CLIMB 13

 Climb Number: 13

Date: 20 June, 2014

Location: Boy Scout Oak Grove, Evergreen Aviation Museum, McMinnville  

Tree Name: Solstice

Tree Type: Quercus garryana (Oregon White Oak)

I've not been good about posting climbs.  There have been many climbs not entered here in the 4+ years I've been keeping this blog.  I'm hoping to attend a facilitator's course, and thought I should throw a few of the more memorable climbs in, so I added this one from last Spring.  
This was a climb done in an infrequent tradition to sleep in the trees on the longest day of the year, so that's what I did.  I set up 2 tree boats (sleeping and storage) in a tall Oak, to spend the shortest night of the year up in a canopy.  It was a bit of a stealth climb, but a group of Marines were breaking camp in the grove nearby, and I think everyone else thought I was somehow related to that group.  

Weather: initially partly cloudy, transitioning into a THUNDER AND LIGHTNING storm at the very end.

Placement: 14 gm bag with Target Line.  TIP was nice and high, and allowed for a single point to be used for placement of both boats.

Rope:  Poison Ivy, camouflage  

Anchor Type:  SRT (my main climb)

Ascent: Yo-yo style with a Petzl Rig.

Movement in the tree: TIP was high enough to serve a the primary anchor for setting up of all the tree boats.  Cinch and separate rope was used to help anchor at times when my swing angle took me out a bit (tying in boats away from the main trunk)

Decent: Petzl I'D

Problems:
None, really.  All-in-all it was a great climb

Things that went well:
Stealth climb.  All equipment was hauled up to the boats.  The park gets some moderate use, and walkers (including dogs) did not know I was up there.  Watching the sun come up on the longest day of the year from the quiet of the trees was a great way to start the Summer. 

CLIMB 12

 Climb Number: 11

Date: 10 August, 2013

Location: Parkview Labrynth, McMinnville  

43˚ 13' 52" N

123˚ 11' 4815" W

Tree Name: Lewa

Tree Type: Quercus garryana (Oregon White Oak)

This is a tree I've climbed frequently over the years, but don't think I've "reported"on in the past.  It's as close to a "home" tree as I have.  This climb was done in part due to a friend's wedding that day in the labrynth next to the tree.  I did some arboreal wedding photography.

Weather: initially partly cloudy, transitioning into a THUNDER AND LIGHTNING storm at the very end.

Placement: 14 gm bag thrown with Target Line thrown using a Big Shot.  Had a little trouble isolating branch, pulled up a second throw bag attached to the end of the first throw line to isolate the branch that way.  It worked very well. 

Rope: Snake bite (for the SRT higher climb for me) and Poison Ivy, camouflage  (for DRT ascent my son did)

Anchor Type:  DRT (my main climb)

Ascent: Texas style, transitioning to an I'D for tree movement

Pitches: no new pitches, but lots of lateral movement in the tree.  The TIP was high enough to allow for this, but used a Cinch and rope to secure (laynard) in both when setting up tree boat and for limb walking.

Movement in the tree: as mentioned, this is a wonderful tree for limb walking, with a lot of big, soft (moss covered) lateral branches with periodic forks to use for footholds.

Decent: Petzl I'D

Problems:
Weather was the biggest almost problem.  A thunder/lightning (rare for this area, but INTENSE) came on JUST as we got down.  I'd been watching the storm approaching, and was ready to bail out at the first sign of lightning in the distance.  But I had a lot of gear that would have been left in the tree had we made an emergency bail out, and I managed to get the ropes and boat down from the tree literally as the first drops were falling.  30 minutes after packing up, the area was hit with a massive lightning storm.  Whew!

Things that went well:
1) Wonderful tree to climb, very friendly.
2) I picked and rigged a nice site for the tree boat.  I'm learning to see anchor points better for it.

3) Limb walking went very well

4) I spent 120 minutes up high filming and photographing a wedding down below.  I was out on a limb high up, with my son in the boat I'd placed further down (we each had separate climbing lines - me SRT, he DRT).  It was fun to be a tree wedding photographer.

Things that didn't go well:
1) Scary weather at the end

THIS is the ground about 100 yards from the tree I was in.  This is a lightning strike that happened about 40 minutes after we were down.  YIKES!

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:

One shot of the tree boat placed.  

