please help me understand some methods of self-rescue in a tree

[raisins]

I climb with sticks and aiders and now hanging steps also.

Let's say I was coming down and didn't have a step or stick I needed (somehow the stick fell off the tree, etc...imagine an unlikely scenario) and couldn't reach the distance.

What are some options for traversing down 4 to 8 feet in a tree like that?

I always climb with a tether and lineman's belt. The tether has a screw link to girth hitch around tree and a distel hitch on a carabiner connected to bridge. The lineman's has carabiners on both sides because I like to fully disconnect while walking and one side has a distel hitch for adjustment. I'm thinking I could hang from my tether, girth hitch the lineman's around the tree using a carabiner, girth hitch the other end of the lineman's around a foot, adjust length of lineman's, stand up, take weight off tether, slide it down, hang from tether again, slide down lineman's girth hitch, rinse and repeat.

I don't want to figure this out in a tree when panicking. Is the above the best method with just a linemans? What am I missing? What can I carry to make self rescue easier? Am I missing an important link/thread here?

Thanks!

-R

 

[zurr4013]

You could get a rappel set up and just remove sticks one by one on the way down. You also might be able to one stick down the tree.

 

[woodsdog2]

Rappel set up. I highly recommend it. I carry it in one of my sys haulers with the MR Safeguard. A little extra bulk but with a Battlebelt it keeps the weight of my saddle.

 

[dlist777]

I found myself on my ROS 4 sticks up but stick #4 had slid down to stick #3 when I pulled up my bow and knocked it off.

I had a screw in step as my self recovery method. I hung from my tether and tried to use the step to take my weight off the tether.

It didnt work great. It's hard to screw the step in low enough to step on and I almost dropped it several times. I finally got it to work by screwing it in higher and grabbing onto my tether and "walking" up the tree until I could reach the step.

I made it work....but I dont think a step is a good idea.

Your linemans idea is fine. But I carry a foot loop too. So I wrap the LB around the tree. Girth hitch it. Then attach the foot loop to the prussik hitch. This gives you the added ability to adjust where the foot loop hangs to make it easier to step into.

 

[Hunter260]

My self rescue technique in case I drop a stick or something is either use my platform and tether to inchworm down the tree, or use 2 tethers.

 

[Wyatt_burp]

Rappel gear. 8mm oplux or similiar, figure 8 and prussic. Little extra bulk, and you will always be able to get down. Great snowy hunting day turns your sticks icy, rappel. Kick out, rappel.

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[sweats]

I carry a second tether with a foot loop in my pack for self rescue similar to how you described. It's slow and hard, but it's easy to bring along.

Obviously that assumes I can get to my pack, but for that to fail I would have to have dropped my pack and had my primary climbing method fail as well. Hopefully, that's unlikely.

I keep my cell phone with me so I should be able to call for help. All else fails, I always check in with my wife when I get done with a hunt for the day. If it's late and I haven't called, she will know something is wrong. I will probably start sending her GPS coordinates of where I setup.

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[EarthWormLee]

The webbing I use to carry my sticks in works as a suspension relief strap that is long enough to girth hitch around the tree and still give me about 20-25 inches of step depending on the tree. I can inch my way down the tree with my tether, LB and the relief strap.

 

[dlist777]

For any of the guys who use rappel as their backup: if you found yourself hanging from your tether for some reason (say your ros strap broke), how would you transition to your rappel line? Dont you still need some method to unweight your tether?

 

[raisins]

I found myself on my ROS 4 sticks up but stick #4 had slid down to stick #3 when I pulled up my bow and knocked it off.

I had a screw in step as my self recovery method. I hung from my tether and tried to use the step to take my weight off the tether.

It didnt work great. It's hard to screw the step in low enough to step on and I almost dropped it several times. I finally got it to work by screwing it in higher and grabbing onto my tether and "walking" up the tree until I could reach the step.

I made it work....but I dont think a step is a good idea.

Your linemans idea is fine. But I carry a foot loop too. So I wrap the LB around the tree. Girth hitch it. Then attach the foot loop to the prussik hitch. This gives you the added ability to adjust where the foot loop hangs to make it easier to step into.

