MudNCrud Forums
Climbing and ... Climbing => Everywhere Else => Topic started by: Brad Young on May 17, 2013, 05:44:43 PM
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This is the third and last of the "back in the day" threads I'll do (the previous same-title threads are much earlier in this part of the forum). I finally had the last of my climbing slides scanned. These cover 2002 to 2005.
I'll have to post up as I can - moving the scans to IPhoto, labeling them, and then loading them to Flickr is slow.
First up: several of you know my good friend Ron Skelton. In September, 2002 we did a week-long trip to the Gunks that was one of the best climbing trips I've done. Those who do know Ron know that he drives hot and fast. So we rented a convertible while we were there:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8415/8749629254_22c9b822de_b.jpg)
Most of the climbing shots from this trip are so-so. But here's a good one of Ron leading the second pitch of the ultra-classic Bonnie's Roof (this is Gunks 5.7 climbing!):
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8268/8749629862_50407efc74_b.jpg)
In May, 2003, Ron and I went to Idyllwild for some great granite. He and I were very proud to (together) onsight Valhalla - the three pitch, classic, 5.11a, Stonemaster's test piece. Here's Ron leading the second pitch:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8128/8749664644_15511fdd21_b.jpg)
We made time on this trip to get out to Joshua Tree to visit our friends Don and Karen Reid. While there, the three of us went out to the Star Wars area so Ron could lead Cedric's Deep Sea Fish Market (5.10d, total sandbag). This climb had spit me off repeatedly; it took until my 10th try over three years before I redpointed it. Ron was very curious about the route (it spit him off too, and it spit Donny out too, although he'd led it before, calling it 5.11a/b). Here is Ron leading it:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8407/8749677680_8a7f2821ba_b.jpg)
And here's one of my favorites from a day that included a lot of laughter: Don and Ron at Star Wars Wall:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8124/8749668020_f741e65436_b.jpg)
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Great series of picts and memories Brad. Never met Don and only briefly met Ron. my impression is Ron is a blast of a partner and friend. Thanks for sharing.
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Thanks, Marc. Yeah, Ron's one of a kind (he and Liz are our daughters' godparents). Don is a great friend and partner too.
The next slides are from an ascent of Bastille Buttress on Lone Pine Peak. Micha Miller and I did this line nearly free in June 2003. We made a grueling, two hour, uphill approach, bivied and then woke up to do 17 pitches and the descent before bivying at the base again. This is a big climb. Here's the buttress from the approach:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8138/8749752150_083acd5b07_b.jpg)
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8132/8748628291_1627e32cfd_b.jpg)
A few hundred feet of lower angle climbing at the base lead straight up on to the face of the Buttress:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8274/8748629025_b1711d0046_b.jpg)
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8402/8749755160_cfae324d6e_b.jpg)
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8255/8749754214_371fff6c96_b.jpg)
There is one "bolt ladder" aid pitch on the route. I led this, although I put "bolt Ladder" in quotes because the ladder basically went bolt, bat-hook hole, bolt, bat-hook hole, repeatedly for a huge length. Oh, and did I mention the fact that many of the aid bolts were 3/16ths inch diameter (for those of you who are math-challenged, that's smaller than a 1/4 inch bolt)? I didn't even know they made 3/16ths inch bolts! The bolts on this pitch have since been replaced (I don't know if I feel good about this or not; since I did it when it was scary as hell, shouldn't everyone else who does the route do it in the same condition?).
Here's Micha, nearing the summit:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8137/8749754386_0cff47ea11_b.jpg)
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Yes Brad, Didn't Harding like to use those 3/16?? I recall them being on Leaning Tower. Heck they were on St Val's Massacre in the Pinns.
Cute little things.
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Cute little things.
NOT what I was thinking when I was aiding on it and the next "placement" down was a hole and then another small bolt below that.
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I'd be having light thoughts then!
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Enjoying the back in the day posts. Will have to enjoy while we can.
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In July 2003 I flew up to Washington to meet Clint. We climbed for a week, starting with the very well know Liberty Crack route on Liberty Bell Mountain. This route is way up in northern Washington:
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2854/8749893427_f096b9c07f_b.jpg)
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8277/8751015294_fdafbc7cf4_b.jpg)
Although this is a mixed free and aid Grade V, we did the route in one long day. Here's Clint at the base:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8275/8749891519_b5d5dae90b_b.jpg)
I got to lead the famous Lithuanian Roof pitch:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3832/8751018514_f478e4552d_b.jpg)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2869/8751018892_cea3fed5f7_b.jpg)
Here's Clint higher on the route:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7388/8749895075_c809c5ee84_b.jpg)
After this climb, we spent the rest of the week climbing in Leavenworth and then at Index Town Wall. One huge treat was being able to go with Clint to the Pashastin Pinnacles near Leavenworth. Clint did some of his very earliest climbing here and I got to repeat routes he'd done as a teenager (I didn't take photos here though - I don't know why).
