Incomplete
ArboristSite Guru
Been gearing up since February (say that like you're British, it just feels good) and I ordered my lifeline from treestuff.com on Tuesday and had it on my door thresh at 7:30 Wednesday morning (I wasn't expecting it until Thursday. I think this response is to swift. Way beyond my reasonable expectations).
Tuesday I upgraded my Weaver Cougar to the CountryBoyPa Liger (it took 42 Gems of Agony and a Cobaltite as catalyst http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiim7GHbHr0&feature=youtube_gdata_player ) awesome adaptation, instantly noticably more comfortable.
On Wednesday night as soon as I got home from work, I cut four feet off of the tail if my new Yale XTC Fire for my new saddle bridge. I then constricted, West Country whipped, and stitched the ends. View attachment 241151
Thursday evening I threw the line over a tree branch (using Master Jepson's throwing knot) and tried my hand at footlocking, the concrete foundation of all rope climbing. In my bare feet I made it half way up the line like a squirrel on fire, but decided I better get some shoes on before I started to cry like a baby. Wrong move. My shoes wouldn't bite; not my tennies, not my work boots. So I hollered for help and Beastmaster told me to take my man pills like a good little boy and get some cheap gum soled boots from Almarts and to suck it up and get back on the line. I obeyed. But it was haaaaard. Waaaaa. After about an hour of sweating like a fat man in a donut shop, it actually started to click (and I discovered that by alternating lead foot it becomes possible to occasionally take a double wrap of rope on the over-foot). I made it up and down the doubled line about four times before quitting with the foot locking, and shifting to "tree humping", as I saw it called on here just the other day.
I repositioned my rope and hitched onto my carabiner and promptly discovered that the tautline WOULD NOT bite on the XTC Fire no matter how well I TDSed it. I don't know if this is because it isn't broken in or what. So I tried the Blakes and it bit on the first try. I had to play with the bridge length (shorten it) until the micropully would engage the knot, and once it did, I humped my way up that tree like an upside down, I don't know what. I made my wife throw me my hand saw (twice) and I did a little limb walking and deading, comeplete with re-sets and endless loop girth hand holds.
As a note, that Blakes on this XTC Fire is TOUCHY: a little preasure goes a LOOOONG way. No accidents though.
It was a good day. Let the lambastation commence ;D.
View attachment 241150
Tuesday I upgraded my Weaver Cougar to the CountryBoyPa Liger (it took 42 Gems of Agony and a Cobaltite as catalyst http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiim7GHbHr0&feature=youtube_gdata_player ) awesome adaptation, instantly noticably more comfortable.
On Wednesday night as soon as I got home from work, I cut four feet off of the tail if my new Yale XTC Fire for my new saddle bridge. I then constricted, West Country whipped, and stitched the ends. View attachment 241151
Thursday evening I threw the line over a tree branch (using Master Jepson's throwing knot) and tried my hand at footlocking, the concrete foundation of all rope climbing. In my bare feet I made it half way up the line like a squirrel on fire, but decided I better get some shoes on before I started to cry like a baby. Wrong move. My shoes wouldn't bite; not my tennies, not my work boots. So I hollered for help and Beastmaster told me to take my man pills like a good little boy and get some cheap gum soled boots from Almarts and to suck it up and get back on the line. I obeyed. But it was haaaaard. Waaaaa. After about an hour of sweating like a fat man in a donut shop, it actually started to click (and I discovered that by alternating lead foot it becomes possible to occasionally take a double wrap of rope on the over-foot). I made it up and down the doubled line about four times before quitting with the foot locking, and shifting to "tree humping", as I saw it called on here just the other day.
I repositioned my rope and hitched onto my carabiner and promptly discovered that the tautline WOULD NOT bite on the XTC Fire no matter how well I TDSed it. I don't know if this is because it isn't broken in or what. So I tried the Blakes and it bit on the first try. I had to play with the bridge length (shorten it) until the micropully would engage the knot, and once it did, I humped my way up that tree like an upside down, I don't know what. I made my wife throw me my hand saw (twice) and I did a little limb walking and deading, comeplete with re-sets and endless loop girth hand holds.
As a note, that Blakes on this XTC Fire is TOUCHY: a little preasure goes a LOOOONG way. No accidents though.
It was a good day. Let the lambastation commence ;D.
View attachment 241150
