OldManRock

Since reading mitochondria100's rebutal to my post, and having Ivan called me a bastard, I decided to send a PM to her (which I should have done first) to basicly say I am sorry for 90% percent of my comments - I do wish that Jeff's Oregon High had not been misquoted(nice alpine rock), but after reading her other TR's and her rebutal, I'm sure it was not done on purpose. The PM has been sent - No more rants for me.

Normally I would make the following comments by PM, but in this case since references to Oregon High are incorrect, I will just go for it - The TR starts out giving the rating as 5.6? - It is clearly stated in Ore High its 5.5 - Then the words "vague description" show up, not sure but like each foot and hand hold needed to be specified - Next its Hortense lake not Hortens lake - Also the a "sort of trail", and while its not the PCT it a very clear trail - Then you say you crossed the creek, if you you had looked at page 72 in Ore High you would clearly see the climbers trail on the North side of the creek - So why did you go to the Southside ? - When you got to the notch between the yellow peak and Mt Washington, if you had looked around just a little, you would have seen the lava tube that when followed down, puts you right where its easy to head over to the start of the climb - You say you passed SouthEast Buttress - Its the East Buttress - You get to the start of the climb - Your on the route (I think) and you put in quotation marks, the following three words (nice alpine rock)- Jeff's uses the words "good rock" only for the first 200 feet then it makes clear that the rock quality is downhill - As for the 16 pitches, when my friend and I did the 3rd ascent of the route in 1963, we used a 120' rope which was standard, and we did it in 12 - I have done since with a longer rope in less - Were you doing some traverses ? - And finally I have never heard of anybody biouacing on this route in the last 50 plus years I have been climbing - Comparing your TR with the guide, it seems you really did not read it at all.

An inaccurate optical viewfinder is a lot better than a camera with a screen view you cannot see, due to bright sun - Use the optical viewfinder with a larger view and crop your picture later.

I think I was too scared to even think about my undershorts, and since I am cronologicaly challenged a lot of memories are gone, I do remember what happened to my shorts when I was fighting forest fires in Southern Oregon, and got caught in a crown fire, it was behind, above, and both sides, and escape was uphill, but then thats another story.

The picture above shows one of the objective dangers of hiking up a moraine canyon - Just to the left and above the hiker in photo is a huge rock just waiting - I was unlucky back in 1958 when a friend and I decided to climb Jefferson - As we bushwacked up Milk Creek, he was faster, so was out of sight when it happened - I was walking along the edge, watching my footing, and as the gravel is so loose making small slides - One of the slides muct have taken the last grain of sand holding the rock in place, and it headed down - I was not aware as the creek was making a lot of noise - I got hit from behind, which pushed me head down into the creek, with my frame pack helping to hold me there under water - Somehow I was able to push my head up and get some air, but could not move my feet as the rock was on top of them - It took about 20 minutes of thrashing around to get loose, and I was beat when I got out of the water at last - It had been a close one - Rested awhile and then caught up with my climbing partner who was ticked because I had been so slow - I told him to go climb, but I was done for the day - Like I said I was unlucky it happened, but lucky to survive.

Its always neat to see excellent pictures of my old stomping ground .....

If we are talking point & shoot, get one that has a optical view finder - Those sexy LCD monitor screens arn't worth a shit in bright light - Cannon still sells camera's with them - I have a Canno A710 and love it.

Use "bookfinder.com" search feature and about 36 or so will show up A lot of them are duplicates as Bookfinder searches many book dealer sites, and sellers might be on more than one site - The prices start at $49.99 up past $200.00 - Boggles the mind, and if I had known this I would have had Jeff sign a bunch for me.

Right now Jeff is in El Potrero Chico with Tom Bauman and Jack Lewis - They will be back in less than two weeks - I will PM you.

If its your first time on Mt Hood, climb the regular route - If trouble comes, there will be people there who know the way down. Also in times to come when you are doing harder routes, and end up on top in a white out, YOU will know the way down...

Billcoe - Thanks for kicking this thread on - For the last year every time I see a red tailed hawk, I think Jim is looking down and smiling - Its still hard to belive,

Buckaro makes the statement "Everyone almost died bringing Gilky's body back" - Art was alive when the they started the rescue and in fact was still alive after the fall, when Pete held eveybody.

One thing to think about is, does it also have an optical viewfinder - I had a Nikon, but there were times I could not see what the hell I was try to take a picture of on the flat screen, when it was too sunny - Sold it, and got a Cannon Power Shot A710 and its been a work horse for me.

Sorry - I got on the wrong page and answered a question that had already been answered.

