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tchiker
Sep 23, 2006, 7:39 PM
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This is obviously an uber-newbie question, but what are your experiences with ants and spiders and other insects when climbing?
I was doing some moderate Class 3 (or maybe light 4) "climbing" the other day and was kind of stuck for a moment but figured I would just take my time and figure out how to proceed. But then I looked down and saw about 10 really big red ants on my boots and noticed they were all over the rocks where I was climbing (Yonah Mountain, Helen, GA USA).
I remained calm and got down, but it made me think of the issue. I'd hate to have a handhold and then have a big spider start to crawl across my hand. I guess you just have to deal with it and try to ignore, but I'm wonder how much of an issue this is with you climbers. Thanks...
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jmeizis
Sep 23, 2006, 7:48 PM
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Yeah, there's lots of animals in the outdoors, even on rock faces. Just last weekend on a multipitch I found a frog in a crack (almost crushed him on accident with my hand) and a bunch of chipmunks. It's crazy watching the chipmunks run on the rock like it's nothing. Anyways there's always bugs like ants, wasps, and spiders. Someplaces have scorpions. There's snakes and bats too. If any of these things make you uncomfortable you might want to ask yourself how much you really like it outside because it is indeed something you have to deal with.
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ryannremtp
Sep 24, 2006, 12:00 AM
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I mostly come across daddy longlegs. If it's a place where you top rope than you can rappell down first with a can of air or something to remove the bugs, insects, small animals or large animals.
Me I just don't worry about it and climb.
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happiegrrrl
Sep 24, 2006, 12:14 AM
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You're suggesting the person possibly kill or maime the beings that call that rockface their home?????
If one can't handle nature on nature's terms, then one should consider (seriously) staying in the gym. If I ever saw a person "spraying" or even intentionally sweeping bugs off a route.....I don't think I would be able to quietly sit there and say nothing.
To the OP - Yes, there are bugs outside. Cliffs have their local species, but here at the Gunks, we have tons of milipede's. Also a insect that looks like, but isn't apparanetly, a ladybug. And Chiggers(though I've never gotten chiggered). And wasps, and garter, black and Copperhead(poisonous) snakes. And hawks and turkey vultures. And slugs that slime their way up the rock on wet days.
How you deal with them?
- If you think you could have an alergic reaction to being stung by bees or whatever, you should carry that epi-stick thing AND let your partners know the deal beforehand.
- Be aware what the various animals/insects, etc. that are likely to be around your climbing areas(most guidebooks will have this information wirtten in them). Know how to spot them, and what precautions you should take in avoiding them if appropriate.
- Eventually....you will get bugged by a bug. Don't let it bug you.
- Remember that when you are done climbing, you will go home to your home and in the interim, you are in the home of these animals and bugs. Show some respect and courtesy.
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tchiker
Sep 24, 2006, 12:22 AM
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Ugh...I really do not care for insects and talk about millipedes and slugs already has me grossed out. Well, I guess maybe I could wear some really thin surgical type gloves while climbing and maybe that would help some.
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marc801
Sep 24, 2006, 12:47 AM
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In reply to: If I ever saw a person "spraying" or even intentionally sweeping bugs off a route.....I don't think I would be able to quietly sit there and say nothing. |
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jeremy11
Sep 24, 2006, 1:20 AM
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Saw a bat in a horizontal once that was screeching at me, no big deal, just went around it.
Doing a FA on a piece of junk cliff near the camp I was working at in the central Adirondacks, climbed a nice corner crack to a small roof, then the crack got off hands and filled with lichen so I aided, had to do a move on a clump of finger size half dead trees onto a small ledge, then dig dirt out of the crack above to continue aiding. a couple pieces above the ledge, a bunch of red ants came out and started biting me!! I was a couple placements from the top, but the topout involved going from aiders to mantling up on holds dug into the dirt... scary for sure.
