Is there a worse feeling...

[Lindsay]

In my experience the people who call others wimps for taking precautions are often the same people we read about on the news requiring a rescue.

[Happy Pirate]

Is there a worse feeling than being in a forest and then hearing the crack of a tree that is about to fall. It has happened to me on couple occassions including today (not even windy). You don't know where it is going to fall and you wouldn't have time to get out of the way. All you can do is pray!!!

Ouch! That sounds scary.
I was once photographing a post-fire area in Lakefield NP when the fire turned around and came back at me:
that was many cracks at once as a wild crackling.
Snapped this just before my GF dragged me away from the front.

cheers
Steve H

[Onestepmore]

Is there a worse feeling.....when you're picking up dog poo in the backyard with a plastic bag, and you realise that you've put a hole in it.......

[GPSGuided]

Is there a worse feeling.....when you're picking up dog poo in the backyard with a plastic bag, and you realise that you've put a hole in it.......

It's ok, it's all organic!

[MickyB]

Had a very interesting encounter with an emu on the weekend. We stayed in a holiday house up at the Grampians for a few days. The property where we stayed was approx 50 acres. My wife, myself and our dog were exploring the property when all of a sudden the dog 'froze'. He was about 10 metres away from us and a further 10 metres from him was an emu. I yelled at him to come back which he did straight away but then the emu started charging towards us. My wife and I both yelled at the emu to try and scare it but it kept coming. I picked up a stick for protection fearing it would rip us to shreds. It got to within 3 metres of us before it stopped. We backed away slowly, never taking our eyes off the emu. Once the emu realised we were not a threat to it, it turned around and walked away. It was then I noticed about 3 emu chicks behind some bushes. Obviously the emu was just trying to protect it's young but having an emu charging towards you was not a great feeling.

[icefest]

Certainly is a much worse feeling.
Walking on a snowy ridge to hear the sound of ice cracking and see a crack appearing 3 metres downhill from where you thought was safe to walk

Can you tell me more about this story?

Snapped this just before my GF dragged me away from the front.

cheers
Steve H

Do you have a bigger copy of the photo?

[wobbly]

Back in the 80's I was camping alone up on Errinundra plateau in East Gippsland and a windstorm came up in the night. It was quite intimidating and after I 'd heard 2 large trees or limbs crash close by I decided it might be safer to sleep in the landcruiser so I streathed out on the front bench seat. Some time later I awoke to a wierd sensation but before I could figure it out I felt a bounce and then I was thrown off the front seat into the foot well as the vehicle crashed into a tree. I'd accidently knocked the gear stick into netural as I'd slept and it took off down a slope.

[Happy Pirate]

Certainly is a much worse feeling.
Walking on a snowy ridge to hear the sound of ice cracking and see a crack appearing 3 metres downhill from where you thought was safe to walk

Can you tell me more about this story?

Snapped this just before my GF dragged me away from the front.

cheers
Steve H

Do you have a bigger copy of the photo?

Hey Icefest
You can view a larger pic HERE
If you need a print or high quality download you can either buy one or convince me as to your cause . Please don't do screen-grabs - they are rubbish - I'd rather send you a jpeg.
BTW I have a fair few fire pics from controlled burns in FNQ if anyone's interested. One day they'll all be on the website
cheers
Steve

[icefest]

I just couldn't make out what was happening in that shot. Thanks for the link to the big shot.
On the topic of fire, one of the most stunning moments was walking through a pine forest shortly after a fire and seeing great big holes in the ground. It turns out that once a pine catches it burns away roots and all. It's almost as if the tree is invisible.

[Happy Pirate]

I just couldn't make out what was happening in that shot. Thanks for the link to the big shot.
On the topic of fire, one of the most stunning moments was walking through a pine forest shortly after a fire and seeing great big holes in the ground. It turns out that once a pine catches it burns away roots and all. It's almost as if the tree is invisible.

Fire effects can be amazing.
I once saw the legacy of an entire fallen tree 'ghosted' by lines of white soot on a charred black soil. It was a white skeleton on a black canvas.
The photo was rubbish but I might post it anyway if I can find it
Steve

[corvus]

Perhaps as a young "jack the lad" standing in the door of a perfectly good Aeroplane ready to jump and wondering did they pack this Parachute the correct way ,Go was the word and 5000,4000,3000,2000, and whoop it opened ( I think I did a wee Fart) don't claim to be a Para only a Territorial weekend warrior doing the Para thing as a Combat Engineer and for a few extra shillings in my pay
corvus

[north-north-west]

Is there a worse feeling than being in a forest and then hearing the crack of a tree that is about to fall.

How about watching the dead timber which is your only viable foothold on a particularly tricky part of a very steep, rough, exposed descent (and will be needed further down as a handhold) slowly bend and crack under your weight . . .

[GPSGuided]

How about watching the dead timber which is your only viable foothold on a particularly tricky part of a very steep, rough, exposed descent (and will be needed further down as a handhold) slowly bend and crack under your weight . . .

Were you in that Tomb Raider movie? Or were you with Indiana Jones, Dr Jones?

