What to do at the top?

Hey,
My name is Chris. I work at a camp and I'm the head tree climbing counselor. I was trying to think of some fun things for the kids to do once they're reached the top. A couple things I've done so far is put a bottle of bubbles on one course and some bells on another. I know those things sound really... um.. lame, but it's the best I could think of so far. If ya'll have any ideas of some better things to do, help me out. Camp starts in about two weeks and I haven't had much time to think about what else to do because of final exams. If anyone has any ideas, let me know. Thanks and happy climbing.

-Chris

spin the bottle?

Most kids and adults are happy to just experience the tree and heights. You can set up Treeboats or sky chairs too. It depends on how long the kids are up too. Longer stays mean more comfortable resting positions as opposed to just hanging on the ropes.

Catch? Frisbee? Water fight?

I've seen this done:

With several climbers in the tree, try to pass some object (football, stuffed animal, "foxtail" throwball) in a complete circle around the tree without dropping it. They can toss it from one climber to another or they can rendezvous by limb-walking to pass the object.

Regards,
-Knothead

Chris writes what do I do with the climbers once we get them up into the canopy? Chris, before I try to answer that question I need to ask you some questions. Are you a trained tree climbing facilitator? If so by whom and when and where? Does your camp conduct other vertical adventures and who leads them and who trained them? Are you or other staff members members of TCI, TCUSA, AEE, ACCT, ACA? Has your Grove been designated as a climbing area? When are you going to begin tree climbing? Has it been done in the past and if so by whom? Are they still on staff? Please have your Camp Director contact me at 770-487-6929 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or www.treeclimbingusa.com or contact Peter Jenkins at www.treeclimbing.com prior to implimenting any tree climbing program now or this summer or in the future. This is not meant to be critical but rather to learn more about what your intentions are and to be pro active in our response to a question you posed which indicates you need help. Until; Safety in and for the trees worldwide! Abe

Abe -- how in the world can your response not be seen as critical -- or at the least, incredibly intimidating?! I am a relative newcomer to the tree-climbing scene, and I will admit that I dont know or understand every term and technique BUT GEEZ! Get off your high horse!
I love tree climbing because it HASN'T been transformed into this highly regulated, standardized, certified activity.
Most passionate treeclimbers I know seem to feel the same way.
The implication (whether you intended it or not) behind your response to Chris's posting is that he shouldn't be bringing kids up into the trees without attending a "professional tree climbing program" and getting "certification" and developing a "designated climbing grove" etc etc... Gag me!
I agree that "safety in the trees" is a priority, but I feel your post implies that safety can only be obtained via TCI, TCUSA, AEE, ACCT or ACA.
I also agree that safety FOR the trees is important and often overlooked, but again, you dont need any training to recognize the fact that you are wearing the bark off the tree, and that you probably should protect the tree from your rope...
The tree climbing scene should be a welcoming, friendly, playful, teaching atmosphere, not a staunch, regulated activity withheld only for those who have attended expensive classes. Anyone with a climbing rope a harness, and a little climbing ability can safely climb MANY trees -- at least in Washington state. They can also safely get kids up into the trees via a simple top rope belay. I truly believe that common sense, safety-mindedness and forethought are tools enough to begin getting up in the trees, and to begin leading others there as well.
I guess the main thing that irks me about your reply is that it is clearly not an attempt to: "be pro active in response to a question posed which indicates you need help."
If you were really trying to be as helpful and proactive as your pretend in your posting -- you would have provided Chris with a SINGLE ANSWER to his question in your response. Instead, you gave him a slap in the face that says, "If your not doing it our way, you probably shouldn't be doing it at all." Again, I cant read minds, this may not have been your intention -- but it came across that way to me.
I'm sorry if this sounds overly indignant, or if I am misconstruing things. I just get pissed when I see attempts at regulating and standardizing such an inherently exciting, free, unconfined activity as treeclimbing. I'll admit that it probably would be safer if EVERYONE WHO EVER CLIMBED A TREE attended a series of classes and was certified, however, in the words of Benjamin Franklin, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." (yes, the quote is taken entirely out of context, but it is the driving idea behind it which is important to convey)
Carl

abe, you seriously need to get over yourself before you single handedly bring tci down.

oh and back to the main topic, how about paintball:D

I am stunned by the amount of vitriol exhibited toward those who want nothing more than to make sure the people who are who are taking OTHER PEOPLE’S CHILDREN into the trees are trained or at the least have someone verify that they know what they are doing. At the risk of opening myself up to the same ire foisted upon Abe, allow me to continue.

