billcoe

Sprayer: goes to 11

Holy smoke, did I really just read that all the way through for the 2nd time? Totally forgot the first, although I will note that I had a couple posts over 10 years back it appears. Which way to the Alzheimer ward?

HEY CAN WE GET BACK TO TALKING ABOUT HOW WALMART TENTS OUTPERFORM LIKE....LIKE ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE!!!??? Unless you folks have some pictures of Sam's mom you'd want to share of course.....

Ho man, don't be getting Ivan all cranked up now Joseph. This route is what happened when we did it last time:-) Mor photos later. Resting on a ledge about 1000 feet up while Geoff toils above and Ivan quaffs one. The large mature Doug Fir trees seems smallish, and the Tower shadow cuts across them as if they were just so many blades of grass. ps, The traverse behind me is best done to where I sit and not stopped at the anchor back there. Ivan left that rope fixed for ya'll. You'll appreciate it.

Indeed, and you're only getting the cliff notes version. It's crazy to me, outside of the Jeff Thomasan world of fascinatingly interesting historical minutia, but if you know anything of intellectual substance and bring it: Ivan either knows the whole thing or more about it. Like a lot more! For example: as we're hiking through the woods, near wasted from carrying loads, the WW1 Wilfred Owen poem (Dulce et Decorum Est) comes to mind. Bent backs, like beggers.... I say out loud. Pretty much all I can remember till near the end when Owens writes "gas...gas..." or some such. Ivan has it memorized and starts reeling it off. I didn't even have the start correct whereas he has it nailed. " Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,"....etc Declaration of Independence? Memorized. Lyrics to some old NWA rap song: Memorized. ANY military minutia? Memorized. on and on and on Bryan, the pleasure was all ours man!!!! In fact, I think the best shot of this thread is the one I got of you hanging off the 4th pitch jug spinning around. Here ya are: I went up there with Jasmine and we camped at Pete and Pam's RV park. They put us back out of the way so for privacy and it was awesome. I did a solo lap and she hung with the pup and read which is one of her real pleasures. Corin would love that place you should get up there with her.

Another great write up! A few notes to the 4 people who care. When you get old, no one wants to hear you complain about your shoulders. Just STFU and go get another steroid shot when you come back. So that's what I'm doing. BTW, treasure your shoulders and yer youth. I was reminiscing about when I could do 5 sets of 12 pullups. I'm working on getting one now -a clean one, that is, a full up and down pullup. I almost have it too. 2nd, we both knew that we had one big rock we both wanted trundled on this route. My frozen reptile brain had checked out. You said in a sensible monotone of no particular urgency as I got up to you on P6 or 7: "don't touch that block" as I came up to you. The words didn't register till I'd touched it and the damned thing was flying. So damned dumb. I knew Geoff was 20 feet off to the side, but didn't know that the rock would want to go off and try to kill him. Glad it didn't. Speaking of rocks, don't wander below folks without letting them know (cough**Kyle**cough**) as we almost killed a 2nd Silverman chucking off rocks. Shockingly, down below 800 feet and out of sight Kyle heard me yell "rock". We didn't hear anything from him though, although he says he was trying. 3rd: you noted it ain't over till it's over. Then Kyle wandered off and near got lost (he wasn't, just got suckered way off course by some nonsensical flagging that ended). Then we got the fella who crashed and thought we saved his life (we didn't). Worst of that part is that the Fire and rescue parade down a shit road with said injured man in it (Mike Warren and his capable son Reed Warren) didn't come off like a movie (Frozen reptile brain syndrome part 2). You noted again that it ain't over till it's over and it was over much later as it turned out. Like you said. 4th- Great shots Geoff! I love that last shot of Ivan where we're @ 1000 feet up. You don't even really see the base it's so far away. The pic from the left which the topo is drawn on is weak, looks like an easy slab. At least you can see the direction of the route though. The other direction shows it's true angle, it overhangs. Almost looks like a different rock altogether. 5th- note to climbers contemplating doing the route: although it's a 14 pitch monster of a climb, this is not committing unless you want it to be. The first 2 pitches alone are worth the drive up. You can rap to the ground any pitch from P5 below with 2 60 meter ropes (make damned sure they are 60's). And if you wanted to leave some gear, rapping from higher is possible. To get in shape I drove up as a day trip and soloed the first couple pitches twice. Got home once in time to cook dinner. That's from Portland, Olympia/Tacoma is closer. It's closer, bigger and better than Monkey Face fer sure. Bigger on a massive scale bigger I should note, but if you climb only the first 3 pitches, you've climbed about as much elevation as topping out on West Face of Monkey. 6th - There are some LONG reaches. Ivans 6'7", I'm @ a foot shorter and Geoff is my height. Glad he lead the "Dance's with Death" pitch. Named by my daughter Katrina after I'd described the line. One pitch higher (10?) I started and Ivan finished the drilling, I drew that for a lead and hit the spot we changed over by visual acuity. My bolts are so much easier to climb. Adjustable daisy's are nice, but if you might be even more height challenged, bring a cheater stick and mentally deduct some style points off yer dance card, it's fine and no worries if you do, and don't beat yerself up about it. P4 is hard (abiet short) for us short folks as it's a traverse and a lot of the normal cheating things us shorts do won't get it for you. I've both lead and followed it, prefer it as a lead X2. Much more enjoyable and I was better able to reach out there. I watched Ivan drill them on lead, I couldn't believe how far apart and difficult they were for me when I tried to follow him. 7th - For hooks, any bathook will work. Talons will get up it, but are short and insecure in the holes. We used the Petzl Reglettes and they are perfect. Leeper skinny hooks should work we too. Lastly, I'll be along with some photos later, but want to note that this route wouldn't have been done without you Ivan. You conceptualized it and drove that bus harder, further, faster and better than both Geoff and I together could muster up. I'd like to thank you and Geoff again, many times thanks: but mostly - that's some proud work sir- congrats on creating a top notch awesome route that will be hopefully treasured by many in the years to come. If anyone wants more info, advice or whatever, let any of us know and we'll try and help out as much as we can. But go get it ya all!

