billcoe

Bingo, it's all about controlling you, the user, and ensuring that they have these bullshit make work government jobs in the future. We should simply sidestep all this bullshit by firing them now and encouraging them to get real jobs and do real, (as opposed to government make work)work. Thats my thoughts.

Came today: stiffest rope EVER. Well, at least since the big wall Chouinards that the were making extra stiff for jugging back in the late 70s-early 80's. My opinion anyway. I'll be out at the Butte tonight if anyone wants to fondle it, it is a pretty blue color. I will most likely only be using it to fix for cleaning new routes at The Far Side, Jimmies, Bill's Wall, Lemolo Point, Granite and Cathedral. Be perfect for it. Lemolo is a Chinook word for Stone. There, ya learned something new.

Schweet, if we ever climb together lets use your rack Nate! Good point there on the price of gas though. If I was broke I'm sure I'd look at it differently. Folks should always offer to replace it in my view, and the partner can be magnanimous if they want based on their attitude, individual finances and gear stock or what the piece was or it's age and condition. Haven't dropped anything that wasn't mine for a long time as I usually use my rack anyway, and I don't stress when someone else drops my stuff cause it happens so rarely. Ujahn led a pitch and way overcammed a brand new #4 4th gen Camalot: stuck solid in one of the Epinephrine chimney spots last time we did it. He was saying several times "I knew I overcammed it, I'll get you a new one" and I was saying each time "Nah, it's OK" as I was working on it for 15-20 min. Finally I gave up, maintaining that it was OK to leave if necessary, assuring him he didn't have to replace anything and lowered him down anyway for a shot and 10 min later -POP! out she finally came. Now my piece looks like it's been used- but isn't beat up, and for that I'm grateful to the man. BTW; the new Metolius 4 cams units, the Mastercams, look like they get stuck easier than any other cam out there. (IMO). Joseph got one stuck solid on a new route, theres one stuck in Cruisemaster, and I almost stuck the blue in Young Warriors last Sunday as well. (Lotta work for my second to get out).

I'll be up to boulder tonight @ 5:30pm and will climb with anyone interested in getting some laps. Let me know. (John: Phylyx?) If no one is in Blueberry area I will spray it at the end of the day, if you don't like that idea, go pull the shit right now with your hands as I'm only hitting Poison Oak that is on the trail and on the crack at the top of Blueberry.

You're on the money. However, I let my buddies slide all the time cause I usually have more money and gear than them. One time my friend Dave tossed a rock off the route, didn't get it out far enough from the cliff, dropped it on my rope and destroyed it. I told him don't worry it's OK, I had another rope and he was in college, paying his own way working 2 jobs to do it. 9+ years later he shows up at my door with a brand new one. I say "What's this", and he tells me the story which I had totally forgotten about. "No, you don't have to do this Dave", here , you use it". Then he told me how much money he was making and how HE NEEDED TO REPAY THIS DEBT AND HE HAD BEEN THINKING OF IT FOR THE LAST 9 YEARS, etc etc . WOW! He had a job paying a HUGE salary, he told me how much he was making, I was shocked that people made that much money. That happened @15-18 years ago and I still climb with Dave when he's around. I kept the rope then, thanked him profusely for his generosity, and we went climbing.

Not me. I got old (smart?). From my viewpoint ain't happening at all unless it's truly self defense.

Nice picture. I was thinking that you'd be lusting on it if you hadn't done it yet Radek! We should get 'er done and hike that thing someday.

Anyone been on it since it's FA in 1953? a "Climbing Guide to Oregon" guidebook, 1975 version, P43, says it's by Cape Horn on the Washington Side of the Columbia River Gorge. 13.5 mi past Camas approach is from road opposite junction of Wa. Hwy 140, go 1.6 mi to RR and park. Hike west to the tunnel and drop down to the beach. Cigar Rock is the prominent pinnacle which stands out from the wall 500 feet west.

Well shit, I need to peruse the guidebook more often. I brought it to work and when things slowed down started thumbing through it wondering how ignorant I was and/ or how many of these I'd forgotten I've already done. Anyway, sitting around doing nothing reading a guide book and getting stared at by my co-workers: get too the VERY LAST PAGE. (p160 still Nicks book) little history thing. Before the Yosemite decimal system got adopted in Oregon, they use to call things F5 or F7 for approx 5.5 and 5.7. I've forgotten why this was, but it use to be that way at many places, like JTree. So grade 1-4 means its a Grade 1 (very short, vs a longer route which may be grade 4 or 5) and an F4 or corresponding to approx 5.4 for the hardest technical move. There was some stuff for Clarno (that area as well), I'll scan it as well in a bit.

Hey I like that guy! _____________________________________________________________ I just got that "Ex-Spurt" reference Rudy!

Great pic Bryan, I love that top down framing, but I don't even recognize your forearms, let alone the route! Wish I could still take my shirt off and not have it be a traditional moment of silence and humor! Hold on.....wait....is that Dods? No? That route above Dods? Your forearms for sure????