We did a five pitch route on Snow Creek Wall that is one of the best in the state, the five pitch Outer Space. The route is well know for it's last 300 feet, a straight up, clean, number 2 Camalot-size crack (flawed though in my opinion because it has so many knobs and features next to it):
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3777/8751020636_5ac40fd188_b.jpg)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3677/8749897729_d86ede3f8b_b.jpg)
The route is well into the back country and ends fairly high up:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8539/8751022412_f8a22bbf10_b.jpg)
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The next photos only show some cragging I did with my friend Luc the summer after he finished at the Air Force Academy. They are unusual only in that I'll never be able to climb with Luc again.
From Echo Lakes near Lake Tahoe, Luc on a 5.10c face called Hoser:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7362/8754331008_63e280fc46_b.jpg)
We did a few steep cracks that trip too, including one called The Trooper:
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2824/8753207151_542fa9749d_b.jpg)
Luc never got to climb as much as he'd hoped to in the Sierra. When he was home most of his time went to his family and his wife's. We really enjoyed the time we did get to go out. It sounds like Vicki and the girls and I will be able to do some camping and backpacking with Luc's widow, and with his daughter Serene (although she's still only three months old - not quite ready yet).
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In September, 2003 Dave Harden and I did the route Golden Bear on Bunnell Point, Sonora to Sonora in 23 hours. Bunnell Point is way up-river from Little Yosemite Valley; it's about 7 miles from Yosemite Valley to the base. The route itself is a 17 pitch slab climb, with lots of 5.9 and cruxes up to 5.10b.
We approached by headlamp. It was getting light as we crossed the Merced River to get to the base:
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2876/8754716176_6c71e5c5fa_b.jpg)
The many pitches on this route are long. They include lots of traversing as they follow the lines of least resistance:
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2858/8754712668_6ee8a4080c_b.jpg)
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8534/8754718486_7b45e32abf_b.jpg)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2814/8754720678_290b34e241_b.jpg)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2883/8753598813_0152c7d83b_b.jpg)
If "the best climber" is the "one having the most fun," Harden has always been one of the greatest:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3740/8753591827_d8f7912b3b_b.jpg)
We summitted in late afternoon:
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2872/8754719150_8ae93b5b63_b.jpg)
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Both of my girls loved Luc. Hell, we all did. We didn't get much time with him after he left for the Air Force, but we always had a good time when we got together. Here's Luc spotting Katie while bouldering at Chipmunk Flat (Katie wasn't yet 8 years old):
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7333/8754904624_74ea1364ed_b.jpg)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7367/8754904192_3c94e8e54b_b.jpg)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3812/8754905062_b4c805392e_b.jpg)
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These are of me leading Psycho Funky, a 5.11c crack up at Chipmunk Flat:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7304/8753860101_d41169529b_b.jpg)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3752/8753857721_70e7f98359_b.jpg)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3685/8754981598_514ebf110e_b.jpg)
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What a treat to come home to after a fun weekend at the Pinns.
Terrific Gunks shot.
Luc's upper body is seriously ripped in that Trooper shot!
I love the third shot of that huge wall in the 3rd pic of Golden Bear.
Psycho Funky doesn't even look humanly possible.
thanks for the share!!!
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How was the AAC event John? I stayed home and climbed granite, including a clean lead of a 5.10a offwidth that used lots of muscles!
The next set are from an ascent that Jerome Chin and I did of the East Arete of Mount Humphries. This is only 5.4, but it is a fun and well known route with some nice exposure.
We bivied in the meadow below the peak:
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2809/8755496354_f9148db394_b.jpg)
Here's some of the exposure (not bad for a 5.4):
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3789/8754374955_4215e7d365_b.jpg)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7348/8754375417_f3770d9e82_b.jpg)
I got a little ahead of Jerome on some easy terrain:
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2817/8754370703_c169a83284_b.jpg)
On the summit:
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5346/8754371847_c42d6cd93f_b.jpg)
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Thanks for sharing this Brad....so many years in this game and the memories are almost more important than the experiences.
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Thanks for sharing this Brad....so many years in this game and the memories are almost more important than the experiences.
I'd modify that: the people have become more important than the experiences.
I've been climbing with Harden for nearly 30 years, and with Ron for 23. Robert and I passed our 20 year anniversary of climbing together last year. Dennis and I started climbing together in 1996, which is the same year I started climbing with Jim Lundeen.
