Did my first 40’ wood pole at 5:30 a.m. with Buck gaffs and a body belt — the view was worth it, but my calves and forearms were jelly coming down. For you vets, what helped most with leg and grip endurance in those first weeks without wrecking your knees?
Think “hips to the belt” and take small steps — sit into the belt for a half-second every 6–8 steps so your calves and forearms reset, and ease up on the top-hand death grip so the belt earns its paycheck. If your knees bark, duck your toes slightly and avoid big strides; a thin knee sleeve can help if they’re still cranky. What belt are you running and how high are you wearing it?
I built leg and grip endurance by doing low‑pole laps at 8–12 feet — 6–8 placements up, back down, repeat for 10 minutes — so you rack up volume without pounding your knees. Between reps, do a quick heel drop with both gaffs set and soft knees to ease the “calves and forearms were jelly” feeling, and swap your lead leg each pass. What pads and shank length are you running on those Bucks?
Climbing at dawn must’ve been a rush! One thing that helped me was practicing foot placements on lower poles — really focusing on technique to save my knees and build endurance. It’s easier to get that muscle memory down without the high stress.