Great description of catalpa wood's characteristics. I've worked on a enough of them that I think I've internalized that and don't think about it. What I am thinking is "What a weird and cool species, you make me slightly uncomfortable" ;-)
I think you're right that it probably would've held...
My first climbing line was Yale Ropes Poison Ivy, thx Nick Araya for suggesting it at the time, 2005. Ha, it milked more than 2.5' of cover, that's how a great line can start its career.
Thank you Jamie Goddard, that game changing contribution to tree climbing would be enough. Clearly there's...
That’s a wild one! When I read the first couple of stanzas I was thinking I really like when Frost writes about his yard. There are a few. People write the best on their home ground.
Not an actual sentimental bone in Frost’s body despite him being the icon of New England days and ways gone by...
For the upcoming cold season:
Winter is for waiting.
As sure as the owl perches
or the coyote walks,
winter is waiting for answers to come.
As sure as the snow sparkles
or your fingertips sting,
winter knows answers are near.
Yes indeed, sounds like you had an awesome yard climbing tree.
Catalpa not being native to eastern Mass./southern New Hampshire I suspect it started growing on farmland with second/third growth forest coming in as farming declined. Then housing development spread into the overgrown farmland and...
Well described. Coastal/wet snow or hard rain straight line storms might be part of the reason but not enough of a reason ;-) Poor structural form and relatively weak wood would be enough.
It's interesting with catalpa, there are some areas, southern more rural side of Nashua, NH for example...
I can imagine on takedowns especially this technique is key. On this catalpa I could not see the bad news codom from the ground, leaf cover was too thick. I would've brought a short rope if I knew what was going to happen next. Had enough spare hook line to do it. Thx Roger.
-AJ
That's why if I can do it I want to be at chest height or slightly higher than the cat so I can lift it up and out by the scruff. Pulling down on on them by the scruff is a losing game, I've been bitten pretty badly doing overhead grabs. I'm much better at not being scratched or bitten these...
Situation where I'm batting clean-up after a town DPW bucket crew and an arborist climber can't reach the cat. Climber before me had a good reason to not go further.
Climbing with @oceans many moons ago I saw him "cable" a small double top on a 125' white pine with his secondary lanyard. I'd...
It’s great when these “unknown owner” cats are microchipped. She was back home within an hour and a half of reaching the ground.
She escaped from the owner when they were out away from the home. Cat had no idea where it was when it was tree’d.
-AJ
I can barely lift myself out of bed some mornings! 70 backpack would destroy me ;-)
I could hang additional weight on my climbing system without carrying it on my back. On the other hand it would be easier for one my friends up in the 200 lb. Range to test my Rope Wrench setup.
-AJ
Are we confused yet? Another way of saying it is: I believe a hitch/length/climbing line combo that works for a light climber like myself will work very well for a heavy climber. I think focusing on hitch cordage and configuration is mostly barking up the wrong tree for heavy climbers. Assuming...
As mentioned I’m coming from at it from the other end, if you put a typical well dressed arborist hitch on a line and weight it, doesn’t matter how much a person weighs, It may slide at first but with 2 or 3 sequential loadings it will bind up tight. Introduce a bend above the hitch (rope...
Interesting. Ha. I suspect there might not be enough load on the Hitchhiker friction surface below its hitch for it to engage in a useful way. Slack tending may be difficult. Worth trying though only one way to find out.
-AJ
I think the construction of the static’s core matters for rope wrench/hitch functionality. 10mm Sterling HTP is wild stuff with a wrench. An 8mm hitch cord works but things get weird, the parallel(?) core seems to get twisted and “bunchy”. Even if it didn’t the core fibers become so rigid during...