The Legend Of Coach...

[EWolfe]

...AKA: Secret Bivvies In The City

 

I know all you folks that hang at UW wall have anecdotes about THE MAN

 

Here's my brief:

 

I heard Coach had a secret bivouac site in Belltown - this thing was notorious, because no-one had ever seen it. All we ever heard about from Coach at the wall was how he had found "a good price on shoes", or some other necessity for survival in the urban jungle, and how he bought them bulk. We are talking 10-12 pairs of shoes, 20 pairs of socks, 15 shirts, 25-pack of underwear - all the same , and how he was "stockpiling" for when "the shit hit the fan"

 

Interestingly, my bank at the time was in Belltown - a credit union, where the only way to make deposits was to drive down there every couple of weeks. So, I'd be cruising back from the deposit, and Old Coach would ride up next to me as casual as can be: acknowledging me or not, as the mood suited him . This happened several times in a two year period, and I came to understand his "Barracks" were pretty close to my bank.

Snickers was the only one I ever knew that actually got into coaches digs, and he said there were black plastic bags stacked everywhere, along with massive piles of beer cartons. He said it lookrd "bunkerish"

 

A couple of years later, I went to buy some holds from a friend $%#@%^, and he said that the place we were going had been Coach's skidding place for three months, but we would just go and get the holds. We got there and there was this old for sale sign on the place, and we walk in and see the wall in the side yard.

This wall is 20 feet high, but the pile of beer bottles next to it is challenging the vertical accomplishments of the wall-builder. Noticing the smashed windowes, and lack of electricity, I ask" "How many people live here?"

"Just Coach" is the response. The bottlepile is truly impressive, especially considering the source:

 

This is a man who must spend all his money on beer and climbing tape - the ritual taping would make a UW Physician weep with the wrap. You show up at the wall, and Boxer/Fighter without gloves is in your face shouting " THE RED TOWER!!! YOU MUST CLIMB THE RED TOWER!!!!

Often with an open 40 onsite. And a complete freak with women? He could scare away the most jadad.

 

What a total and wonderful FREAK