Disabled Climbers Aloft
I have made it a quest in life to help anyone who longs for a canopy experience can have one if possible. No matter how much a person wants to sometimes there are obstacles one cannot overcome.
One cannot but many can. Partner up with those who are in the know.
There are those in our climbing society that provide a ride up a rope to those burdened with a wheelchair to haul their Respirator/Ventilator with them. No kidding! Camp Cavell in Michigan
http://campcavell.org hosts a two week event that you ever just once attended will rock your world. It is reserved for those with or has a family member with Muscular Dystrophy. This disease takes away your ability to move but not your intellect so you are fully aware of your lack of motion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscular_dystrophy They use a “mule team” that is so that two climbers each in their own harness’ and ropes can be hauled aloft with a strong ground crew pulling them up.
ArborQuest in Michigan
http://www.arborquest.org/index.htm has perfected the art of companion climbing to its finest point. Follow their links and information.
My favorite PhD is John Gathright of Tree Climbing Japan. His group numbers in the 10,000’s and has created personal therapy involving trees he calls Tree-Hab. You have to surf his site at
http://www.treeclimbing.jp He starts his climbs with the new climbers on the ground away from the tree. They finish the safety talk and then his Instructors descend the ropes to show how to do it but many of the Instructors are obviously physically challenged so if they can do it you can too.
In Kansas City
http://treeclimbingkansascity.com/ Stan, Becki and I have been fortune to provide climbing events for those with special personal challenges such as disfiguring arthritis, Rhett Syndrome, quad/paraplegic; Autistic and so forth. Some of the best people I have ever met. The looks of joy shared once off the ground and released from their devices impact like no other.
We use a climbing system for those more mobile that consist of a doubled-rope self-belayed self-advancing top-roped technique. With a waist band/web/rope tied around the trunk base we can double secure the climber with slippery hitches plus anchoring the down rope the waist band. With the down rope secured once the climber is just out of our reach this will stop any unauthorized descents safely.
Don’t get me wrong, I promote Rope Sleeves but only if they are the correct device. We use a pulley attached to a high anchor limb with webbing like a false crotch. The pulley has the least friction and allows much ease to rig and take down. By having each system pre-tied and flaked in a tub we can set and test each system in much less time.
The friction hitch is positioned high up the rope but just in reach of the climber using Maxim Tech cord loop bent with a Michoacán hitch. I have placed a wooden ball above the coils so tender fingers can grab the ball to collapse the coil only when told ok to descend. The up rope with an eye is placed in the same carabineer as the Michoacán so as you pull down the down rope the up rope raised the friction hitch, biner and you without the need to advance it. You are secured to the biner with a web loop sized for your height so you can just reach the ball. This creates the longest power stroke on the down rope to maximize your effort.
Add a foot loop so you they can climb using all both hands and both feet if they have them.
My motto is one my dad taught me: the hardest part of any problem is finding the best solution. Rig somebody up and give it a go, you both will be happy you did.
See you at the top, Dan House
