• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

Anchor to leave in a tree without branches?

pnutbutter

New Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2020
Messages
2
I do presets for ropes sometimes, usually by running para cord through a crotch in a tree then using the para cord to pull climbing rope up (then I ascend the climbing rope using prusiks).

Does anyone have a method for leaving an anchor in a tree that is telephone pole straight? And that they'd feel confident wouldn't be damaged by squirrels or the environment between uses? This is the kind of thing you could do by girth hitching the tree with a sling, but I wouldn't trust a sling after it had been sitting in a tree unobserved for a week or two. I've seen metal cables with eyes in them sold for rock climbing - that would address my concern about damage safety while left in the tree but I think they'd require a branch or something to keep them from sliding down when unweighted.

Any ideas?

Sent from my Pixel 5a using Tapatalk
 
Paracord with a ring tied at height. Then run your preset loop through the ring. When you go to hunt and after you pull up your climbing rope, girth hitch it to the trunk. At that point the tree is holding you and the ring was just to get your rope up the tree, but isn't load bearing.

Edit: so no worry about trusting it, it's just used to get your rope up the tree.
 
Paracord with a ring tied at height. Then run your preset loop through the ring. When you go to hunt and after you pull up your climbing rope, girth hitch it to the trunk. At that point the tree is holding you and the ring was just to get your rope up the tree, but isn't load bearing.

Edit: so no worry about trusting it, it's just used to get your rope up the tree.

I have wrapped a chain thru a large quick link then ran a paracord thru quick link. If it’s tight to start with the chain doesn’t roll over and loosen. I have used rope and really never had any of my 9mm ropes chewed. Your choice. If it’s that strait of a tree maybe a climber if it’s that killer tree.
 
If you don't trust synthetic slings to set a false crotch, you might go with some wire rope. I don't have a source but an industrial rigging outfit should have the OSHA (or whatever) rated steel equivalent to Amsteel dogbones you could leave in the tree.
 
In my early days of saddle hunting (80's) I was ill informed about climbing safety.
I used to use 1/4" chains wrapped around the trees, with screw links and heavy S-hooks.
The chains were my presets and I hooked my tether into the S-hook.
Squirrels were always my nemesis as I observed squirrels that chewed nylon tree straps to very thin cross sections on stands left in trees.
 
I have wrapped a chain thru a large quick link then ran a paracord thru quick link. If it’s tight to start with the chain doesn’t roll over and loosen. I have used rope and really never had any of my 9mm ropes chewed. Your choice. If it’s that strait of a tree maybe a climber if it’s that killer tree.
A quick Google of rock climbing forums suggests that the chain you'd use is the standard hardware store variety. Is that what you've used? Feels funny to climb on gear not technically rated for climbing but it does seem likely that generic chain (except the thin semi decorative ones) would have no problem holding a climber.

Sent from my Pixel 5a using Tapatalk
 
I have played with setting presets using a single WE stepp at height. I ran the paracord loop up through the step, around the tree and back down through the step. This allows the tether to be pulled and subsequently girth hitched around the tree trunk using the step only as a "holder" for the paracord preset loop at height. Since the tether is actually girth hitched around the tree before you climb the step isn't carrying any weight so if the squirrels chew on the step's rope its not a risk.
 
A quick Google of rock climbing forums suggests that the chain you'd use is the standard hardware store variety. Is that what you've used? Feels funny to climb on gear not technically rated for climbing but it does seem likely that generic chain (except the thin semi decorative ones) would have no problem holding a climber.

Sent from my Pixel 5a using Tapatalk
The chain wouldn't be holding your weight, it's only purpose is to get your climbing rope to the anchor height. Once you girth hitch your rope to the tree trunk, the tree and your rope is holding your weight.
 
If it's just for a preset, use paracord & tie a clove hitch tight to the tree & leave enough tag end to also add a alpine butterfly. Then run your preset loop through the alpine. Make sure to make the alpine big enough for your climbing rope to feed through.

So....1st the clove

Then make a big alpine hanging from the tag end below.....

Then add your loop of paracord tied together with a double fisherman......

Then when you come back, attach your climbing rope & feed it through. When you can grab both ends separate the ends & bring them around opposite sides of the tree to create a girth hitch when you feed the through your d-link or eye.
Beats leaving rings or a tether in the weather.
 
