Here is my tree story. There are so many pictures, go to Erika's blog to see some other pictures the will complete the events of the entire day. We had a tree hanging over our house. The first picture is a great example of how much this tree was hanging down. After this (April) snow storm I noticed a large branch of another tree that seemed to be holding up this leaning tree, cracked. A big crack. At that point I figured it would be best to get this tree down. However, with Drew on the way, I didn't want to pay for a professional tree guy, figuring it would cost a lot, especially how it was hanging over the house. Plus, I have Dan. Who needs a professional when I have Dan?
We spent 4+ hours working on this. The plan (my plan for the record) was to pull the tree back in the opposite direction it was hanging, and drop it harmlessly in the woods. Using a series of cables, straps and a come-a-long, we managed to pull the tree roughly 40 feet in the opposite direction. Problem is it wouldn't drop. 
The picture below kind of sums up the day. Things overall went well, but near the end, it got stuck, and it was stuck good! All the branches got tied up with all the other trees next to it. It was expected to a degree, but not like it was. Look at the angle of the trunk on the right of the picture.
Below is a series of awesome pictures Erika took. The first picture is right after it gave way, you can see the slack in the line. Both Dan and I are still looking to see what was happening. Dan was working the chain, I was off to his right by about 10 feet. We figured the tree would fall where the come-along-was.
Below, Dan started to move, I'm still watching it. Hmm. I think its coming straight at me...
Ok, time to move...
OH CRAP!!! WOOHOO!!
Here is a close-up of me running for my life. It looks like I'm smiling. Erika says I was laughing as I ran. It was an adrenaline rush. I was bracing myself to get shmushed, but only got brushed by some of the smaller branches . I was lucky.
Here is a picture of where the top of the tree landed. If you look at a big version of the picture, you'll see my water bottle. I was standing to the right of that (if looking at the tree). 
The picture below kind of sums up the day. Things overall went well, but near the end, it got stuck, and it was stuck good! All the branches got tied up with all the other trees next to it. It was expected to a degree, but not like it was. Look at the angle of the trunk on the right of the picture. 
Below is a series of awesome pictures Erika took. The first picture is right after it gave way, you can see the slack in the line. Both Dan and I are still looking to see what was happening. Dan was working the chain, I was off to his right by about 10 feet. We figured the tree would fall where the come-along-was.
Below, Dan started to move, I'm still watching it. Hmm. I think its coming straight at me...
Ok, time to move...
OH CRAP!!! WOOHOO!!
Here is a close-up of me running for my life. It looks like I'm smiling. Erika says I was laughing as I ran. It was an adrenaline rush. I was bracing myself to get shmushed, but only got brushed by some of the smaller branches . I was lucky. 
Here is a picture of where the top of the tree landed. If you look at a big version of the picture, you'll see my water bottle. I was standing to the right of that (if looking at the tree). It was a blast. I love all the trees around my house, but now I'm looking for an excuse to cut down another big one. Thanks Dan.
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