What's your foot loop made of? Would a loop of webbing 6 inches long suffice? Is my description accurate on how to get down? I've never one sticked or rescued, so I'm just picturing it in my head.

 

[kobudo]

I would tie loop in the very ends of both tether and lineman belt. Tie in both to the tree like a tether and inch down. That way you can unweight your line. I hope I explained that properly.

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[FLYIN_HAYN]

For any of the guys who use rappel as their backup: if you found yourself hanging from your tether for some reason (say your ros strap broke), how would you transition to your rappel line? Dont you still need some method to unweight your tether?

Not really if you have two tethers. Keep one weighted. Hook your rappel tether up, clip in, tighten slack, and finally loosen your Prusik on your short tether to transfer weight to rappel tether. Pretty simple. Make sure you clip your pull down rope before transferring weight to rappel tether if need to. I usually climb with a single step rope aider that I would use but I also always carry an extra Amsteel daisy chain and carabiner that can be used as a suspension relief device if needed.

 

[tmattson]

For creating foot loop in tag end of tether/lb, alpine butterfly knot?

 

[mattsteg]

Honestly for moderate sized trees a bearhug works ok. Or a tethered freeclimb down is often possible. Bigger trees would typically pose greater challenges, especially once they are at/beyond the "pain to set up and hunt" stage.

 

[fawnzy]

My tether is my rappel line. The excess lives in my pack until I want to descend. Then I lower the rope to the ground. Re-attach my LB so I can safely remove my ropeman from my tether and install an ATC and an autoblock. Then it’s an easy slow rappel down the tree.


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[dlist777]

What's your foot loop made of? Would a loop of webbing 6 inches long suffice? Is my description accurate on how to get down? I've never one sticked or rescued, so I'm just picturing it in my head.

I had a multi step climbing aider that I never used so I cut off the bottom steps. Any loop will do. The key (based on my experience described above) is something you can get low enough and adjust. You'll be putting the LB at the stomach level but you want the footloop much lower.

 

[CharlieTN]

Until switching to one-stick/rappel my plan was to use the tether and lineman’s to rig a basic two-tether system to work down. Not ideal for sure and definitely a lot of fidgeting but it would work. As I thought about it more and more I realized that if I am truly having to work my way down, there’s a halfway decent chance I might be injured, such as from a stick kicking out on me and hitting the stick or step as I fell, and that I would need an easier method. The rappel method with a Mad Rock Safeguard or other rappel/belay device used as your attachment point the entire time is the fastest, easiest, and most fiddle-free method.

I recommend you sit back and roleplay in your mind. What could happen - worse case scenario - and what would I do if it did? Then you can go from there. I also highly recommend that you practice at least a few times whatever technique you choose. It’s often a lot harder in real-life than in the imagination of the mind.

 

[raisins]

I had a multi step climbing aider that I never used so I cut off the bottom steps. Any loop will do. The key (based on my experience described above) is something you can get low enough and adjust. You'll be putting the LB at the stomach level but you want the footloop much lower.View attachment 37800

Thanks. What is the total length of that if you measure across both loops pulled straight?

 

[Weldabeast]

I carry an "amsteel" whoopie sling. The non-adjustable end has a spliced loop for girth hitch around the tree. Adjust whoopie till loop is at desired height and step in using your linesman and reach up and lower tether.... Continue till your feet are on a stick or on the ground. I can't remember but I think it adjust from 3/4 foot to 6/7 foot.

I rappel like others have suggested but that whoopie is to lightweight and useful for other things other than emergency get down to not carry it.

 

[dlist777]

Thanks. What is the total length of that if you measure across both loops pulled straight?

I'm out and will measure later. If you plan on connecting to the prussik ( or other friction hitch) on you LB, exact length isn't critical. Assuming you're hanging from your tether, you'll loop the LB around tree and the prussik will be in the tag end. You can attach your foot loop to the prussik via caribiner. You'll drop the tag end and try to step into the loop. If it's too high or low, you can just pull the tag end back up, adjust prussik, and try again. In reality you probably dont even need that purple loop I have in the pic. It doesn't hurt, but probably not necessary unless your tree is so big you dont have enough tag end on your lb.