Hanging above timberline

[1Armadillo]

Okay, first the disclaimer: this topic may have been covered and I just couldn’t find it. But going forward anyway –

If you were planning a trip along a trail, such as the Colorado Trail, that passes above the timberline, what extra suspension gear would you take? It seems to me that having enough extra line to use to tie off to a stick (if available) spanning two boulders might be important, and then there is the option of taking a couple of stopper nuts with cables and attaching the suspension to them. I suppose that in some cases, you could tie around the circumference of a boulder if the dimensions were right.

I feel sure there is someone in the forum that has done this. What do you think?

[Shnick]

If there was large boulders available I'd look for a crack to slip in a cam, a spare set of straps and of course, climbing rated biners.
It's Colorado, theres bound to be a few boulders about, but you'd be limited...

Shnick

[1Armadillo]

If there was large boulders available I'd look for a crack to slip in a cam, a spare set of straps and of course, climbing rated biners.
It's Colorado, theres bound to be a few boulders about, but you'd be limited...

Shnick

Do you have any idea about what size cams or nuts would be appropriate? I know you can’t plan for all contingencies, but can assumptions be made as to which size (s) to take? Hiking down to the tree line would probably be the easiest solution in some cases and may be a good solution in CO. But to expand the question a little more, I have packed into places in the southern Sierra Nevada’s where there weren’t any trees and the tree line was prohibitively far away. So, for that reason I’d like to at least work out the logistics of using hardware/boulder setups.

[OutandBack]

I like to take lots of amsteel. It's lighter and more versatile than straps. Hon up on some good knots. No need to weigh your pack down with hardware.
You can always find items to use as nuts.
I would also think about what you might take if you have to go to ground because there is just nothing to work with.
hth

[ringtail-THFKAfood]

The gear needed to sleep on the ground needs to be compared to the gear needed to hang. The extreme example is that my hammock stand weighs 44 pounds v. an 8.7 oz. NeoAir.

There is one part of the Colorado Trail that stays above timberline for 31 miles. But if the weather is bad then you should drop to below timberline to sleep anyhow. Sometimes I plan to sleep above timberline, but have the option of dropping into the trees for bad weather.

The desert is a different problem. The trees may not be big enough or close enough to hang. I carry two 30' pieces of webbing and a cam (18.4 oz.) I have always been able to find a place to hang, but if you are with a group you may not be able to hang close to each other.

[1Armadillo]

I like to take lots of amsteel. It's lighter and more versatile than straps. Hon up on some good knots. No need to weigh your pack down with hardware.
You can always find items to use as nuts.
I would also think about what you might take if you have to go to ground because there is just nothing to work with.
hth

After thinking about it for a while, you have the most versatile answer. In theory, a rock on the end of the line could be used as a nut, or the line could be run around the boulder. I suppose that if you were very knowledgeable of a trail, you could optimize the hardware. But, when it’s an unknown situation, the most flexible solution is probably the one to go with. Nothing is going to work 100% of the time.

[BillyBob58]

After thinking about it for a while, you have the most versatile answer. In theory, a rock on the end of the line could be used as a nut, or the line could be run around the boulder. I suppose that if you were very knowledgeable of a trail, you could optimize the hardware. But, when it’s an unknown situation, the most flexible solution is probably the one to go with. Nothing is going to work 100% of the time.

What is the possibility, or at least likelihood, of pulling a boulder loose and down onto you? Obviously most cliff walls and maybe really big boulders are not going to budge. But we are also talking about a boulder small enough to get some rope or webbing around. And I suppose at least some boulders could be precariously balanced?

This is at Texas Lake at the foot of Texas Pass in the Wind Rivers, WY:


The trees were not a very long hike ( under normal healthy conditions) back down the trail ( ~ 1-2 miles) from where I had come. Or preferably, maybe an hour or two ( 1-1.5 miles as the crow flys, but a steep boulder filled ~ 800 ft climb followed by a 1400 ft descent) to where I wanted to camp and where I had been headed for. Which was here:



Normally I would just push on to where the trees were, or maybe even go back the way I came for a nice comfy sleep. But due to altitude sickness, and the fact that it was getting dark, neither was an attractive option. So it seemed better and easier to just use the pads I had with me and lay down and crash, than to try and find a place to hang from those boulders. But I can see where sometimes a couple of boulders might provide some good- and even safe - options.

[1Armadillo]

The safety of any tie off point must be considered be it tree or rock. Yes, it would suck to pull a boulder over on you when you lay down in the hammock. It would suck for a tree limb to drop off on you, too. In the end, you do what you have to do and if that’s going to ground because there wasn’t an acceptable to place to hang, then so be it. At this point, I’m thinking in terms of the boulders in the Alabama Hills, east of Mt. Whitney. They are large and many are ground based and not stacked. Tying off to such a rock should work. When you introduce jam nuts, cams, or a line, you would have to make sure that the hardware wasn’t going to cause the rocks to come crashing down on you at some point.

[Cannibal]

I've hiked all but a handful of segments of the Colorado Trail. I've never had to sleep above treeline. There have been a few times I've choose to sleep up there, but don't think it's required. As food said, there is one long stretch above treeline, but the treeline isn't a long detour.

I've used climbing gear to hang near the top of 14ers. Lot of extra weight to carry on a thru. Much easier to walk down to camp, then back up in the morning when you find yourself above treeline at bedtime.

[OutandBack]

I've hiked all but a handful of segments of the Colorado Trail. I've never had to sleep above treeline. There have been a few times I've choose to sleep up there, but don't think it's required. As food said, there is one long stretch above treeline, but the treeline isn't a long detour.

I've used climbing gear to hang near the top of 14ers. Lot of extra weight to carry on a thru. Much easier to walk down to camp, then back up in the morning when you find yourself above treeline at bedtime.

I really like this idea of hiking to the tree's. It's much safer.
Lightning is the #3 killer in CO.

There is nothing spookier than feeling the hair on your arms rise when hiking above TL with no safe place in sight.
Crossing early morning or late evening highly recommended.
Never mid day to early evening.

hth