pope

Much as I hate to see protection bolts added to an old climb, or placed on rappel in the name of creating a "lead", belay bolts seem a little different. On a long climb, if you've run out of gear and pull into the belay without the #0 TCU and Big Bro required to set the anchor, you're options are limited. Most people on a long climb will set up a shitty anchor and take their chances. Their partner might not even be aware of the fact that a real belay doesn't exist! That's bullshit. THE BELAY MUST NOT FAIL. These considerations, together with the fact that in a retreat, bolted stations make things practical (or in some cases, even possible), I'm not quite as offended by the addition of a sound belay anchor. I've given this a lot of thought. On my last trip to J-Tree, I was impressed by how many of the short climbs have no top anchor. When you summit, you've got to set something up. If you can't find the right anchor, you can always haul it up. What's impressive is the way the climbers down there have respected the natural environment; you can get up on a climb and experience the rock from top to bottom the way it must have been thirty years ago, the way it still is fifteen miles from the road! Outer Space...well, I'm not sure I want to see belay bolts up there when the belays are so easy to get. And most of the critical ones have some kind of bush or something for additional security.

Pencil Meister, One of the guys who placed the bolts does check in to this site, although I don't think he posts. When the bolts went in, as I'm sure you're aware, a post titled "Bolt Mania" solicited opinions about this action, and a request was made for the bolters to explain their need to bolt DDD. I think Retro went about this in the right way. How do we decide which bolts are legitimate? One way to do it is look at the tradition of the area. Castle Rock has not suffered at the tip of a drill bit, and many of the people who climb there seem to prefer it this way. Given that so much sport climbing now exists within a ten minute drive of the Castle, maybe we could leave this chunk of rock alone. Your consideration of these suggestions is appreciated.

Pope's going to be in the library. There's even a chance he'll be in Leavenworth.

Slappy Happy: Does it bother me that a guy living in Portland would drive to Leavenworth to chop a route? Answer: Considering the route, considering that Castle Rock has been relatively free of this cowardly form of "climbing", considering that the bolters have had months to come out with their side of the story, and considering that I happen to know they only consulted a small group of sympathetic climbers prior to their act....IT BOTHERS ME THAT THE BOLTS SURVIVED THIS LONG, THAT SOMEBODY FROM PORTLAND HAD TO COME UP HERE AND SET AN EXAMPLE FOR THE ROCK RAPERS WHO CONTINUE TO SHIT ALL OVER LEAVENWORTH ROCK. All of you who feel upset, who feel like we really needed another line of bolts to clip in Leavenworth...you are invited to top-rope the route. You will find the experience to require similar skills and offer parallel rewards to sport-dogging your way up a bunch of bolts. That way, everybody wins.

Retro et al, You know where I'm at on this. You've done the community a true service, and you don't have to apologize for your self-satisfaction. CHOPPING IS THE ANSWER. Otherwise, with retro-bolters surveying only a sympathetic sample of climbers prior to their culpable acts, and when they remain anonymous after the fact, and when they fail to respect the tradition of one of Washington's last, great natural cliffs.....there can be no other response. Without the response to this particular retro-bolting project, Castle Rock would have been seen as wide-open to futute route engineering, and I think we'd all lose. I know the guys who did the project, and they really do have vast experience and good intentions. That they don't see it the same way as those of us opposed to their project is unfortunate, but they are otherwise level-headed, rational guys who will hopefully let the issue drop. Victor, I can appreciate that you'd like to see Leavenworth climbers approaching these issues a little harmoniously, but as I said before, many people are PISSED about the amount of iron being screwed into Leavenworth granite. I'd still like to know how you came up with the notion that Jim Yoder approved the retro-bolting of The Edge of Wart Wall? He told me a week ago that he was unaware that the route had been "improved". Imabone: Do you think you'll be able to find any other bolts to clip?

Freak, the Gunsmoke Man, for whom this Gunsmoke Effect has been coined, is a guy you know around town. I saw him hook up two saucy little numbers in the matter of 15 minutes. Impressive. I'm certain there is something to this!

Got a buddy who's got that J-tree traverse so wired he can do laps until it's time for dinner. He hangs around camp watching for a car full of gals heading toward Barker Dam, then he saunters down there and works his magic, offering beta, soliciting complements. Yesterday, I was putting in some laps on Classic Crack, which at 5.8, is probably not going to spit me off. Who knows. Anyway, these babes show up with boys in tow, and one of them starts to tell me how impressed she was that I'd solo up and down the thing, even though she was pretty sure that impressing people wasn't my goal. She said this right in front of her boy friend...which might have been construed as a solicitation in my younger days. In fact, I've met a couple of broads this way, just showing off. Once, I soloed a ridge on the Haystack on Mt. Si, and this gal moved in for the kill. Another time, I did a respectable job on a Squamish Climb (Tack and Blockle, or something), and this gal started demanding my phone number. Gentlemen, I'm a pretty goofy-lookin'guy, which makes me wonder, is there anything to the "Gunsmoke Effect"?

