LostCamKenny

Start out on rock. Climb as much rock as you can, be it aid or free, and follow as long as you can because you can see how a hopefully experienced leader places the protection. Rock protection (gear) is tricky to learn but if you follow an experienced leader and as montypiton suggests learn to aid climb, then you will learn how the gear actually works by making it work(by hanging your weight on each placement). It is a terribly slow process to learn and can be frustrating at times too but just keep at it, and keep asking for help and instruction from the experienced folks you know and meet. There is no - REPEAT, NO - fast or easy way to become proficient at climbing (anything - rock, snow, or ice). It just takes practice and lots of it. Reading is great to SUPPLEMENT what you are doing but do not rely on your ability to understand written word as experience for what you are reading about. Please don't think that your execution of things learned from reading will be perfect the first time you go out and do it because no matter how many times you read something it will always turn out slightly different outside the sterile environment of your garage or library where the pressure is on and lives are at stake. Be skeptical of what you are told by other climbers and ask the question "why" to learn the purpose behind their doing things. Watch your partners closely - they are teaching you even when they are not talking to you. Learn from your mistakes - quickly. And develop a short memory for what is uncomfortable. Read The Rock Warrior's Way by Arno Ilgner and work hard to apply it to your climbing. Many activities outside of climbing will help your climbing, such as your experience as a hiker. But remember that nothing will help your climbing as much as your climbing will. A complete mountaineer is proficient on it all - rock, ice, snow. Start with rock because once you know the techniques to climb vertical rock you will not feel as intimidated on snow or ice which is less than vertical. Plus, learning to rock climb will teach you ALL the other systems in every other type of climbing - belaying, rappelling, rescue, hauling, etc are four key systems which translate their actions across the board. Gear might change with the medium but the skills and motions remain the same. Find a way to make it fun, because if it ain't fun you shouldn't be doing it. Godspeed!

Rad! Thanks for the report.

IMO... LW ain't rounded, but it is slick in places.. Maybe thanks to pink's endless noose-around-the-neck ascents. And slick is still not quite the right word - more like smooth. But even where the crack edges are "slick" the locks are sweet. It is quite foot-intensive, though. 3rd pitch of YW? All ya need is a good ape index - but I can understand how it might feel trickier to those without the reach of Ivan or myself.

I remember when my back was broken in a fall nearly 4 years ago and all I had was time to spend on cc.com. It was suggested by my friend Eric to polish my spray technique during my recovery, which I'm not really sure that I developed - probably because I don't brag about myself very well. Regardless, I learned during that period of non-climbing that devoting too much time to self-congratulation and [over]exagerated descriptions of mediocrity[as Gräfenberg-Spotter says] will make ones head proportionally too large to climb. My head is already big, not because I am a great climber but because I know when to vocalize my ego and let it get big. As a result, I have spent so much less time on cc.com and thus resorted to infrequent visits to all the forums. But whenever I do login I always check the gorge because it is my neighborhood area and the one with which I hold the most stock. Beacon is my favorite local place to climb and I take more ownership of it than many others because I am here each day from March through October. I'd say that I am local enough, even if I am mediocre. As such, any report I see (when I do login) here that says Young Warriors, SE Corner, Jill's, Gull, Dod's, Blownout, or any of the "less than full ropelength" routes immediately reels me in. Toddeeepooh, I would never think of getting a laugh at your expense (or anyone else for that matter) unless I had been guilty of something similar - man, I wish I had pictures of a few of my leads of Jill's or better yet Blownout to post right now.. Not only have I used a sewing machine on both routes, but I carried a spare! And yeah, I know all those above named routes pretty f-ing well so I feel well-qualified to EITHER poke a lil fun OR offer up a differing idea, regardless of whether or not I know the participants. Such is the nature of a public message board, and I have been a victim of both on cc in the past. It seemed logical to develop a thick skin for it. Perhaps your iSkin is a lil thin, hmmm? I mean, c'mon, this is the Internet. If this bothers you that much I'd avoid posting on cc anywhere because it is likely to happen on any forum. I don't say this to antagonize, but the fact that you took even a lil offense at my post tells me that you should blow off steam at Beacon more often. Clearly you aren't out there with my regularity or I'd probably know you better, or likely have shared a rope with you by now - always open to it.. Let's go!! And I assure you that I am just as fearful you or anyone. And on the topic of the interweb posting habits of "self-appointed beacon locals and the 8 routes they climb" as stated by the snake captain, I'd like to point out that they are the same patterns as any of you other internet enthusiasts. If you (speaking to the serpent king) are so much different than the rest of us why don't you post with part or all of your real name instead of the gutless act of cowering behind your mirror-shrouded mask? Could it be because you, yourself, are just as good as the rest of us at tasting your own feet? Proly so. Maybe you should come out and climb Bluebird with me since you remarked that it needs more traffic. Or maybe one of your other seven routes... I'm game anytime I'm there. And why the hell does this TR have over 3500 views?!? That's not too many fewer views than the ENTIRE California TR section. Avy Lilly's pic of the pink bikini affair ain't even posted here. Must say something about Warriors... maybe the best 5.9 within a 4 hour's drive in any direction? Certainly it beats the shit out of the hardened ashtray that is anything at Smith Rock. What about that would be mediocre, G-spot? I think I should receive a little credit for not posting something lewd about pink bikini and her [trad] rack. Merry Xmas to all! xoxo

