Spanish Climbing Books Info..

Can we do a roll call just to see how many members are left?

love
nick

Who’d we lose ?

Everyone who is no longer here, please send in a post.




Waidaminit!

Okay, I'm looking down at the thing that shows who visited today and it shows a lot of people.

Now all you voyeurs need to start leaving some posts! Everyone's coming to read some good stuff. Now we just need someone to write some good stuff!

love
nick

I agree.

Good stuff is great to read but someone has to type it in.

So here is my Question??

I have noticed whenever I climb scyamores that the white powder makes me cough. It never did before and others have asked my then if it was a problem. It wasn;t until now.

Any one else?

See you at the top,
Dan

Gee Nick, we usually rely on you to keep things rolling around here. Then again, it’s 17 degrees with a foot of snow on the ground. I can understand why “tree-talk” might be a bit slow this time of year.

So in the interest of generating some forum traffic…

This New England Fly climbing line you fellows often talk about,
*Is it proper to make a Blake’s hitch with the stuff?
*Does it have a place in DRT climbing, or is it predominantly for Single Line Technique?
*Fly runs so darn fast through hitches and hardware, is it made that way intentionally?
*Is Samson’s new Velocity an attempt at competing with N.E. Fly?
Just looking for some input here

Also…
Powder from Sycamore trees? A common Platanus occidentalis?
From the rope on the bark? Is this powder a known irritant?

The post on that caught my curiosity!
Thanks,
ElectroJake

Okay, the powder on the sycamores, I understand it's a dust that collects or forms on the underside of the leaves and is a known irritant. I avoid climbing sycamores for this reason. Sometimes that's all there is (like if you go camping at Sycamore Canyon on Coast Hiway in CA!!!)

About the Fly, that's for another thread.

Last year about this time I encouraged people to get off their duffs and do something. Someone please go climb a tree in the cold and come back and tell us about it. Maybe it'll be wonderful, maybe it'll be horrible. Either way, I doubt you'll regret it.

love
nick

Think Poltergeist!

I'm still here, and still kicking!
I had a great climb with, Saplin & Sway, some may remember them, and my two oldest kids the weekend before last. It was 30deg when we left the house, and it got up to about 40deg. It was great despite the cold. My boy, Cam Jr. (we working on treenames) went up high with me, and Sadie, decided to stay low. A lively discussion (those of you have kids know it was an argument) between the kids devolved into a name calling fit, with Cam calling Sadie a scardeecat. Sadie showed some guts though and took a walk on a limb, unassisted, that left me quite impressed, displaying a skill I dind't know she had picked up, though I had worked with her on. Cam showed little fear of heights, but still displays a reluctance to do anything but hang in his harness. I can't get the kid to put his feet down when in a tree. He wont even sit on a limb, he just freaks out about it.

The weather is NASTY though, and I can't wait for some sun and heat to get high again.

The sycamore powder is nasty too. I climbed a HUGE sycamore while tresspassing about two years ago. I got up about 40' and everything on me itched, and all my clothes had turned yellow. I avoid sycamores.

Hey Guys, climb Safe!
Icabod

Icabod,

I was pleased to see you post a little something about climbing with your kids. I know you work a lot of message boards but if time permits I would be interested in hearing more. How old are they and how long have they been climbing, etc… Once in a while a somewhat more “family” discussion is a nice change of pace here.
I myself have an 8 year old daughter that has no interest in being above ground level and a 12 year old son that has been climbing (safely) since he was 10.

So next time you swing by the TCI forum feel free to brag a bit about your cold weather kid adventures!

Also…
Thanks for your input on the Sycamore powder. I’ve climbed a few sycs but never got burnt just lots of webs, bark scales, and bugs.

Regards,
Electrojake

By some magic I just found out that I can still post...

