Ch.45
He be smoking
Reports of the forest fire were sketchy
as the park service didn’t want anyone to know the full extent of the damage of
the fire that swept through the forest. In fact I think they were still
assessing the damage. We had finished eating breakfast and turned to the TV to
see if we could hear a news report or anything about the extent of the damage. Fire
crews would come through our area of the park to assess even more remote areas
and all they would say to anyone in the campground is that it isn’t safe to go
anywhere and that if it became necessary they would issue an evacuation
command. No such order was ever issued and by noon they said the last of the
mop up operations were under way.
This was all centralized in the upper
reaches of the park and was concentrated around the General Sherman tree. It seems
at the height of the fire, embers of hot coals became airborne and were lodged
in the top of the General Sherman Tree where a limb of about four to five foot
in diameter was ripped out by a storm several years ago and the ragged edges of
the severed limb on the tree became a perfect nesting place for those embers to
land and to catch fire. With plenty of fuel to feed the fire in terms of dry rotted
split wood the General Sherman Tree was in danger of being caused severe and
permanent damage. Visitors were allowed to view the tree and news reporters and
throngs of people were rushing to the scene. A call for an arborist went out
and the nearest with any kind with climbing experience was eight hours away.
We too, all piled in the Jeep and the Ford Escape
and rushed up the mountain upon hearing the news. we came this far to see the General
Sherman tree and I know I was personally hoping that I would be able to finally view the tree in person . But
his isn’t quite how I planned to see it though. But after the trip and the
trouble I had in getting this far it would seem only ironic that this tree
would stand for thirty five hundred years just waiting for the day I finally
make it to see it and then just that quick through spontaneous combustion would
soon become the World’s largest towering inferno. We were beside ourselves as
we hurried to the top of the mountain. We pulled into Waksuchi lodge parking
lot and was instantly confronted by an army of news reporters who apparently
recognizing the big scoop, realized that this is the place to be. News reporters
were standing in front of the lodge and were interviewing park officials. Then
they would focus their attention down the trails to where the General Sherman was
standing as the only solitary tree in the forest to sustain any damage.
We followed the reporters down the trail,
and soon was swept up in the news events as one reporter after another is
giving their live take of the damage. I had brought a pair of field glasses and
was taking a close look at the damage which to me wasn’t that severe yet as it
was just smoldering on some old dry bedding. Once it got to the live green
heart wood it would probably snuff itself out, and that these reporters and the
park officials were seeing this as a media event.
No doubt the longer it would burn the greater the
likelihood of the damage. I looked at Lee and our group which included Ann, Darla
and Deb and said .
“From the looks of the fire it is small
and can be easily contained and should cause no permanent damage to the tree
the sooner the fire is abated.” I said.
Lee looked
at it also and said. “Too bad we left our climbing equipment at the other
campsite. You and I could have climbed up there and put that out with the saws.”
He said as he was looking through the field glasses I had and commenting.
This was picked up by one of the reporters
who overheard our conversation and asked just how we would go about doing that
as it may have been of interest to him s a news story.
I explained that it was necessary to trim
all the excess old ripped and torn wood from where the limb was previously
attached and trim that area down with the chainsaw eliminating any chance of
the fire spreading. This would also preserve the tree for the future as we
could burnish again with fire and this would create a hard surface where embers
in the case of a fire again, would not lay and would be shed off. Also this
would seal that area where the branch was to disease also,
The reporter
said. “Too bad you can’t get up here.”
Lee said. “But yes we can. We had planned on climbing
these trees and had taken classes as well as made numerous climbs and have our
equipment along. Guy here has been an excellent chainsaw carver all his life
and I understands trees much more than anyone else here, I would bet.”
I looked at Lee incredulously and said, “Yes
Lee but I am not a certified arborist.”
The reporter then asked how much more
damage we could expect to the tree if the fire as unabated.
I looked through the field glasses and said
“I don’t know but I am sure it is not doing the General Sherman tree any good
sitting down here doing nothing while waiting on an arborist the park service
thinks will be the answer. I would be glad to devote any time to the project as
I hate to see anything happen to this tree.”
I looked at the young reporter with the
round sunglasses who reminded me of a young John Lennon and noticed his
cameraman had been taping our conversation all along. The red light was on, on his
camera. Soon both the reporter and the cameraman were hustling back up the trail
and soon returned with the Director of the park and again he asked me wanted me
to explain how I would go about stopping the smoldering. I told him I would
just use the chainsaw first to attack those areas where there was fire and send
them to the ground then I would probably want to dress up the whole area with a
chainsaw where the limb was tore out to assure it wouldn’t happen again. And maybe
apply some sort of a tree dressing according to the arborist’s suggestions as
we could work in conjunction with them.
Then they asked me if I personally had any
climbing experience. Lee butted in and said. “Lots as I had taught lee and Ann everything I knew
about climbing.”
I looked
at Lee and gave him a scowl but I knew what he was up to. So did Ann and our
group.
A chance
to climb the largest tree on earth and save it through me and my experience.
The idea wasn’t foreign
to me now and I had entertained that thought at times within the last hour of
sizing up the situation but doubted if we would ever be given a chance to do
this.
The director said to us, any effort to save
the tree is better than none. It will be eight hours or now seven till the
arborist gets here. We need to do something where is your equipment and we
explained we had it all stored in the Road Warrior. A call was placed to the Fire
Chief and soon Lee and I were in a fire
truck careening down the mountain with sirens blaring and lights flashing. As we
pulled up to the Road Warrior, Lee and I hurried and transferred all of our
equipment including our chainsaw carving equipment into the fire truck and
hurried back to the top of the mountain again.
We returned to a crowd of well-wishers that
was growing bigger by the moment. Tape was stretched from tree to tree giving Lee
and I plenty of room to work. Lee looked at me and said.
“I hope you are not afraid of heights?”
I laughed
nervously and said to him, “ No not really just afraid of you and what you will
get me into next.” (to be cont.)
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