Climb of the Sequoia:

I finally pulled it off-

Here's ten (!) hours of climbing edited down to 10 minutes:

http://cameronwalser.com/images/sequioaExport2.mov


PS the sling shot did not work in this environment, at all!!

Wow, That was some tree Cameron! Thanks for posting.

After you ascended to the first tie in point how did you get a new one set? Did you have a throw line up there with you?

The boulder scene would make a great truck commercial.

I had so much gear up there it was actually cumbersome and even dangerous - i wanted to make sure I had everything I might need. I carried up that sling shot and long retriever pole "just in case" but they didn't work at all in that tree, and the pole (obviously) got in the way of moving around.

I had 3 throw lines (50 ft, 150 ft, 200 ft), and 4 different throw bags.

The weight of the rope alone not to mention the rest of your gear seems like it would make it difficult to move around.

How far apart would you say the branches are spaced vertically?

If you were going to do it again what would you do differently?

Sorry for all the questions. I am just fascinated with Sequoias.

Not a problem - if I minded questions I wouldn't be sharing it on a forum!

The first branch was at approx 90 feet. After that the branches were spread about 15 feet apart, minimum. They ranged from 6 inches diameter to 36 inches or more! Primarily they were on the large side - not many small ones coming out of that big trunk.

If (when) i do it again, i'll make sure my bow is more sturdy (kept falling apart), and shoot closer to the tree (higher entry point). Also after pulling my throwline over, when I isolate the branch, I will use the technique that was the only one that worked: tie on 3 (!) throw bags to the primary throwline, and tie a completely separate throw line to that bundle, so I can pull them backwards or forwards. Over and over again the bags got hung up on that bark - it's super grabby. Actually I would use that extra-throwline technique in the tree as well during hand-tosses, because it saves time in the long run.

I would rely only on hand throws to advance (and practice a lot more before then). The slingshot didn't work.

I'd make sure I got a super-early start, and allowed 2 days if necessary, and brought more food up in the tree with me..! Maybe a hammock too...

I'm glad you were successful in your climb. Anyone considering such a climb should put in significant hours climbing in their local conifers to develop skills and work out the bugs etc. An old-growth conifer of that magnitude is not a smart place to trial and error your technique.

For the rec climbing community in general we need to set an example of climbing with skill and safety, otherwise we won't have a chance to open up access for climbing. I appreciate the grit and humor of your "death scramble" sequences but there's no need for it, a climber should have the skills to advance the rope and not feel forced to make those moves.

In tree climbing the desire to succeed in your goals should NEVER outweigh your safety considerations. Not to mention everybody else who has to deal with the aftermath if a gamble doesn't pay out.

There are opportunities to do permitted climbs led by experienced old-growth climbers, this would be an awesome opportunity to get into big trees and learn the techniques. If you haven't already, check out Pacific Tree Climbing Institute . I have friends who've climbed with them and reported it was top-notch.
-AJ

Hi Moss-
I very much appreciate your need to express concerns for keeping rec. tree climbing safe. I'd also like to reassure you that I am not taking chances, as may have been implied by the misnomer in my video.
I've been rock climbing and teaching rock climbing for 25 years, and climbing trees for longer than that. I was an arborist at age 16 (I'm 40). At no point during that climb was I without a completely bomb-proof anchor. And as a matter of fact, during the scrambles I had two separate anchors set - you couldn't have pulled me out of the tree at that point, even if you had attached a Land Cruiser to my belt. I am aware that I could have thrown another line higher than those points to avoid scrambling, but frankly I was safe, and you had to be there...
Also you are correct that new techniques should be tried locally -and I did. I actually have spent the entire last year developing those new skills - they failed because of the bark particular to a sequoia, which of course I do not have common access to. Also, and more importantly, and skills that I did not feel 100% about were skills of convenience and access, not skills surrounding safety or survival. Turns out I didn't need them anyway...!
So please rest assured my goals never outweighed my safety considerations. Sorry it looked that way to you, and thanks for your legitimate concern.
By the way I fully intend to do some guided redwood climbs with Tree Climber Northwest - Tim Kovar is an excellent instructor who has instructed me on DRT and SRT in the past.

Ok, I was confused by your video, obviously there was tongue-in-cheek going on but it wasn't clear where it began or ended. I'm glad your "death scrambles"weren't actually so. So with all you climbing experience what's up with taking two days to do the climb
-AJ

Har! Good question!

It was primarily the bloody entry - took much too long. I was also (believe it or not) being overcautious, advancing super slowly. The tree was remote so I had little time at the site, too.... Have you had the opportunity to climb a sequoia? Stuff works different, i found...

cameronw wrote:

Har! Good question!

It was primarily the bloody entry - took much too long. I was also (believe it or not) being overcautious, advancing super slowly. The tree was remote so I had little time at the site, too.... Have you had the opportunity to climb a sequoia? Stuff works different, i found...

I was just giving you a hard time, no point in trying to rush the climb on these trees. I have had the chance to climb a few of them. My impression was super scaled up versions of east coast conifers. All my technique was the same, just bigger pitches per move. Advancing upward across big gaps was challenging. I did it hand throwing with 10oz or 8oz bag. I didn't have much trouble with the bark though. A lot of tree species in the east have very grabby bark I must be used to dealing with it. I stayed in the woods for several days at a time while I was climbing so there was no issue getting in, climbing and out the same day. In the east I prefer to stay in the woods overnight when climbing big stuff. It's a long day hiking in, climbing, and getting out. Doesn't do justice to the experience and the tree to limit it to one day.

I have to say though, some of the bigger second growth sugar pine in the Sierras made my heart pound, something about them said epic.
-AJ

Ahh bugga, looks like the video link is no longer active, I was looking forward to seeing it.

I love old growth trees, can't wait to one day get up there myself. You guys have Sequoia/Redwood... here we have Eucalyptus Regnan, stunning & beautiful giants! Probably a few years till I get the chance to climb one, ahh its nice to dream hehe

Sorry - here's the updated post:

http://cameronwalser.com/images/storage/sequioaExport2.mov