Funny thing too; I passed the 30th anniversary of the first time I went climbing and I didn't notice it until a week later. I started on May 9th, 1983, and spent May 9th, 2013 climbing with Gavin at Pinns in what turned out to be a very rewarding and fun day.
Here's the next set. I met Jerome in 2002 when he and I and Dave and Bart (those last two have now been climbing together for 40 years!) did a 14 pitch 5.8 on Mount Winchell in the Palisades. He and I have tried to do one long High Sierra route every year since then. Jerome is 6' 4" inches tall; he's the only person I've ever hiked with who hikes faster than I do (on trail at least - off trail I leave him in the dust).
Our route for 2004 was "the Long and Twisting Rib" on Mount Williamson. Mount Williamson is the second highest peak in California, it's just north of Mount Whitney. The climbing on this route is third, fourth, and very easy fifth class, but there is a hell of a lot of it. In fact, when combined with the hellacious hike up to Shepherd Pass (hardest-to-hike-to pass that is reached from the east side), it is quite an undertaking.
We took a whole day to hike in and bivied near the pass. In the first shot, taken from the hike in, the route can be seen just to the right of me (it goes to the right-most of two pyramids of rock, neither of which is the summit - the summit it to the right). Even approaching the climb from Shepherd Pass took nearly two hours (and we lost hundreds of feet of elevation too):
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7443/8755967336_cbf4a9c108_b.jpg)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2857/8754847227_81da77823b_b.jpg)
Most of the climbing is like this:
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2810/8754846831_494a000f5b_b.jpg)
Although there's some good exposure in a few places too:
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2881/8754847511_7f85fae802_b.jpg)
The summit of Williamson is 10,000 feet higher than the Owens Valley to its east. And, unlike with Mount Whitney, there is one ridge of this mountain that extends from the summit plateau all the way to the valley floor (reputedly the longest climb in the Sierra Nevada). Here's the summit:
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2824/8754853271_d23391de7e_b.jpg)
And here's Jerome with Mount Whitney visible just to the right of him, Mount Russell just above him, and Mount Langley just to the left (all three are 14,000 foot peaks):
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8120/8755973754_d67b27f481_b.jpg)
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How was the AAC event John?
It was fun. I'll work on a TR tomorrow.
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In August, 2004 Dave Harden and I went in to the Minarets hoping to score the first ascent of the 1,000 foot high East Buttress of Rice Minaret. I say "hoping" because Dave and I had at that point a funny history of first ascents in the Minarets. In 1999 we'd hiked 16 miles round trip in a day to try a different first ascent there. We hiked in to the southeast face of Leonard Minaret hoping to be the first to climb that beautiful and, for the Minarets, fairly monolithic face. We did do five pitches of 5.9 on Leonard, and Secor's High Sierra guidebook credits us with the FA, but we may also have done only a first free ascent. On the second pitch of this 1999 climb, as I pulled around an exposed corner into a very thin crack, I found a fixed-in-place knifeblade piton. We suspected someone had done the route before us, or at least part of it. When an almost identical event happened as I led the fourth pitch we had even stronger suspicions that we weren't the first (we'll never know for sure, but Secor did give us the credit).
For Rice in 2004, we hiked in the day before and bivied well above Ediza Lake. Although this was a normal bivy by most standards, it was also the location of the first-ever rock climbing Dave had done back in 1970. He'd been in then to hike up Mount Ritter with his brother and friends. While they were camped, two experienced climbers also hiked up to stage for a climb they were going to do the next day. With extra time that evening, these experienced climbers broke out their ropes on a short cliff and toproped Dave and his crew on their very first rock climbs.
I was quite moved when Dave showed me these same cliffs 33 years later.
Knowing that the Minarets are tricky terrain and that we had a lot of ground to cover, we got an early start:
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2832/8756356778_f7897b30d7_b.jpg)
The Minarets are some of the most broken-up formations in the Sierra. We climbed carefully. Our first three pitches consisted of steep, blocky terrain of up to 5.8 climbing:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8279/8756355318_6f0cc82637_b.jpg)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3677/8755231141_1fabdd9ba0_b.jpg)
Although from a distance our buttress appeared to sweep to the summit at one continuous angle, it actually eased enough after the initial pitches that we coiled the ropes and gained a lot of ground by way of class three and four climbing:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7458/8756353930_5677c39928_b.jpg)
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8558/8755233973_3642601d0f_b.jpg)
We roped up again higher, winding over and around various gendarmes and towers:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3701/8755235137_b8d3eac649_b.jpg)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2824/8756356244_4cacf002b1_b.jpg)
After we summitted Rice we ate lunch and then we bagged the summits of nearby Bedayan and Eichorn Minarets. We then descended to the west and worked our way back through North Notch and returned to camp for one more night:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3719/8756354912_8a4c67af9f_b.jpg)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2824/8754853271_d23391de7e_b.jpg)
I've now summited 10 out of the 19 Minaret summits (Harden has summitted all of them). For anyone thinking of bagging a few of these, here's some closing words of advice: be ready for loose rock and blocks, and for hard route finding. Oh, and "class four" routes there? "Class four" only means that they didn't use a rope on the first ascent - I've been absolutely on route on class four climbs there while doing sustained 5.6 moves.
