A length of rope is always a must for sailors and cowboys.
1). Tug-o-war at school or summer camp or picnics.
2). Playing cowboys as a kid.
3). Even though I was terrible at it during gym class in elementary school and junior high school and at summer camp, I somehow became quite adept at rope-climbing once I mastered the foot-anchor technique. I can’t remember the specifics of when, how, or where I finally got it, but from that day on, I’ve never encountered a rope that I couldn’t or cannot climb. When I joined the Marines at age 18, rope-climbing abilities took on even more relevance because on in boot camp, it was required that in addition to merely manipulate one’s own body weight, we also had to climb with full combat gear, helmet, rifle, etc. I was a small and skinny lightweight, so I was able to scrabble up that rope in no time at all on the obstacle course, the rope was the last event, and we would be dog-tired by the time we got to it; however, I always flew up it with ease. At times trials, I excelled because I still had enough piss and vinegar on in me to effortlessly manage the whole obstacle course, especially the rope. The recruits who couldn’t complete the rope climb, either for lack of ability or for having the ability yet being worn to a frazzle by all the preceding events had their scores suffer.
4). Aboard ship, ropes quite often came in handy for securing gear, hoisting or lowering gear, small boat operations, etc.
5). In the field, ropes were integral in securing equipment, rock-climbing, sectioning off areas, makeshift stretchers, and erecting tents.
6). Tying down furniture or other large items during a move or on shopping excursions.
6). More recently, tying boxes up for shipment overseas to my wife’s family.
I might be excluding some, but I think that’s enough for now.
~
No, thank you. I haven’t thought about some of that stuff in decades, it was good to reminisce.
~
Randy D 