Clark Jungle Hammock

“If you could Mutt, please describe the basics. I have been researching this and found some info, but there is no real description on how to get started. If its not too much trouble, please post the technics used for tree climbing. Thanks.”

“Okay, gonzzo, you seem to be genuinely interested. I will describe to you what is called Double-Rope Technique (DRT). Disclaimer: I cannot be held accountable for any accidents/injuries that you may receive by following my directions. It is just a description of what to do – not a substitute for proper training.

First, examine your climbing tree. Does it look healthy? Are the roots firmly planted or do they run laterally? Is the trunk hollow? Is the bark too thin? Are there mushrooms growing out of the tree or exposed roots? Are there other hazards like bees, squirrel nests, vines, heavy undergrowth, etc? If in doubt, don’t climb it.

What I am going to describe assumes you are climbing a tall tree, with branches spread too far apart to free climb (i.e. you cannot reach the next highest branch with your arms alone), and the lowest branches are out of reach of you on the ground as well. In other words, this is a pure technical climb.

Select a low, sturdy branch as your first pitch. (Normally you would want to select the highest branch you think you can throw line over, but since you’re learning to climb, start low and slow.) Your first goal is to throw your throwline over this crotch. Maneuver yourself so that you are facing the “V” the branch makes with the trunk (like you’re facing the goalposts on a football field). Examine the path through the air between you and the crotch. Are there obstacles like other branches? Maneuver yourself to get the clearest shot. Also, look at the ground in front of you. Are there a bunch of sticks or undergrowth? Try to find a relatively clear area, or clear it out yourself. Get your throwline mug. Open the mug, take the end of the throwline out, and place the mug on the ground in front of you. Get your throw-weight. Tie the throwline to your throw-weight. Throw the throw-weight over/through the “V”, underhanded like pitching a softball. Of course you missed your first shot. At this point you need to “flake” (or “fake” as some call it) the throwline on the ground in front of you. This is where having a clear spot on the ground really pays off. Take the throwline closest in front of you and start laying it down in a pile, pulling throw-weight towards you. After you flake all the line that was spent out, throw it again, and repeat until you get it over the crotch.

Your next goal is to hoist your climbing line over the crotch. Retrieve your throw-weight (which hopefully hit the ground when you threw it over the crotch). Untie the throw-line from the weight. Get your rope bucket. Place it underneath the crotch on the ground. Open the bucket and retrieve the end of your climb-line. Tie the throw-line end (the one you just untied) to the end of your climb-line. Pull on the throw-line to hoist your climb-rope over the crotch and back down to the ground. Untie the throw-line. Flake the throwline back into your throwline mug.

Your next goal is to tie your saddle in and tie your climbing knot. Put your saddle on (I’m going to assume you bought a Ness basic saddle and that you’ve used the delta-link properly to close the saddle). Take one of your double-locking carabiners and clip it to your saddle’s delta-link. It’s important to get its orientation right. You want the gate facing you, and you want it upside down – i.e. the gate opening is at the bottom rather than the top and the gate hinge is at the top – not the bottom, if that makes sense. Take the end of your climb-line that you’ve pulled over the crotch and thread it through the carabiner. You’ll want about 6’ of rope pulled through the carabiner. Now, you will need to tie the climb-line to the top of the ‘biner using a hitch – an anchor bend or buntline hitch works well. Now you have your climb-line tied to the ‘biner, with a 6’ tail leading out of the hitch. Take the tail and tie it to the climb-line that is coming out of your bucket and going up over the branch. You’ll want to use a friction hitch, either a tautline hitch or a Blake’s hitch. The Blake’s hitch is best. You have just formed a loop. You’re at the bottom of the loop, the crotch is at the top, and the friction knot makes it an adjustable loop. Try sitting down in your saddle. Your butt probably just hit the ground. Stand back up, grasp the friction hitch and advance it up the line. Sit back down. Repeat until your butt no longer hits the ground. Notice the rope has some stretch, and you should be able to lift your feet off the ground and be suspended in the air. You’ll probably also bump into the trunk and spin a little as you do so.

Your next goal is to attach your footloop. The footloop is nothing more than a rope sling (loop). You will have made this sling before all this, by the way. Just take a length of your prusik cord and tie the ends together – a double fisherman’s knot is the best, but a double sheet bend or full carrick bend work well too. The sling should be somewhere around 3 – 4 feet long – your preference on this will determine how long. Anyway, take your sling and tie it to the climb-line below the friction hitch you just tied. You’ll want to tie it using another friction hitch: a kreutzklem is my favorite, but the prusik knot, or the Kleimheist work as well.

Now you’re ready to climb! Stand up on your tip-toes, and advance your Blake’s hitch as high up as you can reach. Advance your foot loop up the rope so that it’s just under your Blake’s hitch. Sit down in your harness and lift your feet off the ground. Place one of your feet in the footloop, and stand up in the footloop. This will cause the climb-line to be pulled over the crotch, pulling your Blake’s hitch down within reach. While still standing in the foot-loop, push your Blake’s hitch up as far as you can reach. Sit back down in your harness. Congrats, you’re now 6 inches higher than you were. Repeat this stand-advance-sit process until you climb up to the crotch and your Blake’s hitch can’t go any higher because of the crotch.

