Alpiners Anonymous: PDX dry tool night

[billcoe]

Salright dude, no worries I still respect ya. You canceled, Ujahn had the flu, John was going to Smith, about everyone else wanted to sleep in till noon it seems. But I got @ 2000' of mileage in anyway.

 

Legs are sore today. I'm old.

 

See you next week.

[hemp22]

For any portlanders that aren't getting out of town for the holiday weekend:

Broughton's Bluff adopt-a-crag is this Sunday, Sept 3rd, 9:30am-2:00pm. i'm guessing focus will be on trail maintenance, followed, of course, by schwag & climbing.

 

Also, the semi-annual Rocky Butte adopt-a-crag cleanup is scheduled for Sunday, October 8th, 10:00am-1:00pm

[fheimerd]

any of you pdx climbers getting out to the butte tonight. Thinking of being there around 6:00

 

Frank

[billcoe]

How about tomorrow Frank, the stiffness should ease and I should be walking by then!

 

Thanks for the info Hemp, I will miss the Butte this year, in Tibet. Last year we picked up the trash and like magic it seemed to reappeAr 15 min later.

 

If we could get the Russians to stop breaking glass....I'd feel better about picking up the trash, otherwise it's just a revolving door you can't stop. Check out the top out to Dreamweaver to see what I mean.

[aradia]

I'm up for some climbing tomorrow. How's crack warrior sound?

[fheimerd]

It's the one day a year I have to work till 7:00. Might swing by after 7:00 and see if anythings ging on.

 

Frank

[billcoe]

I'm up for some climbing tomorrow. How's crack warrior sound?

 

Sounds great, I'll start working on getting limber tonight and maybe by tommorrow I'll be stretched and ready.

[syklone]

Bill, I'm up for some climbing tomorrow also. I'll even bring that rope you were drooling over...

 

Troy

[billcoe]

Great, I got a call from Ujahn and he wan't to run laps on something, not strain a tendon. How about if we do birds, white rabbit and Sean (and anyone game) can try wisdom tooth?

 

More room. More climbing.

[aradia]

Works for me! I may come a bit early to start setting up. I'm curious about scoping out the route between birds and wisdom tooth; I think you pointed it out to me last time we were there.

[billcoe]

Works for me! I may come a bit early to start setting up. I'm curious about scoping out the route between birds and wisdom tooth; I think you pointed it out to me last time we were there.

 

Works for me too with a HUGE Cautionary tale: If you want to get there early, might be best to clip your short rope to the tree back off the edge, drop your climbing rope off the wisdom tooth chains, then use the tree rope to back up the anchor, and with a broom, nutpick and gloves -rap down and clean to where you can't touch the rock any more, it would be good. If you had those fancy cams handy - you might be able to stick them in the crack as you rap and pull your self into the rock if you wanted too.

 

Slowly getting to the main point which is this: Troy (Cyclone) reported that a woman who lived in one of the houses had told him early in the summer that the rock the climbers climbed on was moving as if it was going to fall off the cliff.

 

I figured she was talking about Birds since thats the view the houses are looking at, and checked it very, very carefully: it's not moving.

 

I wonder if it's an optical illusion to them, and that a lower rock is actually moving, but it looks to them like climbers are on it. Point is, be tied onto the tree and look slowly and carefully as you head to the edge and the chains, cause you might be on a truck sized boulder thats gonna pitch as soon as you step on it.

 

Pay particular attention to see if there is any gaps in the dirt back off the edge of the cliff which may be the canary in the coal mine. If you even are feeling a nervous tick in the back of your brain go with your gut feeling, stay the hell off of it and lets deal with it some weekend with pry bars and spotters at the base.

 

I'm serious, I have not seen anyone on that route since I last did it perhaps 15 years ago. It appears to rarely, if ever, get done, which is sad cause its a hard kick assed route which is also imminantly leadable and relativly safe, considering what else is around out there I mean.

 

Troy, you remember all this from earlier?

 

BTW, I had my windshield wipers on coming in today.

[aradia]

Sweet! Boulder surfing! I think I recall hearing such a story; probably from you, but could've been from someone else. I'll be sure to clip into a tree before I start jumping up and down on it...

 

Yeah, my wipers were on momentarily as well. I'm convinced it'll stop well before 5.

[syklone]

Ya, I remember that lady. She seemed pretty convinced that it was moving. But considering that this was in May sometime, if it was moving at the rate she was talking, it would have gone over by now. But people should still use some caution, and check it out before climbing.

[billcoe]

Sweet! Boulder surfing! I think I recall hearing such a story; probably from you, but could've been from someone else.

 

Oh yeah, that might have been Moi.

 

-Did it go something like this:-

 

It might have been the humoungous boulder on the center of Bill's Buttress. Like route 3. I'd climbed past the boulder twice and it looked disconnected so only used it for a foothold. 2nd time, I saw a little rock in a crack which after I plucked the pebble out with my fingertips (pulled it out thinking what a great little finger crack sized placement this will be), watched in horror as the whole boulder, which turned out was balanced so perfectly on it's centered tipping point and gently resting on the little rock wedge in the crack, then rocked over and the fingercrack became no more. I rapped down a few days later, slightly pushed it out from above with my toe and watched the whole thing easily rock over and pitch off. It then smashed and swept that huge flake below which you and I spent part of a day cleaning off totally off the cliff.