Quite a gang bang on the corner today for a Tuesday. And though its the last size I need another cam in I am a lil jealous of your booty today - I hardly ever get that lucky to find one in a mellow spot like that! Mine are always mid-move and awkward.

The top of the gendarme is a much kinder bivy spot than at its base

9/11, morning report: The indafigible JT took time away from his stack of archival photos and periodicals to come test his still very-well able physique... He took the first pitch of the corner and kept his lead card but I led out in the interest of time... Passed Margaret and Kim on the third pitch (thanks!) where JT accidentally forgot a nut at the belay... NBD 'cause Ivan did the good duty of picking it up for me on his afternoon patrol. Using my super surfing skills I reached Ivan via the interwebs and told him of the rogue wire in need of rescue... Good deeds to be paid forward...

All I wants is 10%, or two cigs

9/7 - #33 - trail dayz - a herd assembled after 9 - ranger lecturz - why shouldn't i lick the saw-blade again? buncha beatards in attendance - adam n' kenny, the silvermanz, lucky larry, matt the hulk, crackman, nastia n' oleg n' some other slavic folk, plus no small number of imps n' goons of all sorts n' stripes - built a right nifty set of belay platforms for the se corner, finally a comfy place to put your shoes on and rope-wrangle, should you be into that sorta thing - jim'll hate it of course, but i notice all his routes have sweet set-ups at the base solo lap off at the end of hte work day, 10/30 now for the season, then beerz n' bullshitting w/ many folks back up in the lot - geoff n' i had a breezy cruise up cruis'n'jillz afterward, bumping up against oleg n' nastia along the way - krazy foolz bathign in the columbia over the fence - motorboats bottoming out in the low, low river - a cool kid named dasan the third soloist on the corner today, him fresh from alaska and the wild, high life of youth.... 9/9: fingered Jill with DD in a couple hours and topped out by way of the escape route.. Slippery feet just before the crux turned Jill into Sporty Spice, but no fallz... Refreshments at the gun club before hitting the scrambling to the trail... Heard a Scott and a Sam hurrying up the corner but never got a visual so never made the introductions... Whiskey and beers at the trifecta the whole evening thru... Passing out on the bridge during the midnight hike through the animal kingdom... 9/10: HUNGOVER...! Met Kim the good doctor in the parking lot bright and early at 7:45 - I was running just a lil late but we got after it anyway... The good doc led of the ground in fine beatard style, sewing it up like the best of us ... I dispatched the second pitch of the corner with only a mild headache so climbing must be a decent substitute for Tabasco in my coffee to cure the hangover... Kim's rocked the third pitch and ran the rope out so I just started to climb behind her, shortening the rope like those crazy Kiwis after I got up about 40 feet... Reaching the meadowy ledges I looked up and it was clear the simulclimb was on... Kim had to downclimb to set some gear and she gave me a happy belay to the base of the escape route, which we both topped out 15 minutes later... At the trail by 10:45... Off to work - the fish await! Out.

