We’ll be rope climbing in no time at all…
Up we go...
On my way up.
Hopefully it goes without saying, unless you are competent at tree climbing. Don’t try this at home folks.
If you do, make sure you always have a good and solid grip and you are strong enough to hold yourself with one arm if the branch should break.
Hmm...how to get across?
Trying to get a grip here to make the leap over...
Going for it...just about got a grip to move over to the other tree.
Made it!
Now to the final destination.
Just a few more branches and we'll be there.
Time to tie the knot.
I’m not an expert at rope climbing knots, but I will make sure it’s a good and strong knot that I can rely on. And it makes sense to check it each time you climb. That way there will be no blood guilt upon yourself or somebody else climbing.
I think that will do it...now to test it out-see if she will hold.
Helen, hangs on the rope at the bottom and all seems OK. Now I just have to climb down the rope and if all is good the next big challenge for me is climbing the rope all the way to the top.
Look out for my next tree climbing adventure and this time we’ll catch it on film so you can see it for real.
I hope I have inspired some of you to get rope climbing. It really is a cracking exercise.
See you next time and remember to keep strong…that means being active. Integrate fitness into your lifestyle. Not your lifestyle into fitness. Its called balance. Keep it so.
Danny Wright
Rope climbing builds tremendous upper body strength and endurance and separates the men (or women) from the boys.
Shoulders, arms, forearms and grip all come into play.
No wonder soldiers and men of war climbed ropes thousands of years ago and why the military still do even today.
And you know what, when I was a school boy we climbed ropes in gym class too. What a shame schools neglect such a wonderful exercise in their curriculum today. If they just added rope climbing back into schools what a difference it would make for our young ones.
The big problem for me is that I don’t have a big back yard with big trees to hang a rope from…so I set out on a quest to find a secret location I could go to on one of our dog walks without having to worry about a bunch of kids “swingin on ma rope.”
Yea, I know I just said how good it would be for youngsters to climb rope but truth is they would probably be doing anything but.
Sad to say…but that’s the world we’re living in. I’d be happy to find them climbing though, and to encourage and help them get strong just like we are supposed to do.
Anyway back to my search for the perfect rope climbing location…
If you go down to the woods today you're sure to find a surprise...
I think we maybe onto something here, just a little further on.
This looks like the place and the tree looks perfect.
Barnabas is pretending he’s not interested in this whole rope climbing exercise thing but don’t be fooled he’s just jealous.
That’s it for today. Check back in a day or two for part two of my rope climbing adventures.
See you then and remember to keep strong.
Danny