"UNO" - Stuck Dos Nights

Details

I was getting ready for bed when I noticed a text on the Kat Fone from Jessica. A four month old kitty by the name of 'Uno' had been stuck for a couple of days in a pine tree in Bentonia MS. I texted back that I could come out the next day if Uno was still stuck. The next morning I received a short video from Jessica showing Uno still in the tree and crying his little heart out. I texted back that I would be there in the afternoon.

When I arrived, I was met by Rhonda, Jessica's mom, and Aston, Jessica's young son. Jessica was at work and could not be present. Rhonda and Aston led me about 40 yards into a pine forest adjacent to the back yard. It was easy to find the tree holding Uno prisoner because of Uno's loud cries. Uno was sitting at about 35 feet on some spindly limbs. Rhonda had to retire back inside because of back pain, leaving Aston in charge of helping me (which he did admirably!). The tree was skinny and had no good limbs except for a couple at the very top. I was able to get a throw line over the top of the tree on my first shot, and soon had a climbing line established. I put on my gear and started climbing.

Because I was unsure about my tie-in point, I put a secondary lanyard double looped about the trunk and tied into my bridge. This proved to be a good move, because at 25 feet my tie-in limb broke, causing me to fall about a foot. My secondary tie-in on the trunk caught me, and my main rope caught on a slightly lower limb. After verifying that the new tie-in seemed stable, I started climbing again. When I drew even with Uno, he sniffed my hand and allowed me to stroke him. He was very glad to see me. I quickly put Uno in the Kat bag and started down. Once on the ground, I handed Uno off to Aston, who took him to house. After I packed up, I went in the house to see Uno, and Rhonda took a picture of Uno, Aston and myself. All ended well! I hope Uno stays out of trees in the future.