you want to?

illininagel
12-31-2002, 21:38
I think falling trees are a legitimate concern. I try to avoid setting up near trees that look like they are ready to go. Just look how many fallen trees there are in the woods. The sound of trees creaking in the wind is just one more thing to worry about while you are laying there at night...:(

Easyhiker
12-31-2002, 21:50
Originally posted by illininagel
The sound of trees creaking in the wind is just one more thing to worry about while you are laying there at night...:(

The mice the trees the animals the water supply are all things that you wouldn't give a second thought about after a week on the trail. Go enjoy and don't let these trivial things be a deterient to your hiking the trail.

Bandana Man
01-01-2003, 15:59
Actually, I'm not going to lose any sleep and worry about the prospect of being body pierced by a pine tree. This is just something else to consider when scouting for a good camp site. I'll just take a quick look overhead and make sure there are no obviously dead limbs that may come down. I seldom worry about much when hiking unless my wife is along, then I worry about her!

Lone Wolf
01-01-2003, 17:48
The only thing I worry about falling is the rock with chute cord tied around it being tossed over a tree limb by some paranoid idiot who thinks bear will get their food. Bears schmears!. I always sleep with my food.

illininagel
01-01-2003, 17:53
Originally posted by Lone Wolf
The only thing I worry about falling is the rock with chute cord tied around it being tossed over a tree limb by some paranoid idiot who thinks bear will get their food. Bears schmears!. I always sleep with my food.

Sure makes it a lot easier when you crave a midnight snack...

CeeJay
01-02-2003, 18:52
I know of a lady killed by a falling tree as she was driving down the road near her home. I think it can happen anywhere there are trees and people. At least in the woods there are other trees that may catch the one falling, or at least the crashing through the branches may give one warning that something is coming down. Does anyone have any idea how many hikers have been killed by falling trees on the AT?

illininagel
01-02-2003, 19:17
The way I look at it, if I get killed by a falling tree (especially if I've already checked the camp site for "suspect" trees), I guess it was just meant to be.

How unlucky can you get?

Illininagel

Team GAK
01-09-2003, 14:38
Window Makers can ruin your day, but Widow Makers can ruin your life. There are protocals for setting up a camp and looking up into the trees for potentail problems should be one of them. LNT should always be your policy when hiking, camping or doing anything.

kythruhiker
01-09-2003, 14:50
Like most, I do my best to scout an area that's not in the direct path of potential "fall-out". But - whatever will be will be, I could think of worse ways to go (like behind my desk at the office).

Ed

coaster
04-21-2003, 00:21
if a tree falls on a thru-hiker, and theres no one around...

Jumpstart
04-21-2003, 07:35
We never worried about this until we met Bob Peoples (Kincora Hiker's Hostel). The night we spent there he told us this story of a girl who got hit by lightning on the trail. I guess anything is possible. For a good week or so after that, every creak and every time there was a slight wind, I was paranoid. I think you just need to use common sense when picking a camping spot, and face facts that if a tree falls on you while you're thru-hiking, it's most likely your time to go! :) Better to get crushed by a falling tree on a thru-hike than hit by a bus crossing the street on your lunch hour :)

steve hiker
04-21-2003, 11:31
I heard about this woman who broke her back getting out of her chair at work. Now I always get up carefully and make sure I can grab onto something if it gives way, and before I sit down I check the undersides to make sure there are no cracks or if its a swivel chair is properly tightened and has no loose parts and

jojo0425
06-12-2003, 11:29
Gosh, I never though about a falling tree, guess I have to add that to my list of scary things that should keep me out of the woods, but don't (i.e. snakes, bears, disease infected mosqitoes). Thanks for the thoughts and smiles. :D

S.G.

Tigger'97
06-12-2003, 12:58
I was just north of Franklin, NC about a mile in at a fairly well used campsite before Siler's Bald. A crazy storm blew in overnight with the wind roaring thru the trees. I heard this gust coming from what seemed to be a mile off, so I reached up to grab my tarp to keep it from blowing away. (I could tell this was a BIG one). All of a sudden the tarp collapses on my head.....

I oriented myself and began to try to fluff the tarp out to get it set up again, but the bottom seemed to be pinned under something. That something was a monster pine tree that came down flat bang on top of my tarp!! If I hadn't reached over my head to grab the front of my tarp the tree would've landed on and broken both my legs!!

I spazzed around for a minute or two, then got some help getting the tree off my tarp...it took three of us to move it! The tarp was fine, I was fine, but it still scared the HE** out of me. I thought I'd scouted the area pretty well, but maybe not....