 

It shook the whole cliff so severely and was so loud that it, no shit, made me so weak in the legs and the mind that I gathered up my gear and went home. Unable to climb or even hang out there any more. I almost shit myself.

 

So you were right after all, we did not have to spend so much time cleaning that flake. Do you remember me insisting it be cleaned to perfection and you rolling your eyes? I saw that, yes.

 

It was used and looked like a nice place for pro however, which is now no more. Imagine falling and having that flake pull off right above you. You'd be dead I don't care what brand of helmet you had on, it would take you and your ass and wipe it off the planet.

 

Anyhooo-

 

I haven't been back to clean it or climb it since, but noticed doing the next route over, that there was a huge patch of untouched dirt where that flake formerly had been.

 

Anybody wants to head up there and bolt the holy shit out of that entire area, have at it. Couple of those routes various seconds and other people were chiding me for not having any pro to speak of.

 

Later, when I hurt myself, feeling weak, I did toss in a single bolt and single pin on rap for the very last route on the left hand side of the Buttress. Which, as it turned out, still feeling in pain like a wuss, I wound up following and Bryan Schmidt led it. It is the only currently named route, he calls it "Corona Glass Houses"- which will most likely now be shortened by everyone to "Glass Houses" once all the broken Corona Bottles the asswipe Russians are still tossing off are re-swept off the route. Don't want to speak for Bryan, but I don't think Bryan would care if anyone put in a bolt or 2 on that route either, but it probably is the best protected route there.

 

Most of the loose rocks are off of the Buttress now.

 

That's my loose rock story for this year anyway, that must have been like May or June, few months back. Chopped 2 ropes out there this year (not my new lead rope fortunatly), so now I have all new ropes. None as good looking as you and Troys however.

 

So I might have some other loose rock stories, but that's the most current.

[aradia]

I do indeed remember that. I also remember thinking, as we were cleaning that flake, that the dirt we were cleaning may very well be the only thing cementing it to the rest of the buttress.

 

Speaking of cleaning, I just realised that I forgot to grab my brush on the way out the door. Oh well... I need to drive halfway home before I turn around and hit the butte; might as well go all the way and grab the brush so's I can clean anything if necessary.

[billcoe]

might as well go all the way and grab the brush so's I can clean anything if necessary.

 

Bring a mop Sean. Might not need to bother heading home, it's good wet out there right now and still coming down lightly. Since I planned on 85 degrees and dry and dressed in cotton shorts and a polo shirt, I'm gonna most likely blow you guys off tonight.

_________________________________________________

 

Troy said:

 

Ya, I remember that lady. She seemed pretty convinced that it was moving. But considering that this was in May sometime, if it was moving at the rate she was talking, it would have gone over by now. But people should still use some caution, and check it out before climbing.

 

 

If I remember your whole story Troy, she lived in the green house on the edge of the cliff which stares directly East to Birds of Paradise. She said, if I remember correctly, that the rock the climbers were climbing on is moving. Like it was going to fall off was my interpretation?

 

I'm wondering if this is the kind of thing which almost killed me last trip to Hawaii entering the ocean to swim. Bottom line: looking at it one way and it appears insignifigant or is not visible at all, but from the other way looks hugely substantial and deadly.

 

I checked out Birds from all sides, but not further down the cliff towards the houses or that Wisdom Tooth area. There could be something to her observation.

 

Since none of us has checked it out from the other angle, I agree with Troy that the first person over there use all your senses, drive slowly and with caution, looking to get the chop.

 

Especially if you head over there in the rain tonight! Nothing like a little adventure to finish out the day BTW, there is poison oak in that vicinity

[syklone]

She lived in the last house on the road, and said she had seen climbers on it almost weekly. I didn't go down to check out the rock, but she pretty much said to come down and push it over if it was a threat.

 

Bill, you skipping out tonight? Suck. I'll be there around 5:30. If its too wet/no one shows, I'll just go boulder at the gym.

[aradia]

Yeah, I just made a quick trip back home and noticed it was still raining lightly. I might still stop by. If nothing else, I could check out the Mystery Moving Rock. Damn weather. Guess I won't see you till I get back from vacation.

[hemp22]

Correction to my previous post.

The Broughton's adopt-a-crag has been rescheduled for next Sunday, September 10th, so that it doesn't fall on the holiday weekend. Still 9:30-2:00.

 

 

For any portlanders that aren't getting out of town for the holiday weekend:

Broughton's Bluff adopt-a-crag is this Sunday, Sept 3rd, 9:30am-2:00pm. i'm guessing focus will be on trail maintenance, followed, of course, by schwag & climbing.

 

Also, the semi-annual Rocky Butte adopt-a-crag cleanup is scheduled for Sunday, October 8th, 10:00am-1:00pm

[billcoe]

Hola Hemp,

 

you might start a new thread on events with these 2 topics so it doesn't get quickly lost on this one.

[hemp22]

Thanks Bill

DONE and DONE

 

hopefully the PDX regulars will take note & mark their calendars

[billcoe]

Whos out Thurs?

 

Hemp, nice posts. You might re-bump it on this thread as well as a reminder a few days before the events. I'll be out of country for the rocky butte one, so I guess the memories of last years glass and condum pickup fest will be all I have!

[shuksan]

Bill, you planning to be there? anybody else?

[billcoe]

yes, I am soooo there. what do you want to do?

[shuksan]

How about around silver bullet? A bit before 6?