Another shot of the tree boat.

Some of the many beautiful branches

Here's a video, a time-lapse of the wedding I shot from my perch

Climb 11

Climb Number: 11

Date: 9 August, 2013

Location: Along the Evergreen Aviation Museum nature trail   

43˚ 12' 11" N

123˚ 09' 15" W

Tree Type: Quercus garryana (Oregon White Oak)

TREE NAME: Hitchhiker

Overall this was a beautiful tree, but spoiled for climbing because of the animal (and especially animal excrement) presence. There was a fair amount of deadwood in the canopy, and one large snag that was trapped and hadn't fallen to the ground, but it was out of the range of climbing activity.  There were very large beautiful thick branches higher up, but unfortunately for reasons mentioned, they could not be explored, in part because there were mounds of excrement on parts of them).
Tree Name: Hitchhiker 

Weather: Partly cloudy, comfortable temps

Placement: 14 gm bag thrown thrown using two-handed technique

Rope: Poison Ivy, camouflage 

Anchor Type:  DRT

Ascent: DRT ascent, with single footlock

Pitches: 4 DREC (Double Rope End Climb) pitches.  Two with throw-bag from a line cup.  One short one with direct reach, one with modified "throw bag" (see below)  

Movement in the tree: Mostly up.  With the highest pitch, I was able to swing wide and, using Cinch and line, retrieve one of my stuck throwbags.

Decent: DRT (Modified Blake's Hitch)

Problems:
Many: my first attempts at setting a line resulted in a stuck throw bag.  Once in the tree, I got my second throw bag stuck (I was still trying to get a high enough TIP to retrieve the FIRST throw bag).  There was (presumed) raccoon poop in all the main tree limb crotches, much of it fresh.  It not only disallowed utilizing those crotches for tie-ins and standing, but it also stank a little (to say nothing of the threat of meeting a mad raccoon).

Things that went well:
1) I was able to retrieve both stuck throw lines and throw bags
2) I was worried about climbing a tree on the Evergreen Museum property (even out on the edge).  Several people went by, as well as contract and official Evergreen vehicles, but no one stopped to question what I was doing, or gave me any trouble (I carried my gear out there on the back of my mountain bike)


Things that didn't go well:
1) Lesson learned: If there's shit at the base of the tree, there's shit (and possibly animals) IN the tree

2) Got TWO throw bags stuck in the process of climbing.  To move higher up, after getting my only other throw bag stuck, I had to pull out all the zip line and use the OTHER end (the non-stuck end) and two wire-gate biners (which I never use for life support) for weight, to make an improvised throw line to get a higher TIP.  Thankfully it worked, but without the higher TIP I wouldn't have been able to retrieve the stuck bags / line, so it was close. 

3) I was hoping to put up a tree boat, and maybe sleep, but the presence of all the animal crap (and possible presence of animals) nixed that plan. 

MORE PHOTOS:

The tree from the North

Another view of the trunk.  There were several small trees growing up into the base of the main tree.

One of the large low crotches in the tree.  This was probably 3 feet square, but it was filled with a lot of animal crap

A very large, beautifully thick limb, but not good for climbing due to some crap at the base of it. 

A self-shot up in the tree

A higher-up picture of mounds of crap (some fresh, with flies) on the tree limb

Climb 10

The Oak in the center is actually two Oaks very close together.  The one on the Right was the main one climbed (Dauntless) but the one on the Left supported the other end of the tree boat.

Climb Number: 10

Date: 19 and 20 July, 2013

Location: Champoeg State Park (Oregon).   

45˚ 14' 52" N

122˚ 52' 48" W

Tree Type: Quercus garryana (Oregon White Oak)

Tree Name: Dauntless

Weather: Slightly warm, breezy, sunny, near-perfect Oregon summer.

Placement: 10 gm bag thrown thrown using two-handed technique

Rope: Snakebite

Anchor Type:  SRT.  Screw link cinched up over limb

Ascent: "Texas System" with two ascenders and footloops

Pitches: One in-tree pitch to a higher tie-in point.  

Movement in the tree: With the higher tie-in point, it was possible swing over, using a Chameleon rope and Cinch, to a nearby tree to place the other end of the tree boat.

