On Sun, 26 Aug 2012 08:53:01 -0700, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

If you're not sure of yourself, throw a heavy climbing rope (11mm) over
the top of the roof and down to the ground on the opposite side.
Tie it to a tree or something that will take your weight. Borrow a sit
harness (not just a belt) and tie yourself in. If you can't handle the
knots, get a rescue ascender/descender

Funny you should mention the rope.

I bought a 100' length from the local surplus store on Winchester, along
with a harness. When I bought it, I had thought the harness was a
climbing harness - but it was actually a 'safety' harness.

Also, I was wondering HOW to anchor the rope at the top - but I had not
thought about just throwing it over the house. That's a GREAT idea!

I'm not sure what the ascenders are for because I was planning on
climbing the ladder with the rope tied to me just in case I fell.

I guess you're intimating I don't need the ladder ... and, well, it 'is'
steeply sloped so that might not be a bad idea.