Getting back on top of a limb

There are a few ways of doing it, none easy.
#1 don’t fall off the limb
#2 don’t fall off the limb
#3 if you fall off the limb and don’t swing back take a foot lock on your tail and fight your way back into the limb.
#4 don’t fall off the limb!
 
I avoid simple natural crotch redirects if I have to go back up for the reason you mention. If I absolutely have to do it, I try to choose a crotch with a limb 2-4 feet below that I can stand on while I get back up and through. If its a short way down from redirect, I use a retrievable method that Richard Mumford put on Youtube. Otherwise, I just go redirect free and work my way out real slow if necessary. I can get out to 45+ degree angles without much problem nowadays. If its really far out, grab the slingshot and a preset a DRT system secondary, or carry it out to the redirect point with you and use it instead of your primary going down. I'm removing a large a red oak now that has some 60 foot long lower limbs. I have done it all with either no redirect, redirect with branch below, or using a second line.
 
Parallels to coming up over the lip of an edge as perhaps hardest move in mountain/rescue; especially after exhausting climb to this most exhausting move...
.
Pre-planning before position is essential to most efficiency in chess game style.
.
In pure motion sometimes takes a symphony of timings to orchestrate such a move smoothly by breaking own load force into lesser parts and not losing any helpful inertia etc. Throwing part of weight and letting it give some lift and then throwing, torquing rest of carcass with it to sneak CoG over the 'lip' and catch. Helps from other lines, perhaps even ground crew lifting up w/rig line. Capitalizing on any upward angle, even if pulls across on target mostly; can use to lock to branch and not have that fight, so much in arms, but still need upward angle. Sometimes at just right almost home position can lean back hard to tension line, and cut hard across iron tight line with hand, as pulse from sweat/swig line hits; purposefully throw/roll head and shoulders forward in co-ordination with the motion.
.
Kinda at an illegal perhaps extreme (just to illustrate forces ...); in tiredest times of screaching last drop out before finish line ; in fact emptying all i had from same bucket had scraped clean 3x already still having to come back with something..
Found, chainsaw as weight to 'throw' (but not release) thru extended arm rotating arch hard and purposeful up over, whip far leg some arc opposite way at sametime, halfway thru following with close leg on that side and at critical most lift from motion. throwing/swivelling head and shoulders around over aiming for hips to get same. Trying throwing motion of bod now of over higherthan target (aiming thru, not to philosophy*); and settling for on. Takes timing to get peaks of each motion pulse to co-ordinate to hit at once for final lift. Weight gotten on top of target can be some lock, but different than mountain lip ; is weight thrown on other side of branch (after over top) can become ballast force.
.
Speed of small chainsaw and arm weight is essential, then timing to take advantage of moment. Energy formulae says you are trying to move smaller mass then with larger, but then times speed squared. So then trying to make up as much of mass difference with that, then not resisting in any way in fact torquing and throwing with the helpful force for best chance. The more you practice, the luckier seem to get the timing etc.
.
Seeking to innately understand forces needed and usage, can pre-load to more instinctively take advantage and even find 1/4 second of more neutral loading and/or favorable pulse force etc. to change game as charge by, leaving behind. At times after fighting so many angles and positions etc. can find some silky smooth point of whole system working so much better, ya just know is right and start honing in on that like diving hungry hawk.
.
Still not the easiest thing to do, nor to co-ordinate, but very doable at times and certainly much easier than other methods tried especially w/o setup, overly exhausted, and still need to make time!
.
* Aim thru not to:
is more on Eastern even martial arts philosophy of motion.
Aim at opposite side of golf ball , because psychologically start slowing down at aimed point, so bluff own mind and aim thru target so are still raging thru like freight train on contact and then follow thru force before mind hits finish line.
Simililair to if going to hit man in nose, aim for back of head, and come charging thru contact point strongest and follow thru strongest etc.
To rest of Pure Inline mantra, also find that aiming thru, makes longer, straighter/truer more Pure Inline focal line thru target(and again gives baseball philosophy follow thru)!
 
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When confronted with this scenario, I use My lanyard or other short climbing line to tie into a friction hitch that is above my last redirect. My redirect on the branch is set to be retrievable. I then can slack of my SRT and drift back to towards the trunk. Once there I pull the retrievable redirect and off I go.
 
For #2: Lawrence schultz in the schultz effect shows a remote set/remote retrievable redirect that would allow you to keep all of your weight on your primary climbing system while taking your redirect out.

