I dropped my rope

[creektrails]

This may be an odd question but I learned a lesson recently. I tied a flotation device onto my rope when I ascended out of a private cave (i am the only one who has permission to use the cave). My plan was to pull the floatie up after I reached the top. (bad idea) It was late at night when I came out when I tried to bring up my rope it snagged and wouldnt come up. So I ended up dropping it back down into the cave. I was going to go back for it a couple of days later but its been raining cats and dogs. (is that pc to say anymore?) so the rope is laying at the bottom of this 120' pit soaked. Will this ruin or be bad for the rope? It is a BWII static. Its 3 years old and only been used about 10 times. weather willing i am going to go down there this weekend. It will have been down for a week.
Nate

[Anonymous_Coward]

If I understand your story correctly, your rope should be fine. Being in a cave or being wet for a week will not harm it. Some caves are permanently rigged, and the ropes stay in place for years. I have personally climbed on ropes that have been rigged in place for 15+ years. (that may be pushing it a bit, but I survived to tell about it) Anyway, the only concern I would have about your rope is because of your description of the weather. If rope hangs in a waterfall or gets thrashed around in a strong current, it could be damaged by abrasion against rocks. As long as your rope is not getting beat up in a stream or waterfall, I would not hesitate using it again (after an inspection of course)

I like that you say you have learned a lesson from this. I assume the lesson is "Don't try to haul rope up a pit with something tied on the end". It is almost always better to tether packs, extra ropes, floaties, etc, to yourself than to try to haul them with the rope. I have found that even a small knot in the bottom of the rope has a tendency to snag on the way up. So, you should always tie an end knot before rappelling, but the last person to climb should always take that knot out.

Another lesson that can be learned here is "always de-rig from the bottom up". Meaning don't de-rig the anchor until the rope is out of the pit. That way, you won't drop the rope back in accidentally.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[Bill Putnam]

Dude - your rope is toast. Get it out of the cave (you don't want to leave trash in the cave) and send it to me. I will make sure no one gets hurt using it.

[graveleye]

Bill, you have a family that needs you. I have less people depending on me so it's only fitting that I be the one to dispose of this dangerous rope.

[trogman]

You guys are all heart!

I learned a similar lesson about a year or two ago. I have always been taught to tie a knot in my rope a few feet from the end to ensure that no one will rappel off the end. I had dug open a new lead, and it looked like it would be possible to get past a tight spot and into a pretty good cave below. So I lowered my almost new 120' rope into the hole, with a knot tied about 6' from the end, and then proceeded to try to descend. When I got to the tight section, I quickly realized that there was no way I would make it through, so I climbed back to the top and started pulling up my rope. It was then that I discovered that it was hung on something down in the hole. Try as I might, I have had no success getting it out. I could cut off and salvage the rope that I can get to on the surface, but that would only net me about 25' of rope. So I just left it there, and it is there to this day. Any VERY skinny persons willing to go down this hole are welcome to try; as far as I am concerned, I have written it off as gone. But I no longer tie a knot in my rope if there is any chance that it will get caught on something below. I know that might be risky, but I will just have to rappel slowly and watch for the end of the rope. I can't afford to lose too many more ropes this way.

The Trogman

[Stridergdm]

Honestly Trogman, I'd suggest rethinking that. You can afford to lose rope far more than you can your life. Even if getting a rope stuck as you mention has a higher possibility than rappelling off the end of a rope, it seems to me the result is far worse in the latter.

[Dwight Livingston]

. . . It was then that I discovered that it was hung on something down in the hole.

Makes a case for tethering a rope bag to yourself and feeding rope out of the bag as you go down. Generally the best method, I'd say.

Dwight

[Scott McCrea]

Trogman, can the tight spot be made bigger? Although, sharp, broken rocks falling on your rope would not be good.

OP, as long as your rope did not get contaminated by something in the cave or something washing in or chewed on by coons or rats, it should be fine. There are a lot of ifs. Question is, do you still trust the rope?

[trogman]

Honestly Trogman, I'd suggest rethinking that. You can afford to lose rope far more than you can your life. Even if getting a rope stuck as you mention has a higher possibility than rappelling off the end of a rope, it seems to me the result is far worse in the latter.

I agree with the general idea of what you are saying, but in this particular situation, there was almost zero chance that the hole was deeper than my rope was long. In most situations I will use a safety knot, especially if I don't know the depth of the pit or if I can't tell if my rope reaches the bottom. The idea of tethering a rope bag, as mentioned by Dwight, has some merit. However, this hole was soooo tight that there was no way to go down it with a rope bag. Heck, there was no way to go down it without a rope bag! Looking back, I wonder why or how I thought I could get through.

The Trogman

[creektrails]

The rope is just laying on rocks at about 100' with water dripping steadily on it from above. I might try to get it out tommorow but my only worry is that when I was tugging on it that I may have abrated (sp) the sheath pretty bad. I wish I had time to go in and explore tommorow but I'll probably just get the rope and come back out.
Nate

[graveleye]

get it out, then check it to see if you've damaged it. If it's abraded, then just cut it. Better to have a shortened rope than no rope at all.

[Squirrel Girl]

get it out, then check it to see if you've damaged it. If it's abraded, then just cut it. Better to have a shortened rope than no rope at all.

Maybe I missed something in this story, but two things sprung to my mind. One is what graveleye suggested. The other is (for future reference): untie the knot *after* you get down and *before* you climb up.