Well jeez Tom, you beat me to letting you know. You're the designated recipient of another anonymous donor.
Patty

Well my kids are 7,6, and 1. Boy, Girl, Boy. The oldest two climb with me, and have loved to climb every chance we get for the last 2-1/2years. I bought my son a harness, and his own rope (really mine for when I desire a change!) after promising him that they would be purchased after he learned to read. He was in kindergarten at the time, and I figgured I had at least two years...WRONG. Darn kids learn so fast these days. We recieved his report card while my wife was in labor. He walked into the delivery room, handed it to mommy, looked at me and said "When are you going to get my rope?" The teacher had a long note there about his reading proficency. I figgured that since a year had passed since the promise that things were forgotten, but NO, couple of hundred bucks later he had his own gear.
I love climbing with them, but they really test my patience. I'm not a natural teacher. I expect everyone to get things right away. They both have the basics, but sissy is a little lazy and expects to be towed some, and Cam just wont set foot on a branch. I spent about 3 hours last summer with Cam in my crazy crib hammock, but he clung to me like the bottom of the world had just collapsed away from him. I don't get it.

The baby is a blossoming climber himself. This kid climbs everything. I have to say that even though I may be biased, he has good form. I've been tempted a time or two to bring him up like the Flowers baby on the old New Tribe catalogue; a few of you might remember that picture. My wife said, and I quote, "How long do YOU want to live..."

So right now I've two climbers in the family with me.

I just got a picture of our frigid climb. here you can see Saplin' and the two kids. Glad I had help that day! This is a huge picture, not for folks with a slow connection...

Click the link to see our cold fun...
Cold Climbers

Icabod,

Thanks for the short turn-around time on your reply.

I must say, for a kindergarten kid to request his own rope is impressive. If your kids have come this far this early, it is obvious to me that in a few years they will be masters!

I myself have one climber.
Since my daughter (8) has ZERO interest in altitude, a tree boat slung 3 foot off the ground is the extent of her adventures at height. I can assure you that my wife is delighted at the fact that our daughter is NOT a climber.

As for my Son (12),
His love of machines & technology carry over beautifully when he is on-rope. The hardware, rigging, problem solving, etc… all come quite natural. His knowledge and discipline in industrial safety (which is a story for another post) make his outlook on things like ANSI Z133.1 a matter of simple common sense, (and that’s good). His grillon goes to work soon as he hits the canopy, which takes a lot of worry off my shoulders when we’re doing stuff like yellow poplars where frequently the lowest limbs start at 65 feet. Not much to break your fall if you “oops” up there. He knows the right way to tie, set, and handle lines and use the hardware he carries, or I would never let him up there.
…O.K., O.K., enough with my boasting.

Back to your climb…
Here in Jersey where temperatures are frequently in the single digits and a foot of snow covers the ground, sneaking in a winter climb is out of the question. Nonetheless, I give you credit. You had mentioned that you did your climb in 30 to 40 degree weather. That can be mighty cold after an hour or two, especially on the hands. You clearly have good hardy climbers in the family! Your ground-crew & photographer obviously do nice work too.

Right now climbing with your kids is probably a lot of work on your part. But I assure you, In a few years your child’s dexterity and attention span will increase tenfold. By the time your son is 10 or 11 he will be fully capable of getting a line into the tree, getting himself up there safely, setting up a tree boat in the upper canopy and then saying “O.K. Dad, you can come up now, the hard part’s done!”

Perhaps this summer you can set up a tree boat village with the kids and post the story and a link with some pictures here on the TCI forum. I might do the same. You can have a pretty good time even at a mere (wife & kid safe) 10 feet if your under a nice full canopy.

Thanks again for posting your kid-climb story and the nice photo.
Regards,
Electrojake

just answering to the roll call.

hope you are all well.

What's with this white powder in the trees; have you been climbing in columbia?

Hello Everyone;
I hope that your Panama Jungle Adventure was great for those attending this year reunion.
I just returned from Venezuela myself and I managed to do some climbing and managed to get a lot of the kids and adults in my family up the trees even with the limited amount of equipment that I manage to bring w/ me for this short ten day-trip. They enjoyed it so much that they asked me to buy more gear and bring it to them next time I go down there. I was thinking of translating one of the climbing manual-books into Spanish so they can learn more about safety and the right procedures for climbing safely. Jepson is still my bible for learning (self teaching) and the pictures are very informative. The Web site for tree climbers Italy has great pictures on the basic knots and explain clearly ( in Italian) the different climbing techniques. That site is a good source of information. Check it out when you have time. http://www.treeclimbing.it/

So I will look forward to the warmer and dry weather as most of you guys and get up high on the trees soon ( it has been raining here in Central Texas).