I have no problem with having someone check my knots before I climb just to make sure everything’s OK. I would hope someone taking responsibility for OTHER PEOPLE’S CHILDREN would have no problems with someone checking their work. That’s the purpose of training and certification.

Never mind the legal questions involved. What about simply making sure you know what to do should something happen for your own peace of mind and the safety of the kids. “All we’re doing is running them up and back down again.” The people who do this professionally have all had situations happen during a “simple” climb that were a potential disaster but their training kicked in and saved the butts of the OTHER PEOPLE’S CHILDREN. Ask any of them. They’ll tell you the stories.

For me, it’s a moral question. If I take an adult into a tree and they are aware of the dangers, that’s one thing. Taking OTHER PEOPLE’S CHILDREN, who are innocent, trusting and unaware of the dangers, into a tree is the ultimate responsibility. For me, to do so without training would display a serious lack of moral integrity.

If someone were taking responsibility for climbing YOUR children, would you prefer them to be trained and certified by someone who was trained, certified and had been doing it professionally for a long time or by someone who just learned it on their own, maybe from a book, maybe by just fooling around with a rope and a rock climbing harness? What would you expect from a camp that was offering tree climbing to YOUR kids as an activity? A staff trained not only in climbing instruction but rescue as well? Sufficient equipment in good repair? The tree inspected, approved and cleaned of deadwood? Insurance in case of the unthinkable? Of course you would. Just as much as you would expect that they NOT offer your children an unsupervised overnight campout with pedophilic counselors.

When you’re climbing OTHER PEOPLE’S CHILDREN it’s not a question of happy-go-lucky, free spirits having a good time in the trees free of regulatory interference. You want to learn from a book and climb yourself and maybe even your own kids on hardware store rope that’s up to you.

OTHER PEOPLE’S CHILDREN? That’s a much different story. I contend that EVERYONE climbing OTHER PEOPLE'S CHILDREN in any setting should have training in instruction, facilitation and rescue.

From my point of view, I can see how Chris’s question gave Abe the impression that he may not be well trained to take kids into the trees. My feeling is that Abe was trying to impress a POSSIBLY untrained counselor with the importance of training. He should be thanked for his concern rather than vilified.

Safety (especially for OTHER PEOPLE'S CHILDREN) in and for the trees.

Rod

I'm with Rod: I also don't understand why it is that some react so strongly against Abe. I have re-read and re-read and re-read Abe's posts and see a passion to assist. Even if he does offer his own specific services, so what? It's what he knows best. I think it's absolutely appropriate for people to "display their wares" here--how else are we going to learn about them?

Carl writes: "The implication (whether you intended it or not) behind your response to Chris's posting is that he shouldn't be bringing kids up into the trees without attending a "professional tree climbing program" and getting "certification" . . . ." Well, yes! I would hope that that is exactly what he meant! If the camp--or the individual camp counselor--had no training or certification, and a serious accident happened, do you really think that the camp would still be in existence after the lawyers were through? (No offense meant toward attorneys.)

We have seen in other threads here that the Boy Scouts (at least the Blue Grass Council) have declared technical tree climbing to be an unauthorized activity:

Quote
Effective June 1, 2004, technical tree-climbing with ropes and harnesses is added to the list of unauthorized BSA or Learning for Life unit or group activities because:

1. There are no uniform standards.
2. There is no available method to measure the weight-bearing capacity of the tree limb and there are no backup procedures if the limb breaks.
3. This activity does not support Leave No Trace.
End Quote
(Dan House has supplied the link to that earlier.)

I probably would trust someone who makes a living at climbing trees to take my children into a tree (assuming that s/he also is otherwise trustworthy, of course), whether s/he is "certified" or not. But at a camp? Whether the counselor is good or not, watch out for the liability issues!

For more requested ideas:

In the tree, I......

For previous Abe bashing and defending:

Tree Climbing with Others!