Climb 3

Climb Number: 3

Date: 10/24/08

Location: N 45 17.571, W 123 11.3. (At Carlton Park).

Tree Type: Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) I think! Everything seems to fit except the cone I took a picture of doesn't seem to have the 3-pointed bract (the tongues that stick out from the cones, in a douglas fir it's supposed to be very long, like a mouse tail, and this one isn't). I thought it might be a white fir, but the cone is different on that, too, and we are a little far North for White Firs according to my tree book. This identification of trees is NOT easy.

Tree Name: (given) Kathy (named after the mayor of Carlton, someone I know pretty well, and someone I'm hoping will give me permission to keep climbing in the public park)

Weather: Sunny, cool, beautiful Fall day.

Placement: Big shot with 14 oz bag and Zing-it line. After 4 attempts the Zing-it and bag got hopelessly stuck above intended TIP (tie-in-point). A 12 oz bag attached to TARGET (New Tribe) line finally worked at getting the rope over the right branch. During climb I climbed up and retrieved the stuck Zing-it and bag.

Rope: The Fly, 200 feet. Poison Ivy, 200 feet.

Anchor Type: Fly line redirected over branch and tied to base of tree. Tie to base is pictured, 3 half-hitches secured with a timber hitch. (See Photo Above)

Ascent: Petzl Ascension pair with straps. Second pitch (see below) was "ascended" in a DRT way with a Petzl I'D and a laynard/Cinch set-up, mostly putting weight on branches and taking in both lines alternatingly.

Pitches: Additional pitch made about 12 feet higher with Target line and 10 oz bag. As Fly line was redirected and tied around tree at base, I'd pulled up the end of my Poison Ivy line, and this was pulled around for the second pitch. The "up" end was tied into my saddle, and the Petzl I'D placed on the "down" line.

Movement in the tree: Conifer with very little movement. A laynard and Cinch was used as a second TIP, for some slight redirection for the higher pitch, and for safety

Decent: Petzl I'D.

Problems:
1) Always difficult climbing in public parks. Employees all seem to panic from a liability standpoint. A groundskeeper came and talked to me for a bit, but I convinced him to let me climb. By the time we were done talking, he was actually pretty cool about it.
2) Throw line got stuck, but this was good too, in that it gave me a reason I HAD to get up the tree. There would have been no way else to not have 75 feet of line hanging out of the tree.
3) As is typical, not enough time to get higher up in the tree. Some day, I'd like to be able to do an "all day" climb. I could take a couple hours to set the line and get a few higher pitches in (maybe a tree boat), then come down, have lunch, and go back and forge higher up the tree.
4) Crowded belt. Between two laynard attachments and the ascender attachment, the front of the saddle can get pretty crowded, with hardware pushing on hardware. The "D" ring on the Tengu saddle does not really have room for anything but the main connecting "D" screw link (unlike my Sherrill saddle, which isn't as comfortable). I'll probably start using the side rings more. Possibly a rigging plate could help but that's MORE gear, and can put the hardware at unusual angles.
5) Would have helped to have a cambium protector for my second pitch, which ended up being DRT. I did not pull a lot of rope over the branch, however, so the impact on the tree and the rope was minimal.
6) I would have liked to have tried a Blake's hitch for the second pitch DRT instead of the I'D, but the saddle was already crowded, and I do not (yet) trust my Blake's enough to make one my primary stopper 80+ feet up. I'll need to practice low (with a cambium protector) first.

Things that went well:
1) Beautiful tree, very straight shot up with little branches or deadwood in the way.
2) New rope is very nice.
3) Great weather, beautiful Fall day
4) The second pitch was off to the left a bit, fairly high, with other branches closer and I thought I'd end up having to loop around those branches. The bag, however, came over the top of the second TIP with a nice forward swing and fell in such a way that the branch was completely isolated. It was one of those things I'd like to take credit for, but I got a lucky throw.

Additional Comments: There are other nice trees in this park to climb.