None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.
– Goethe
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Climb High, Work Smart, Read More.
– TreeMuggs
I would love to hear from you. Please send all comments/questions/hatemail to patrick@educatedclimber.com
“It is vain to do with more what can be done with less”
– William of Occam
I am a gear-obsessed, tree climbing nerd. I just want to make that clear. I love new climbing gear. I love all of the gadgets, gizmos, doohickeys, and thingamajigs. But if I could say just one thing to beginning climbers, it is this: don’t look to the gear itself to make you better at your job. Derek Sivers has a famous quote that goes: “If more information was the answer, then we’d all be billionaires with perfect abs.” I would like to extend this line of thinking to the current state of climbing gear, and say something like, “If better gear was the answer, then any greenhorn arborist could just go and spend a bunch of money on kit and instantly transform themselves into a superstar climber!”
I want to paint a picture to illustrate a point. Here’s the scenario:
Early morning, mid-September. It’s you vs. Jack Nicklaus: 18 holes, winner takes all. You are playing on your home course, so you know it better than the bottom of your beer glass. Jack has never played this course before, in fact, he hasn’t even practiced in 6 months. In your corner, you have a professional caddy for expert advice, as well as a fully stocked bag with $5000 worth of the finest golf clubs that money can buy. Jack on the other hand, has to carry his own clubs around, which by the way, are old and crappy. His clubs were old and crappy in 1962. Now, any predictions on how this plays out?
Here’s my prediction: He is gonna whoop your butt.
You see, someone who is great at what they do is not great because they have all the fancy kit. They are great because they put in the time. They practiced. They studied the tape. They were willing to fail in the short term to win in the long term. They earned the right to have a fully-stocked gear bag with all of the latest gadgets and gizmos. The gadgets and gizmos were not the starting point. They were the extra bonus features tacked onto the end. The job could have been done just as well without them.
Here’s what I am really driving at: Fancy gear does not a great climber make.
And just so we’re clear, I am not condemning all the new kit that has been introduced in the last 10 years. I use a lot of the newer stuff as well. But for my part, I feel very fortunate to know that I can do without that stuff if I need to. It scares me to think that an entire generation of up and coming young arborists might one day assume that you can’t climb a tree without a foot ascender, or a three-hole swivel pulley, or a Basal Anchor System. “Sorry boss, I would get up there and get this work done, but you know, I lost my triple, ultra, super-deluxe, lightning speed doohickey, so I think we should bring in a spider-lift for this one”.
Look, I love the new gear as much as the next guy, and I use a lot of the new stuff. I love the marketplace that has grown up around this industry. It is amazing. I still have my original Rope Wrench that says “Made in Detroit”. I am not suggesting that great climbers shouldn’t have the best gear. I am just pointing out that the best gear does not make you a great climber. An $800 saddle won’t help someone with their fear of heights. A brand new climbing saw will not help you make better decisions aloft.
There is a ton of noise out there. There are literally so many options in the market for beginning climbers that they couldn’t possibly know what they need. All I am saying is that what you need is experience, and good judgement, and knowledge – not gear. At least not at first. The gear comes later. The Basics are what matter. Learn the Basics and learn how to get the job done with less, not more. This is all I am trying to teach my apprentice.
Let’s get Back to Basics. This obsession with gear has taken many people’s focus away from where it should be.
These are the fundamentals that actually matter:
If you focus your energies on these things, you will improve. You will be a better climber regardless of the gear. Just climb. Climb at every opportunity. If you are working at a company with multiple climbers, be the first to grab your gear bag and bring it over to the tree. The more enthusiastic you are about climbing at work, the more climbing opportunities will come your way. There is no substitute for air time in this trade. If you don’t feel that you are getting enough air time at work, then climb on your own time. Climb in the backyard or at the park or in the woods. Just get up there. You can’t read about doing pushups – you actually have to do them! Same with climbing, and with everything else in life that actually matters.
I have always looked up to the climber who can get the job done with less, not more. The crew that needs 3 porta-wraps, 5 different types of rigging lines, a crane, and a backup crane just to get something done – that doesn’t impress me. I am far more impressed by the climber who can go up with just a rope and get a complex job done quickly and efficiently. If a job really does need all the kit, then by all means, use it. But don’t assume that just because you have a lot of kit that you should be using it on every job.
Don’t over-complicate your job or your life. Simplify.
Climb High, Work Smart, Read More.
– TreeMuggs
Continue Reading: To The Employee
I love climbing trees. I love the pre-climb inspection, looking at it from different angles, examining the structure, imagining and planning my path through the tree and visualizing the successful completion of the work at hand, before even leaving the ground. There is a certain child-like wonder that allows us to appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of each and every tree.
My favourite part of the climb is the initial ascent, getting to the top to get tied in, before the saws and chipper are running. I always try to pause and take it all in – the sights and sounds, the peaceful oneness with nature, the feeling of coming back home.
The experience of climbing to the top of a tall tree is surreal. The perspective at the top looking back toward the Earth helps me to appreciate the simple things that are so often taken for granted. I have the best adventures in trees.