It's great place.
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Damn you're old.
;)
Those are real treasures - thanks for posting!
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Damn you're old.
Dear Spring Chicken: Yes, there's no doubt that that's true. I am old. But as I look back on life, marriage, family and climbing, I feel like I've made good use of the time. So I don't mind the creaking bones and sore muscles as much as I might otherwise.
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Don't forget the grunting noises when you climb now.
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Don't forget the grunting noises when you climb now.
Damn, now everyone will KNOW you've climbed with me recently. What the hell is with those grunt noises too? They just seem to happen, but I don't recall them when I was younger.
Since my book work has been done I've been working on being able to lead 5.11 cracks again. You wanna hear grunting? Let's go climb burly cracks.
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You wanna hear grunting?
Yeah, it just occurred to me that the answer to my rhetorical question is probably a pretty decisive "no."
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LOL - reminds me of pedaling up a tough climb with a friend who said "I'd love to hear you on the other end of the phone."
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Great pics. I saw the last couple on flickr, and thought the last few looked like a familiar location !
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Yeah, Rob, you've climbed in the Minarets. Any reason you'd disagree with my assessment of the climbing there? It's a cool place, with lots of history, but you've got to climb heads up there more than in most places (Pinnacles is a good training ground for climbing in the Minarets - and vice versa).
Here are a few from the last tray of slides, now into 2005:
The Dawsons have a July 4th climbing get together every year at their cabin at Donner Lake. Here's what I think is a well-composed shot taken at Snowshed Wall:
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2860/8759799757_cfe39de4aa_b.jpg)
Jerome and I joined Dave Harden, Bart and Victor in the summer of 2005 for a double ascent of Banner Peak. Jerome and I repeated Banner's North Arete, a route that Dave had put up twenty-something years earlier, while they did another first ascent on the face to the left. Here's Banner Peak at sunrise - the North Arete is the right skyline of the peak:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7297/8759843861_e9e722c857_b.jpg)
The crew of rogues (well over 100 years of climbing experience in this photo);
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7402/8759851729_72b499fc66_b.jpg)
Jerome following my lead around a gendarme in typical Minarets area rock:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8123/8760981992_4fa128771a_b.jpg)
On the summit with Thousand Island Lake in the background:
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5339/8759848345_f97c02e167_b.jpg)
Looking south past the Minarets:
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2876/8759850707_de5f2acb46_b.jpg)
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Last of the last next, this time back to 2004. Here's a shot I really like of me and two of my heros:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3707/8761694422_0dce98f80e_b.jpg)
And, while not very dramatic or well composed, three shots of historic value. These show our other hero, the host of this site, Mister "he-whose-name-can't-be-typed-on-a-thread," leading/looking for a place to drill on Operation Pinnacles Freedom during its first ascent. In two shots, Mister Munge is shown belaying:
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5337/8760787057_b89b122a4d_b.jpg)
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8416/8761910636_3fb5f8b868_b.jpg)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2859/8761908132_a230196131_b.jpg)
And that's it for slides and it for "back in the day" productions.
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Those ridge exposure pics are really nice.
The Minarets look amazing - have only ever seen them from a distance.
I remember ryhang's TR on them a while back.
Metavolcanics from what I understand - a roof pendant of sorts.
Nice way to finish - back to what looks like some well hardened crud :)
I've looked at OPF from the trail but haven't tried it yet - maybe when we go back up to do Pyramid Pinnacle.
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Yeah, Rob, you've climbed in the Minarets. Any reason you'd disagree with my assessment of the climbing there? It's a cool place, with lots of history, but you've got to climb heads up there more than in most places (Pinnacles is a good training ground for climbing in the Minarets - and vice versa).
I would agree with you, not that I have done as much there in the Ritter range as you have. It is magical scenery, ancient rock and magnificent. Deservedly popular place. I hope to get back in there for some hiking later this summer once my back heals up.
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my contribution.....
(http://ebratton2120.smugmug.com/Photography/Misc-Stuff/i-Bdmr2ct/0/L/15-L.jpg)
I will need to upload some old ones....
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my contribution.....
How about a caption?
What's up with the rope?