Paracord with a ring tied at height. Then run your preset loop through the ring. When you go to hunt and after you pull up your climbing rope, girth hitch it to the trunk. At that point the tree is holding you and the ring was just to get your rope up the tree, but isn't load bearing.

Edit: so no worry about trusting it, it's just used to get your rope up the tree.
First to the original poster, for years, I used tubular webbing slings closed in a water knot then would make a running girth hitch (a girth hitch which cinches tight) with a girth hitch. I never had one nibbled on. But I admit that it wasn't something I liked to do in the morning where I couldn't do a visual inspection from the ground. I would never leave one in the tree very long. Hassle was that I needed climbing sticks to put it in the tree the first time and had to come back with them in the winter to remove it. Once I got lazy and that sling is still growing into an oak tree from 10yrs ago.

Now, i gotta ask @Empostarr ...

You said: "Paracord with a ring tied at height. Then run your preset loop through the ring. When you go to hunt and after you pull up your climbing rope, girth hitch it to the trunk."

I'm having trouble picturing this. After you pull up your climbing rope , what happens? How are ya forming a girth hitch with your climbing rope? Are you bringing the end all the way back down to the ground and then forming an end loop capturing the other side? And running it back up by pulling the climbing rope? Are u on the ground? And doesn't it sometimes get stuck going back up if there are rough spots or Nubs on the trunk?

Or up there on sticks doing this?




Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
I'm having trouble picturing this. After you pull up your climbing rope , what happens? How are ya forming a girth hitch with your climbing rope? Are you bringing the end all the way back down to the ground and then forming an end loop capturing the other side? And running it back up by pulling the climbing rope? Are u on the ground? And doesn't it sometimes get stuck going back up if there are rough spots or Nubs on the trunk?

Or up there on sticks doing this?




Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
@John RB from the ground you use your preset paracord to pull up your climbing rope through the ring (false crotch) and back down. Depending on how the other end of your rope is finished (quick link, figure 8 on a bight, etc), you can form the girth hitch around the trunk by pulling the climbing end through or unscrewing the quick link and securing it around the climbing end. Then pull the climbing end to slide the girth hitch up the tree. Using your climbing end of the rope and your pull down line (I use my preset line for this) you can walk the girth hitch up the tree by standing a bit away from the tree as you do it. Once it's cinched up, weight it and then climb.

This is assuming we had a way to set a false crotch (2tc, steps, one stick, etc) on a telephone straight limbless tree like OP was describing, and your planning on climbing SRT. I always girth hitch the tree rather than a limb, whether using a false crotch or a true crotch.

Now that last sentence just sounded weird!
 
@John RB from the ground you use your preset paracord to pull up your climbing rope through the ring (false crotch) and back down. Depending on how the other end of your rope is finished (quick link, figure 8 on a bight, etc), you can form the girth hitch around the trunk by pulling the climbing end through or unscrewing the quick link and securing it around the climbing end. Then pull the climbing end to slide the girth hitch up the tree. Using your climbing end of the rope and your pull down line (I use my preset line for this) you can walk the girth hitch up the tree by standing a bit away from the tree as you do it. Once it's cinched up, weight it and then climb.

This is assuming we had a way to set a false crotch (2tc, steps, one stick, etc) on a telephone straight limbless tree like OP was describing, and your planning on climbing SRT. I always girth hitch the tree rather than a limb, whether using a false crotch or a true crotch.

Now that last sentence just sounded weird!
Ok, so i understand, agree and am doing basically the same thing but on my doubled, stationary rope (JRB) system. The key things are :

1. When pulling the assembly up the tree, step away from the tree and let the strand u are pulling act as a "facilitator" in getting the back side of the girth hitch up.
2. We can get over small nubs (easier in daylight), but not past a branch.
3. We are not gonna get our hitch quite as high as the ring. When set, it will be a little lower, maybe a foot, depending on the tree diameter.
4. This also works when ya installed the original ring or carabiner with a throwball. For example, if the first Branch was 40 ft up and dead, so we couldn't trust it.
5. Eventually i will do a video on this for JRB but pls message me if you want me to mention u and this conversation! U can be in charge of SRT!

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
Back
Top