UKC

I want to rig up a pair of gymnasts' rings over a branch.

The branch is high up, but I can reliably throw a rope over (or more than one).  Due to the shape of the tree I can't tie off the rope to the trunk.

I have an adjustable daisy (only the one).  Is there a way to rig it so that I can haul the rings to just-out-of-reach, use it and then retrieve the whole lot?

I've managed to release the adjustable daisy with a tag line over the branch, but can't find a way to get the ring locked at the right level or manage two rings off the single set up.

Variations on a theme depending on whether you throw one rope over or two.

Throw the rope over.  Tie a loop in the thrown end around the other hanging side (or clip a krab into the loop and clip that to the hanging side).  Tie a length of strongish string to the loop (krab) and haul on the hanging end so that you now have a slip knot around the branch.  Fix one ring to this.  Repeat, and fix the daisy and ring to the second rope.  Use the daisy to adjust the height to get them level.  Pull on the strings to get it all back down again

If you're throwing once, throw the middle over and tie the loop in the centre of that.

The easy way to get a rope over a high branch is to tie a good sized adjustable spanner to a piece of string and throw that over, and use the string to pull the rope over.

Stand on a chair, tie it

If you don't have an adjustable spanner you might consider a spanner

Adjustable spanners have a nice big ring at the end to tie the string to, and all the weight up the other end.  Eminently chuckable  Indeed, the preferred object to throw to assist in measuring the width of a river, if that's something you need to do..... 

The minimalist in me suggests tying it to the gymnast ring

But where's the excitement in that?  Half the fun is dodging a heavy object that's coming clattering out of a tree.  

Many things are possible with a clip stick

Spanners? Pah!
Any self respecting climber would make and use a Monkey's Fist in 5mm cord.

 Thanks, but unless I've misunderstood you, I don't think that works - it leaves the ring too low.

Set up a permanent ground anchor, chuck the ropes over the branch and tie/adjust to the ground anchor?

Just to check I have all the facts:

1. You're a climber 
2. You want to put a rope over the branch of a tree

Did I miss anything?

I can get the rope ove rhte branch easily.  what I can't do is then pull th ering up to a height that's just out of reach (so I have to bob up to grab the bottom of it) and lock it there...and be able to get the whole lot back afterwards.

Is there some other aspect to this problem we're not being told about?

Take a large maillon, tie your rope to it. Throw over the branch. Put your rope through the maillon, and tie a retrieval cord to the maillon. Pull your rope back so the maillon ends up at the branch. When you need to go home, pull the retrieval cord.

Or, climb the tree, tie the rope, use rings. Climb the tree untie the rope...

Have you considered a BEAL Escaper?

If you replace the maillon with an adjustable spanner you might not even need a retrieval cord

You beat me to the sarcastic comment. In answer to the op, unless there's something we're not understanding it sounds like a simple problem to overcome. The easiest would presumably be to throw a rope over so both ends are dangling down, stand on a chair and tie a ring to each end of the rope at the desired height. The retreivable abseil method described above would also work and you'd have the bonus of throwing a spanner around.

That leaves the ring much lower: as the rope from branch to maillot gets shorter, the ring gets lower

I'm trying to do it simply without carrying chairs and ladders to places.  The issue I that all the retrievable tie offs leave the other end (the one withe the ring) too low

To make the problem clearer:

Ground is at 0

I can reach up to (say) 2.25m

Branch top is at 4m and bottom at 3.75m

Ring is 0.25 diameter and I want the base at 2.5m up.

If I do the maillon trick (like a retrievable abseil), the highest I can tie off the ring is the top at 2.25 and bottom at 2m - too low.

I can make one ring ok by putting the adjustable daisy inthe system at half length (so I can reach the end of the tape to pull it shorter.)  That gets me to base of one ring at about 2.3.  But I can't do the other one.

And carting chairs, ladders, cherry pickers, a mates shoulders, tame Griffons, hovver packs, or the like, isn't the answer.

Fix the rings on with prussics?

Tie each ring to an end of a rope, tie a 2m piece of string to each ring, throw one ring over branch, pull strings to level rings.

If the height of the branch is 4m and you want the rings at 2.5m off the ground then you want them 1.5m below the branch on either side. So tie your rings in the middle of a piece of rope at least 8m long with 3m in between each ring and chuck it over, pull on the loose ends to adjust them level?

If I do the maillon trick (like a retrievable abseil), the highest I can tie off the ring is the top at 2.25 and bottom at 2m - too low.

How good are you at gymnastics, done any Silks?

Or you could just wait for the tree to grow 25cm?

As Andy Hardy says: Do Mallion trick, use prusiks and sling to step in so you can get higher. Then fix rings with prusiks?

Dear God, you're making this hard for yourself.  If it's only got to be just out of reach, all you need is a box or a log to stand on to give you a ring's worth of extra reach.  Alternatively just tie each ring to opposite ends of a single piece of rope and chuck one over the branch.  They won't be fixed, but the friction should be enough to keep them in place without too much additional effort.

Ahhh. Got to love UKC.

How about throwing rope end over a branch, pulling a lot over, pass one side through fig 8 on bight and pull tight  against branch (ie like retrievable single rope ab) , tie one or more fig 8s in the side that can't be pulled down, climb rope using these as hand and foot holds and set up daisy over branch with the 2 rings at correct height. 

Variations possible....you could probably climb this retievable rope and with a slack rope end clip or tie rings at correct length using knots on bight  ie don't need daisy, and possibly not even krabs though less convenient.  At end climb back up loops to release rings.

Or more likely I've completely failed to understand the problem!