Maybe next time I'll sleep under a rock?

illininagel
06-13-2003, 21:39
When it's your time to go, it's your time to go. Sleeping under a rock won't stop the inevitable.

It's just not your day if you get crushed by a falling tree in a reasonably scouted area...

Illininagel

HallsofIvy
06-15-2003, 13:45
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Lone Wolf
The only thing I worry about falling is the rock with chute cord tied around it being tossed over a tree limb by some paranoid idiot who thinks bear will get their food. Bears schmears!. I always sleep with my food.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Sure makes it a lot easier when you crave a midnight snack...


Makes it a lot easier when the bear craves a midnight snack too!

Considering there have been a number of incidents of bears going into tents looking for food this year (one apparently involved a candy bar wrapper left at the foot of the tent), I don't think one has to be a "paranoid idiot" to hang ones food well away from the tent.
I will say that it is a lot better to tie a small bag onto your line and put the rock into that than to try to tie a rope to a rock!

jlb2012
06-15-2003, 18:20
wrt small bag vs tieing a rope on a rock - a constirctor knot works well for me to hold the rope to the rock - work the knot so the main part of the knot is on an edge of the rock. The small bag idea works well for when rocks are scarce for example on a coastal plain and you can use the bag for tent stakes as mentioned by Sgt. Rock

Youngblood
06-15-2003, 19:39
Originally posted by HallsofIvy
I will say that it is a lot better to tie a small bag onto your line and put the rock into that than to try to tie a rope to a rock!

That's just a matter of personal preference. I don't have a problem tying my line to a rock. I use a clove hitch, followed by two wraps (one on each side of the clove hitch) and then tie that off with two half hitches (the 2nd one with a quick release).

The real art in bear bag hanging is being able to toss the line were you are aiming on the first try...also remember to hang on to the other end of the line and to tie it off as high as you can, so a bear doesn't accidental find it.:D

Kerosene
06-16-2003, 08:03
In addition to the Olympic sport of Bear Bag Line Tossing, I have also found it surprisingly difficult to find just the right tree branch to suspend the stupid bag from! :D

poison_ivy
06-16-2003, 08:15
I don't usually worry about things falling from above -- however I had a related experience this weekend while hiking the AT near Finnerty Pond that scared the beejeezus out of me!

I was standing at the pond, thinking about how peaceful it looked when a large animal fell out of a tree onto the ground about five feet from me. It started crashing around in the Mountain Laurel... and all I could think was that it might be a bear cub and that it's mother might be mighty upset that her baby had fallen from a tree. So I fled, not before tripping over my trekking poles and falling on my face!

It probably was just a squirrel (but sounded much bigger) ... but I was looking up at the trees, for the rest of the hike!

-- Ivy

Youngblood
06-16-2003, 08:49
Originally posted by poison_ivy
I don't usually worry about things falling from above -- however I had a related experience this weekend while hiking the AT near Finnerty Pond that scared the beejeezus out of me!

I was standing at the pond, thinking about how peaceful it looked when a large animal fell out of a tree onto the ground about five feet from me. It started crashing around in the Mountain Laurel... and all I could think was that it might be a bear cub and that it's mother might be mighty upset that her baby had fallen from a tree. So I fled, not before tripping over my trekking poles and falling on my face!

It probably was just a squirrel (but sounded much bigger) ... but I was looking up at the trees, for the rest of the hike!

-- Ivy

Let's see, it startled AND tripped you...that would either be a 'trail gnome' or a grimlin. Heck, it might have been a pair of them working together.

Or, have you seen the TV commerical were the squirrel intentionally causes an automobile to crash? :-?

Youngblood

Haiku
06-16-2003, 09:01
I was out on the AT north of Great Barrington, MA, this weekend (in the rain), and a limb came down in one of the trailhead parking areas and smashed an SUV.

Well, no great loss. =)

Haiku.

oruoja
11-24-2003, 04:55
Snapped branches, especially from dead spruce trees, can be like spears in high wind conditions. I discovered one on the roof of my house which ended up not only puncturing the shingles, but also fully penetrated the thick one inch particle board underlay. The branch in question was no thicker than your index finger. Then of course even in dead calm danger lurks. This July I was using the privy at Jay Camp (Vt Long Trail) and a massive rotten tree came crashing down missing the privy. Talk about feeling helpless. Luckily I didn't blindly bolt out when I heard the creaking and cracking or maybe I would have been taken out. If this tree had found it's mark I would remained there pinned as nobody showed up that afternoon and evening. On really windy nights I'll use a shelter if possible over my hammock, and if the shelter has bunks, I'll lodge on the bottom one.