A knowledge and mastery of tying knots is essential for anyone who spends time in the outdoors. And, sure, when faced with certain tasks that require knot-tying, you might be able to get away with ...

A version of this story ran in The Virginian-Pilot on Sept. 14, 2005. Hurricane or no, we’re in for a blow. Time to start thinking about how to secure the woodpile or lash the garbage cans to a tree.

Knots: they attach us to ropes, connect slings to trees, substitute for dropped gear, secure tents, create belay anchors. Like the Force, knots surround us, protect us, and bind our galaxy together.

Learn three different ways to tie a bowline, the King of Knots. We will show you how to tie a bowline knot diagram. The bowline (pronounced bo-lin) is the single most important knot for all outdoors ...