retired

Thanks for the good advice, I'll try and remember it. Picked up the camera yesterday right where I left it, luckily 50 feet off the trail

did snow dome on the 4th, great ski all the way to the timberline trail. problem...think i left my camera where i removed my skis and did a saftey check, should always look around after that saftey check! going to look for it tomorrow.

Very nice aid climbing on Mokney face, all clean of course, personal favorite is the east face, rarely it will have free climbers attempting, but usually not sending.

Still not sure about the n-o-d curse but I did post a few more photos in the gallery under big walls...off to the Grand Canyon tomorrow!

Not exactly sure how steaksauce became steaksauce??? I assume the steaksauce knows? I'll reduce a few more photos and edit them in soon.

Climb: El-Cap-Zodiac Date of Climb: 4/9/2004 Trip Report: 4/9-11/04 Zodiac route, El Cap. Well the 21 year old monkey is off my back. I got up Zodiac with the considerable help of my good friend Cody. Cheryll and I drove down to Mt. Shasta the first night. I didn’t sleep well being the first night of a long trip. Arrived in Yosemite early afternoon of the 8th and met up with Cody around 3 at el cap meadow. The clouds have moved in and we spot a soloist about 5 pitches up on Zodiac. We hump loads of water up to the base just as it starts to rain. No other parties in sight so we decide to blast on it early the next day and hope the soloist stays ahead of us. We return to the meadow and Cheryll has already been at work as our ground crew, she has info and the soloist becomes Elaine. The food at the Curry buffet is exactly the same as last year, tasteless and overpriced, I find it hard to choke the stuff down. We rack up in the motorhome after diner since the ground is wet from the afternoon rain. Finally everything is set to go. Our campground reservations don’t start till the next day but I figure we should be alright sleeping for one night in the overflow lot at Curry….Wrong. Just as I steaksauce off around 11:30 the rapping on the door starts…Park Ranger! We try and ignore him but when I hear my name on his radio I open the door. Trying to reason with the man gets nowhere and we are kicked out of the park shortly before midnight. Cody sleeps in his Van parked next to me and never hears a thing. We drive down 140 till we’re out of Yosemite and finally find a place to park but the cars driving past all night keep me from sleeping. By the time we re-enter the park and find Cody an early start is shot and so am I but we pack up the pig and do the long heavy grunt to the base. Cody had his own little early morning excitement when opening his car door from the inside to take a piss caused the alarm to go off, this resulted in Cody driving naked thru Curry village in a horn honking van and still the Rangers leave him alone! I feel like a zombie as Cody starts the first pitch just before noon. He climbs while I repack the pig which is so heavy I can’t lift it when I’m done. Elaine is working on pitch 8 as we start. We talked of just fixing to the top of 3 but momentum is pulling us so we keep going. Cody leads to the top of pitch 4 as a block. I lead 5 and 6 and start up the black tower pitch 7. It’s going o.k. but I feel haggard. I do some free moves then bounce a nut since it would be a long fall if it popped. I’m on it with my left hand casually on a hold when it pulls so I catch myself plus my 30 pounds of gear all on my nearly healed left shoulder, ouch! I’ll be feeling that all summer. It feels like more than a day so I retreat to the belay and turn it over to Cody. He leads to the top of the black tower (½ way up pitch 7) as I set up the ledge. We have been climbing under a waterfall all day and we get pelted with water every now and then so we pull the bivy sacks out. I’m very tired but can only force down half a can of soup, it feel good to lay down and the ledge is quite comfy. The next morning I feel like crap, I’m cold in my sleeping bag and bivy sack and have spells of uncontrolled shivering. I force some more food down but have no appetite. We discuss bailing but wait for the sun to hit us instead. When it does I feel a bit better and tell Cody I will follow if he will lead. Cody does a great job and does all the leading that day getting us up to pitch 11, I have to call him back from heading up 12, seeing that Elaine has already bivied there plus it’s almost dark. I’ve been feeling better all day and enjoy our second bivy, under the devils brow, much more than the