Thanks for starting the thread, it's always helpful to hear of others' experiences.

I try to get my climber sections mostly level, but there have been times when I've gotten to height and the angle was a bit too steep for my taste. I descended, made the adjustment, and went back up. I wouldn't try an adjustment while up. Of course, these 'too steep' situations are usually in trees I've climbed for the first time. If I've been up the tree before I know pretty much where to set the climber.

Re: dropping the pin...yikes!