Now you’re ready to descend! The neat thing about this climbing setup is that you can descend using your Blake’s hitch. To do this, grab the hitch and pull down on it – gradually applying pressure. When you apply enough pressure on it, it will begin to slide down the rope, and you’ll descend. Be careful not to go to fast! Don’t pull down too hard. The friction creates heat which can actually melt your rope if you descend too rapidly. You can stop at any point by simply letting go of the Blake’s hitch. It will bite into the rope and stop your descent.

Okay, climb back up again. Oh, you should have your monkey-tail already attached to your saddle: one end should be secured to your saddle using the delta-link and the other end should have a double-locking ‘biner attached to it. This time you’re going to want to advance to a higher crotch. When you’ve climbed up as far as you can, take your monkey-tail’s ‘biner and throw it over the branch your rope is tied to. Take the biner and clip it to your saddle. You’re now safetied to the tree by your monkey tail, and you can now remove your climb-line from the crotch without falling. And that’s what you need to do. Untie your footloop. Untie your Blake’s hitch. Unclip the ‘biner from your saddle. (You’re hanging by your monkey tail now). Select your next crotch higher up, tie your throw-weight to your throwline, throw the weight over the crotch, untie the throw-weight, tie the throwline to your climb-line (the tail that comes out of your anchor bend), pull the climb-line (your ‘biner is still attached) over the crotch back down to you. Untie the throw-line. Attach the ‘biner back to your saddle. Flake the throwline into your mug. Re-tie your Blake’s hitch. Re-tie your footloop. Pull down on the monkey tail – the end that is ‘binered to your saddle. This will pull you up slightly and give you enough slack to unclip the biner from your saddle. Pull the monkey tail down from the crotch. You’re now hanging on your climb-line again from the higher crotch. Start ascending again. When your feet are level with your original crotch, step onto it and stand in the crotch and rest. If the branch is fairly level, you can try to walk out away from the trunk, pulling down on the Blake’s hitch to give you enough slack. This is known as limb-walking. Climb up to the crotch, and repeat this entire process until you get as high up in the tree as you want or can.

Don’t trust any limb less than 5” in diameter. Always tie in as close to the trunk as possible. It’s actually best to tie in so that the line doesn’t just hang over the branch, but so that it goes over the branch and around the trunk. This way, if the branch breaks, your rope is still around the trunk, and, theoretically, the next lower branch will catch your fall. Be aware of your fear of heights and use this and a butt-load of caution when climbing. Don’t do anything that’s risky or stupid!! Also, use your legs as much as possible when climbing. Keep on the rope as much as possible – this is opposite of rock-climbing in which you’re trying to stay off the rope as much as possible. You can relax anytime you want by simply hanging there. Don’t wear yourself out – that can actually be dangerous.

When you get high up in the tree, descending to the ground using your Blake’s hitch is kind of tedious, and it can add to the wear and tear of your rope fairly quickly. This is where rappelling comes into play – it’s a lot of fun! But rappelling is another lesson entirely.

These directions are simplistic. There’s a lot of little techniques you’ll learn on your own for each step of climbing. Take it low and slow, and you should be able to learn by yourself in a weekend (keep in mind my disclaimer ;-) )!”

“Thank you for taking the time to type all that up. I have printed it out and have it ready to go. I have also printed out directions and pictures of every knot you have described and im practising constantly(i can tie a blakes hitch with my eyes closed), in addition,i have amassed a list of knot tying sites for picture and instructions. I will be getting in contact with new tribe and will hopefuly get everything from them(i hear they are pretty much the best)in about 2 weeks, meanwhile ill be reading your instructions and anything else i can get my grimey hands on, Thanks again.”

“Well good for you Gonzzo. That's pretty cool you found all the knots on the Web. Practice is definitely the key.

You definitely won't go wrong ordering from New Tribe. I bought their basic saddle as my first saddle, and I never regretted it. Very comfortable and sturdy. Later I bought another company's professional (expensive) saddle, and while it's more functional, it's not as comfortable! I'd recommend buying the Tree Climber's Handbook from New Tribe. Good tips in it. Rapelling II, On Rope are also good books to read. Tom Ness, the owner, is real good with answering questions, too.

Sherrill Arborist supply(www.wtsherrill.com) is another excellent place to order gear. Their catalog has a bunch of tips and techniques in it.

Keep in mind there's no one right way to climb. There's many techniques out there, so have fun finding the ones that work best for you. Let me know how things go for you.

Oh, I realized I left something out of my gear list: New Tribe sells pouches that connect to your saddle to hold gear. I recommend one of those. Also, it's handy to have a few non-locking 'biners as well. But these aren't absolutely necessary, either.”

“So i can get a better understanding of the tools. I have been visiting this site frequently(http://www.iland.net/~jbritton/index.html) and learning a few knots, im like a kid in a toy store right now, all this NEW GEAR i get to buy!!!. Thanks again Mutt, my first tree climb is dedicated to you. Ill let you know when that happens. Thanks.”

“Just an announcement

New Clark Jungle Hammock group

goto

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Clark-Hammocks/”