Last night I tried to peak your interest in climbing and becoming a trained BSA Certified Climbing Instructor. Hopefully, you have a new found ambition to rush out and get trained.
If you have a fear of heights, don’t sweat it. There was a gentleman who trained with us that was intimidatingly large in stature. I should also mention he was about as kind hearted as they come, and to this day, because of him, I call the adults in our troop ‘mama’ and ‘daddy’. But I digress…. This fella, who was easily 6’4″, was nicknamed “Elvis”, by me of course, because of his quaking legs. We were so very proud of him as he made his way up the 35′ tower multiple times and repelled even further. This guy was terrified. If he could do it, so can you.
I also encouraged you to visit Animated Knots by Grog to see different knots that every instructor should know. There is one that is an absolute must. It is called a Munter Mule (sometimes spelled Muenter) and if you can learn to tie it, then your friends will be impressed.
This amazingly odd looking knot can be an invaluable safety device to lower a climber or rappeler in case something, such as a shirt or hair, get tangled in the belay device. It allows additional slack for the trapped outdoorsman to free themself. Be sure to have your rope in hand when you go to the site so you can learn to tie this one.
Troop 483 Blog 