Gary and Devin climbed Sunshine - The group of hiking/climbing friends in Eugene will miss him greatly - I was fortunate to spend two weeks in El Potrero Chico with him and Tom Bauman drinking cervasa/climbing/hiking/drinking cervasa.

I was leading a group of climbers down the Red Ridge of the South Sister. It was about 2:30 in the afternoon and we came up on a bunch of Boy Scouts heading very slowly up the ridge. I could hear the scout leader giving them a bad time about how slow they were going, and saying "We will have lunch on top". I came up to the leader and said "I want to talk with you a minute in private". I then told him the kids are slow as they need energy, its past time for a lunch, If you don't let them eat now, and later there are problems, I will testify at your trial. As we left they were enjoying lunch.

Its was Dec 1969, and the Eugene Moutain Rescue was doing a winter practice session. I was one of the "Experts" who was going to demonstrate the self arrest. Set up a safety line at bottom of the cliff edge on Hayrick Butte next to Hoodo - It was tied to a tree and then run it down the fall line, where I took the end of the rope and brought it back up to look like a "J". A friend tied it to his ixeaxe and jammed into the snow up to the head and sat on it. I had the students line up along the safety rope so they could watch the expert do his thing. Back up to the top and clipped into the line, sat down, lifted my feet, and with iceaxe at the ready position, went zipping down the hill. The expert way over judged his skill level, and and even after doing everything right, did not even slow down. I hit the bottom of the "J" and it came tight. My friend went sailing into the air when his aceaxe started after me. The rope rapped around my neck a couple times and I continued on down the hill. I then found out whats it like to be "Hung by the neck until dead". I was lucky that a few students who could not stand the sight of my blue skin color, dashed over and pulled me back up the hill, where I was able to get the rope from around my neck. I actually had rope burns that lasted some time. I later went back and did a couple self arrests (without safety line) to get my confidence back.

Its neat to see that its still being climbed........

Gracias Mi Amor in El Petrero Chico - Its only 5.7 but its my age backward, so it was sweet.

A Tribute To Jim Anglin from Tom Bauman - Tom asked if I would put this onto the forum for him - Its an honor to do so. November 4th – It has been gray, damp, and cool all day at work. I’m beat and I call it day. I head for the shop with saws to sharpen. Just as I get to the shop, a red tail hawk rises from in front of the shop and lands on the roof next to the weather vane. I stop, motor idling, and we stare at each other. One minute, then two. Finally I release the brake and slowly inch forward. The red tail lifts off and flies 60 feet, then lands on top of the barn. I park between the barn and shop and turn off the engine. I sit and watch. The hawk is staring at me - or is it through me? In my 50-plus years on this piece of land I have not seen this kind of behavior in a red tail hawk. I sit and am amazed at this interaction. If I were not so ignorant of the animal (spirit) world, I would have known that something huge had happened. Finally, I open the pickup door. The red tail flies over the top of me and disappears behind the shop, heading up valley. At home later that night I get the phone call. I start to understand. November 5th – Cold, gray and damp! The whole day of work is one of sad reflection. Jim has left us and the void feels huge. His camaraderie, energy, athleticism, and spirit of adventure are a marvel that few can come close to. Yet, could it be that when Jim’s spirit left his body it was captured by the hawk? There are those who know these things. For me it feels like this is what happened. Yesterday evening he came and said goodbye. Today he soars above, watching over all of us. Even if it is not true, for me it is the only way I can see, if only for a second, into that void. It’s time to head for home. I drive slowly down our gravel road towards the highway and another commute. Ahead in headlights, a hawk lifts off and disappears into the darkness! -- Tom Bauman

Being an old fogy, I think if you have never climbed Mt Hood and you want to do it in January, it might be a good idea to know the easiest way off the mountain if you get caught in a winter storm, Why don't you climb the South Side route, get the lay of the land, and then the next day climb something more exciting.

I never had a chance to climb with Jim, but over the years whenever I would run into him, Menagerie, East Caves, Flagstone, etc, the one thing for sure you would notice, he was smiling - Never heard a harsh word - He was at peace with himself - His many friends, including me, will miss him.

Trek Bushwackers solved a lot of problems - Short but slipprey, but they were before most people's time on this list.

Turkey Monster The Bridge Rabbit Ears All in Menagerie ---------------- Old Man Rock on the North Umpqua - Its descriptive

Its sure a lot different at the Columns since my first climbs there in the late 50's - Spent more time climbing down when the cities finest would tell us to "get down off those rocks !! or we will haul you off to jail" - We would come down, wander off, then come back and up we would go again - This was back in the time of pins, and we would do girdle traverses across the face.