When everything just clicks, I seem to reach a state of flow. I describe it as meditative: my ability to be here now, fully immersed in the moment, at one with this tree and these ropes. For a short time, this tree becomes my world and I know my place in it.
In many ways, I believe climbing requires this ability, this total immersion, this surrender to something larger than yourself. I think back to climbs in the past where I was not able to be fully immersed, where my conscious brain continued over-analyzing, thinking and re-thinking every little decision, or dealing with day to day problems that should have been set aside when I left the ground. These are the times when I have had the most problems aloft. When I am in that state of flow however, my intuition takes over. I find myself doing the right things automatically, seemingly without thought or analysis. There have been countless times when I have “come to”, as if out of a daydream, to find myself whistling a tune, and I wonder, what have I been doing for the last 10 or 15 minutes? Apparently I have been making the right decisions, everything is going smooth and the work is progressing along nicely. But it feels like I was on auto-pilot. At some point, my subconscious took control, guiding my actions through muscle memory and instinct and produced the results I was desiring.
I have heard recreational climbers refer to “tree time”, of completely losing track of time as they enjoy a tree and take it all in, realizing when they finally come down that a couple of hours have passed in what felt like 20 minutes. And it is this same feeling that I experience regularly in the fast paced world of production tree work.
I have heard it said that when you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life. I might not take that quite so literally, but I can honestly say that I wouldn’t want to do anything else. Tree work is so varied, it never gets old. We work in a different location on a daily basis, no two days are the same, every tree is different, unique, special. Our line of work holds the promise of real, genuine job satisfaction, and that is something that very few people can say.
Climb High, Work Smart, Read More.
– TreeMuggs
Continue Reading: Personal Responsibility
I would love to hear from you. Please send all comments/questions/hatemail to patrick@educatedclimber.com
“It is easier to adjust ourselves to the hardships of a poor living than it is to adjust ourselves to the hardships of making a better one.”
Albert Gray, The Common Denominator of Success
The following is excerpted from Elbert Hubbard’s classic work “A Message To Garcia”, copyright 1914. This little gem helped me immensely during my apprenticeship, when I was at the mercy of an employer that I very frequently disagreed with. At the time I was extremely frustrated and unable to reconcile my present situation with my future goals. This short piece helped to provide some much-needed perspective which was to greatly assist in an attitude change that benefited myself as well as everyone around me. Ultimately, the experience shaped my career in this trade and my viewpoint on production tree work, and for that I am eternally grateful.
I can only hope that this helps others as much as it helped me.
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Horse Sense
If you work for a man, in Heaven’s name work for him. If he pays wages that supply you your bread and butter, work for him, speak well of him, think well of him, and stand by him, and stand by the institution he represents. I think if I worked for a man, I would work for him. I would not work for him a part of his time, but all of his time. I would give an undivided service or none. If put to the pinch, an ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness. If you must vilify, condemn, and eternally disparage, why, resign your position, and when you are outside, damn to your heart’s content. But, I pray you, so long as you are a part of an institution, do not condemn it. Not that you will injure the institution – not that – but when you disparage the concern of which you are a part, you disparage yourself.
Elbert Hubbard
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Climb High, Work Smart, Read More.
– TreeMuggs
I would love to hear from you. Please send all comments/questions/hatemail to patrick@educatedclimber.com
source: www.prepare-and-protect.net
World’s Most Versatile Knot? Hmmmm………
At some point in modern history, and this is not just an arboriculture thing, the lowly clove hitch got a bump in notoriety that was, at least in my opinion, unduly deserved. Now, I know that what I am about to say is, at least at first, going to seem quite controversial, but I know if you stick with me, we can work through this together and hopefully come out on the other side of it a little better off. OK, so what am I talking about? Well, despite what we have been told by literally everybody, the fact is, that a clove hitch is NOT an endline knot. It never was. And I will make the argument that we should not be using it or teaching it for rigging purposes.
Heretic!
Now before we go any further, I just need to clarify that this is not a universal condemnation of the clove hitch. I love the clove hitch. I use it all the time. But it is not an endline knot. The clove hitch is a midline knot, and when utilized properly, there is none finer. The clove is meant to have pull from both ends, preferably equal pull. It was never meant to be used in an endline fashion. Anyone doing tree work for long enough has heard stories of a clove hitch rolling out. I myself have seen it multiple times and have heard many tales. So my question is this: why do we continue to use and teach this knot to the younger generation of arborists?
Two Half Hitches?
Now I know what you are thinking. Everyone already knows that the clove hitch can slip, that’s why it is always shown and referred to as a “clove hitch with two half hitches”. See, that is the part to me that is the most interesting and the most problematic: two half hitches. Not just a half hitch…two half hitches. What is that all about? So you are telling me that this supposedly great knot that pretty much everybody recommends for use in critical rigging scenarios, where knot failure could result in catastrophic property damage or grave injury to any member of the ground crew, requires not just one backup, but in fact, two? Really? I have to be honest here folks, if a knot requires two half hitches to secure it, then you are using the wrong knot! If you want a knot that will really hold, why not just tie 2 half hitches with 2 half hitches! That will hold anything! Seriously, why take the time to tie a clove hitch?
