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Tony Bird
climber
Northridge, CA
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Mar 31, 2011 - 04:08pm PT
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a worthy project, tarek.
my palm climbing adventure involved a 50-footer in the neighbor's yard across the fence. a cat had gotten itself stuck up there. every night, it wailed and bellowed. the fire department was called. no alley behind our houses--couldn't even get close with a ladder truck. the humane society was called. if the fire department can't do it, they can't do it.
every night, this pathetic thing sounded weaker and weaker. nearly a week had passed. the neighborhood was divided. some never heard of a cat that couldn't get down something it had gotten up. others were in tears over this slow death taking place in our midst.
well, i'm supposed to be a climber, i volunteered. turns out the neighbor had climbed a few times himself, so we geared up for an aid ascent. yea, girth hitches. but it was one of those mexican fan palms that hadn't gotten smooth yet. 50 feet of overlapping fiber and grundge with a share of viciously sharp hooks--one slip and it could slash your wrist.
it went pretty slow. i'm not an aid climber. after more than an hour i was within a few feet of the crown, but i was exhausted. my neighbor had gotten the hang of it and took over the lead. last push to the top. into the crown he goes, and suddenly that darn cat comes alive, dodging his rescue efforts. if he came at it from the west side, it'd be dancing around on the furthest fronds to the east. around and around he went and the cat, not even near the end of the first of its nine lives, easily eluded him.
finally the cat zigged when it should have zagged and fell all the way to the ground, landing, of course on all fours, atop the pile of fronds we had gardened off. it was gone in a flash.
"ingrate," was all my neighbor could say. probably the most fun anyone had in our neighborhood since the northridge quake.
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tarek
climber
berkeley
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 31, 2011 - 04:19pm PT
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Thanks FM, Tony.
For the cat rescue, it sounds like you could have used the climbing gear we designed. Like ascenders for palms. Funny story.
[edit: new gear at 1:38--> in video]
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