Decent: Petzl Rig

Problems:
First climb in a busier state park.  The tree was concealed from most other campers and located in the hiker/biker camp.  The "A" loop at Champoeg is full of beautiful tall, old Oaks. 

Things that went well:
1) It was great having a tree boat so high up, with few branches underneath.  Sitting in there looking up at the canopy was very enjoyable.
2) Always nice to find a tree next to our camp site.  This allowed me to walk over with gear, to rig the tree in stages over two days, and just generally enjoy the tree(s).
3) I'd been wanting to climb at Champoeg for years, and finally had the chance.

Things that didn't go well:
Snakebite rope continues to be very very stiff.  It's been my rope of choice for years, but has become so stiff with sap that it does not move through a Rig well.  Descent is fine with a Piranha or  Figure 8 descender, though.

Looking from the other direction, the tree boat can be seen up in the tree(s).

Some GoPro-on-a-stick shots while standing in the tree boat

Vimeo I made of the canopy, as seen while sitting in the treeboat

Climb 9

The tree from back on the street.  Part circled was not the highest climbed, however.

Climb Number: 9

Date: 08/25/2012 and 08/31/2012

Location: McMinnville, OR on the Cook School Property (I'll add coordinates later)

Tree Type: Ponderosa Pine

Tree Name: Mac

Weather: Cool, sunny, perfect.

Placement: 10 gm bag thrown by Big Shot to a branch about 50 feet up.

Rope: Snakebite

Anchor Type:  SRT.  Screw link cinched up over limb

Ascent: Yo-yo with Petzl Rig

Pitches: Multiple to get to top of tree.  

Movement in the tree: I did some lateral movement at about 45 feet to place the tree boat, otherwise, it was up and down the tree only.

Decent: Petzl Pirana with a prusik back-up

Problems:
None major. Branch placement required circling around the trunk some as I ascended.  There was no clear shot to the ground at highest point, so rather than dropping highest tie-in-point straight down I just descended down the same track I ascended.

Things that went well:
1) Getting permission from the school superintendent to climb the tree
2) Pretty clean tree for a "wild" (all but lower 30 feet) tree.  One rather large deadwood branch was mostly out of the way
3) Gorgeous views.  Interesting to climb such a big tree in a very urban setting.  This was a real first.
4) A "plaque" was left at the top with name, date climbed, and a dedication to the students, teachers, administrators and staff of McMinnville School District.

Things that didn't go well:
Without dropping a new line straight down from the highest tie-in-point, the friction on the rope over branches and around trunk all but negates the use of a descending device.  To affix the plaque at the top I did have to put in a small screw bolt into the tree itself, but it should not hurt the tree any. 

View from the top looking West

View looking towards downtown McMinnville

A picture of the "plaque" placed on the top

I had strung a tree boat about 40 feet up.  I didn't get any pictures but my wife snapped this of me taking it down.  The yellow lines show the approximate placement.

Here's a link to a newspaper article on the tree climb:

"It's the climb" (NewsRegister, McMinnville)

Climb Number: 8

 Date: 08/28/2011

 Location:  N 48° 11.972', W 120° 46.601'

 Tree Type: Ponderosa Pine (I think)

 Tree Name: Karla 

Weather: Warm, dry

The second tree climbed at Holden Village.   Date climbed is +/- a week.  Not a lot of details remembered about this climb either, but here are some photos:

The canopy got pretty dense, and I did not "bushwhack" much to go higher than pictured in this tree

A self portrait (safety glasses temporarily off) from the top

Typical tie-in: a cinch and a double laynard

A forced perspective picture, looking down at the lodges below.

A little video tour from the highest point I climbed.  (The part about Bonanza Peak may or may not be accurate, I need to check into that more)

Climb Number: 7

 Date: 08/28/2011

 Location: N 48° 12.030', W 120° 46.407'

 Tree Type: Sitka Spruce (pretty sure)

 Tree Name: Alexa Weather: Warm, dry

 This tree was climbed while at Holden Village, off of Lake Chelan, WA in the Cascade Mountains. I'll post a few photos, but I don't remember much about the climb. I brought only snakebite rope as climbing rope.

A view of the tree with me in it (inset).  I didn't climb much higher than this.

Looking up from below.

The view from up in the tree - looking West at some of the Chalets at Holden Village

A photo that shows the whole tree and base.