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Tying knots has always been something I have been fascinated by. When someone has just the right knot for the job it is a really cool thing to watch. I learned how to tie a bowline when I was really young during my first rock climbing/rappelling experience. However I could only tie it around myself, relying on sheer muscle memory. If you asked me to tie a Bowline in any other sort of fashion it would become just a jumbled up mix of rope with no Bowline.
Last week we had a survival skills day before our solo. Although Kevin has showed me on probably three different occasions how to tie 3-4 different useful knots, I just wasn’t getting git. But something clicked on survival skills day and I’m not sure what. All of a sudden I could beyond the jumbled mix of rope and the Bowline, Double Figure 8, Alpine Butterfly and Truckers Hitch started to become easier and easier for me to tie.
Maybe it was because they were all taught with a specific application to shelter building. The Bowline was attached to the tarp and the Truckers Hitch became the pulley system to tighten down the tarp, while the Double Figure 8 was what anchored the tarp and line to the stake in the ground. Whatever it was it clicked, and I have been carrying around a parachute cord ever since just work and practice my new skill.
My favorite know to tie is the Alpine Butterfly. It is the coolest looking of them all and has a serious usefulness. Say someone was seriously injured and you found them while climbing with a partner. An Alpine Butterfly is a very strong and nearly unbreakable knot tie in the middle of your rope. So you could clip them into the loop with a carabiner and descend with an injured climber between you and your partner. Which would make it easier for the healthier climbers to keep an eye on the injured person. You could also use it for gear.
I am excited to one day go out with friends either climbing, camping, boating, etc. and not only impress some folks with my skills but also to be able to effectively get some serious jobs done out there!