We haven't forgotten them! BTW, we have now gone with another set of headwear after learning that tinfoil hats ADDS to the conductivity and DOESN'T reflect the rays away from your brain. That's right, we've learned it INCREASED the rays hitting inside yer head. Guess who we suspect leaked the "tinfoil will shield you" Meme? That's right. UP IS DOWN AND LEFT IS RIGHT. That's all I have and it's probably too much as it is.

I heard that this route saw it's first complete ascent top to bottom last Saturday: or the reverse I suppose as the wingsuiters have had the top to bottom trip covered for some time now. Looking forward to the trip report. In the Royal Robbins scale of adventure, I'd give it a 1-1/2 stars (out of 10). However, on the Shackleton scale of "endurance in the face of mindless no reason hairball adventuring" it should rate an 8 if you can embellish the story here or there. ("wink wink nudge nudge say no more") BTW, which one of you bastards clicked the link upthread and reported us to Wage and hour division for being underpaid? I'll need to be sending these 150 forms they want us to fill out over to my attorney, the august Geoff S., for evaluation. As he was on the route FA, hopefully Ivan gets a discount on the bill said attorney will surely be sending him. As I paid for the bolts, surely he will gladly pay the legal fees. Besides, he did the most work. At least we didn't get tagged for the horrifically many unpaid road maintenance and campground improvement hours....still, bad form my brobhams, bad form.

Even though I've never met him, I'd trust Bob's biased view before I'd trust a lot of the US media reports. That's primarily why I asked - to catch a different point of view. That, and the Clownpuncher.org site wasn't up. Etc etc, but start here if you have doubts about the media: http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2017/07/sharyl_attkisson_exposes_big_media_in_emthe_smearem.html and here, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mockingbird but remember that there are thousands of full time US employees who's job it is to shape this kind of thing:

^^Troll^^

Not a troll. I'm genuinely curious what Bob's view on it is. Actually, written communication sucks for trying to convey nuances and slight variances that can best be served by some quick back and forth over a campfire. If Bob would rather tie in and chat at belays, I'd be down. 'Cept I'm old, decrepit and fat and he's pulling hard...there is that of course. He'd have to sit and listen to me moaning about my various pulls, artritius and pains first:-)

Hey Bob. I'll admit it, the closest to Poland I ever got is that I eat at the local Polish restaurant (poles and Finns settled this area I live in, their ancestors are still here, as is the polish library and the polish church where polish is spoken to this day). Polish hero's aren't even folks I've ever heard of or even pronounce once they tell me their names. I ask of course: 'Who's the old dude in that painting on the wall?". "General wsombodymumble" they say. "Who?" I reply. They tell me tales about their heros, but it just doesn't resonate with me. I know you are one of the most liberal climbers to ever grace this site, so you must hate Trump as President. I'm wondering what, as a Polish person, your thoughts are on Trumps current trip to Poland where Poles surprisingly wound up chanting his name in unison when his speech ended? Is the US media right that they love him? I've copy/pasted the speech that the US media is saying was so well received there.

