Since it looks like a lot of people are enjoying this thread and the info contained inside about safety and the proper way to hang a stand, I thought I'd add this pic today... In it, you'll be able to see probably the safest way to position your stand in relation to your last climbing stick. This is my fourth stick, and I'm still probably 19 - 20 feet off the ground in this pic.



You can see that after I lower my bow, it's a simple matter of stepping onto the stick at the same level, and I can grab the top two steps with both hands as I begin my descent.