Champion Trees

[Oxman]

Seattle Times article on Champion Trees

Here's an article on my favorite subject. It only briefly mentions climbing these monsters, though.

 

[Bunyan_Tree]

Hi--my first time on here, so bear with me. Guess I might address this to "Oxman", who posted this one, but anyone who has a suggestion can reply to me with the question I have. I have seen this tree on picture--it's in Olympic Park, Wash. I was there at the ISA convention, and the Old Growth hike. I got the itch for climbing one of these giants, and met someone there who is doing it in a month, and so I've been planning in my mind how I will climb it. I've got over 30 years exp. climbing, so have all the gear, and basic know how on getting to the first limb (compound bow, special arrow from New Tribe, fireline, two more lines) but once I get to the first limb, what then? Can I reach the next one with a throwball, or do I use a pull saw to thread. Open to suggestions, from someone who has climbed one--the men I'm going with may have exp. with this, but I don't want to sound too ignorant. Any suggestions?

 

[Oxman]

Thanks for writing your first post on Treebuzz. Wish we could have met when you were here. I was fresh from climbing for 4 days in the Olympics that week.

This is a pic in the coastal redwoods. I haven't climbed in the Sequoias yet. I'd like to, but haven't hooked up with others who had those plans. It would be interesting to hear more about who you will be climbing with, when and where. There isn't a good way of networking amongst us. So disclose your plans and get it rolling. F'rinstance, there are old growth climbs out west just about every week for the next month. Starting next weekend. Who wants to come up 250' on Friday? Noone would have known about it, except for our discussion here. Remember, folks, you heard it first, here on the Buzz.

The mechanics of advancing the line in big trees is pretty straightforward. A throwline in the tree is a must. The larger diameter limbs need to have a line thrown past them. It's pretty futile trying to muscle up & over. I use a linemug with a very long line inside-about 400 feet. This way I can set a retreivable line to install a climbing line with. Also, it is very important to have a way to reach the ground in case something is dropped or needed.

I don't like to carry spurs or saws in public-owned trees. They are mainly a placebo for our own psyches, and are too heavy, anyway. People are amazingly resourceful when relying on our skills, rather than tools. I have gotten much more sensitive to altering trees unnecessarily. There is no way anyone can accuse me of damaging the resource if concerned types snoop around and inject themselves into the situation. The trees will be fine if we don't alter them with tools. A grapnel can be substituted for the pole saw. It is very compact and versatile. Consider a cambium saver as further protection of this valuable resource.

These climbs are unique. Aside from a good way to launch, and the SRT technique to ascend & descend, each tree has it's own character. A strategy is developed in response to what the climber is faced with. The tactics you come up with to deal with it are a test of ingenuity. The scale of everything is blown up, for example, a 50' flipline comes in real handy.

Reliance on each other is of expanded importance, as well. This is difficult when the climbers are newly aquainted. But hang in there, develop the trust in your partners, and the experience may well be the biggest climb of your life.

Arboreally yours,
Link" TARGET=_blank>[url]http://hometown.aol.com/michaeloxman/JedSmith2.htmlLink to Arboreally yours web site</A>

 

[Oxman]

Hi Greg,

It would be great if your daughter can make the Sequoia climb in October. I have family down in California, so if the timing is good, it'll be possible to hook up with them after this excursion. I'm currently freelancing and plan on working my way out to Milwaukee for TCI in November. I'd appreciate being put in contact with the rest of your party if there is room. For what it's worth, a crossbow & long line from my kit would be available to the group.

We're doing a climb this weekend in some 250-275' Doug firs in the Olympic Peninsula. I've got a new rope to break in. It's a 300' New England KMIII static line in 3/8" size, left over as booty from a previous climb. I would rather have cut it at 350', but sharing half a spool was the order of the day. Kinda skinny & short, but easily transportable, especially for packing down the trail. It has its own handling challenges with friction devices, due to the sparse bearing surfaces. Backup twice with this stuff.

My usual rope is a 400' piece of 11mm Mammut static. It is about perfect for my launcher, which reaches up to 175'. Plenty of length at the end to put an anchor knot twice around the trunk. The shot is usually taken from the uphill side of the tree, and the line falls well downhill on the far side of the tree, so extra length is needed in the jug rope to accomodate the terrain. BTW, only one long rope is usually needed per party. It is considered 'group gear', as it is only needed on the initial pitch for ascent & descent.

This rope is installed with a 400' throwline. Don't get this baby tangled. I mention it because of your comment about the 1/2" stuff possibly being too big. The throwline cuts into your hands when hoisting the climbing line over very high settings with a lot of drag. A personal mini-eight or the small end of a figure eight descender works well to pull real hard on throwline. The sheer weight of 1/2" almost makes it a two-person operation, especially with stuffing the throwline at the same time as the haul. The more weaving in & out of the branch structure the rope does, the more difficult the heavier lines are to work with. The path can't always be seen from the ground. Just being able to retreive a line from a tree can mean some strategy in redirection, sometimes having to settle for a lower setting, thus wasting the long length. A full spool would mean a clear shot to the ground, without running the line over the large diameter trunk, just a limb. Most of these drawbacks rule out 1/2" line for the initial ascent in old growth climbing. It is real versatile for short hauls, arborist work, cutting up into more managable lengths, etc. When you consider how often a line is used for these specialty big tree climbs, it is a luxury to dedicate one to just this purpose. When available, the right stuff can't be beat.

I agree with 1/2", 600' 12 strand being too large a diameter, and also think the length might be too much. The tree better be right next to the truck, for hauling purposes. This may just be personal preference. Rescue workers like real bombproof size stuff, for mechanical advantage hauling systems and two person loads. Of course , they may have lots of people to haul things around. There hasn't been a lot of published exchange on the tradeoffs of diameter/handling. Just getting used to the way a smaller static line feels takes quite a bit of use, so it may make sense to stay with a comfortable diameter for the first few big ones.

Oh yeah, you asked about the flipline. A VT on arborist rope is fine for that.
Link to Arboreally yours web page