Isaac Point, left, attempts to stay on the log as Cody Labahn, right, laughs while falling off the log during the water birling event at the Morton Loggers Jubilee in 2019.
Rob Mettler, left, walks on as large logs are hoisted into the air to be removed from the Morton Loggers Jubilee Arena Saturday afternoon.
The flag sets the backdrop as Brian Bartow climbs during the clown show at the Morton Loggers Jubilee Saturday afternoon.
In the foreground Tom Lancaster, right, attempts to stay on the log as Bennett Lohmeyer, left, hits the water during the water birling event at the Morton Loggers Jubilee Saturday afternoon.
Isaac Point, left, and Bennett Lohmeyer, right, both attempt to stay on the log during the water birling event at the Morton Loggers Jubilee Saturday afternoon.
Cody Labahn laughs as he makes a splash during the water during the water birling event at the Morton Loggers Jubilee Saturday afternoon.
Gordie Mauhl swings an axe during the horizontal chop event at the Morton Loggers Jubilee Saturday afternoon.
Rob Waibel competes in the axe throwing event during the Morton Loggers Jubilee Saturday afternoon.
Mike Nicholas saws a log during the single buck event at the Morton Loggers Jubilee in 2019.
Patrick Mahoney vaults over a log during the choker setting event at the Morton Loggers Jubilee Saturday afternoon.
Tom Lancaster chops a log during the spring board event at the Morton Loggers Jubilee Saturday afternoon.
Amy Skirvin, center left, smiles as she competes in the Jill and Jill event with Tiffany Baker, right, during the Morton Loggers Jubilee Saturday afternoon.
Gordie Mauhl, left, and Alvie Marcellus, right, saw a log during the double buck event at the 76th Annual Morton Loggers Jubilee.
Gordie Mauhl chops a log during the springboard event at the 75th Annual Morton Loggers Jubilee.
Gordie Mauhl, right, saws a log during the single buck event at the 75th Annual Morton Loggers Jubilee.
Cody Labahn climbs during the tree topping event at the Morton Loggers Jubilee Saturday afternoon.
Rob Waibel saws through the log during the obstacle pole event at the Morton Loggers Jubilee Saturday afternoon.
Alvie Marcellus during the axe throwing event at the Morton Loggers Jubilee Saturday afternoon.
Organizer Sonny Mettler, right, laughs with Gordie Mauhl, left, during the Morton Loggers Jubilee Saturday afternoon.
Jeff Skirvin swings an axe during the vertical chop event at the Morton Loggers Jubilee Saturday afternoon.
From left to right, Organizers Linda and Sonny Mettler pose for a photo during the Morton Loggers Jubilee Saturday afternoon.
Loggers celebrate with family after driving the center stake during the power saw falling event at the Morton Loggers Jubilee Saturday afternoon.
Brian Bartow takes a break to drink a beer during the clown show at the Morton Loggers Jubilee Saturday afternoon.
PJ O'Brien, center, lets out a yell as he competes in the double buck event with Tyler Bergstrom, left, during the Morton Loggers Jubilee Saturday afternoon.
MORTON — Cassidy Scheer took home Bull of the Woods honors from the 77th incarnation of the Loggers Jubilee here last weekend but it was a woman from Veneta, Oregon who managed to put her name in the record book.
Erin Cramsey set a new Jubilee record over the weekend when she finished the Women’s Single Buck contest in just 22.47 seconds. Cramsey, who made the trip to East Lewis County along with David Cramsey, showed a penchant for pulverizing logs in several other competitions as well. Competing alongside David in the Jack ‘N Jill bucking contest the Cramseys took home first place with a time of 8.56 seconds. In the Jill ‘N Jill bucking event Erin teamed up with Sarah Forrester of Idleyld Park, Oregon, and again claimed first place with a time of 14.19 seconds.
As for Sheer, who hails from Golden Valley, Minnesota, the weekend long loggers playday was a measure of both brute strength and endurance as he competed in nearly every event on the way to Bull of the Woods honors. Scheer placed first in Burling as well as the Vertical Chop and Single Buck competitions with a times of 19.69 second and 22.03 seconds, respectively.
Scheer also notched three runner-up finishes. He was just behind the pace of TJ Bexten (7.25) in the Hot Saw contest with a time of 7.68 seconds, and Brian Bartow (22:06) bested Scheer (25:37) in the Speed Climb as well as the Horizontal Chop with a time of 18.32 seconds compared to Scheer’s pace of 19.28 seconds. Scheer finished third on the Obstacle Pole with a time of 16.95 seconds, trailing just Patrick Mahoney (15.84), and Cody Labahn (16.38). He also placed third in the Springboard Chop with a time just under one minute, 11 seconds. Mike Forrester (1:07.46) finished second in the Springboard contest while Jeff Skirvin (1:06.51) finished first. Lastly, Scheer placed fourth in the Choker Setting competition with a time of 20.72 seconds. Cody Labahn (16.23) placed first in chokers.
Labahn, of Salem, Oregon, made his way to Morton in order to compete in his 10th Loggers Jubilee. He tried his hand in every event except for speed climbing and participated in the professional loggers Stihl Series circuit last year.
“This is definitely one of the biggest shows I go to,” Labahn told The Chronicle. “Most of the shows on the West Coast are just single-day shows and you’re done. Here you get to chop twice, so if you screw up one day you can fix it the next.”
The Jubilee pays out the top six finishers in each category. All told, the show paid out $20,195.00 this year. Rob Waibel, of West Linn, Oregon added $100 to his wallet by earning the Sportsmanship Award.
Although this year’s Bull of the Woods migrated all the way to Morton from Minnesota in order to exert his dominance, the bulk of the competitive tree choppers were locally grown. Of the 36 competitors who brought their saws and axes to Morton this year, 17 of them make their home in Washington. That includes Patrick Mahoney of Elma, Colin Towne of Montesano, Brian Sheridan of Aberdeen, and Isaac Points of Westport. If you expand the parameters to include Oregon, the true Pacific Northwest supplied 31 loggers to the show. Throw in the one Lumberjack from Alaska, and another from British Columbia, it becomes clear that competitive logging still has deep roots in this neck of the woods.