Dastardly is valley 5.9.

Ha - this is funny! Were you guys carrying a sewing machine on the rack too? Never seen the 4th pitch stitched up like that. Did ya not see the bolt directly above where the cam was stuck?

Any updates on this? Anyone hear anything else?

... and for myself! Sorry to mislead. I might be needing to rent a room in Redding CA (or perhaps closer to Shasta Lake) for the summer - does anyone know someone who might be accommodating to a vagabond such as myself? I can't afford a ton - I'd almost settle for a nice patch of ground to pitch my tent for nine months. If you know of something please PM me or post it up here. Thanks!!!

Beacon Rock is closing ... again. I know, big surprise. But take a look below and become a little more informed about the situation. Part of the issue is public awareness. Here's some photos to help visualize the blanket closures ... Understand the scope of the blanket closure here! Go and get it while you can! All the best, ~LC

But what would the fifi hook of skiing be? Snowboarding, I suppose. Ha! Just the mental image of Ivan saying to himself "pizza, pizza, fries, fries" sends me into hysterical laughter!

And who's to say what will be left behind after its applied and burned. There's definitely a lot more to learn there - thank you for throwing that out there, Feck

... And now we are all trying to work together despite our past differences. Thank you Kevin and Joseph for both of your comments!

Ah ha... See there is common ground! The cleaning WILL happen - that is of least concern. Opening it is what matters. It would be great if you could use your influence with David Anderson to help with this, Joseph. Nope, we mean the southeast face, the river face - where the majority of the climbing happens. The east face as you describe is another area of common ground that everyone has. No one is pushing to climb there right now so it seems logical to leave that alone. Even if it is extremely unlikely we will let the public voice sound off and make their comments. Everything you have added here can help the conversation, but with respect to the process everyone will be heard who wants to be heard, and we will not move forward on just one person's ideas. Thank you for being constructive, Joseph.

Just cross-posting... Offer up comments for the discussion! Your voice is needed here!

One other note: we all have common ground in this issue. Years past have shown us that even the wildlife biologist will agree to the southwest face being open year-round. This has been common knowledge for several years and no one is talking about it or trying to make it happen. To have this face opened would represent a victory for access at Beacon Rock, and it would also pave the way for more negotiating concerning the southeast face. Please take the time to offer comments and feedback at either of the aforementioned links. Our voices are our most useful tools and with the many individuals who are as outspoken as we know them to be, it seems like there should be plenty of folks to speak up for this. Please take the time to read and understand the CMP, and offer something to the conversation. Again, thank you all!

Comments can be left on the Facebook page or the blog (or via email if one has the correct email addresses already). Thanks very much!

Greetings folks and happy holidays! Last fall, the Beacon Rock Climbing Association submitted a climbing management plan to the Washington State Parks and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. In the thirteen months since that time there has been NO RESPONSE from either agency as to approval of the plan or even comments for improving it. Public response has been just slightly better but we are still hurting for a healthy response from the community. Posted here on this thread are links to the climbing management plan and I humbly ask everyone to take a look at the plan. It totals seven pages (one of which is a cover page) and takes but a few minutes to read. This is an important step: getting everyone to read it and make comments based on the plan's usefulness as a governing and lawful document within the Washington Administrative Code. An official open comment period should follow with the Parks and The WDFW in a few weeks and having enough public input and understanding on the issue will only help the cause. Please, if you have any affinity for Beacon Rock, take a few short minutes to read it over and comment. Even if you have no dog in the fight we invite your comments. Links are below. If one doesn't work please try the other. Comments can be made at either link. Thank You! Link to BRCA Facebook Beacon Rock Climbing Association blog