[mikethepike]

Coming from SA, I'm about as paranoid of camping under tall trees as NZanders are of snakes. Maybe that's why I always get a feeling of relief when I emerge above the tree line in Vict and NSW but that may be as much to do with the feeling of freedom because of the wide openness compared with the claustrophobia of forests. Don't get me wrong though, I love trees. A few years ago, I spent a night alone in Mt Wells Hut on the Bibbulmun Track with near gale force winds outside. Next morning was calm but there were at least 4 big trees fallen across the track I and couldn't help think that at least a couple of them probably came down during that night.
If you want to have a break from worrying about trees falling on you, go to the central-northern Flinders Ranges. Yes there are big river red gums in the creek beds of course but there's not much excuse for being ignorant enough to camp under them.

[north-north-west]

How about watching the dead timber which is your only viable foothold on a particularly tricky part of a very steep, rough, exposed descent (and will be needed further down as a handhold) slowly bend and crack under your weight . . .

Were you in that Tomb Raider movie? Or were you with Indiana Jones, Dr Jones?

-
Indy is, in fact,my younger half-brother. I taught him all he knows, although he never did take to snakes . . .
ciao
Esmeralda

[Shiner]

When I was a teenager (mid 40's now) camping in the Grose valley with friends, we'd got up at dawn to look at the feral horses that were grazing close by. 15 minutes later a 6 foot by 6 inch limb came down from one of the massive blue gums. It speared into the ground like a javelin. Straight through our tent and my mates sleeping bag. I haven't camped under trees since.

A few years ago, car camping with my then 8-9 y.o daughter. Away from the trees. We'd taken a dusk bushwalk of 90 mins or so in a bunya pine forest.
A very narrow, overgrown track in dense forest. In the morning we did the same route. For about 2 minutes. There were 3 large cones over the next 50 mtrs sitting in the center of the track that weren't there 8 or 9 hours earlier. We went elsewhere that day. It makes you think about where you take your kids.

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=buny ... 3&ie=UTF-8

[kjbeath]

This http://www.latrobe.edu.au/education/dow ... injury.pdf records information on deaths from falling trees in outdoor education but also in other area.

My experience of a close call was seeing a tree limb fall from a height of about 50m, about a 100m in front of us, very close to where we would have walked. It seems that Eucalypts on hot days can develop weaknesses, I think due to low water, and just suddenly break off limbs. I assume it was what happened at Steavensons Falls as there was no wind.

[David M]

You just hope it is a fairly dense forest and it gets caught up in other trees.

One of the things that scares me is walking along a track and seeing a branch that has speared vertically into the ground. I'm sure it's all just mental, but I'd much rather be crushed than impaled.

Yes, I have seen branches speared into the ground (not seen it happen though). Scary.

It does bother me when I am forced to camp under trees, which seems much of the time.

I remember as a child being told never to camp under trees. Is this still taught?

[David M]

This http://www.latrobe.edu.au/education/dow ... injury.pdf records information on deaths from falling trees in outdoor education but also in other area.

My experience of a close call was seeing a tree limb fall from a height of about 50m, about a 100m in front of us, very close to where we would have walked. It seems that Eucalypts on hot days can develop weaknesses, I think due to low water, and just suddenly break off limbs. I assume it was what happened at Steavensons Falls as there was no wind.

There is a memorial plaque at Steavensons Falls to commemorate these this tragedy.

[tas-man]

Is there a worse feeling... than crawling along the exposed ridge between the Boars Head and Mt Castle with a storm front approaching with westerly gale blowing . . . then suddenly become aware of your hair standing up on end and fingers tingling, and realising that you are being electrostatically charged in preparation for a lightning strike! Got down off that ridge very, VERY, FAST
(Happened to me on the ranges west of Brisbane in the mid 1970's)

[walkerchris77]

Finding out your down to the last bit of loo paper and still 2 days left on your trip.

[icefest]

Finding out your down to the last bit of loo paper and still 2 days left on your trip.

The Americans have a solution:

[walkerchris77]

Sought of feel for the old man and the lamb.
and ill walk past the ivy and leave it for someone else

[MickyB]

Sought of feel for the old man

Old Man's Beard is a plant. Also known as Spanish Moss. (Tillandsia usneoides)

Wooly lamb's ear is also a plant.

[walk2wineries]

I believe it happened to a school group on the meander falls track where one or possibly two people died. I remember a memorial plaque in place.

Yes, I think it was 2 kids, and the plaque is on a bridge that was built as a memorial to them, and to replace the one smashed at the time. I heard about it from a woman walking with me there, who said that her child was in that class but had been kept at home with a cold that day..... Creaking trees in that area give me the willies.

[perfectlydark]

Sought of feel for the old man

Old Man's Beard is a plant. Also known as Spanish Moss. (Tillandsia usneoides)

Wooly lamb's ear is also a plant.

im glad you confirmed that, because I was confused aa %÷€$

[MickyB]

It's a pity it doesn't grow naturally in Australia. It makes good pillow stuffing.

[doogs]

Falling in a crevasse was a bit *&%$#!..

[nocens]

Sought of feel for the old man and the lamb.
and ill walk past the ivy and leave it for someone else

Thought that was a joke, still laughing my @#$ off

Had a tree 100m in front of me get struck by lightening walking around a coastline in New Zealand, that sure got the adrenaline going.

Haven't seen a tree come down with my own eyes yet, probably why I'm still a hammock camper...