I was trad soloing Cowabunga (5.6) at the New River Gorge, finished the main flake (loose rock included for your enjoyment) and climbed under a small (3" trunk) tree, placed a big hex, and continued climbing. I went to flip my ropes above the tree, and to my horror, discovered there was a big black snake sunning himself in the tree I just climbed under. After unsuccessfully trying to knock it out off the cliff with my rope, he crawled into the very crack I was climbing. Not too comforting... Then I swimmed "upward through a sea of mud and greenbriars" (as Thompson's guidebook describes it... too true) trying to avoid using the crack as a hold. While cleaning on rappel, I had my giant beefy homemade nut tool at the ready to slay the snake if need be. I did not see him. After leading all the routes 5.6 and under in the Thompson guide (except a couple OW's I couldnt protect, so I TR soloed them), this route gets my award as the worst 5.6. Just Plain Dirty is the grossest 5.4 just to warn you...
anyhow, if you want to avoid animals while climbing, go climb in the gym... just watch out for the gym rats :lol:
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climberboy193838
Sep 24, 2006, 1:49 AM
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Haha, great story, so i was out on a trip with my climbing team and this girl was on a route, something like a 5.10, and a bee flew out of one of the holes. She started freaking out and it kept swarming, it was really funny. You should have been there.
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tchiker
Sep 24, 2006, 1:58 AM
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It seems like when you are hanging precariously on the side of a cliff, you don't want to be surprised or thrown off balance by any creepy crawly or flying stinging things, but I guess you just have to ignore them as best you can. Those ants definitely sent me into a mild panic a couple of days ago, but I guess if I had more experience with such things, it might not be such a shock.
I think I would use some thin surgical type gloves, but would this seriously impair my climbing ability? Perhaps I need to start a new thread on this topic, although I think it's probably a dumb question so maybe I'll just see how it goes without them.
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rocksonthebrain
Sep 24, 2006, 2:27 AM
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You just have to get used to it. Climbing on seaside cliffs there are often swarms of insects crawling out of cracks when you put your hand in. The onew arround here don't bite or sting and usually get out of the way while you are chaulking up. Worse are the mosquitos and horse flies distracting me while I'm belaying.
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cicali
Sep 24, 2006, 3:37 AM
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I dont think a pair of surgical gloves would last more than a minute or two. You are going to need a better solution than that.
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sustainedclimber
Sep 24, 2006, 3:46 AM
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In reply to: Doing a FA on a piece of junk cliff near the camp I was working at in the central Adirondacks...the topout involved going from aiders to mantling up on holds dug into the dirt... scary for sure.
Sounds like a good Daks route. I'm in!
Also, I have a couple of critter stories
1. I was top roping with a couple of friends at the cliffs near Lake Dunmore, VT and about 70 feet up there were three toads sitting in a horizontal crack. We thought it was awesome and we couldn't figure out how in hell they got up the cliff and into the crack. We thought about "rescuing them" but decided against it because if they got themselves in there, they would likely be able to get themselves out.
2. While leading a popular 5.7 at Ragged Mountain in CT (sorry I can't remember the name of the route right now), I was about half way up and I stuck my hand in the crack and pulled out hundreds of baby spiders, the kind that have their own web parachutes. I shook them off and they floated away. I should mention that they were very very small. I'm usually extremely afraid of spiders, but this didn't bother me too much.
Happy climbing to all
-Josh
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jt512
Sep 24, 2006, 4:40 AM
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In reply to: This is obviously an uber-newbie question, but what are your experiences with ants and spiders and other insects when climbing? I was doing some moderate Class 3 (or maybe light 4) "climbing" the other day and was kind of stuck for a moment but figured I would just take my time and figure out how to proceed. But then I looked down and saw about 10 really big red ants on my boots and noticed they were all over the rocks where I was climbing (Yonah Mountain, Helen, GA USA). I remained calm and got down, but it made me think of the issue. I'd hate to have a handhold and then have a big spider start to crawl across my hand. I guess you just have to deal with it and try to ignore, but I'm wonder how much of an issue this is with you climbers. Thanks...
Yeah, once I got a fly on my finger. It was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. I can't tell you how much self-control it took to pose for this picture. I mean, I really had to dig deep.
http://annak.smugmug.com/photos/83840526-M.jpg
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tchiker
Sep 24, 2006, 4:42 AM
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Great picture but I don't think I could take a similar one. I would probably shake the fly off without even having time to consider its photogenic potential.