ROTF! BTW, you want to see the "Super Ugly Orange™" keep your eyes peeled I'll be wearing mine! As they are the school colors of OSU, they might sell for a fantastic sum on Ebay, and I could join you on the road trip. Togethere, we'd have enough money for gas to make it almost half way to Smith Rocks.

OMG!, nice find Porter!

I was out after work doing the lap thing and Jayb and Susanne asked me about a place in Eastern Oregon as they heading over to the Fossil Beds. I wasn't sure but I think he meant Spring Mt. (not near Fossil) Anyway, I looked up in my old Dods Guide and found this near Fossil Ore. Are they are heading over there, I thought I'd quote, WITHOUT PERMISSION Pope, the description. BTW, I saw Nick Dodge maybe over 7 years ago he still gets out, but I'm sure he'd be fine with it Pope. Start of the book, "A Climbers Guide to Oregon", by Nicholas Dodge 1975 edition, P24 under the heading "Some Classic Trips". "South of Fossil Ore. 19 leads 10 miles to the Twickenham Road. From here one passes through mixed pine-fir forest to the headwaters of Rowe Creek. Nice stands of Aspen, beaver dams, and open parks are abundant. Follow the road for about 7 miles where the top of the rock may be observed on the skyline about 2 miles to the west.Take one of the gated tracks leading up a heavy swale. The approach leads through lush, open pasture lands profusely covered with Mariposa lillies and Western iris (May) The final scramble up "Craggy Rock" is quite simple." Id never seen or heard of this area before. I can't excuse my ignorance totally as I've been through Fossil a few times (despite how out of the way it is). Anyone have any beta they want to share with these folks? ____________________________________________________________ Side note: I think last nights "did I ever have a goatee question" answer should have been answered thusly: When I went over to Tibet last time to wander up to Everest North Face with my lil Brother for his 50th birthday, I let it grow. So when I came back, Ujahn and I went to Red Rocks, and my signature pic standing in Epiphrine chimney waiting for the North Carolina guide fella we were following titled "Social hour" has me with a beard, or what might have passed for one if I could grow one. (Lower pic) It stayed on until my wife couldn't tolerate it anymore, which explains why the goatee and long hair I had in my youth were both sheared before we got together like 28 years ago. ps, regarding the Pope thing, we should keep spray here: Link to Popes sprayfest

Well, ummm, I want to see more pictures before I make up MY mind. Anyone got any?

I use to use Mt Soles as well, but one time, they wouldn't resole me Kaukulators. Said they were garbage and I needed to toss them. These Yosemite Bum guys did an amazing job on them and I loved the rubber. Never looked back. BTW, dems some butt ugly shoes you're dumping dere on Ebay! Glad you're making money on them Dave. You want to see butt ugly? I got my pumpkin approach shoes and "Gay Bar Green" approach tennies from them today.

Way nice evening! Got to finally meet Jayb and his great wife Susanne along with Johns SO Shannon. Short , sweet and pretty casual evening (I'de picked a rock from under a fingernail yesterday and it's feeling better, the other one is just split where I'd dropped a rock on it last month and lost the fingernail, now the skin has split near where the replacement is growing in - c'est le vie) with a few mosquitoes starting to come out and the Poison oak getting berries and laying on the trail in a few spots. You cannot walk by without touching it. I'm spraying it soon. If someone dislikes this, like "Cliff" last year said he did, but never did a f*ing thing about it, then get yer ass up there and tear it all out and I'll leave it be. Otherwise, piss off. The crack, Blueberry has some inside of it too near the top, which will soon be impossible to not touch or avoid as it grows out. Ujahn and Kyle showed and provided some laughter and did some laps and it was great. Thank you all again ! It was surprisingly cool considering how warm it was today. Have fun in Levenworth J and S!

Oh I'll be there for sure Kellie, and I'll try and drag as many down in there with me as I can. Maybe we need a pub club combo, and this time, have the drinking and fighting AFTER the official meeting? Lets try to remember to bump this as it get closer. Thanks to all you guys for all the work BTW! Lots of climbers will be happy due to all your hard work.

I'll start. True story last night at the dinner table. We were discussing if we should try to live up to what Al Gore Says we should do, or do just what Al Gore does. We decided that although he can live with a $14,000 electric bill, we cannot. We decided that although he can fly all over the world all the time and lay down a huge carbon footprint, we can't do that. So a little of both. No A/C for us, that kind of thing.

Good looking route Mark. That looks like you on it. What did you name it?