Nice account! Sounds epic... Glad he made it down to tell it! After all, that is what is important! Loomis, I agree with you about redundancy in navigation. [No saying that I am in the league, but] when one gets to the point in mountaineering that weight is a serious issue then the gps receiver gets left behind and it's back to basics. I remember a couple times, quite a few years ago in college when I was more broke than I am now and couldn't afford a lift ticket, when I slogged up Palmer beyond the lift with my snowboard and explored for the first time. I had been backpacking for many years and had a lot of experience actually using my compass and map together, so navigating wasn't a foreign concept to me. What I hadn't been in many of prior to that were whiteouts. I had understood - from literature - the disorienting effects that a whiteout can have on one's senses, but in 96 I was still fairly new to snow sports. Twice I booted it up -solo - to a (fairly) level spot near the hot rocks (first time with the intention to summit and ride off, but never did; the second time just to get the longest run I could get that day) and turned around due to whiteouts. On my descent the first time, which I [foolishly] did strapped in, I got waaaaay far west and was totally headed toward zig zag. I kept going down, vaguely recalling something i'd once heard about the "Mt Hood Triangle" but it all felt wrong and i stopped inthe snow and sat down. When the clouds finally thinned a bit I was still just high enough to know that I needed to correct my course to skier's left in order to make it back to timberline lodge. Granted, mine were a different set of circumstances, and I had plenty of light, not to mention that it was spring break and not late fall. Regardless, when I f*#ked that up I LEARNED from it and it didn't happen next time. And yes, I was carrying a compass both times: I only started bringing a map on such types of adventures after that first time. While it may be a naive view of mountaineering in general, I have found that on Hood's south side the better one knows the area the easier it is to navigate in a whiteout. And naturally wands help also. But my point is that I was lucky too in those days because when I knew I was truly off course I got off my feet and re-evaluated my situation: my heart quit pounding from the ride and I was able to clearly think about what I had to do to get back to my beer in the cooler. As I was going thru my options the clouds began to allow a slight bit better visibility and I oriented myself toward the "Mile" and made it back just fine. I knew when my nerves were limiting out and I knew when I needed to sit back and take stock in the situation, and figure a new strategy. Again, I had plenty of light so I didn't think I needed to call the patrol or PMR, but I was definitely nervous. I guess if I seem like I am really sympathetic to Jeff's situation its because I see some of my own decision-making processes in his actions - he knew when he had to call for help, which if one is also packing an ego along can make it difficult to decide to ask for that kind of help... Jeff sounds like he handled himself very calmly for what he was into and for what resulted from it he knows that he gained some great experience. I always forget how the saying goes about good judgement, bad judgment, experience, and the relation between the three (maybe the real vets can help me out here) but if there is one thing I can definitively say about Jeff's situation, without ever having met the guy, mind you, it would be that his experience didn't let bad judgment really cloud his thinking, and to me that [in part] is what makes a mountaineer. (Someone up above in the thread asked if anyone of us had ever navigated in a whiteout, so I felt compelled to give a tale from my ultra-beginner days - it was fun recalling it for this discussion) Glad you're back ok, man... If you're reading this!

Same here. Knowing how to use navigational aids is what makes them valuable. I have climbed down Hood in whiteout conditions with the help of a compass. Reading a compass or gps in foul weather is possible but not without risk. Especially in terrain where veering slightly offroute could prove fatal. So when someone gets caught out in a storm ease up on the "if only he could read a compass" BS. +1 Well said finley. What makes you other guys so sure that this guy can't read a compass, anyway? Check out the guy's Facebook pictures and see some of the places he's been (not just to climb). Seems unlikely that an individual with as much outdoor experience as he has can't read a compass... Maybe it was the one piece of gear that he honestly forgot to bring and forgetting it taught him a very valuable lesson - and nearly could have taught him a final lesson. He was lucky, yes, but none of that is indicitive of him not having the ability to read a compass. Lighten up, guys... He's gonna get enough flak as it is for this. We were all likely once at his level - some here on cc still are - so let his experience be an example to everyone. Just sayin, y'all