Unusual skills

Not everyone knows how to splice rope.

Not that everyone would want to. :)

Useful for joining two lengths of rope, without the knobby-ness of tying a knot. Darned strong.



Making an eye-splice gives you a permanent loop at the end, and -- again -- is more elegant than typing a knot. Although bowlines are good.


(The green rope is permanently around the tent peg; the notch is smaller than the hole, so I had to remember to thread the rope through before starting the splice!)

Back-splices are also useful: That's when you ''cap off' the end of a rope by doubling it back on itself, so it doesn't unravel. Again, more elegant than tying a knot or wrapping tape around it -- or for nylon ropes, melting the ends.


My dad taught me how to splice: Maybe when I was about twelve -- but, not sure.


My other two tricks I know -- with more ''party trick'' potential -- are hanging a spoon from my nose while taking a drink of water, and doing a running forward dive across four people, and landing safely on the carpet or grass (it's all in how you tuck 'n' roll).


--GG