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nice photos BY!
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Caption: Mr Mud Climbs another chossy route some place in the bowles of the park.
The rope: Old technique. The belayer pulls the climber up.
I think it was his 1st bolt and the shot was taken from an odd angle.
Note the cheeky cycling helmet.
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Caption: Mr Mud Climbs another chossy route some place in the bowles of the park.
The rope: Old technique. The belayer pulls the climber up.
I think it was his 1st bolt and the shot was taken from an odd angle.
Note the cheeky cycling helmet.
who says cheeky?
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So how do we do a online standing ovation to get you to do an encore?
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Caption: Mr Mud Climbs another chossy route some place in the bowles of the park.
The rope: Old technique. The belayer pulls the climber up.
I think it was his 1st bolt and the shot was taken from an odd angle.
Note the cheeky cycling helmet.
I'm not buyin' it on the rope angle.
Maybe he is starting a route similar to the Monolith situation where there is a drop off from the starting block?
I thought that was a do rag :)
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How's this for a good knowledge of Pinns routes: In that photo Dennis is leading the route "Que Lastima" on The Gargoyle (route number 357 in the book). Factor, is that right?
I have no explanation however for why he clipped the rope upside down, but knowing the route, he's going to continue climbing to the the quickdraw's left side and the the rope will then twist the draw so it flows OK.
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Clipped the way it is so the rope would flow the way I wanted it to and yes you climb off a block.
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Why yes Brad you guessed the right route. To think a year later I went digital!
Why question Mr Mud? He is what we called a professional. Who else would wear a hat like that?
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The real question is who's chalk bag is that?
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It wasn't a guess.
Alright, spill the beans - whose chalkbag?
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I do not know.
So how about the encore?
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Encore? Me or Factor? I have no encore, that's all the slides I've got; they're all scanned and in the computer.
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I don't have much converted. I know there is a CD around, but can't find it.
Consolation.....
Uber on Piedras Bonitas
(http://ebratton2120.smugmug.com/Climbing/Pinns02/i-NDsnKbp/0/L/Lane_piedrasbonitas-L.jpg)
Brad on some climb....
(http://ebratton2120.smugmug.com/Climbing/Pinns02/i-SPdCCn8/0/L/Brad_1-L.jpg)
More of Mr Mud with MY sacred Wild Things chalk bag. Yes, it is sacred!
(http://ebratton2120.smugmug.com/Climbing/Pinns02/i-kCRsnwH/0/L/Strom_Gargoyle_QueLastima_1-L.jpg)
Uber smelling Mr Mud's shoes & belaying...
(http://ebratton2120.smugmug.com/Climbing/Pinns02/i-kgHC3mS/0/L/Gargoyle_LaGrungia_1-L.jpg)
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a Brad encore. Well dig around and find some more.
A F4 encore is fine as well.
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A few to toss in....not so BITD but moreso simply back.
F4 messing around.....needless to say Lava was NOT dry
(http://squiddo.smugmug.com/Climbing/Pinnacles-National-Monument/Pinnacles/i-RLvqxKh/0/L/SAM_0018-L.jpg)
Having fun on Ginger Cracks
(http://squiddo.smugmug.com/Climbing/Red-Rocks-Las-Vegas-NV/Red-Rocks/i-3LmNXD8/0/L/IMG_1131-L.jpg)
and much higher
(http://squiddo.smugmug.com/Climbing/Red-Rocks-Las-Vegas-NV/Red-Rocks/i-mjPTVjt/0/L/IMG_1141-L.jpg)
Photo bomb
(http://squiddo.smugmug.com/Climbing/Red-Rocks-Las-Vegas-NV/Red-Rocks/i-2mNWfkb/0/L/IMG_1126-L.jpg)
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Yep, if you ever wondered what your partner was doing behind you....
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I guess we are not as cute as Brad is in his short shorts....
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I guess we are not as cute as Brad is in his short shorts....
I thought your pic was funny :)
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OK, here's my encore. There follow the best photos I have of one of my favorite climbing partners, and, I might fairly add, a true bad-ass. While it is true that he doesn't climb so much as he used to, Dennis was always the go-to climber for me when I wanted to do something really stupid. Stronger than crap and as stubborn as he was strong, any project seemed to work with him.
I was surprised at how few photos I actually have of him or of us climbing. And then I realized that this is partly because I've been scared shitless on many of the climbs I've done with him, and, as a result either didn't bring or didn't use the camera. I regret this lack of photos now (especially, Dennis, on Wet Denim Daydream, where I was ghost-white scared for days and where Rob came all the way to the top to meet us and help us haul stuff down).
