been away for a while

become a climber and am working for a few firms and picking up some of my own work.

it's a whole new realm learning how a tree comes to bits. it's been kind of difficult for me on a (i don't mean to be flakey) spiritual level. it's almost harder to see the tree purely for what it is. a beautiful creature reaching for the sun. it gets crowded out with safety, risk assessment, dollar signs, etc. it's trouble me... is it only an acclimatization / readjustment... will it pass??? how has it been for you others that climb both recreationally and professionally.

I was also wondering if any of you west coast climber might be able to help.

Part of a job i'm on with right now involves a sequoia. It's only small by your standards. Only 30m. But when dead wooding it for the owners public liability requirements the lowest live limb broke suddenly. it was 20 cm and should of been able to hold my weight easily. it had no signs of decay on the foliage or bark.

On reflection I decided to trim the other branches at a similar height (the tree was being made safe for the owner because a ropes course was being installed nearby), five of the six branches had decayed wood in their cores with only a cm of healthy lignified tissue on the periphery.

could this be a sign of more seroius decay in the trunk. there was possibly a healed over fissure on one side (that might also be grove in the bark) from .5 - 3m height) or is this just a process the lower limbs of a red wood go through as the upper part of the tree reaches for the sky. ???

if any of you with a familarity of the species could help out with this i would be grateful. Sequoia's are few and far between in this country.

PS any idea how old a tree of this height would be and are there any technical tips on how to climb the invariably downward sloping branches?

cheers for now