I wonder if the kid will be an arm-flapper or a screamer on the way down
I wonder if the kid will be an arm-flapper or a screamer on the way down
climbers have been sleeping on the side of cliffs for decades. mostly using porta-ledges, but with wall hammocks too. warren harding actually made his first historic ascent of el capitan's nose(1954?) in a hammock he invented and made himself which is actually the basis (i believe) for claytor's bat hammock and the pika parasite wall hammock. harding's hammock was actually called BAT hammock. BAT stands for (Basically Absurd Technology) which he printed on many of his inventions. if you google "BAT hammock" you can probably find one of the origionals for sale on ebay or craigs list or rockclimbing.com.
as long as that kid has some knowledge of proper rigging techniques for a backup, he should be fine. many climbers use a harness tied off to a seperate anchor. those more comfortable with the structural integrity of their sleeping surface, and their sleeping habits (rolling around etc) sometimes just tie a noose around their ankle. he's definately not doing anything that hasn't been done thousands of times before. it's just not that common in the backpacking world. hell, he's not even climbing the tree unroped, i'd say he's
taking the necessary precautions as long as he's tied off to a solid anchor.
now testing the backup by falling out on purpose, that sounds like it defeats the purpose of testing it , unless he knew it was solid and just wanted to prove it to himself before he fell asleep, which i could understand.
i congradulate him on his boldness though.
i've thought about doing that out in the great redwood forests that people climb and swing from tree to tree in. thought it would be an amazing experience.
"alright, i set up the ropes, and im pretty sure they will hold. Now, lets jump off and see if im right or not. on the bright side, if im wrong, i wont live for the embarrassment"
If I ever did this in my Claytor Jungle I would get a little luggage padlock to padlock my bugnetting shut while I slept. That would make me a feel a little safer.
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