DES belaying at Discovery Wall at a Rock Rendezvous:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3791/8786519897_06ac4c6d3a_b.jpg)
With several of us on top of Genesis at an AAC get together (on SPH):
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7389/8786522205_b109bd4a3b_b.jpg)
First free lead of Grand Delusion, 2001 (maybe a Mungeclimber photo that he gave me copies of?):
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8275/8786504561_16f7221bdd_b.jpg)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2854/8797086472_9912c91981_b.jpg)
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8137/8786514657_cdb5541cae_b.jpg)
Leading The Jungle Slab in 2007:
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5322/8786543369_8e1ff9cc7c_c.jpg)
Leading the first pitch of dark, scary, intimidating Anasazi, in 2006:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7430/8786558221_d8c6c0b2d0_b.jpg)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3774/8786547871_7158b9092e_b.jpg)
Drilling a bolt on the first ascent of Soft Peas, in 2004:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3758/8797139872_558b3c01d3_b.jpg)
Hanging around at the top of the first pitch of Lightning Bolt Crack while belaying Jim or me, also in 2004:
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5453/8797146374_4bd6db13f1_c.jpg)
As I said in an earlier post, he's one of my heros.
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What can we say...he gets out a lot.
Another one from '04 when we put chains on Lava falls and rebolted a few bolts on Hook and Drill...
(http://ebratton2120.smugmug.com/Climbing/Pinns02/i-vtRzxpv/0/L/P1010026-L.jpg)
Yes, he is a great partner. Truly the real deal.
May he never shave!
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Yes, he is a great partner. Truly the real deal.
May he never shave!
Do you remember when he had that surgery that involved his cheek? For months he'd be out there climbing hard with a hole in his damn cheek; and the hole actually leaked. It was a good thing that he had a beard then.
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Grand Delusion
First lead December 01...
(http://www.stanford.edu/~clint/pin/del13.jpg)
Not sure who that other fellow is.
(http://www.stanford.edu/~clint/pin/del45.jpg)
(http://www.stanford.edu/~clint/pin/del68.jpg)
Photos by Munge
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Just took a break from work and checked into the site. Kinda embarrassed by all the pics of yours not so truly. Thanks for putting them up though since I had forgotten some of that stuff. What the sam hill is up with the helmet. Did not realize I had used one so much since they kinda throw off the balance. Thanks all for the kind words I appreciate them even though we do know that it is just vicious lies and slander.
@F4, very quotable line there for Brad. I know I will never be a sexy as Brad in his short shorts but hey I feel good knowing I am a much more handsome devil than everyone else.
@Brad, that shot of me belaying on Lightning Bolt Crack is trippy almost looks Photoshopped. The green lichen is cool.
That shot of Jungle Slab, jeepers did not even know I did that route… Where is it? Lol
I also never knew I led Grand Delusion in a yellow helmet. That had to have made it a grade to harder plus what’s up with all that gear?
That cheek episode sucked.
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That was my yellow helmet you were wearing - I think my photos are of a lead attempt on the day all your gear fell off your motorcycle (you borrowed a bunch of our gear). Maybe Rob's photos are of the actual lead?
Jungle Slab faces the Balconies Caves Trail well out past the caves themselves. It was one of the first "found" routes after the book came out. That's Phil Keller belaying you. You and I and he did both variants that day (crappy route indeed).
And my view of shorts is identical to your view of rating climbs: my shorts aren't short, you're all wrong and I'm right ("DES" stand for Dennis Erik Sandbag). ;D
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Well I glad we can all agree that I am right
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And my view of shorts is identical to your view of rating climbs: my shorts aren't short, you're all wrong and I'm right ("DES" stand for Dennis Erik Sandbag). ;D
food for thought....short shorts
(http://squiddo.smugmug.com/Climbing/Joshua-Tree/Joshua-Tree-Dec-2009/i-KtdX4Jc/0/XL/IMG_0620-XL.jpg)
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Well I glad we can all agree that I am right
Hey, what ever happened to the good old "die?" Are you getting soft in your 50s? You haven't told anyone to die in a long time.
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DIE
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There he is!! ;D
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Well the magic phrase used to be "Sport Climber"...
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Well the magic phrase used to be "Sport Climber"...
Things change E
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what's the old saying bears never change, they just hibernate??
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Brad, I especially like the Becky Route on Lone Pine. I spent a night above it long ago and strolled over to peek down. Scared me spitless. Thanks for sharing all these!
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Great stories and better photos. Brad, I like that you still climb with your first partners, but more importantly that the human element is number one.