first. I’m up for leading on day 3 and enjoy pitch 12, Pitch 13 is the longest on the route and I find it challenging, back cleaning would have prevented the horrible rope drag on the last 60 feet of the pitch, it gets so bad I tie off the rope and solo the last 30 feet. Elaine has been reeled in by now and she is quite elated to have company. Cody leads 14 where we pass her but we make plans to bivy on top and all descend together the next day. We top out around 4 in the afternoon with Cody sprinting the last couple pitches. It’s a bit of a cluster with all three of us with all our ropes and bags climbing together, but the short fixing and leads in blocks that Cody and I have employed the whole route make it a bit easier to go around her. On top it feels so good to take the harness off and enjoy the horizontal environment. I reach Cheryll on the radio and she’s a bit disappointed we won’t be descending that night but understands. Elaine won’t even let us help her pull her pig over the top but she has herself and all her gear on top by dark. We’re rewarded with a jug of wine and truffles that Elaine shares with us. The descent is slow and tedious but by 10 the next morning we meet Cheryll at the picnic area...beer, showers and rest! It was a great adventure, feeling bad on the wall wasn’t fun, but having a strong understanding partner made all the difference and I feel proud to have made the call to keep going up when going down seemed to make more sense. Pitch 1 & 2 Cody leads the direct start, so these pitches are combined. The first 100 feet is nearly all fixed but the second part of the pitch requires gear up to 2 inches and has one expanding section.. Pitch 3 Starts out with a few placements then is mostly bolts to another crack near the top. Pitch 4 Starts out with easy free then gets steeper and wider 2.5 inch. Pitch 5 The old bolt ladder from hell has been replaced with a direct bomber line of bolts up to some free climbing up then back right to dead bird ledge. Gear to 3 inch. Pitch 6 Free then a few bolts and placements to more free climbing bring you up to a nice ledge at the base of the black tower. Maybe the shortest pitch on the route, gear to 3 inch. Pitch 7 The black tower starts free then gets steeper, the aid is thin and the rock brittle above the tower ends at a nice ledge. Might want to get your pecker out for this pitch. There are no bolts at the top of the black tower, gear to 2 inch. Pitch 8 Into the white circle…what’s your sign? Free climbing wanders up and left to steep corners. the bolt ladder shown leading to the belay has been chopped. No more ledges till pitch 13. Pitch 9 Classic, very step and thin. Cody pulled a fixed head near the top and took a good whipper. Pitch 10 The nipple, get the big stuff out of the bag this is why you brought it. Cody led it clean. Pitch 11 The mark of Zoro, a lot of fixed gear very steep climbing up to a crack and bolts to our second bivy under the devils brow. Pitch 12 A wandering pitch with hook traversing and even a few free moves, don’t have to worry about back cleaning when on hooks. I think this is where I had to use a bat hook. Pitch 13 Peanut ledge makes you work to get there. Long, and don’t forget to back clean when you climb back right. The final 60 feet up to peanut is a nice crack that takes medium cams, if you can pull the rope. Pitch 14 Get the big stuff out again this is the other reason you brought it. Pitch 15& 16 Hooks and free up to vertical aid cracks. Wander left, wander right but all you really want to do is just pull over that last buldge to the dramatic finish. Gear: We took a few pins and each nailed a couple times. Half the pin list described on super topo would be adequate. We took two # 4’s (by accident) a # 4.5 and #5 could have got by without the duplicate 4’s but the big cams were used. H.B. offset nuts were great, especially the brass ones. And of course the hybrid aliens were the first choice off the rack. Having nearly two sets was great. We took a cheat stick and both cheated, but not much and could have easily got by without it.

I have climbed in the Menagerie for nearly 30 years now. It used to be in my backyard, now a 4 hour drive, so I don't get there much. I have a little guide (36 pages that I will email if you give me an address to send it to. Warning the Menagerie is an adventure area, one person descrbed it as playing hardball up there, but I love the place. good climbing Jim

150 bucks? I have a lot of extra pins and cams laying around if you want to do a money and trade option.

