How I Almost Died.

by B. Dear

I would like to caution everyone out there to be very careful when walking and working out in the woods. You never know what can happen, or how within a few seconds, life can take a sharp turn on you. In this case, I was almost killed by a falling tree.

Here is what happened. I was doing some work out in the woods around my house. I was chopping up some branches that had fallen on the ground to place on my woodpile. They had fallen during a storm a few nights before.

All seemed rather calm and normal. Birds were chirping, squirrels were hopping through the leaves in the surrounding forest. I was working and not paying much attention to everything around me. 

Suddenly and rather unexpectedly, there was a loud “Craaaaack!”, followed by the sound of snapping branches and the grinding sound of stripping bark.

After hearing this sound, I looked up and saw half of an enormous tree snapping off at the center. The half-tree was temporarily airborne and quickly falling in my direction. I better start getting out of the way and fast.

I hauled out of there… while ducking, covering and reportedly screaming like a little girl.

The tree came crashing down hard, forcing its broken end into the sandy ground not far from where I was once standing. The rest of the trees branches flailed about for a second or two and came to rest wherever there was available dead space.

The event was over, as quickly as it had begun. I had come through unscathed. Talk about luck.

I strongly urge anyone out there, who spends time in the woods to remember to take a look up (especially after a bad storm).