KNOTS SO FAST!

This course in knots basics could change your life.

Chiggers Stokes

■ Though I have a limited repertoire of knots, as a retired park ranger, I have strong opinions about when and how they should be used. On a warm August day in 1975, I stood in moving, waist-deep water in a side channel of the Potomac known as Catfish Hole, practicing a swift-water rescue maneuver as a River Ranger. We National Park Service (NPS) personnel and VIPs (volunteers in the park) practiced a this maneuver I’d developed using a specialized knot. Many knots can prove lethal in swift-water situations because of strangulation, entrapment, or knot failure. I’d developed a system of quick releases, haul teams, and throw lines. Honestly, I was a mediocre paddler and climber, so I pondered the limitations and potentials of rope rescue in a swift environment.…

You're reading a preview of

Grit (Digital) - 1 Issue, March/April 2025

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.