You guys are crazy...and I seem to be too!

maestro

Was finally allowed to climb today! Woo!

Brief history on me, I'm 41 and have been a nursery man and consulting arborist for a while now. I've also worked as a groundie for a friend who owns a small tree service. Passed the ISA exam last year and started learning to climb. Low and slow has been my life for months now.

After a (another) quick quiz on knots this morning I was given the chance to start piecing out a removal. Lasted about 2 hours before age and fatness told me to get out of the tree. Man, what a blast. It was my call on all the rigging as well. I know I made a few mistakes but they were "lack of efficiency", not safety. Boss was watching the whole time, just in case I really missed something important. I already had a ton of respect for all you working climbers...now I just in awe. Hope to get up there again soon...not trading my day job or anything...it was fun though!

Apocalypsse

Removals + rigging... the dream... I havent had a decent climb for months. You should get some pics/vids of yourself up the tree. Just keep on getting up there and practicing, getting that efficiency level up takes time and heaps of practice.

dov

Climbing certainly starts to get into your blood. For me I think it's something about thinking in 3D instead of the normal grounded 2D. I do more free-climbing than anything else and rarely wear a harness as I always had to borrow one (just bought my own yesterday!) I feel a kind of freedom when I climb and look out over the roof-tops. As soon as the harness etc arrives I'm doing some big Eucs in the mountains and will be looking across into the tree canopy. It's just gorgeous.

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Willard Holmen

Congratulations maestro. I myself started climbing at age 41, now almost 52 I say you're never too old to learn or start.
Now just be prepared to spend lots of money on every imaginable piece of gear out there.

Willard.