Thursday, June 27, 2024

It would be great if it weren't dead.

Eastern cedars have deep roots, but the complete absence of needles tells us it is dead.


Using two independent figure 8's means the anchor really isn't equalized.


How big is that rock? How much is underground?

Webbing used single strand, hardware in breakable rock.
Another mystery rock, this time with single strand webbing.
 

Saturday, June 1, 2024

Mystery knots.

I think it was an attempt at a figure 8.

This one is on a bight.

The ever popular tiny tree and dead stump.

The anchor is one large loop, tied together in the center.

The knots.

No idea.

Looks like a bowline on a hollow tree, so it is backed up with...
wraps around a rotten log secured with a couple of half hitches.
 

Tuesday, May 21, 2024

If you can't tie the right, tie lots.

It's a good idea to check your anchor after you attach the climbing rope.

Lots of rope to tie into the anchor and avoid two points of failure.

Same thing, plus a tree barely hanging onto a ledge.

It's bedrock but less than a foot in diameter. The knot is "creative."

When in doubt, wrap the rope until you run out.
 

Saturday, April 13, 2024

Hammocks, the scourge of the crag.

First, select a loose rock.
Or use shoe lace and a runner.

 Don't forget to block the trail.

Monday, March 18, 2024

"It's dead Jim."

They can't resist the refrigerator. It is spalling or crushing the rock beneath it. It now overhangs by more than a foot when it used to be flush with the surface beneath.
The little tree that is desperately trying to hang on is pretty marginal.
The flying secondary anchor is pretty desperate.
There is enough black rope, no need for the second rope, carabiner and unstable clove hitch
One carabiner and thin non-climbing rope don't make an ideal anchor.
This anchor tree above Kindergarten died during the winter.
 

Friday, February 23, 2024

One anchor got someone hurt.

The flying directional is brutal on the tree and usually creates anchors with over 90 degree angles.
That's the climbing rope running over lots of sharp edges.
ONE carabiner.
This one caused an injury. The anchors were ten feet apart, at a 90 degree angle. Note the use of the loose rock.
The tree is just too small.
 

Friday, January 26, 2024

The thought process its elusive.

Learn to tie off a bowline. Carabiners have been known to disappear at Carderock and Great Falls. 
Perfect for tripping hikers.
That's a single carabiner at the climbing rope.
That's not redundant, and thin webbing on the rock is what you call suboptimal.
This is called a "Yard Sale", lay everything out and clip it together.
A lot of thought went into this, not good thought, but a lot. Some of the hardware are Quicklinks, not carabiners, so no gate.