johnk
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40 Ft Ladder..... Lost my Nerve
- Thread starter scott_vt
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WayneB
Elite Member
It not the height or the fall that hurts ya, it's that darn sudden stop at the end of the fall.
buckeyefarmer
Epic Contributor
WayneB said:
Yea, I fell off a 40' ladder once. Good thing it was only the bottom rung.
LBrown59
Super Star Member
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buckeyefarmer said:Yea, I fell off a 40' ladder once. Good thing it was only the bottom rung.
and it's a good thing the ladder wasn't up side down.
Rara Avis
Veteran Member
PBinWA said:
Well...it doesn't bother me...When will you be by to clean my gutters...
Plus it could help condition you to overcome your fear of climbing ladders...
Marlowe
Gold Member
Scott, a similar thing happened to me earlier this year. I'm building a house for the wife and some of the things I need to do are up there a ways. I was on the second level and getting ready to put some soffit material in place when it hit me. I was holding on with all three hands. How could I get anything done? I fought it for a while. I tied off the ladder. I did something else. I took a break. It took me all day to nail up one piece of fascia. What's up with that?
Long story short, I had plenty of other things to do, and several weeks, or months later I went back up the ladder. No problem. Got 'er done.
I don't know man. Sometimes the demons just seem to be there.
You know the joke about falling; it's the sudden stop that gets you. I tell folks all the time I'm not afraid of heights, but I'm danged respectful of falling. I'm similar age and size as you. A few years ago I was driving over a bridge and wham! I was scared to death. I'd never had a problem with bridges before. Now to be sure this old bridge was on it's last leg, but I'd driven it hundreds of times before. So yes, to answer your question, there's others out there with acquired phobias. After all, we aren't born with them. It comes from our environment. I look at it as a maturing phenomenon. When I was young, I didn't now enough to be afraid. Now that I'm experienced I know a few who tempted fate and lost. Those ladders and bridges were just a means to an end when I was young, but they don't look quite so safe through the dim old eyes of a gray haired man. Pick you battles. And tie off your ladders.
Long story short, I had plenty of other things to do, and several weeks, or months later I went back up the ladder. No problem. Got 'er done.
I don't know man. Sometimes the demons just seem to be there.
You know the joke about falling; it's the sudden stop that gets you. I tell folks all the time I'm not afraid of heights, but I'm danged respectful of falling. I'm similar age and size as you. A few years ago I was driving over a bridge and wham! I was scared to death. I'd never had a problem with bridges before. Now to be sure this old bridge was on it's last leg, but I'd driven it hundreds of times before. So yes, to answer your question, there's others out there with acquired phobias. After all, we aren't born with them. It comes from our environment. I look at it as a maturing phenomenon. When I was young, I didn't now enough to be afraid. Now that I'm experienced I know a few who tempted fate and lost. Those ladders and bridges were just a means to an end when I was young, but they don't look quite so safe through the dim old eyes of a gray haired man. Pick you battles. And tie off your ladders.
Rara Avis
Veteran Member
PineRidge
Super Member
Climbing a ladder isn't my favorite past-time however growing up around service stations it was always my responsibility to change the fluorescent tubes and ballasts on the light poles for 14 stations whenever the need arouse.
I was taught once at the top of the ladder to put one leg through the ladder rung then let the toe of that same leg catch on the next rung down. Using that method allowed me to basically sit on the ladder securely and use both hands for the work without feeling like you were ready to topple off the ladder. We always used a rope system so a man on the ground could pass materials up so I could stay at the top until finished.
The ladder itself was always tied off to the front of a van for stability.
I was taught once at the top of the ladder to put one leg through the ladder rung then let the toe of that same leg catch on the next rung down. Using that method allowed me to basically sit on the ladder securely and use both hands for the work without feeling like you were ready to topple off the ladder. We always used a rope system so a man on the ground could pass materials up so I could stay at the top until finished.
The ladder itself was always tied off to the front of a van for stability.
rox
Veteran Member
Scoty it is so funny that you posted this because i had the same experience as you jsut a month ago. I had built some screens for our Guest House, and long sotry short I needed to hit them with a hammer from the outside to get them properly installed, They were n the second sory but the second story is on top fo the barn aso i would say I was up about 20ft. And guess what i didn't like it. Not at all. I actually spent 3 days dinking around getting up my nerve to go up there. Oh I ned to do this first and that first all delaying tacticts. Eventually I did go up there and the only way I did it was to not look up or down but jsut directly in front of me through the ladder. I banged in my screens and very carefully retreated. I was so glad when we had guests come becaause ther was a screen on the back side of the house that was up a good 25ft. Our friend went right up the ladder and did that one.
It is odd, I would not have had a problem ith this even 3 or 4 years ago, I'm now 53 and oddly I have lost my nerve. Also gon are the days when we could drive "straight through" 16 18 hours to whereever. Neither my husband, he's 56 nor I can do that much night driving any more. It has to be an age thing for sure, cuz jsut like you we did thee things without a care in the world when we were 10 years younger, even 5 years younger.
Funny story about house painting. I'll never forget the sight and sounds of our next door neighbor lady ylling down at her husband that she wants off the roof, she doesn't like it and doesn't want to keep painting. He is yelling back up at her to keep on painting he has got her tied and anchored so if she falls whe won't hit the ground. He did all right. She was up there with a rope around her waist hollering away at him. She did inish the job but then next time painting was needed I noticed they hired a painter. They were a few few years younger than us.
Although I don't think I would ahve a problem on roofs, it is jsut going up and down the ladder that is now giving me the willies. I think I'm still okay for roofs. hey my screens turned out really great.
It is odd, I would not have had a problem ith this even 3 or 4 years ago, I'm now 53 and oddly I have lost my nerve. Also gon are the days when we could drive "straight through" 16 18 hours to whereever. Neither my husband, he's 56 nor I can do that much night driving any more. It has to be an age thing for sure, cuz jsut like you we did thee things without a care in the world when we were 10 years younger, even 5 years younger.
Funny story about house painting. I'll never forget the sight and sounds of our next door neighbor lady ylling down at her husband that she wants off the roof, she doesn't like it and doesn't want to keep painting. He is yelling back up at her to keep on painting he has got her tied and anchored so if she falls whe won't hit the ground. He did all right. She was up there with a rope around her waist hollering away at him. She did inish the job but then next time painting was needed I noticed they hired a painter. They were a few few years younger than us.
Although I don't think I would ahve a problem on roofs, it is jsut going up and down the ladder that is now giving me the willies. I think I'm still okay for roofs. hey my screens turned out really great.