Lisa, At least a couple of broads think I fall into that category, but, like so many other women, you'll just have to manage your disappointment when I tell you that I'm happily married and not really looking for a back-steppin' Belay Betty. By the way, I'd probably let you buy me a couple of drinks. You would probably be allowed to prove to me how hot you are, but you'd have to respect my personal space and not attack me...now matter how difficult that might be for you.

Hey Lisa! From your protest I would gather that logically only one of the three following statements can be true: 1. Lisa is heavy girl who would not wear Lickra, as she believes that no heavy girl should. 2. Lisa is a nicely proportioned girl who may not wear Lickra, but she wouldn't feel guilty about sportin' around Index in a Spandex unitard. 3. Lisa is a heavy girl who hypocritically wears Lickra, but who nevertheless feels heavy girls should not. 4. Almost forgot this one: Lisa is a boy, and that's why she cares about what women do in the first place! Have I covered all the possibilities, and may I ask, which is closest to the truth? Are you hot? Are you heavy? Both? When ever I sneak out to the crag these days, I'm amazed at how my eyes play tricks on me. More than a few times, the pony tail and petite hips which first catch my eye, I find after closer inspection, happen to be attached to a boy! In fact, I once whistled at a blond gal up on Japanese Gardens who was climbing with T-shirt Rich, and it turned out to be a guy I know named Steve! Not to mention the increasing number of jar heads carrying big packs who, come to find out, aren't men. Anyway, I generally don't have a problem with Spandex. It's not really functional, but I suppose the really bright varieties like we used to wear back in the 1980's could assist a rescue team trying to find your butt. The only problem I had with Lycra was that you never felt comfortable walking into the Index Tavern without first pulling a pair of Levi's over top.

quote: Originally posted by viktor: sorry, but you're out of luck on the Edge. Yoder originally led this onsite (impressive) but couldn't drill til he did the crux. These were pretty funky bolts, too. In fact, when he came back years later with his girlfriend she popped off and decked, breaking her ankle. He talked to Briody about it and Gordon retroed it. I ran into Jim today, and he was completely unaware that this route had been "retroed". One of his old girlfriends did fall off the route, but she completed several more climbs the same day. When I told Jim of my intentions to restore this route, he said, "Do a nice job."

Hike like a puss from the get-go, and when your pathetic performance seems to suggest success is out of reach, your buddy will eventually offer to carry some of your gear. Also, the goal is really to minimize the sum of your weight and your pack's weight. Try Dexatrim. Try losing the five ear studs and trendy sport-climber's jewelry. Try taking a crap and a leak BEFORE you start the approach...why would you want to carry that terd a thousand feet higher just to soil the alpine meadows, when you could leave it at the trailhead? Regarding the problem of staying hydrated, when fluids weigh so much and when mountain streams can make you "regular" beyond belief (at which point you're not regular, you're "continuous"): I've got this deal going with my climbing buddy where, if we get stranded on a wall without fluids, and if it gets to the point where we have to drink our urine, and if he runs out first.....well, he can drink mine BUT HE MUST USE A CUP! [This message has been edited by pope (edited 07-13-2001).]

The tunnel? Could be just about anything, couldn't it? Miles Mellough knew what it was all about...he offered to tell, but his price was too high. He was hinting around 'bout some kind of germ formula that a guy named Wormwood lost his life tring to conceal. I couldn't see where he was going with this, but he also mentioned some guy named Freitag, some guy whose family made bugspray. That's right, Freitag..makes noise like a leader. Got a lot of money but doesn't like to talk about it. Ist das kein Moglichkeit, dass Karl fur die Ubermensch im Indexischen Bergloch arbeitet? A more likely theory is that the Kennedy estate, in appreciation for Brother Jim's historic Everest climb, and as a caution against further attempts by Castro at embarassing our great nation's elite families, is preparing a final resting place for Lou's unit. Think about it...where are they going to put that thing? [This message has been edited by pope (edited 07-05-2001).]

Yeah, that's the question. You fellows approve? Obviously, natural is better, other variables being equal. But what if they're not quite up to par? Would you encourage your woman to have the job done, say you had a couple of extra gran sitting around? And if this question causes you great ethical concerns, how might these issues parallel the creative efforts of sport climbers to "improve" a cliff, with bolts and buckets and pockets? Do similar arguments apply, or is there an appreciable difference here?

My brother went to school with a guy whose friend once saw Scott Franklin's girlfriend down at Smith Rock.

Olympia: good enough for Jonathan Hemlock, good enough for me. By the way, what's with this rumor that Coors products are Klan beer? I once met a beautiful black girl whom I could barely convince to drink Keystone, even though it was ice cold and it was 20 miles back to Oakley. She came to her senses, however, and enjoyed a sixer with me after I promised never to drink a coors product again....an easy promise to keep.