Great prices and I suspect stuff is near perfect. If my basement wasn't full of crap and I had any room left I'd be loading up:-) Good luck on the sale.

Great Trip report

Thoughts and prayers to all those involved. I'm chalking this up to "things that totally suck". Nobody wants to hear my long list of personal stupidities and mistakes in the 40 some years I've played the game so I'll pass on that. Yet I suspect if the survivor could talk about this, as is common with many terrible things similar, he/she would say that there was a chain of events before the horrible end. Most of which could have reversed the outcome. If we only look back and say: "Ahhah!" Do this not that or could have should have....if this, or if that. But at the end of the day all that's left is sadness. My best wishes to all those left back here with us. I got nothing else to give although I wish it was otherwise, sorry.

Hmm, not fake news and not April 1. Youse folks push too hard or sumpin? http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/outdoors/2017/may/02/royal-columns-climbing-area-closed-after-basalt-pillar-tumbles/ Edit, opps, wuz already posted in Eastern Washington area by Wdietrich...

Thanks for the heads up about the podcast. Clearly you need to spend some more time around golfers and bowlers.

Sounds like grouping your climbing at both Tahoe and Eugene might be best. I'm not anywhere close to Eugene Marcus, but they have some of the best little (I mean very little) columns right in town at Skinner Butte. When I lived there it seemed common to just show up by yourself and climb with someone else. Very easy to set up topropes if you don't want to lead, and a super pump and some great climbing can had in short order. Pray for sunshine or at least no rain though:-) HAVE FUN ON YOUR TRIP!!! More info: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/812311/Searchpage/1/Main/60556/Words/%22skinner+butte%22/Search/true/Re_columns_in_eugene#Post812311

Just came back from Vegas and can't believe you're blowing off Ivans offer. I bet he'll even lead the hard pitches! It was 69-70 degrees and almost too warm on the south facing walls, which means that Black Velvet canyon should be prime time by April. Dry and warm were the watch words. Good stuff!

I'm sure others have been working on this too. Here's what I have so far: Workin at it boss, workin hard. I'm off to play Pink Floyds, "The Wall". More to follow?

Awesome to see that the annual "Seasonal Beacon disorder" seems much diminished this year. Old Jim Anglin was certain that the only cure was a decent road trip. I believe he was correct: as usual. Good stuff Timetraveler! I too just came back from a short Red Rocks trip with wife and son. 68-70 degrees down there. The south facing walls were almost too warm. Come back and it's snow/rain and 40. Harsh stuff back here.

Still badass Wayne! Thanks for the share.

Agree with wut Primate said. It's close but still pretty wild and wooley once you cross the Rubicon. Which'n you clearly did. Last couple times I did that hike without snow it seemed like work. You must be in monster great shape. Congrats on the adventure and thanks for sharing it!

Sorry to hear about yer car getting broken into. It's teeth nashing frustrating in that some asswipes appear to be making a living bashing windows and riffling cars at gorge trailheads. When the snow is gone, there are visible puddles of broken car glass every few feet at some of these parking areas. It's ONLY like that on the Oregon side as near as I can tell. A stig op would be easy to set up, sadly, only Washington seems to care about rude-ass thefts like this. Jarrett, nice shot!

Sweet! Wish I'd seen this before we cut all the employees checks. We aspired to rocks as kids. We usually had to resort to throwing dirt clods at each other until one of us, bloody and crying, ran off to alert an adult to the depredation. Rocks would have been a serious upgrade. But leather clad rocks? Unthinkable to us po folk that anybody could ever afford such a thing, or even be able to dream of it's invention. As a Christmas gift, it would be such a treasure that throwing it at a brother would have been crazy insane. Just reaching over and whacking hard without throwing never seemed to work well in a foot chase. So it seems impractical in that regard.