Essentially you use a second climbing system, I just use my lanyard, run it through your redirect crotch and clip it to your main climbing rope above your multicender. The other end terminates on your bridge with a hitch (or mechanical) if you get up to your redirect and it's still weighted you can simply loosen the hitch on your redirect rope to slack it and remove. It's like a second SRS system but because of a shared load you can do this with just a hitch. I often use an ART positener for my redirect hitch. If needed you can use your redirect system to control a swing back to the trunk then unclip the carabiner and pull the redirect rope out.

One last point on this method, it's easier to retrieve your redirect's carabiner if you attach a small throw weight to allow it to come down the line to you, once slacked.
 
* Aim thru not to:
is more on Eastern even martial arts philosophy of motion.
Aim at opposite side of golf ball , because psychologically start slowing down at aimed point, so bluff own mind and aim thru target so are still raging thru like freight train on contact and then follow thru force before mind hits finish line.
Simililair to if going to hit man in nose, aim for back of head, and come charging thru contact point strongest and follow thru strongest etc.
To rest of Pure Inline mantra, also find that aiming thru, makes longer, straighter/truer more Pure Inline focal line thru target(and again gives baseball philosophy follow thru)!

I'm more off a "flame and the void" guy myself. ;) Solid post there.
 
Parallels to coming up over the lip of an edge as perhaps hardest move in mountain/rescue; especially after exhausting climb to this most exhausting move...
.
Pre-planning before position is essential to most efficiency in chess game style.
.
In pure motion sometimes takes a symphony of timings to orchestrate such a move smoothly by breaking own load force into lesser parts and not losing any helpful inertia etc. Throwing part of weight and letting it give some lift and then throwing, torquing rest of carcass with it to sneak CoG over the 'lip' and catch. Helps from other lines, perhaps even ground crew lifting up w/rig line. Capitalizing on any upward angle, even if pulls across on target mostly; can use to lock to branch and not have that fight, so much in arms, but still need upward angle. Sometimes at just right almost home position can lean back hard to tension line, and cut hard across iron tight line with hand, as pulse from sweat/swig line hits; purposefully throw/roll head and shoulders forward in co-ordination with the motion.
.
Kinda at an illegal perhaps extreme (just to illustrate forces ...); in tiredest times of screaching last drop out before finish line ; in fact emptying all i had from same bucket had scraped clean 3x already still having to come back with something..
Found, chainsaw as weight to 'throw' (but not release) thru extended arm rotating arch hard and purposeful up over, whip far leg some arc opposite way at sametime, halfway thru following with close leg on that side and at critical most lift from motion. throwing/swivelling head and shoulders around over aiming for hips to get same. Trying throwing motion of bod now of over higherthan target (aiming thru, not to philosophy*); and settling for on. Takes timing to get peaks of each motion pulse to co-ordinate to hit at once for final lift. Weight gotten on top of target can be some lock, but different than mountain lip ; is weight thrown on other side of branch (after over top) can become ballast force.
.
Speed of small chainsaw and arm weight is essential, then timing to take advantage of moment. Energy formulae says you are trying to move smaller mass then with larger, but then times speed squared. So then trying to make up as much of mass difference with that, then not resisting in any way in fact torquing and throwing with the helpful force for best chance. The more you practice, the luckier seem to get the timing etc.
.
Seeking to innately understand forces needed and usage, can pre-load to more instinctively take advantage and even find 1/4 second of more neutral loading and/or favorable pulse force etc. to change game as charge by, leaving behind. At times after fighting so many angles and positions etc. can find some silky smooth point of whole system working so much better, ya just know is right and start honing in on that like diving hungry hawk.
.
Still not the easiest thing to do, nor to co-ordinate, but very doable at times and certainly much easier than other methods tried especially w/o setup, overly exhausted, and still need to make time!
.
* Aim thru not to:
is more on Eastern even martial arts philosophy of motion.
Aim at opposite side of golf ball , because psychologically start slowing down at aimed point, so bluff own mind and aim thru target so are still raging thru like freight train on contact and then follow thru force before mind hits finish line.
Simililair to if going to hit man in nose, aim for back of head, and come charging thru contact point strongest and follow thru strongest etc.
To rest of Pure Inline mantra, also find that aiming thru, makes longer, straighter/truer more Pure Inline focal line thru target(and again gives baseball philosophy follow thru)!

