I'm not afraid of getting up there, I'm terrified of falling down.
Seems that's not really unique or unusual, although my fear of heights is considerably more acute than others. In fact, it's scientific name is acrophobia, the extreme or irrational fear of heights. My case appears to be extreme, but having fallen off a roof and out of a tobacco barn as a child, it's not irrational.
It's one reason I have absolutely no problem strapping myself into a safety harness before I even consider climbing into a treestand. The thought of falling is bad enough; the realization that I'm going to splatter and not bounce is all the motivation I need to wear a harness.
Imagine my surprise - and consternation- when I was informed that while falling is the primary cause of elevated hunting stand deaths, others are due to the equally life-threatening effects of, well, hanging suspended at the end of a safety line.
It's called suspension trauma, and it's an unfunny ending to the old punchline that says "the fall won't kill ya, it's the sudden stop." Falling in a safety harness can, indeed, be the beginning of the end. The body's weight pushing down on the safety straps holding you off the ground can actually function like a tourniquet- impeding blood flow.
The heart pumps harder, trying to get blood to the extremities. According to Dr. Norman Wood, it's trying to help, but actually killing you faster. The blood is forced into the legs, where the straps prevent it's circulation. Pooled there, you're in what Wood calls "a rapid downward spiral to death". It's the same reason fighter pilots hung in trees were provided cutters to quickly get out of a parachute harness. The longer they hung, the more precarious their situation.
The problem is that hanging in a safety harness creates a life-threatening situation where you only have so much time. And you don't know how much time that is. In those situations, getting down -quickly- is critical.
The Rescue One Controlled Descent System in action. Pull the red strap and bounce to start descending. Let off the pressure to stop. Repeat until your feet are safely back on the ground. Mountaineer Sports photo. |
His solution has turned into a business. Wood's Rescue One Controlled Descent System is a patented invention that enables a hunter to make a controlled descent to the ground after a fall. Key to the system is a vest that has a friction-based system that enables a hunter (now a "hanger") to easily control their descent to the ground using a two-handed pull strap. Tug the strap and bounce to start the descent, then either increase or decrease pressure on the strap to control your rate of descent. It's far easier than I'd thought it would be - even for someone who's in the upper end of the harness' weight limits. There is a Rescue One model called the Big Boyz that goes up to 400 pounds--although I can't imagine what business a four-hundred pound person has climbing a tree.
The system is one that seems simplistic, until you realize very few of us have given much thought to what we do we fall. Fortunately, Dr. Wood has given it some thought.
Learn more about Wood's Rescue One Controlled Descent System at www.mountaineer-sports.com.
Could be a life-saver for you or someone you love.
--Jim Shepherd