Climb of a lifetime!

Great job Jeff!!

We just returned from climbing the Sequoias as well and they are amazing! We are from Michigan so I know exactly how you feel about the massive mountains and trees that us flat landers aren't used too. You and your wife did a wonderful job with the video as well!

We found the Captain Hook from DMM and the MagBags to be ideal for getting to places in the canopy. The Captain Hook made it wonderful for shooting photos and video and the MagBags are just too easy to use!

I would be interested to know if we were climbing trees in the same area? We were there 3 weeks ago and it sounds like you were there around the same time?

Awesome man!
 
Soooooooo.......what's left on your bucket list now? That was amazing! A Sequoia climb has been on mine since I started climbing. Thanks for reminding me that it is possible!
 
JeffOpar said:
I just got back from a truly amazing trip. Last month my wife and I visited Sequoia National Park. It was incredible just being around these giants. I decided then and there that I would find a way to climb one. I did a lot of research and found a grove in the Sierra National Forest. About a month later we flew back out and I had the amazing experience of climbing a huge Sequoia while my beautiful wife filmed with a phantom 4. Please check out my video.
Thanks for watching.
Jeff
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Love the Phantom footage, nice!!!
 
What did you guys use to set your throwline? Archery? APTA? Big Shot? Also, what is the longest rope that you guys brought on the trip? I just asked Jcarufel in his thread these same questions but I wanted to here your answers too.
 
So... My climb was solo. This is certainly not ideal, but I was fine with it. I brought 2 200ft ropes, and a 10 meter ce lanyard. I brought the second rope more as a "just in case" line, I never actually used it. If I were climbing in a group I would have left the first single line in place (at about 90 feet) and set the other line at the top of the tree and hung it down to the first line creating a srt ascent path to the top. Even more ideally, another climber would set the lines and I would just cruise up with a hammock and a backpack full of lunch!
I was able to hit the limb I wanted on the second try with the big shot. A crossbow would have necessary if the target limb were any higher. I could shoot higher with a lighter bag but I needed a 12 oz bag to be able to overcome the branch friction and come back down.
 
JeffOpar said:
So... My climb was solo. This is certainly not ideal, but I was fine with it. I brought 2 200ft ropes, and a 10 meter ce lanyard. I brought the second rope more as a "just in case" line, I never actually used it. If I were climbing in a group I would have left the first single line in place (at about 90 feet) and set the other line at the top of the tree and hung it down to the first line creating a srt ascent path to the top. Even more ideally, another climber would set the lines and I would just cruise up with a hammock and a backpack full of lunch!
I was able to hit the limb I wanted on the second try with the big shot. A crossbow would have necessary if the target limb were any higher. I could shoot higher with a lighter bag but I needed a 12 oz bag to be able to overcome the branch friction and come back down.
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If your wife didn't join you how much did she enjoy/hate waiting for you on the ground while you climbed a 300 foot tree??? Haha.

And you say you researched the area very well before the trip to find that tree, what were your sources? How did you know climbing was allowed or did you just assume?

Sorry for all of the questions, but climbing a tree above 200 feet is next up on my bucket list and you have the answers that will help me reach that goal ;)
 
FluffyFish said:
If your wife didn't join you how much did she enjoy/hate waiting for you on the ground while you climbed a 300 foot tree??? Haha.

And you say you researched the area very well before the trip to find that tree, what were your sources? How did you know climbing was allowed or did you just assume?

Sorry for all of the questions, but climbing a tree above 200 feet is next up on my bucket list and you have the answers that will help me reach that goal ;)
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My wife is amazing. She actually battled mosquitoes the entire time. They were terrible and she filmed and flew a drone to capture some awesome footage. She stuck it out because she was so happy for me.

We visited the area a month before. I looked at every image online and any youtube videos of the area in an effort to find the perfect tree. I tried to get permission from the forest service but nobody got back to me. I put forth an honest effort but I couldnt find anywhere that said climbing was prohibited.
 
First of all Jeff, what a great video, if you and your wife attempt to go again, garlic in your diet for a week prior will reduce and most likely eliminate the mosquitos completely. You never hear back from the Forest Service, unless they happen to walk up on you, or if God forbid, you had fallen or were injured, then they would have gone after you like a pitbull on a trespassing vagrant. Including criminal charges. I'm envious of your experience. Now, I've added this climb to my "to do list " before I hit 60, nonetheless that gives me 5 years to accomplish. Thanks again, to you and your wife. Best of luck on your next endeavor. Climb Safe, Birrah!
 
Outstanding climb and beautiful documentation. Thanks. I just moved to Seattle for new arbor challenges and began considering trips to climb "bucket list" trees

Thanks for the inspiration.

Craig
 
cbachmann said:
Outstanding climb and beautiful documentation. Thanks. I just moved to Seattle for new arbor challenges and began considering trips to climb "bucket list" trees

Thanks for the inspiration.

Craig
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So glad you liked it! Is that a high vis pacific helmet in your avatar? Where did you get it?
 
Yes. Pacific Kevlar in Lime. TreeStuff.

Love the helmet. Won't go back to Petzl or Kask. Light and comfortable. I put a bit of foam tape on the back of the band. The visor is amazing.
 
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