I finally got my truck back on Wednesday and went to the cabin to bring the stuck tree down. As those of you in Duluth know, we had quite a blizzard on Tuesday. I hoped that the winds would have brought the tree down. No such luck, it was still placidly embracing its neighbor.
I pulled the box out of the truck that I thought had the come-along, but the come-along wasn't in it! I looked in all the boxes in one shed and all the little nooks and crannies. No come-along! It can't be in the basement in Duluth. I looked in another shed and there it was in a box in the shadows.
I assembled all my equipment in a toboggan: the come-along, a chain saw, a long piece of rope, a nylon tow cable, and the pole pruning saw and I went to the tree site. I got the rope up as I could over a small branch, swung the pole around, brought it down, and tied the rope. I then brought the rope to a pair of trees that I could take shelter behind.
After much relearning, I was able to pull the come-along cable out to its full length, attach it to the rope and to the tow cable. I cranked and I cranked, but the tree moved only a foot or two. I could pull on the rope and make both trees sway but not separate.
Ah ha! thought I. Why not pull the tree back the way it came? I selected a pair of trees on the other side of the problem tree and reattached everything. I was at less risk because the second tree of the pair was off to the side; the first tree acted as a pulley.
I started cranking. The tree started up from its leaning position. It separated from its neighbor. It started falling in the opposite direction. it went down, down, and hung up on another tree, but way lower than the first time. Now it would be easier to cut a section off, let the tree's new base fall a bit, repeat.
I did have to clear quite a few branches to have a clear work area as I moved up the trunk. I was tugging one branch when it suddenly came loose. I started to fall backward, told myself to relax and go with the fall, then I didn't hit the ground. I hit another stump. OW! OW! OW! Do I have a cracked rib? Am I going to have to lie here all afternoon? No, I'm intact, but I sure had the wind knocked out of me. After I caught my breath, I was able to get up and continue.
Eventually I got the tree cut up and all the wood piled near one stump or another for splitting. I cleaned up the cabin, packed up, and drove home without incident.
How's my back. Last night it wasn't even black and blue. I did lie on a cold pack for awhile. But the real problem is my face. My allergic reaction to balsam or something left my face red and puffy. I'm beginning to think that it may be the chain saw exhaust rather than the balsam; I am also allergic to formaldehyde, a by-product of diesel and gasoline combustion. I'll see next week after I heal a bit and go back to split the wood, leaving the chain saw in the shed.
