rain

[rmihalek]

As some of you may know, the northeast has been getting quite a bit of rain this spring. Earlier in the week, I got a nice throwline placement in this tall dogwood (Cornus florida) in my yard and I'd like to climb it today, but it's supposed to keep raining all day. What are some things to be aware of (other than getting killed by lightening) when climbing in the rain?

Thanks,

 

[moss]

As some of you may know, the northeast has been getting quite a bit of rain this spring. Earlier in the week, I got a nice throwline placement in this tall dogwood (Cornus florida) in my yard and I'd like to climb it today, but it's supposed to keep raining all day. What are some things to be aware of (other than getting killed by lightening) when climbing in the rain?

Thanks,

Wow! A climable dogwood, don't see too many that get big enough in the northeast.

Climbing in the rain works fine. Just don't try body-thrust technique unless you're wearing pelvic armor. I can't say I've suffered a direct hit while using this technique on wet bark but it was close. So basically you can't rely on your feet staying put, have to depend on rope support a lot more for positioning.

Spead your gear out (including rope) in a dry place right after your climb, mold and mildew grows fast.
-moss

 

[Kate Butler]

climbable dogwood

Dogwood bark is quite smooth and likely to be VERY slippery climbing in the rain. I don't know about where you are, but we've had lots of big trees just fall over - pulling themselves out of the ground - with all this wet weather. I'd be checking just how firmly that tree is attached to the ground before thinking about climbing it.

 

[rmihalek]

I may need some help with my dendrology, but this dendro book I have says that this tree is a dogwood. I don't believe it, but everything points to dogwood.

It's so moist here now that I'm worried about my ropes getting mildew even though they've been put away dry. Maybe I'll move everything to the basement where we have a dehumidifier running 24/7.

Thanks for the tip about the slippery bark. Makes me think I need to start climbing with a cup...

 

[moss]

Synthetic ropes don't mildew or rot. Not ever. That's a good thing.

If you climb in the rain and then put your rope in a bag wet for a couple of days it will get mildew or something like that. It won't hurt the rope (I guess) but the rope will smell moldy ever after Synthetics can be an excellent structural host for molds and bacteria, even if they don't get eaten by them.

 

[moss]

It's so moist here now that I'm worried about my ropes getting mildew even though they've been put away dry. Maybe I'll move everything to the basement where we have a dehumidifier running 24/7.

It will speed up the dryout but just getting your stuff out of the rain and not enclosed in a bag or container is suffucient.

 

[moss]

I may need some help with my dendrology, but this dendro book I have says that this tree is a dogwood. I don't believe it, but everything points to dogwood.

Can you post a snapshot of leaf, bark and bud? The flowers are well gone by now so there should be the beginnings of the fruit/seed, a photo of that at least would rule Cornus in or out.

 

[gitrdun_climbr]

Big Dogwood in my frontyard

I have a pacific dogwood in my front yard that repeatedly gets topped by seattle city lights because it easily grows over 30 ft and into the primary powerlines, causing treetop fires when the wind rubs them together! Pacific dogwood, at least in western washington, generally seem to grow somewhere between 30 and 60 feet and appear rugged and hack-tolerant. As a result of continued topping, my frontyard pacific dogwood is growing into more of the form of the spreading live oaks of Alabama.

Anyway, to stay on subject, being an all-season arborist in seattle subjects my gear to alot of moisture. My ropes get wet and grimey all the time. I like to bring them inside with me and treat them to the warm, dry, comfortable conditions of my livingroom floor. I loosely coil them, lay them out on a blanket and occasionally 'fluff' them. If left wet in the bags for even 24hrs the odor makes it very obvious that something is growing. And don't be shy to wash your ropes...in a front-loading washer. Hang or layout to dry. They get more visible and operate more smoothly than when dirty.

Man, take care of your ropes.

 

[rmihalek]

Gitrdun, Thanks for the tips on the rope care.

Upon closer analysis, it appears that this tree is actually an ash tree, just like the other two in my backyard. I thought the leaflets on the stem were directly opposed to one another, but upon closer examination yesterday, they are alternating ever so slightly from one another.

The trick now is to further classify the ash, and for that I may need to take some pictures (and start a new thread...).

Thanks,

 

[1CallLandscape]

i just have to get m 2 cents in, Climbing + Tree + Rain = asking to get hurt
play it safe and wait till it drys ou.... im doin it too

-mike

 

[beowulf343]

i just have to get m 2 cents in, Climbing + Tree + Rain = asking to get hurt
play it safe and wait till it drys ou.... im doin it too

-mike

Here is my two cents--if you don't climb in the rain what is next? No climbing when its snowing, no climbing when the temp is below 30 degrees, no climbing if it is too hot, no climbing in a breeze? The only times I don't climb is during a thunderstorm, when the wind is over 30mph, or if it is snowing so hard you can't see the ground from 20 feet up. You must have alot of perfect weather in cape cod.

 

[beowulf343]

Here is my two cents--if you don't climb in the rain what is next? No climbing when its snowing, no climbing when the temp is below 30 degrees, no climbing if it is too hot, no climbing in a breeze? The only times I don't climb is during a thunderstorm, when the wind is over 30mph, or if it is snowing so hard you can't see the ground from 20 feet up. You must have alot of perfect weather in cape cod.

Sorry, I didn't realize this was on the rec climbing thread till after i posted. If you don't have to climb in rain, why do it?

 

[moss]

Well, it's probably more dangerous to work with a chain saw in a tree in the rain than it is to rec climb in the rain. If you have to do tree work in the rain, that's what you have to do. It's not fun to climb in the rain but sometimes when you're rec climbing it just starts raining It's not so bad, just a different way of climbing, a little slower, more deliberate, don't depend on your feet staying in any one place.

 

[Fireaxman]

Can you guys Please let a little of that rain come on down south? I haven't had any rain to speak of since Katrina, and no rain at all in a month. I think I heard that Florida is 50% below normal rainfall before Alberto.

Don't misunderstand me, a hurricane (especially one like Katrina) is too high a price to pay for rain.

"If you don't have to climb in the rain, why do it?"

Love of the sport, maybe? Escape from the heat, maybe.

Have not tried climbing in the rain yet, but I might this summer (if we ever get any). Anything to cool off a little. 104 degrees under my West drop shed this afternoon. Climbing in the rain probably presents a little extra risk, but I can assure you climbing in 95 degree + heat presents a very considerable risk. I think my rope gets as wet from sweat as it could from rain, and I think I'm more afraid of heat stroke than falling.

Does rain have any affect on your friction hitch? Need an extra wrap on it or anything?

 

[beowulf343]

"If you don't have to climb in the rain, why do it?"

Love of the sport, maybe? Escape from the heat, maybe.

Does rain have any affect on your friction hitch? Need an extra wrap on it or anything?

Yeah, climbing in the rain in 80-90 degree weather is nice, but it sucks when it rains and is only 40-50 degrees.
Like treeco said, my hitch seems to grip better in the rain, but that is just my opinion.