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Setting Up Climbing Rope at a Fossil Spot so Others Can Climb Easier?


Megalodoodle

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I was wondering if setting up some climbing rope to assist others in ascending a steep hill made of constantly crumbling shale is against the fossil hunter’s code? I’m planning on setting it up well and checking on it every few months to make sure the rope is secure. Its quite a popular spot and gets good regular use. I honestly just don’t want people to hurt themselves. It stands to reason that if people going to climb the hill anyways, it might as well have a rope set up so nobody kills themselves (figuratively kill, not literally). Just wondering if this would hurt the site more than it would help, since some people just enjoy destroying fossil spots.

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It's not against any fossil hunting code, but it may be against the land owner's wishes.

I would advise checking with the land owner before moving forward with this plan.  :unsure:

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    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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Not sure I'd trust my safety to a climbing rope of unknown origin.

 

Also sounds like a good way to open yourself up to a lawsuit if someone gets injured using your rope.

Edited by connorp
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12 minutes ago, connorp said:

Not sure I'd trust my safety to a climbing rope of unknown origin.

 

Also sounds like a good way to open yourself up to a lawsuit if someone gets injured using your rope.

Would that be lawsuit worthy? I feel like if someone decided to use a random rope to climb things on a random section of land that isn't owned by the person who put up the rope, that's on them. Morally and legally.

Fossils? I dig it. :meg:

 

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29 minutes ago, Meganeura said:

Would that be lawsuit worthy? I feel like if someone decided to use a random rope to climb things on a random section of land that isn't owned by the person who put up the rope, that's on them. Morally and legally.

Well it’s America. You can sue someone for whatever reason you want, doesn’t mean you’ll win. My point is that someone might be inclined to file a lawsuit, I doubt they would win but it would still be a headache.

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3 minutes ago, connorp said:

Well it’s America. You can sue someone for whatever reason you want, doesn’t mean you’ll win. My point is that someone might be inclined to file a lawsuit, I doubt they would win but it would still be a headache.

This is true. I feel like no lawyer would take that case, but I'm also NOT a lawyer. Though, I do wonder what protections exist for that. Someone on the Peace River at a spot I hunt set up a rope to climb onto a tree and jump into the river. It's pretty shallow there - makes me wonder what that would cause legally if someone got hurt.

Fossils? I dig it. :meg:

 

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I think it would also leave the landowner open to lawsuits, hence the importance of making sure it is OK with the landowner, first and foremost.

I don't think any landowner in this day and age would be OK with someone setting up potentially hazardous obstacles/structures on their land without permission.

This would be a great way to get the site closed down, permanently.  :( 

 

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    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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I agree with Tim.  This plan would put the landowner at great risk.  The rope would be considered to be an "attractive nuisance" that the landowner should have known about.  Anyway, how would the landowner be able to prove they had not placed the rope?

 

I'm also a little concerned about making the site more easily accessible.  Can the site withstand increased collecting pressure?  As the saying goes, "to the motivated go the spoils".  If people are not willing to expend much effort, maybe they shouldn't be collecting there.  That being said, I know nothing about the site or how hard/dangerous it is to reach.

 

Don

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Using and removing one yourself could increase your own safety.  But, I think leaving one is a bad idea for many of the reasons previously stated. 

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The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

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I agree that it is a bad idea all the way around.

 

Unfortunately, no matter how well intended we are there will always be those that take advantage of a given situation. The suing scenarios mentioned above (to landowner or good intending person), the added collecting pressure, or making it easier for troublemakers to make trouble are all good examples of this.

 

Case in point… My in-laws have a creek that borders their property as well as a few of the neighbors. They all used to allow the neighborhood children to come splash around and play in the creek. It was nothing to see half a dozen to a dozen kids having fun mucking about down there on the weekend or on any given afternoon.

 

Then there was an incident that involved a kid getting hurt. Nothing too serious, but said child had to make a trip to the Emergency Room. The parents of the child involved in the accident then sued one of the neighbors because the kid was technically on their property.

 

I should also point out that the property owners did nothing except allow the kids to play in the creek. They were in no way involved in the accident. 
 

Now none of the owners of the properties that the creek runs through or borders (including my in-laws) allow the neighborhood children to play for fear of being sued or worse.  :shakehead:


It seems an interpretation of the phrase “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” could be applied here. 

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The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.  -Neil deGrasse Tyson

 

Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy)

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  • 3 weeks later...

This is a terrible idea.  Any rope left out in the elements will rot. It might take a few months or years but the person who was using the rope when the rot weakened it to the breaking point will be sad if they survive.

 

with landowner permission, use your own rope and take it with you when you leave.  Learning rope skills would be a good idea… a simple granny knot around a tree will leave you sad if you survive.

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Even in central Europe with much less strict land owner rights and free access to nearly every forest, its a big no-go to leave anything in another ones forest. Its simply considered littering. Point.

Franz Bernhard

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I agree. It would probably not be a great idea to leave a rope. It is a nice idea, but I am afraid that it would cause some big problems. 

 

-Micah 

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