Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 6:17 pm
Beat me to it Brad.
That was awesome, thanks for posting that.
Ya the only reason I climb trees is because of the lack of outdoor climbing in Louisville. Well there is almost none really, except for some 25 footers at Cherokee Park, and everything else is illegal from what I know. I used to freesolo trees when I was little, and the only ones I do these days are as easy as a 5.4. I prefer using a rope to climb trees these days, and solo lead tree climbing is also the closest thing to trad that I get to do since I can't afford a rack right now, and as a bonus it helps with clipping technique and getting a good lead head. Well mainly I do it for the scenery, and just to be climbing outdoors "without having to drive anywhere". Thanks to the forums though I do use a chest harness, D mallion, and tie knots in the end of my rope when self belaying.
O and the downclimbing I do after the lead helps with footwork, I don't like to repel because I don't want to clean on repel, and I have a few other reasons.
Is climbing trees any different then climbing in the gym?
Well other than having to worry about decking on a branch all the time, and not climbing to your absolute limit, but at least I climb a lot when I do it. I can knock off 7 trees in a just a few hours, and each one always has it's crux just like most routes do.
I heard there is a guy in Louisville who tree climbs who is insane at it, he uses those ninja techniques to do really hard insane moves and has climbed 100's of trees like that, all unroped. I'll post the website on here when I get it for anyone who wants to hear about how crazy this guy is.
Just to ramble on some more; right now we are working on what looks to be a 100 footer up at Cherokee Park. The first 50 foot pitch was achieved by a balloon launcher and SRT. Then I climbed up that and had to pull a scary lip over a branch on lead so I could throw a bottle with a string on it over another branch way up to SRT up even higher. After I climbed up that I was able to just throw the bottle over another branch without having to pull over the branch that I was attached to, and then it was time to go home and so we left that string there, and replaced all of the hanging ropes with strings to save time for when we go back to conquer this beast of a tree later. I am going to lead climb the last pitch since there is actually enough branches to do it, and I would never be able to throw a bottle on a string past all of the branches blocking the way. Well since White Nose Syndrome is killing all the bats and we are supposed to stay out of the caves around here, I have to find some way to enjoy my $400 worth of SRT equipment.
I am sure throwing bottles with strings tied to them over branches is actually making your brain hurt, but I enjoy the sport for the problem solving and scenery. Sometimes you have to combine SRT, DRT, and lead all in the same tree, and once you get to the top it's very rewarding, especially if you are overlooking some great scenery.