Looking for either a double or single portaledge with fly by April. thanks Jim

I paddled out to millers Island to have a look. the tall cliff is choss but the lower gray & black cliff looks very good. i was surprised to see the cacti and sand dunes, quite an unusual place. hunters obviously frequent the island ther leavings were everywhere. I will be back.

Anna, Watch your step if you go up on the elliott glacier. it is really opened up right now and there are people in that glacier that have never been found. I skied off snow dome last wed. (between the elliott and coe glaciers) and there was just enough snow to make it all the way to the timberline trail via the langille glacierette. Up high the mountain was rerally speaking to me, loudly and with authority. it is the time of year that major rock fall occurs. I think you would be better served by going up on the palmer snowfield to practice your snow travel skills. the only hazard is the shrund at the hogs back and rockfall in the same area. below crater rock you will have no hazards. I used to climb a lot with the Eugene crowd but living in white salmon, I don't see them as much now. good luck. Jim

thanks I'll call for sure. it is indeed an ass kicking place, got to wear out a pair of tape gloves there last year. I love to take sport climbers to Beacon and suggest something easy to warm up on like maybe Steppenwolf 10c..heh, heh, heh!

It's usually around July 15th, does anyone know when Beacon rock will open this year?

Congratulations, took me back about 20 years when I did it with my buddy stu stuller, can still remember his calves looking like gallon jugs pumping up the south sister (lets you know who was in front), a long day indeed.

An updated edition will be coming out by 2004/5. i know for a fact that several major areas not covered in the first guide will be added, and of course updates & corrections for those presently covered.

I put cut down insoles in a slightly large pair of katanas, made them the best fitting most comfortable high performance shoe (for me) I've ever owned.

I use adjustabler poles with self arrest grips, shorten em up with one in each hand damn near like tools, the best of both worlds.

Lost the right hand medium metolius climbing glove. It normaly resides in the back flap of my pack but made an escape at I think Horsethief butte on the 21st. Has the initals jea and "this in fun" written on the golve (have to remind myself while aid climbing) Thanks Jim

climbed the route in the same manner you describe , you will see no officials higher than roads to collect fees. this was back in 93 but just last year I followed the trail east into the reservation and there is nothing but a sign to mark the change. the climb itself was a beautiful solo expierence. had broken my arm in a bike crash and decided since my legs still work I'd do the route. spent an enjoyable bivy at Mazama saddle (cool spot) climbed the route without incident and never saw another human until joining the regular route at the false summit. the route is non technical but opens up a bit later in the summer. Have fun and enjoy the solitude. Jim

I made my first haul bag. that was 20+ years ago and it was last used for the salathe in 87, last seen heading off with my buddy who needed it to get his gear home. since that was so long ago and I had given up big walls, never tried to get it back (it was getting pretty trashed also). I no longer have a sewing machine, but it was pretty straight forward to make and probably cost less than 30 bucks... 1980 money. Now I want something cheap since I'm not sure how many big walls I've got left in me. Jim

slowly getting back into aid and need a haul bag, at least 7K c.i. p.m. me or i'll check this thread. Jim

thanks for the good comments. I'm thinking more of giving them to freinds and family and less about selling them. The key to the weave is the carrick bend. I found a book on decorative knots that showed the basic weave layout but there was very little on the internet. what is hard is figuring out how large to start the layout and keeping everything straight during the process. I thought people might like the mat from there own rope since the memories are part of the whole deal, and what do you do with an old rope anyway?

Very good idea, here is shot of 4 different ropes

My first post here has me wanting something. As my name may imply I have a bit more time on my hands these days and have started to weave my old climbing ropes into floor mats. I've cleaned out my inventory and need more raw material. I would love a donation of your retired climbing rope and will weave you a rug from half of it ( I find 1/2 of a 60 meter rope is ther perfect size for a 1.5' x 3' mat) I live in the columbia gorge but get out to smith rock quite frequently to meet up. e-mail me if you may be intrested.