My first roped climb was at Tahquitz in 1976. A friend of a good friend was telling me that if I like peakbagging so much in the High Sierra, I should try a rope. A bunch of us 17-19 year olds were driving to the Eastside and third and fourth classing the big peaks on the weekends. So I go to Tahquitz, 20 pound Lowa's on my feet, follow him on Angels Fright in a snowstorm in October. Wow, I'm hooked. Next weekend Swiss Arete on Sill with him and my high school buddy. The following week I buy some RR's, and so it began.
I still climb with both those guys. My friend from high school and I climb together a few times a year. He can still climb hard, I can hardly climb. But through it all, when I am asked about favorite climbs, trips or whatever, I always tell my inquisitor it's about the camaraderie first. First the laughs, incredibly heavy meals carried way too far up the trail, and pretty much all the bullshit chatter. Second, the beauty of where any climb or hike might be. Here in CA, you're always in heaven when rockclimbing, even if it's Stoney Point. And last but not least is the summit or the climb itself, nice little icing on the cake.
A newer bonus in the great circle of life is my son leading me up climbs I probably would not get in front of anymore. I have learned to accept the role of belayer without any problems, something I wasn't too good at many years ago.
BTW, reading your posts left me with a question for you. Where in the states have you not climbed?
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it's about the camaraderie first
And so it is.
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Beer?
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Topangalizard (who might or might not be old),
Thanks for the comments and for your own stories.
Do we know your son? Does he post here? Where do you and he get together to climb? Is a trip report from you in order?
My older daughter Katie isn't leading me up stuff, but she's told/asked me to help her do some serious work on placing gear and making anchors this summer. I'm looking forward to that.
As for climbing outside California, I've never thought of myself as one who's done much outside our state. A couple week-long trips to New York, and a few to Washington, together with some time in Colorado and a little in Arizona, and that's it. Well, aside from Red Rocks that is.
I agree that the camaraderie becomes more and more important as time goes on, although F4 has a point in that an occassional beer is nice too ;)
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Although they are not scanned slides, I downloaded to Flickr some of my very first digital climbing shots. They're from 2006; not exactly "back in the day," but getting there. And these shots include my friend and long-time climbing partner Hope Wolf.
Hope and I linked up in October, 2006 to do a route on Middle Cathedral Rock called The Flakes. This is an old route, and an old-school route. The climber must have excellent route-finding skills to get up this (really, really good skills). And excellent gear placing skills to do it safely. And the 5.8 rating? Amusing at best. Sections of solid 5.9 on more than one pitch. But hey, 5.8, 5.9, who cares. Hope and I had a great Autumn day on this one.
Getting going from the Valley floor:
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3921/14396680603_17253d1785_c.jpg)
Very tricky pro among lots of thin flakes:
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3898/14375573054_426db38d6e_c.jpg)
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3914/14190079047_7e6cd13ca9_c.jpg)
Hope's a YMS guide and she's super solid. The route needed great care in setting anchors. It also gets way off the Valley floor:
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3896/14396683553_b4e0bd4dd7_c.jpg)
It goes up and then generally left, and then right, eventually exiting into the gunsight. One rightward traverse in particular was steep and very improbable (and a long pitch when it was done):
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3880/14376183875_94397e6caf_c.jpg)
In fact, most of the pitches were long:
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5503/14372852861_e895459d6e_c.jpg)
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3835/14353096706_39ee5400b3_c.jpg)
Anyway, another great day; camaraderie, good rock, fine, fine California weather, and an adventure.
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Message-Id: <339DB954.52BFA1D7@acuson.com>
Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 13:30:12 -0700
Organization: ACUSON
X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01 (X11; U; SunOS 4.1.4 sun4c)
Subject: trip report
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
For some reason it seems whenever I plan a trip work gets busy.
Last Friday was no exception and at 5.03 I find myself driving down
Middlefield road at approximately 60 miles per hour trying to get to
the computer store before they close at 5:00. I'm not quite done at
work but I'm beginning to finish up all last hour details so I can
begin the migration. 6:45 I am on the road I leave a few loose ends
behind but oh well what to do last night I got about 4 hours and I
want to get some sleep. The plan is to meet Brad of Sonora at the
pull out for Sentinel at 6:00 am, then do the Flying Buttress and drive
back home so I can hang out Sunday. The only bad thing about doing the
Friday migration is not being able to use the carpool lane.
It seems every trip has something different about it, the views, the
people, the route themselves, the descents, this time I think it was
vegetation or possibly loose blocks in wide cracks.
