Do you know any "widows"?

**DanglingModifier** · 12-13-2014, 14:08

A recent thread discussed the merits of hanging from and among younger/smaller trees to reduce the likelihood of an encounter with a widowmaker. That sounded like generally good advice, but the thread got me thinking and wondering about real risk versus perception of risk.

I realize this could be a painful topic, but do we actually have any fallen soldiers among our ranks who were dispatched by falling tree parts? I wonder how big of a risk a falling limb or tree is when you're not out in gale force winds or a very serious ice storm. It seems like the odds of getting hit would be similar to getting hit by a random bullet in the woods during hunting season (not one intentionally aimed at you because you wore your deer antler hat). The space our bodies take up in the woods is so very, very small compared to all the other space in the woods for that bullet to go or the branch to fall.

Have you or anyone you directly know ever been injured as a result of fallen tree? Try to limit sharing personal close calls, unless they are VERY close calls (i.e. relevant). In other words, if a tree falls in the forest, and nobody is there to get hit, we don't want to hear it.

At the end of the day the odds of cancer, stroke, or heart disease whisking you away from your mortal coil seem to massively outweigh the risk of wood falling on you. We probably should be a lot more concerned with eating, drinking or smoking a "widowmaker", than sleeping under one.

**obmit** · 12-13-2014, 14:17

Fronkey is the only person that I know that was almost taken out by a tree.

Video-Fronkey-vs-The-Tree-part-1

Video-Fronkey-vs-The-Tree-part-2

**Pipsissewa** · 12-13-2014, 15:16

HF Member, GrannyPat, was sleeping in her hammock when one of the (rather large) trees she was hanging from fell. Fortunately, GrannyPat was not injured: See thread HERE. See GrannyPat's pictures at Post #33. She was really lucky not to be hurt.

And this unfortunate young man was killed in his hammock, but by a falling rock, not a tree: Kentucky. But, I didn't know him, so I guess it doesn't qualify.

**IRONFISH45** · 12-13-2014, 15:57

Not a hammock death, however, a tree death, sort of. Thur. we had a wind storm, trees came down, a tree hit a vehicle, then the vehicle left the road and hit another tree, teenage boy dead, mother is critical.

I think the percentage of tree or tree parts falling on people is very rare, more chance of being fried by lightening. However, I know there are cases here in Oregon where campers have had trees come over on them. One of my favorite parks is now closed to camping because a tree came over and killed 2 tent campers. Ecola Beach, a walk in camping and surf spot, beautiful, however no camping is allowed.

In Oregon, trees in State campgrounds are being cut down if they show damage. A few years ago they were left now they are cut down. BLM and other owned camping spots still leave it up to the camper to check their surroundings.

We have started checking how the trees react to having weight in the hammock, my daughter attatched her hammock to a tree with a damaged root system, I thought the trees were going to come over on her. She ended up spending the night on the ground. Now we check above and how the trees respond to our loaded hammock, plus we are not going to set up at dusk in the future, to easy to miss something in a safety check.

**grannypat** · 12-13-2014, 16:16

I saw a branch fall on Detailman's tarp when we were camping at John's Rock. It was only a small one and he wasn't in the hammock, so no damage.

**Pshaw** · 12-13-2014, 17:17

The closest I've come is sitting in my hammock and hearing a limb or tree fall

**VineyGirl** · 12-13-2014, 17:30

I believe that shug had a close call when checking a tree. He leaned on it? and it fell over in camp. Luckily it fell away from him, but I think I remember it being a pretty decent size.

So to answer your question, many close calls, but no deaths that I know of. Just use your best judgement when choosing trees. If it's stable but has a branch on the other, non hang side, you should still be just fine.

**Zawedx** · 12-13-2014, 19:01

I had a huge coulter pine cone fall and rip right through my tarp while I was sleeping, luckily It missed me by about 6 inches. I don't sleep under large coulter pine trees anymore :P

**Beast 71** · 12-13-2014, 19:35

Here is one death I know of;
(From Wikipedia, about the July 4th, 1999 storm)
"Minnesota

Damage to trees in the BWCAW
The derecho moved into Minnesota and caused massive damage in Cass, Itasca, and Aitkin Counties. Damage came out to be around $3 million. A semi-trailer truck was blown over on U.S. Route 53 near Canyon.
One person was killed and 60 were injured as the derecho passed through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) and Superior National Forest. People were there to enjoy canoeing and other recreation for the Independence Day weekend. Straight line winds in excess of 90 mph (145 km/h) uprooted and snapped off trees in over 370,000 acres (1,500 km²) of the 1 million acre (4,000 km²) wilderness area. In total, more than 477,000 acres (1,930 km²) of forest was affected in the Superior National Forest in a swath 30 miles (48.3 km) long and 4 to 12 miles (6.4 to 19.3 km) wide.[2] It's estimated that 25 million trees were blown down in the BWCA."

I was in Cass county, near Leech Lake (where the winds were stronger), that weekend. It's the worst storm I've seen in my 43 years. Not a usual scenario at all. I doubt checking for widow makers would have been any help.