Night Climbing

Now that the days are getting shorter, I've started thinking about night climbing again. Last year the collective wisdom on the on-line boards was pretty helpful about the special considerations associated with climbing in the winter, so how about night climbing? First, will anyone admit to doing it? Second, what are the particular considerations? I've only done a few night climbs, so what follows is obviously mostly just the first few thoughts.

It seems like the biggest issue is tie-in points and setting lines. If you can't see, you can't assess. The only ways I can see to get around this are: a) set lines (or at least a throwline) during the day, or b) lots of floodlighting on a somewhat familiar tree. Anything else seems a bit too risky for my taste. So far I've only climbed on a line set during the day. I've never attempted a multi-pitch climb; very short pitches within a very familiar tree might be passably safe on a moonlit night.

The climbing itself, at least for the DdRT that I do, just doesn't seem to be that big a deal even on a dark night. There is somewhat more risk of bonking your head on branches, so if you don't usually use a helmet this might be a good time to dust it off.

Going back down is simply slower and more circumspect. If you've done a couple of extra pitches you'd want to be extra-special-sure that you won't run out of rope on the way down.

Lights: I'm inclined to leave them off most of the time, unless I'm doing something detailed with my rig. On the whole, you see more of your surroundings with lights off in the woods at night - what a light does is give you focussed detail. That said, you darned well always ought to carry one or two light sources...

Of course, anyone who's been camping up there will have a lot more to say about all this (still haven't scraped together the funds for a treeboat or a port-a-ledge). Does any of this need contradicting? What's left out?

I love it up there at any time, but the night is especially cool.

I won't say I do it all the time...but I'm comfortable with it. I move a lot slower. Part of it is that it's so quiet, it seems wrong to be moving quickly and making a racket. Then of course, as you noted...there's no light...you can't see. I "think buddhist" and contemplate every motion while I'm doing it.

I prefer climbing a tree I already know, but that's not always the case.

I always (almost) have a headlamp with me and will use as needed, but it typically can be turned off once I have my final TIP set.

I would never even consider bringing floodlights. Something just seems wrong about that.

It's peaceful climbing at night. I like it.

love
nick

Having multiple head lamps would be important. Like cavers, who take three, you're going into dangerous territory. Make deliberate moves. Check things much more often than you do during daylight.

If a rope wasn't set during the daylight I doubt that I would ascend very far on an unknown limb.

Have you considered using a collapsible cot instead of a portledge/Treeboat? The big wall climbers who first started the path to the pl used them. Add some slings and you're set. Another idea is to use a sheet of plywood. this is bulky and a bit hard to transport very far. But...you might be climbing in your own back yard. Copying the webbing sling arrangements from any of the pl's would be simple.

Night Climbs?

Having done overnighters in treeboats, I will say this. . .
In tame trees night work is no big deal however, in a wild tree (first time climbed) W0W, now that would require a whole new level of confidence & skill.

Additionally, I can’t imagine getting a throw-line into a tree in the forest at night. Geez, just walking in the forest at night is tough.

As for lighting. . .
I always climb with a top quality Petzl helmet light, (even during the daytime). You only have to get light-starved once to realize that nightfall under the forest canopy is all consuming.

In my opinion, in the woods at night, the ONLY safe place to be is in a treeboat!
(A testament to my lack of survival skills)
-Electrojake-

Tom, why 3 lamps? In case 2 break?

^ backup! backup! backup! when your deep underground and your one and only flashlight gets dropped and the filament breaks, or the batteries die...you hooped! bring a backup!

the new LED lights are bombproof, and run long times on a set of battery's. You can also get LED lantern style lamps, which have a nice eerie alien glow to them when they are suspended in a tree

Night Climb Activities,

Bring a black light with you(the best ones are at Pet-land). Some of the Lichen growing on trees is florescent when you shine a black light on it. I have had many Lichen that glows hot purple, red, gold, neon-green, etc. when you put a black light on them. Also scorpions are florescent as well.

And bring a owl call with you.

So have fun, you Night Owl.

Wow, psychedelic Lichen!
The unique knowledge that I gain from you TCI forum guys never ceases to amaze me.
This goes well beyond magic mushrooms.

Nice Post