Blucenturion, I enjoyed your video. Though after watching it, my brain went through a 180-degree evolution.
First thought: It looks as if your drone was in some bushes, perhaps four feet off the ground, and Mr. Ramsey used his rope to avoid sliding down the hill the bushes were on. He does appear to have taken a couple of steps onto the shrub stems to reach the drone, but in my experience, this is a common element of off-trail mountain hiking that I routinely do without mechanical protection.
But I do climbing--rocks, mountains, trees--for the immensity of its pleasure. I have climbing gear and know how to use it. My conscience would be bothered at taking a fellow drone pilot's $200 for such a trivial "climbing" exercise. Would more likely have told you, "What say I retrieve your drone, you buy me a beer, and we trade war stories?"
Flying in and around trees is fun! Knowing that I can get out my ropes, harness, carabiners, etc. to retrieve my drone gives me piece of mind (though I haven't had to do so, yet).
Two-hundred dollars' investment might get a person half-way to a safe, minimalist, equipment setup for tree climbing, so I've thought a time or three that more drone pilots should get climbing gear to have ready. But then I recall the climbing courses I took to learn how to use this gear safely, the years of climbing I think of as "great fun," but could equally call "practice," and the countless days of teaching other people how to safely climb, which is also reinforcement for one's own skills. Afterall, "He who teaches learns twice."
When climbing feels as natural as walking, it seems like theft to charge $200 for what I'd call "hemi-demi-semi-barely-climbing, if that." But for most people--strange as it is to my brain--climbing is probably not as natural as walking. And if you're not an experienced climber, it makes good sense to get an experienced climber to do your climbing for you.
So: Way to go!
Also, good on you for paying your climber generously. I assure you, there is always another piece of gear a climber doesn't currently own but is looking at, which will make his/her climbing safer or easier. Your climber may well have been willing to help you for free, but your $200 payment likely went straight into another piece of climbing gear that will make his future climbs safer, quicker, or both.
So to my mind, you both won.
Cheers!
