Taut-line Hitch Activity

This Activity is meant for Scouts BSA.

Tent stakes
Hammers
Ropes

Tie one 6-foot rope into a circle for each team.

Supply each team with a rope circle, rope for each member, tent stake for each member, and 1 hammer.

The goal is to create a sunburst shape of ropes to stakes around the central rope loop, as quickly as possible.

Teams should:

• Tie each rope onto the rope loop using two half-hitches
• Pound each tent stake into the ground in a large circle around the rope loop
• Tie each rope to a tent stake using a taut-line hitch
• Tighten the taut-line hitches to remove all slack from the assembly
• Give patrol yell

You may add a rule that each scout must pound own stake and tie own knot, or allow teammates to work together however they wish.

You could tell the patrols to tie their own rope loop with a square knot.

Score for correct knots (square, half-hitch, taut-line hitch), sturdy tent stake, lack of slack, speed, and geometry of layout (consistent distance of stakes from rope loop and spacing of stakes around circle).