Stubborn turd, inertial terd, jammed log, whatever. Sit on a wedge of cheese (Swiss, Fromage, Gargonzola, or Fromunda), then swallow a rodent. That'll do ya. DWAYNER: I'll be somewhat unavailable for the next few weeks. Subsequent to allowing myself to think lecherous thoughts about Katie Brown's twin at the climbing gym, I've assigned myself five weeks of seclusion and fasting at the convent of The Order of the Sisters of Perpetual Discipline.

Uhhhh....money well spent?

Sherman Exposed.....I can't climb anything over 25 feet, but smaller is better (that's what the girl at the picnic told me), and I think I'd like to do the Eiger. Rock Jocks, Wall Rats and Hang Dogs.....I may be stupid but I can lift heavy things. Although I'm no longer a player, I've got plenty to say, and if you get the impression I'm the last American hero, then my literary contribution met its objectives. Lou Whitaker: Memoirs of a Mountain Guide....I followed my brother Jim out of the womb, and I've hated standing in line ever since. I particularly enjoy getting out of these old woolies 'cause I'm a mountain guide: I take care of myself and I'm proud of my body.

Hey, maybe somebody else should run Confessional! In fact, I'm feeling particularly guilty today, as I visited a climbing gym last evening. Not that there is anything wrong with visiting a gym, but a couple of funny and somewhat embarassing things happened. For example, I got caught gawking at somebody who resembled (you guessed it) Katie Brown. Thought I was immune to such temptations, being Pope and all. Then, whilst scrambling around on a bit of overhanging..uh.....plywood, I actually experimented with one of these moves I saw in Hot Clips or Hot Chicks, or something like that, and then I realized why those guys get paid $100. I'm thinking that figure four move (figure five?) would be useful next time I've got a stubborn turd.

You want Confessional to close? For the summer? For good? Then where will I turn? What then will be MY hope? Am I condemned to a life of choosing wankers as my role models? [This message has been edited by jkassidy (edited 06-24-2001).]

Another one of these statements that are fun to extrapolate: SPORT CLIMBING EXISTS. IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, IGNORE IT. Now, replace "sport climbing" with any of the following: clear cutting, auto theft, some guy screwin' your wife, etc. You want me to accept what is acceptable to you. Sounds easy enough. THINK BEYOND YOUR SPHERE, BUDDY. Good bolt, bad bolts: a belay anchor/rappel anchor, due to its practical applications, is less objectionable. Yet, I wouldn't want to see them all the way up a work of art like Orbit or Outerspace.

Hard to explain, why I don't like bolts. They're ugly. They represent man's domination over wilderness. They represent the diminishment of adventure, the lowering of a mountain's defenses so that mediocre climbers have access. I don't like bolts for the same reason I don't want a road built up the side of Mt. Rainier. I like wilderness. Bolts have a place: when you're on the lead, trying to climb a face, doing everything you can to squeak in gear, facing certain death if you don't drill...then I suppose you've got a right to drill. Then, you're meeting the mountain on its terms and offering a piece of your tail in the balance. Without this ethic, bolts can and do get place on any and every cliff by just about everybody who can afford a drill and the electricity to charge the batteries. What you get is shit. I like my mountains and my "wimin" natural. Thanks for caring.

BUSTED!!! Dwayner/Donna in Spain, spraying from the same computer? It's true. I called Dwayner to inquire about the sit-start possibilities around Madrid, and in the background, I heard the unmistakable voice of Donna asking, "Who the fu@k is calling at this hour?" I didn't realize how late it was on the Continent, but anyway, apparently Iain, the rat-faced Limey had gambled away all of Donna's travel money on a "football" match (Liverpool vs. Barcelona), then dropped Donna for a chance at belaying Jerry Moffat on his come-back tour of Southern European crags. Point is, Donna needed internet access so she could counter my "slanderous" anecdotes from the Cirque Expedition, and she asked Dwayner for a place to crash until the flight back State-side, threatening to disclose the details of their relationship to the numerous (23?) babes Dwayner happens to be swinging currently. Dwayner....already buying Donna's line of shit. Heh heh. This is where things get rich. She's going to smother the guy, but he won't be able to cut her loose, 'cause she doesn't let go of her men so easily. Thank God he's the focus of that psychotic Donna's obsession.

I suspect people won't join my cause, but a significant number of people have similar feelings. My point is that enjoyment per se is not justification for permanently damaging a public resource, and that those who would engage in this are valuing their personal gratification over wilderness preservation, over respecting a limited resource and those who wish to keep it natural. Again, I don't expect people to come join "my" cause, but I would like people to think before taking this construction-zone approach to "traditional" cliffs. That's what would seem to make sense for everybody on either side of this argument.

JBlakely, You may wish to read more carefully before pointing out (imaginary) holes in my logic. My purpose was to provide examples of things that many people find objectionable, to demonstrate that ignoring something offensive just because it exists is ridiculous. I'm not blowing up any abortion clinics buddy, just bitchin' about bolts. The suggestion that I'll be happy if I stay away from Exit 38....you haven't been out to Castle Rock lately.