Logger Days

We were very excited to discover that our stay at pretty Lake Como Campground coincided with the 15th Annual Darby Logger Days.  We had previously attended the Loggers Jubilee in Morton, Oregon, and absolutely loved it.  Although this one seemed to be more of a local competition, it didn't matter.  In fact it might have been more entertaining since the events moved along pretty quickly with less participants.  And the feats they performed were just as amazing.

The events on Friday night were more family oriented and included some very young competitors.  Here one little girl is getting some instruction on how to attach a choker.

And here a little boy shows how it's done.


Actually, the kids were supposed to tighten the choker before running back.   One adorable little boy took it a step further and tried to drag the log back with him.  So cute.

They had Boxing over Water.  One hand was supposed to stay behind their back, which these boys found impossible to do.


The girls did better.


I had never seen the Limber Pole event before.


But my favorite opening night event was the Ma and Pa Race. This video is a bit longer, but it's hysterical!


On Saturday, the events were more traditional, but just as exciting.  There was a lot of chopping and sawing . . . Men and women both.

And the traditional Pole Climb.  I got a kick out of this participant calmly awaiting his turn.

Then suddenly, he's zooming up a 43-foot pole!


I think Ron's favorite event is the Springboard Chop, where the logger must insert boards, stand on them while he works his way up a tree, then chop a log at the top.  I don't see how those boards don't come out.  Here's the middle third of the process.


Unfortunately, we missed my favorite event - the Obstacle Pole.  Just imagine - One log rests on another causing the end to be 5 feet off the ground.  The contestant, runs up the log carrying his chain saw, then starts it and saws a disc off the end of the pole.  He then stops the saw and races back down the pole.

In addition to the stock chain saws, they had a Hot Saw event.  These are souped up chain saws, some using snowmobile engines.  The only two requirements are they have to be single cylinder engines and you have to be able to lift it.  This guy had to stop and rest after carrying it halfway across the competition area.

Here's a Hot Saw in action - this one not as heavy.


Just for fun, they had this super hot saw that was made with a 357 Chevy engine.

They stuck it in a front end loader and let 'er rip.


There were several events I had not seen before, like the Accuracy Fall where the participants try to hit a target (see the soda can?) with a falling tree.


And the Choker Race where the loggers run across a log over water with a 20-foot choker, set it and return.


And I bet nobody has ever heard of the Giant Hula Hoop/Log Rolling event.  This clever girl decided to entertain the audience during one of the event setups.


They had plenty of games and entertainments for the young crowd too.  I liked this budding bull rider with his perfect form.

On the morning of our departure, Ron walked out on the dam and took this lovely picture of Lake Como.  It was a great stop.