Brad and I hooked up at about 6:15 left about 7:15 and arrived back
at the rigs at 9:15 fairly good time. The route starts out with a
difficult 5.10 crack that is a bit flared and a bit mungy and I think
it sets the tone for the rest of the climb. The book says 12 pitches
we did it in 11. I think it would go in 10, and the last pitch is a
hike. The most appropriate way to rate this climb would be a1 b2. The
rating isn’t as in bouldering but as in bush. All the aid pitches that
I did could probably be freed by a good climber or aided easily by us
mortals if it wasn’t for the incredibly stubborn bushes, and half the
pitches had something wide on them nothing super hard but inevitably
the would be a chock stone from the size of a bowling ball to the size
of a kitchen stove that was sitting in it with a contact spot on each
side about the size of a Powerbar. I think a person could really have
a good time trundling.
It was a fairly quick day and the sunset on the way down was great.
The thing I didn't really enjoy on the trip back was it seemed everybody
was driving with their high beams on. Whether they were behind or in
front most everybody had their high beams on until they were 50 yards
away it didn’t matter if the road had curves or if it was straight and
in the middle of the flat lands. Oh well it was worth it and it was
great to be in the valley again after over six months. I haven’t climbed
in a lot of places but for me, there is definitely something awesome
about it. After Brad led the second pitch to just below the cleaver,
a long difficult OW, I just had to let out a whoop.
DES
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Wow, there's a blast from the past, where'd that come from?
That was an excellent day; Flying Buttress Direct on Sentinel Rock, a Grade V in a day.
My overriding memory of that one is leading the "5.7" wide crack sections (which you describe in your trip report). At least Layton Kor called them 5.7. I about busted a gut on those. The new Yosemite Big Walls guidebook calls that section 5.9+, which is about right.
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was going through some old files in my mostly unused UNIX account. Those old emails are so nice since they are text files. will dig through when I have some time and post up a few more.
Those are definitely 5.7. "All of those Big Wall Guys" are soft when it come to free climbing. Especially climbing absolutely anything wide.
8)
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Nice!
"Brad of Sonora"
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Here’s one from a Rostrum Trip with Clint. No Ethics, A Tale of the Unworthy ( me not Clint ).
Well after tweaking a couple of tendons and taking about a month off
I figured it was time to get off the couch and do some climbing. I
called Clint and he was up. The original plan was to go up both
days but work decided I should go for only a day. We were originally
going to leave early Saturday but since I was playing around
with bikes up around Marin we ended up leaving around 10:30 PM.
Sunday morning seemed to come all too early. 7:30 AM found us heading
down to the base. The lower pitches went well. The seep on the
first pitch was minor. Clint dispatched this quickly and even
managed to hang on when he had a bit of a slip. I ran the
2nd and 3rd and managed to get the pass on a some Brits hauling
a pack. On one hard section I yarded on a piece just to save
time. The hand crack on the 3rd pitch is just stellar and I
managed to climb this with one piece. Of the lower pitches the
4th is my favorite. Ya lie back around a roof the go up a
hand crack to a steep corner then pull up onto the midway ledge.
Not real hard just lots o fun. Off the ledge is the 11c
finger crack. I almost pulled it without a taint. But in
the crux there is a pin where there would be and actually is
a good smear. The pin makes it a bit better. Clint followed
clean. Then lead the next pitch to below the 10d layback.
The 10d layback has always been the mental crux for me and I
was stoked to pull through this without to many problems. There
was plenty of shaking and wobbling but that went on during the
whole climb so I will not really get into that part of it.
Next was the 10c face to the 10a OW. This pitch is just hard
I solved the 10c travers with a pendo and then dispatched the
10a OW by yarding on a cam. If you do this climb bring a
4.5 Camelot. All we brought was a 5 and it was too big in
many places. I almost went for a 20ft wipper when it popped
while I was yarding on it. After stabilizing I still could
not figure out what kept me on or should I say in the crack.
The next pitch is the 11b hand crack. I had a taint at the
bottom because I just did not see the hold then pumped out the
the very end and yarded the last 5 feet into the cave.
Clint pulled this pitch off without too much of a problem but
I think he was fairly pumped since it took him a minute or
two to clip into the anchors. The final pitch went without
much problem. It is not that hard. We were both glad to
get on top and make the quick hike over to the packs so
to get some water. My strategy was not to take any water
and just two food bars to save weight and to motivate for
speed. We had planned on doing Waverly Wafer after but the
lack of sleep and water, mainly sleep help us to decide to
just head for home.
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Any day topping the Rostrum is a good day.
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the good, the bad
5 June 04
My best day of bouldering at Castle. Possibly ever. On the
Maggo boulders I got The Magoo Face, The 2 5.11 traverses,
and the arete. On the beak I got beak from sit, beak from
traverse, and the traverse, PL I got tree twice and traverse.
Plus some warm ups.
-----------------------------------
8 June 04
Mtb ride on long ridge. I was sucking and riding in the back
as everyone was passing me.
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The Flakes is now on my list!