You know who Ty Webb is, by chance? Haha

Thanks, man. That all sounds *really advanced*. Hopefully at least some of that ability will come naturally with just being in the tree. I wonder if allot of folks have it from experience, but just aren't able to articulate it as well as you can?

I'm at my regular work right now, but I hope this weekend I will be able to climb when it's not storming, to just get some hours in trying stuff in a tree.

I've never really understood - and I'm not saying that I currently comprehend the totality of it, still - why retrievable redirects were super duper useful (why there was so much e-ink spilled over the various kinds), but having experienced going back past a redirect several times now, that puzzle piece is starting to fall into place.
 
...that puzzle piece is starting to fall into place...

I had devised another method of retrievable redirect that was much harder to implement and used more hardware than Richard's Knot On A Bight technique... then I watched his video of him showing the technique while simultaneously trying to destroy motel property (he's got awesome multitasking skills) and it was a "Doh!" moment for me. So simple, and uses crap I've always got laying around or in my ditty bag.

I practiced the trick with a long lanyard in the house quite a bit before I had a chance to try it in a tree, which allowed me to make it work the first time. I use it a lot, now. If I haven't climbed SRT in awhile, I practice it a bit before I leave the house. My memory isn't so great, these days, especially when I've got a lot of stuff going on or stressed about some project. In fact, if I was a computer I would have been tossed in a garbage dumpster a long time ago.
 
You know who Ty Webb is, by chance? Haha

Thanks, man. That all sounds *really advanced*. Hopefully at least some of that ability will come naturally with just being in the tree. I wonder if allot of folks have it from experience, but just aren't able to articulate it as well as you can?

I'm at my regular work right now, but I hope this weekend I will be able to climb when it's not storming, to just get some hours in trying stuff in a tree.

I've never really understood - and I'm not saying that I currently comprehend the totality of it, still - why retrievable redirects were super duper useful (why there was so much e-ink spilled over the various kinds), but having experienced going back past a redirect several times now, that puzzle piece is starting to fall into place.
There are many ways to set up retrievable redirects. I have tried many of them and I love having them in my mental tool kit, however you will find certain ones that fit your climbing style and you will use them more than others. It's a fun journey as you learn and experiment which ones work best for you. Out of all the ones I use its the redirects that use minimal gear and don't tend to get hung up when pulling them through a crowed tree.

You Tube has alot of videos concerning the subject.
 
Well, I had to do it today. Limb on speedline snagged down below and I had to drop down to free it. Rope angle above/into crotch was about 60* and branches were about 4". Down, clear hang, and back up until wrench bumping limb. Girthed a 4.5 ft webbing sling on right branch and a 3 ft sling on left branch. Lay back, right foot in long sling, stand up and grab rope above wrench, slide wrench/hitch/pulley above crotch, left foot in short sling, stand up again and grab above wrench, pull yourself up on top, slide wrench up, get comfy, retrieve slings, vow to take smaller pieces on the speedline when over another canopy. Wasn't that bad but not fun after ascending back up.
 
Did this on yesterday's job and today's job, not falling off limbs but going out on long conifer limbs tip pruning over houses. In both cases set a high TIP to improve rope angles, walked out as far as I could then went into limb crawling mode. When I couldn't stay on the limb any more I choked my lanyard out ahead of me (lanyard in single rope mode center attached on bridge) and girthed a footloop with a sling behind me on the limb to make it easier to hold position. To make the pruning cut I shared load between the choked lanyard and my main line and got off the limb (really a 3-4" diameter branch end at this point) and hung below the limb with good position to make the cut. Made the pruning cut, caught it with a long sling and took it apart as it hung on the sling (was a little heavy to lift and throw under control). To escape I slacked the lanyard to move back towards the tree and started ascending the angled main rope with my foot ascender etc. Before the choked lanyard end was out of reach I reset it closer to the tree and continued until the main rope was close enough to vertical to ascend back up onto the limb fairly easily. I think this is essentially the same problem originaly described. Using a lanyard this way is how I typically climb up/out past a deep redirect.
-AJ
 
It seems like I'm in the habit of forgetting the choked loop runner thing when I'm out in the field. I have to use this!

@moss, I don't know if my brain is improving in visualizing these things, or it's your your skill in describing that situation, but I was able to - as far as I know - track right along with you. Thanks allot!
 

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