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musicman1586
Sep 24, 2006, 4:52 AM
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http://rockclimbing.com/...st_start=25&id=17190
How's this for an animal encounter? This picture taken from one of the local crags, how great it was to see that pic on this site and be like "oh, great, I've probably shoved my finger in that very pocket a thousand times" :lol:
Kyle
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ratmnerd
Sep 24, 2006, 8:15 AM
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wow. i mean, wow. jeez, if "ask the n00b" was still going, i'd pass this on to him. i'm pretty sure his answer would mock you and suggest you get hard though. dude, ur a rock climber, you're letting down our image of bad-ass-ness and it's embarassing. seriously, odds of you gettin bitten aren't that good. unless u actually poke the snake or sumthin u shld b fine. and bein scared of spiders on ur hand is wussy too. lol. take up crack climbing and wear tape gloves.
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tchiker
Sep 24, 2006, 3:33 PM
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"tape gloves"? I will have to look into those. Well, I am not so much "scared" of spiders on my hand, but i just wouldn't like it at all. Anyway, I'm just keeping it real and trying to ask some basic questions, but I know what you are saying and I realize that it is a lame thing to be concerned about.
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ratmnerd
Sep 24, 2006, 3:48 PM
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tape gloves are effectively just a shitload of wide cloth tape applied to the back of the hands to protect your knuckles and plams and backs of hands with cracks where you have to jams. they wear out eventually, but with care you can reuse them many times.
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ratmnerd
Sep 24, 2006, 3:49 PM
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tape gloves are effectively just a shit load of wide cloth tape applied to the back of the hands to protect your knuckles and plams and backs of hands with cracks where you have to jams. they wear out eventually, but with care you can reuse them many times.
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happiegrrrl
Sep 24, 2006, 11:45 PM
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So...my post got Turded???
While it is true I wasn't climbing the Gunks in the 70's and 80's, I have heard about the bug spray thing. Was told about it this spring during that time of the year when those Gypsy Moth caterpillars coat vast amounts of surfaces, and then - apparently because of some other bug or fungus or something - they die in situ and turn into a gelatinous goo that only "looks" like a caterpillar.....
The person who told the story, I am fairly certain, would not Raid the insects nowadaze. I suppose I could be wrong, but I don't think so.
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cracklover
Sep 25, 2006, 12:40 AM
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tchiker, I don't suppose your initials might be LEB, are they?
Please advise,
GO
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happiegrrrl
Sep 25, 2006, 2:07 AM
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Who the Fuck is giving me Poop Trophies????
Sack up, ya twit, and come forward. Ya baby.
By the way - even if you stalk my posts and turd me out every time, it would take about a year of your vigilence to inflict whatever damage the turd-flinging thing is intended to do. As my "status" at this site currently stands, I get to give out those stupd trophies nearly every time I log on.
So.....
Nyah!
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climbingtrash
Sep 25, 2006, 3:16 AM
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In reply to: Who the f--- is giving me Poop Trophies???? Sack up, ya twit, and come forward. Ya baby. By the way - even if you stalk my posts and turd me out every time, it would take about a year of your vigilence to inflict whatever damage the turd-flinging thing is intended to do. As my "status" at this site currently stands, I get to give out those stupd trophies nearly every time I log on. So..... Nyah!
It could be worse. You could get this every time someone turds you post!
OMG!!! :shock:
http://i49.photobucket.com/...sh/POOMONSTERTAG.jpg
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mattyp
Sep 25, 2006, 3:30 AM
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First, that picture is DISGUSTING and I have seen some stuff.
Second, Eat the bugs. They are high in protein and lower on the food chain than you. Deal with it.
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hammerless_7
Sep 25, 2006, 3:42 AM
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I was top roping a 5.9 crack a couple years ago, I stuck my hand in the crack and a bat went flying out right past my face. It happened so fast and when it was gone I was still hanging on to the rock and did not fall but Iam glad I wasn't leading. :shock:
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