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I was practicing SRT, set rope in highest crotch possible for the ground, secure rope to base of tree, climb up to crotch, hook in with change over lanyard, reset rope in higher crotch, tie back in, release change over, climb up to higher crotch, and repeat.
All was going well, then on about the third reset on about the 4th run through the exercise when I went to throw my rope over the higher crotch it caught on my foot and just flew out to the side, the other end got pulled out of my hand and it coiled up beautifully on the ground as if someone had rolled it up and laid it there.
Meanwhile, back up in the tree, I'm sitting there thinking "well that coiled up nicely for a rope that just feel out of a tree". So then I looked up the tree, I could still see my target crotch, I could still see my change over lanyard around the branch above me just where I hooked in, but I couldn't see my climbing rope anywhere except on the ground below me.
Then I thought "Hmmmmm I'm just sorta screwed myself; Didn't I"?
The good news is, I was only about 25' off the ground. The bad news is, I was hanging from a branch 25' off the ground by a change over sling with no rope to come down on.
There was no way I was going to call for help, I'd rather fall 25' first, at least that way there's a chance that I'd only get bruised up a little, and no one would know what a stupid thing I did.
So then I asked "How the hell am I going to get down from here now"?! Then I remembered watching Bear Grills come down a tree with nothing but a sling, so I grabbed hold of the sling and pulled myself up by it enough to unhook one of the carabiners, then I hugged the tree like a bear trying to escape a pack of snarling hounds, threw the sling around it and caught it with my other hand and clipped back in on the other side of my harness, and worked my way down the tree.
It was just like coming down a tree on a set of spurs, except without the spurs, which is nothing like coming a tree on a set of spurs except for the fact that you're coming down a tree.
I'm probably not the first guy to ever do this, but I thought I'd post about just in case anyone else is about to do it.
LESSON LEARNED: Always secure your climbing rope to your harness or a nearby branch before attempting to throw it over another crotch.
All was going well, then on about the third reset on about the 4th run through the exercise when I went to throw my rope over the higher crotch it caught on my foot and just flew out to the side, the other end got pulled out of my hand and it coiled up beautifully on the ground as if someone had rolled it up and laid it there.
Meanwhile, back up in the tree, I'm sitting there thinking "well that coiled up nicely for a rope that just feel out of a tree". So then I looked up the tree, I could still see my target crotch, I could still see my change over lanyard around the branch above me just where I hooked in, but I couldn't see my climbing rope anywhere except on the ground below me.
Then I thought "Hmmmmm I'm just sorta screwed myself; Didn't I"?
The good news is, I was only about 25' off the ground. The bad news is, I was hanging from a branch 25' off the ground by a change over sling with no rope to come down on.
There was no way I was going to call for help, I'd rather fall 25' first, at least that way there's a chance that I'd only get bruised up a little, and no one would know what a stupid thing I did.
So then I asked "How the hell am I going to get down from here now"?! Then I remembered watching Bear Grills come down a tree with nothing but a sling, so I grabbed hold of the sling and pulled myself up by it enough to unhook one of the carabiners, then I hugged the tree like a bear trying to escape a pack of snarling hounds, threw the sling around it and caught it with my other hand and clipped back in on the other side of my harness, and worked my way down the tree.
It was just like coming down a tree on a set of spurs, except without the spurs, which is nothing like coming a tree on a set of spurs except for the fact that you're coming down a tree.
I'm probably not the first guy to ever do this, but I thought I'd post about just in case anyone else is about to do it.
LESSON LEARNED: Always secure your climbing rope to your harness or a nearby branch before attempting to throw it over another crotch.