If You Don’t Know Knots, Tie Lots!
Tying half hitches should not be the basis of our ropework, especially in critical situations. We need to take more time to select the proper knot instead of using a poorly chosen knot and just throwing half hitches onto it to make sure that it will hold. Let’s be honest here, anybody and their brother can tie half hitches – “if you don’t know knots, tie lots!” We are supposed to be professionals. We are supposed to have a repertoire of highly specialized, bomber knots that just work – period. We shouldn’t be adding half-hitch backups to our knots and praying that they hold.
See, the problem with the clove hitch in an endline usage is that there is no change of direction, the rope just goes around and around again. Yes, this means that the load is spread out over a lot of rope, resulting in a very strong hitch. But who cares how strong it is, if it ends up rolling out? Rolling out occurs when a piece slams into the rigging. The shock load can literally rip the rope right off the piece, sending it hurling towards the ground in freefall and flinging the end of the rope up into the tree. This very thing has happened over and over again to people in this trade and yet we continue to use and teach this knot. Why is that? Again, I will fully admit that the clove is without a doubt the best midline hitch available. Easy to learn, easy and quick to tie, easy to inspect visually, easily adjusted, and the list goes on. It really, truly is a fantastic knot. But that doesn’t change the fact that it is a midline knot.
The fact that modern ropes are fairly slick also encourages rolling out. Old school manila and hemp ropes have so much more friction to help them grab onto posts and such. I believe this is one of the historical reasons for recommending the clove hitch for use in an endline fashion. A couple hundred years ago, all ropes had friction built into them because of their materials. If you tie a manila rope to a tree with an endline clove hitch, it really does hold quite well, even without the backups. Almost every source that you consult today for basic rope and knot skills, whether in print or online, will list the clove hitch as one of the most important and basic knots for beginners to learn, and most of these sources will show it used in an endline fashion. And, outside of tree work, I have no problem with that, honestly.
The truth is, if a beginner is planning a camping trip and they consult a knots book and learn how to tie a rope to a tree with a clove hitch, its going to work. Of course its going to work. But lets not confuse tying a rope to a tree at a campsite with tying a rope to a 150 lb log that we are rigging out of a huge Norway Maple over top of a deck and a carport. These two situations are not comparable. A poorly chosen knot can suffice in a non-critical situation because the consequences of it failing are trivial. The same cannot be said in mission-critical applications. Likewise, there are lots of knots that will hold in a light-duty application that are likely to fail under heavy load, especially when you throw shock-loading into the mix. This is what is meant by a bomber knot – “100% of the time, it works every time”.
Proper Uses for the Clove Hitch
So now that we have established where not to use the clove hitch, where is it appropriate? Remember, as previously stated, I really like the clove hitch and I use it all the time… as a midline knot. Here are some great uses for it:
At the end of the day, I am simply suggesting that you think critically about your use of the clove hitch in rigging. While I never recommend it in my teaching, the clove hitch with two half hitches remains one of our trade’s most loved knots and will (usually) work just fine. I simply want people to put a little more thought into their choice of knots and to consider whether a knot which requires not just one backup but two is really the best choice for the situation. Again, do not use or avoid using something simply because someone else said so. You need to think for yourself, seek out your own understanding, and find your own truths.
Climb High, Work Smart, Read More.
-TreeMuggs
BONUS MATERIAL
Here are some things that others have said about the clove hitch:
“For some applications it is not considered a particularly secure knot, so it must be used with care.”
Jepson, Jeff. The Tree Climber’s Companion, 2nd Edition. Longville: Beaver Tree Publishing, 2000.
“The clove hitch can jam under heavy tension, making it difficult to untie. Worse, is its tendency to untie itself when subjected to repeated strain and release, such as a boat rocking in waves.”
www.atlanticmaritimeacademy.com
“As a hitch it should be used with caution because it can slip or come undone if the object it is tied to rotates or if constant pressure is not maintained on the line.”
www.netknots.com
“The clove hitch is not strong, and its tendency to slip or jam at innoportune moments means that it should never be used in any important or life-threatening applications….To be fair, the only situations in which the clove hitch is of any real use are those in which equal or near-equal loads are applied to either end of the cord in which it is tied – in any other situation, it will almost certainly come loose.”
Adamides, Andrew. Knots. London: Arcturus Publishing, 2008
“One point to note is that it’s best where there is tension on each of the parts. If only one end is under tension, the clove hitch can slip. If you’re using it in that situation, secure the free end with a half hitch or two around the standing part.”
Lee, R.S. All The Knots You Need. Ottawa: Algrove Publishing, 1999
“This is a very important knot of only theoretical value. Without extra support, it is untrustworthy in any situation, except as a crossing knot. You have to learn it for scouting and at sailing schools. If you have to use it, work it up properly; pull length-wise only at both ends before you load the working end.”
www.realknots.com
“It does have two giant faults: it slips and, paradoxically, can also bind. It should be deeply distrusted when used by itself…..It is not a knot to be used alone.”
www.animatedknots.com