Thats exactly what I was thinking! Except my heart isn't broken at all though, I could give a rats ass about that part. Ok, Don bums me for some other undefined reason. Maybe it's his unreasonable and extreme stance on bolts. Here's a message for my extremely hip sport-climbin' buddies Mr. Off White and Mr. B. Coe. Starting with OW. Because my buddy Fairweather says you're a good guy, and because he's an excellent judge of character, I'm gonna give you a chance to demonstrate such qualities on this board (or we can go climbing). So far, I haven't been impressed with the way you been treatin' my good buddy Dwayner. Now for Bill (and some of this applies to OW). You seem like an educated guy. Yet, when me an' Dwayner encourage our rock climbing brothers to take it easy with the drill, in the interest of preserving rock climbing as somewhat of a wilderness activity, in the interest of being gentle on the medium, you inevitably respond with the same tired crap, attempting to dismiss the ideas as not contemporary and therefore invalid. You do this by asserting that Dwayner's interest in this issue is motivated purely by nostalgia and contempt for anything new and different. Fact is, good ideas are timeless. And you two are a little too old to be worried about what's fashionable. We all know what bolts bring to climbing: greater safety, steeper learning curve, metalic trash on the rock, increased traffic, more inexperienced climbers using their gear to get up cliffs that are probably too hard for them (where they can drop 'biners on you), access issues, the change of our mind-sets to favor convenience and safety over challenge, courage and accepting limitations (thus the increasing number of bolted cracks). And general laziness. Outside of metalic trails of trash, there are many ways sport climbing has impacted rock climbing. Most are arguably negative. And I think you know this, otherwise you'd make some attempt to discuss these issues. Instead, all we get out of you is some incredibly sophomoric attempts to shift attention away from this issues and attack my friend's character. Guess what......I know Dwayner better than most of ya. He's a close friend. His opposition to excessive bolting is not motivated by a resentment of growing old or of new ideas. Instead, I believe he's motivated by a deep respect for the beauty and adventure found in climbing mountains. You, Mr. B. Coe, probably already know this. If Dwayner bums you out, it's because you're behaving like a jackass and defending something that you know is pathetic. Makes me curious about what motivates you. A need to feel young, by sparkin' a bowl while your buddies hang-dog a little 5.10 Smith Rock climb right next to some cute girls who are probably young enough to be your children? Is that why you like this nonsense? Or is it because you always told yourself you could climb a 5.11, and now, with a bolt by your foot, knee and shoulder you can just French free your way up it? Ain't sport climbing great? BTW, once again OW, I'm waiting to see what Fairweather's talking about. Mr. Coe, your'e just an asshole so don't bother responding. BTW, Pope, I was thinkin' you didn't read a damn thing I said did ya? If you say yes, I would encourage you to re-read it. Your response indicates that you have not.

OK, changed my mind and it might be the same ones Selkirk just mentioned! Great routes! The other one that comes to mind is like the 18th or some damn thing on the Reg NW Face of 1/2 dome. Bobby comes up and it's his lead, but he got heat prostration. So I sit him down and tie him off cause he's out of it, and dehydrated as I was, with cramping fingers opened a can of peaches and fed them to him till he could do it himself as we sat on that ledge just below big sandy sharing the moment like brothers. (this may have been the most difficult thing ever to watch with a swollen tongue and dry mouth as he ate the whole damn can till I finally said, with my head pounding from dehydration myself -"last swallow of juice is mine!") He asked me to lead his pitch, what appears, from this wonderful and comfortable, and safe ledge, to be an wide fist or narrow OW crack (I hated OW even more then, now I only detest it ). Sh*t. We're really too high to get down off this thing in any reasonable shape. We're summiting or we're screwed. We had 1 piece that might have fit in that wide SOB on a good day at it's narrowest point, a #4 friend. So I jump on, or in, this thing anyway, 1200 feet off the deck, and my feet get great locks, AND in wondrous shock and surprise learn there's an invisible but bomber finger crack off to the side inside which you can wrap your fingers into and I run up this thing now totally confident and with no pro and no worries. Sweet! Maybe one of the more satisfying things ever. Learned to bring a topo along as well to learn what the easy pitches are beforehand, and not to cut a haulbag loose on a traverse cause you'll sure as shit lose a gallon of water when it explodes inside your pig :-)

Kellie, I'm so totally sorry I forgot this one! I still remember the fun we all had at the last mailing get together! Swwwooorryyy! I'll show early next time and buy you the first round!

Great pics John! WOW! For me, it may have been either a ice pitch that tried to form off Mt Emily one winter and we climbed it anyway with essentially no ice gear and single axe technique and lived. (the axe chips a hand-hold for your non-axe hand, then you slam the axe in, move your crampons up, chip out another handhold, move up etc etc) Or, trying the first free ascent of the Ground Zero crack on Beacon. I only jumped on it once. Hung 5 or 6 times at the crux, very tiring, but pulled it. The guy following me was a solid 5.12 onsight gear leader, and I had to pull him past the crux which was @ 160'-180' up when he finally gave up. Then later, after a key finger lock which had been filled with dirt got cleaned out, 2 of the best climbers in the state went out, broke the long single pitch I'd done up into 3 pitches and hung on all the "belays" while getting long rests, and took like 3 weeks + working it working it working it working it to claim the FFA. Very satisfying...to me. I know I could have sent it if I'd have more long runners and only had less rope drag. I suppose I should have adjusted my mentality as well, which was an onsight was a first free ascent. If you couldn't do that, then it wasn't pure so walk away. My how low I've sunk as I've aged!