Climbing some redwoods in Humboldt County...

[NickfromWI]

This is a double-post with the buzz
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Hey all- I just got back from a great trip and I have to share the pics! Me and Brian Mann (a fellow buzzer) and his lovely lady Brooke spent this past weekend climbing some redwoods. I have intentions of making a long drawn out short story about the trip, but seriously, who has time to write that...much less read it!

I thought I'd spare you the details and give you the seven line synopsis:

1- Met up in Humboldt State Park on the Avenue of the Giants in Northern CA on Friday morning, about 10 am.
2- Chose a random spot on the map, then wandered through the forest until we selected a clump of trees to climb.
3- Spent 1-1.5 hours w/ big shot setting a line. We were shooting an 8 ounce on fishing line. Got fish line set, then attached throwline, which wasn't long enough (TIP was about 140') so tied ascent line (7/16 Sterling HTP) to end of throwline. Continued hauling fishing line until I could get throwline in hand. When throwline was literally inches from my hand, fishing string (40# dyneema braided) broke and we lost the TIP.
4- Moved to Plan B. We Climbed the smallest tree (90') to get into the middle tree (200'+) from where we tossed the ascent line into the big tree at about 175' up.
5- It was getting late, so we descended, cleaned up gear, left it there, had dinner, and went to bed.
6-Got up, broke down camp, then headed back to the trees (that have taken the name "The Three Bears") ascended into the canopy on yesterday's line, then using the alternate lanyard technique, the three of us worked our way to the tippy top of the tree.
7- After a snack at the top, we descended, I had to climb back up for my rope guide (GRRRR!). We measured the tree on the way back down and are VERY comfortable calling it 325'. It might be much more than that. We cleaned up our gear, got into our prospective cars, then I drove back to LA (about 11 hours) and Brian and Brooke flew back to Indiana.

It was a great trip. Here's the pics:

http://picasaweb.google.com/nickaraya/ThreeBears9190892008#

Enjoy!

love
nick

 

[sotc]

very cool nick! got to see a presentation by steve sillett today so lots of redwood pics

 

[NickfromWI]

From the top of our tree we could see some big white box with antenna's sticking out of it in a neighboring tree maybe 100 yards away. I have a feeling his name is all over it!

 

[CurSedVoyce]

awesome climb.. Great pics nick...

 

[sotc]

I have a feeling his name is all over it!

whys that?

 

[Bodean]

WoW! That's really cool.
What a trip.

 

[NickfromWI]

I guess I am naively assuming that since he is the only redwood researcher I know of, then anything involving redwood research MUST be from Steve!

I could belong to anybody, for sure.

It would've been funny if we had randomly picked the tree with the white box to climb. Imagine getting up there and finding that!

love
nick

 

[Old Monkey]

Looks like you had great fun Nick....

Steve Sillet's talk was great!


Didn't see ya at the dinner willie.....it was tasty eh?!!
Rog, logged on as that big hairless simian

 

[Frans]

Nice to get a climb in before winter eh, Nick? Good going.

 

[OTGBOSTON]

cool pics Nick!!

 

[gf beranek]

Looks a lot like Bull Creek area, Nick. Sillet does have monitors in a few trees there. Glad to see you pulled it off without getting cuffed by ranger.

Nice pics

 

[Bounce]

Spectacular! That's one to remember for sure.

 

[OTGBOSTON]

. Glad to see you pulled it off without getting cuffed by ranger.

Nice pics

What do they do if they catch you???

 

[sotc]

Looks like you had great fun Nick....

Steve Sillet's talk was great!


Didn't see ya at the dinner willie.....it was tasty eh?!!
Rog, logged on as that big hairless simian

i was there, i sat with the band roger. bailed out shortly after the awards though. heck of a meal, steak, salmon, veggies and an ice cream potatoe!

 

[gf beranek]

It depends on the ranger. Some just shake their head and will tell you to pack your gear up and gtfo. Some feel you did a bad thing and will confiscate your gear and write you up. In the national park they will do that and plus cuff and escort you to jail.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Confiscate your gear??? Wow, how many times did that happen to you, Jer? You know, losing your gear..

 

[Burnham]

Just a quick comment, so folks don't get the wrong impression...it is not against the law to rec climb on US National Forest land, like it is on a National Park, or on a California State preserve, like Montgomery Woods.

Know the jurisdiction you are wanting to climb in, save yourself some potential grief.

Now if you are making a commercial venture of guiding rec climbs, you get into a different scenario...USFS requires a special use permit with potentially all sorts of mitigation measures and payment of a fee to do that legally.

 

[gf beranek]

Just one time, Butch. I had to appear before a federal magistrate to face the charges put against me by the Redwood National Park Superintendent. The judge toss the charges and I got my gear back.

 

[MasterBlaster]

...it is not against the law to rec climb on US National Forest land,

I wonder why they don't fear the potential for liability?

 

[Burnham]

No more than accepting liability for any other recreational activity, Butch. Think rafting or kayaking whitewater, rock or mountain climbing, or riding an ATV. If you decide to engage in potentially risky activities, you do so on your own.

So far, anyway.

 

[MasterBlaster]

As well it should be. Cool.

 

[gf beranek]

I agree.

 

[Burnham]

I'm fairly confident that the US Park Service, or Cali. Parks and Recreation are not worried about liability...they are chartered to protect and preserve lands under their jurisdiction. The US Forest Service has a different mandate.

Those preservation agencies fear we'll hurt the very things they exist to manage by climbing them...perhaps ignorantly, but there is a wide range of skills and environmental awareness in the recreating public, and land managers tend to see some pretty abusive use patterns on occasion.



I nominate Jerry Beranek to the post of rec tree climbing program manager of Redwood National Park...anyone who wants to climb has to submit an application to him, and he'll review your experience, equipment, and proposed techniques and routes. You get a permit issued by the Park Service, signed by Jer. He'd be employed by the feds as a Park Service employee, full fed benefits and a decent salary, about a GS-9.

What say the rest? Shall we write our congressmen/women en masse??

 

[gf beranek]

Well, there you go. Some years ago I wrote an outline on the very thing you mention, Burnam. But implementing it was another thing all together.

 

[sotc]

I nominate Jerry Beranek to the post of rec tree climbing program manager of Redwood National Park...anyone who wants to climb has to submit an application to him, and he'll review your experience, equipment, and proposed techniques and routes. You get a permit issued by the Park Service, signed by Jer. He'd be employed by the feds as a Park Service employee, full fed benefits and a decent salary, about a GS-9.

i second the motion!