Cutting Line

[Shiv]

I am a land surveyor here in PA. One of the tasks we have when traversing , setting out points, corners and what not is cutting out a line of sight for our equipment through the woods and or brush, "cutting line". Most of the other surveyors I work with hate it, it isnt that easy to do at times. Hundreds of feet of green briar, spiders, ticks, stinging nettle and the like can turn it into quite a chore. Add in summer humidity and tempatures and it can break you down quickly. I on the other hand enjoy it very much. The reason? Where else can you spend hours swinging a steel blade through whatever is in your path. Not just a log or a odd dead tree in the forest but anything and everything in that line of sight. Two handed swings , upper cuts and one handed well aimed slashes with an oocasional grunt or scream with no one around for miles to hear. All the time trudging forward towards the goal. Ive never adventured in a rain forest but i imagine it is much the same. I sometimes imagine myself in midevil times and my machette is my sword. Every so often a mad swing takes a bounce and catches you in the shin or arm. Ive taken two friends to the emergency room for stiches. They think Im a mad man sometimes and It may be true. If I did it to a neighbors land or somewhere i wasnt suppose to be id be arressted or shot but for me its my job. Glorious release. Not just being ready to defend yourself with a knife or other means but real action with a ancient weapon and tool , bringing them down full bore on your target. Then there is the brush ax....4 feet long wooden handle with a foot long steel blade at the top. Barbarian lawn care. Not recomended for the meek. For me it is a true bonus to the job and i hope to beable to cut line for many many years. Today I cut a 90 foot swath through some thick brush and forest and at the end I made one last slash at the briar and ivy wall and leaped out the hole i had made. On the other side was a 8 foot or so hill that i rolled down. I rolled to my feet and came face to face with the two other surveyors i was with. Sweaty, covered in dirt and debris and mostly camo I smiled at them and they laughed there asses off. I moved on to the next line to cut. All in all its fairly safe, safe as you make it, Not many wild animals here in PA, and snakes fear me, there isnt anyone really chasing me like our brave soilders in Iraqi and mostly you can only get a small scar which can be handy with the ladies at the bar.

 

[Point44]

You really should be using more paragraphs.

Glad you enjoy your job though.

 

[Robbie Roberson]

Make sure you got a wrist lanyard, that much swinging and eventually it's going to happen, your hand is going to get tired and sweaty and..........if your lucky, it will miss your legs or feet.

I really don't see how you do it, you must be pretty tough. I would cave in after a few hours I think, or drink so much water I would get sick.

Robbie Roberson

 

[Ken C.]

This topic is not Community oriented and is being moved to Gadgets & Gear. Please read the announcement in the Community to find out what topics get posted where.

 

[kamkazmoto]

Shiv,

You ought to visit the HI forum in manufacturers. Lots of people there enjoy the same thing.

 

[jstewart16701]

hey shiv,

I used to work for a land surveyor myself. I spent many hours cutting lines in the brush, the best is when you get in the crap you can't even walk through. Also did you ever notice that when you're setting corners they always end up in the most impossible places, either you're standing right on top of a huge rock or you're in mud up to your knees. It's a fun job though, lots of exercise and spending time outdoors, of course spending time outdoors sucks when it's 2 degrees out or raining like crazy.

Jamie

 

[Shiv]

hey shiv,

I used to work for a land surveyor myself. I spent many hours cutting lines in the brush, the best is when you get in the crap you can't even walk through. Also did you ever notice that when you're setting corners they always end up in the most impossible places, either you're standing right on top of a huge rock or you're in mud up to your knees. It's a fun job though, lots of exercise and spending time outdoors, of course spending time outdoors sucks when it's 2 degrees out or raining like crazy.

Jamie

Too true Jamie too true. its all about the gear and how bad you wanna feed the kids hehe. Cold I find is easier to deal with if you can afford the right gear then the sweltering heat, but im built like a polar bear too)

Sorry had a few drinks in me when I originally started this post, thought i got it in the correct spot, Community forums said humor and chit chat and what not hehe. Ive done alot of reading here before i got brave enough to become a reg signed in user and make posts etc.

And yes it could be alot better written) Im just glad i found a spot to learn about knives and at the same time chat a bit, no matter where it goes =) Ill get it figured out~~ Guess i should have visited the grammer and web posting sites more first~

 

[mycroftt]

I had a summer job as a teenager working with our town surveyor. My job was to hold the idiot stick out in the middle of swamps, in thickets, on ledges, etc. It involved quite a bit of bushwhacking as you describe. At the time I thought it was the best job in the world - actually I still do.

 

[tarsier]

I spent a summer in college doing surveying, but it was mostly in open fields or alongside fire breaks. Great job for a student who enjoys being outdoors.