Alpiners Anonymous: PDX dry tool night

[DavidHiers]

I'll be at RB on Thursday, may have two people in tow...

[billcoe]

Great, as long as everyone is 100 percent perfect on belays.

 

Melisa: to get here, drive up Fremont, past the cliffs (where the road is parelling 205 on the mapquest link). as you pass the last bible domes on the right, but before the road takes the hard right and heads to the top, park at the last parking spot on the right, you generally will see some cars here. Walk approx the 30' stright back to the cliff, take a 90 degree right turn at the cliff edge and follow the cliff for @ 60 feet. We'll be there.

 

Mapquest

 

Now a note of caution: people scramble unroped here to get to the top of the climb, and people have died doing it. You want to rope up to get to the top of these climbs, I'm down with that. Most of the bad shit that happens up there is due to bad belay skills and unroped slips on top. Both can and should be reduced as it's so fucking needless.

 

Here's what this chick said about this very scramble at that very spot:

 

Link to full thread

 

Yes, my name is really Michelle, I'm really a chick, I'm really a park ranger up on the Alaska Peninsula (near Lake Clark & Katmai) where there are very few people and a lot of bears. You asked, so here it goes, August 4, 1998, me and 5 others were going to do some evening climbing. It was hot and dry and the soil was really loose. I don't consider this a climbing accident by the way because I was not climbing when I fell. We were going to rappel down two pitches and climb back up. We were right near silver bullet, if I remember right but hey I've had a head injury. Anyway, one of my partners was setting up our first top rope and I was walking down the access trail which consisted of a scramble over some rocks. I scrambled but when my feet were supposed to come down solid, they didn't. Instead, they slid and I went right over the edge. I remember trying to grab for stuff but there wasn't anything and none of my partners were watching. So, I slid over the edge and blacked out about half way down. Some climbers on the route next to us said that I did somersaults all the way down. They said that It looked like I initially landed on my feet and then right on to my right hip and butt. I had a backpack on which saved my back. The climbers ran over to me, they said they were freaking out because I wasn't breathing and they were freaking because they thought they might have to do CPR. Lucky for them or me, I started breathing on my own and woke up. I couldn't see at first and was having trouble breathing. One of my partners rappelled down to me and another ran down the access trail. Another partner found someone with a cell phone and called 911. It took the fire department a little while to get there and it took them 45 minutes to get me out. The actually had to use our gear. The EMT was assessing my injuries. I was in total shock by then and had no clue as to what was going on. The EMT kept asking me to wiggle my toes and I asked him what for, why couldn't I just get up and finish my climb. THen the guy checked my hips and I about passed out. Well, they got me to the ambulance and took me to Emannual Trauma Center. I basically had broke both hips, my pelvis, my left tibia and ankle, right ulna, fractured my skull in two places, tore my right eye, tore my small intestine, punctured my liver and collapsed both lungs. I spent two weeks in the ICU and another two weeks in the head injury ward. Initially they told my mom and boyfriend that I wouldn't walk for a least a year but I was walking by Thanksgiving thanks to nine months of physical therapy. I climbed at horse thief falls that following spring.

[gt5816v]

Yikes! I broke my tib , fib and ankle in a bike accident and that hurt like hell. Cant imagine what that must have been like for her! Amazed she survived.

 

You really push the safety stuff Bill but it's obviously for a good reason!

 

I'll see you out there when I get back in town

[billcoe]

I'm serious about no one getting hurt.

 

It might be getting a little crowded. I wish I'd seen Davidheirs post yesterday as I'd bring an extra rope to fix on top for everyone getting safely to the tops of these climbs.

 

-BUT- No worries,

 

There is also a real, real safe walk down for anyone who doesn't need to be on top.

 

It is the walking path which parallels the road heading east. As the road continues its climb to the top: this path, which is just off the road and in the woods to the north, (or left hand side as the road heads up), will gradually drop (as the road will gradually climb), walk on the path straight East until you are damn near staring at the freeway and are at the base of the hill, then take a left and parallel the freeway on this walking path, as you walk on the flat path heading North by NW, walk about 32-3 football fields length and if you look to the left and up, you will see us climbing on the cliff up there just do the easy walk up the hill and we'll all be together.

 

If at any point you are looking at a steep hill or a cliff, you are not in the right place. This is an easy safe gently path to the base.

 

Easy as pie!

 

Anyone gets there late and needs to talk or help figuring this out, call me and I'll come get you or walk you through it, hook you up on rappel or whatever.

 

God I sound like an old woman prattling on....

 

Shit...fuck it...I don't care, it's better to just say it. There ya are.

[John Frieh]

ill bring an extra beater rope for fixing

 

see you little bitches there

[billcoe]

Hope to see you then GT. Have a nice trip. If you have a real name BTW, feel free to use it.

 

 

ill bring an extra beater rope for fixing

 

see you little bitches there

 

Sweet deal! Us bitches will be there.

[Knottygirl]

this bitch'll be there.

100% on my belay skilz

[Knottygirl]

hey thanks guys! lots of fun. good to see you bill and john. nice to meet ya, melissa and tim!

[rmncwrtr]

Great to meet you and Tim, too, Bri! Thanks for showing me the easy way out. Nice to see Bill and John again! Thanks to all of you for making this newbie's evening out there so much fun. You guys are the best (and so very patient and nice, too!)

[billcoe]

Mel, that was great being able to bang out about 10 routes after work with a great group of people, and I'll take a belay from you anytime!

 

BTW, there was a 5.7/8 next to Fandango which I totally so forgot about.

 

Next time!

[DavidHiers]

Sorry I missed the party! Had a bit of a meltdown somewhere between IL and OK, so I had to work late. Too bad, as my sweetie had a ton of leftover pizza to cast to the wolves.

 

Being quite the gearhead, I tend pack along enough rack/rope to contribute to the common good

 

I'm betting horsethief will be dryer than Portland this weekend, so I'm looking to head out there.

[billcoe]

David: Lets get together sooner as opposed to later hey?

 

Oh, BTW, we do take out for pizza, call with your address and we'll all come over to your house and take out. I settled on the Thurs special 2 for $2 big macs at the 82nd st. McDonalds after climbing.

 

Very sickening.

 

But good.

[billcoe]

Ujahn and I will be at Lake Oswego after work Tues if anyone wants a belay.

[DavidHiers]

Ujahn and I will be at Lake Oswego after work Tues if anyone wants a belay.

 

Lk O? Down by the tracks?

[DavidHiers]

David: Lets get together sooner as opposed to later hey?

 

Oh, BTW, we do take out for pizza, call with your address and we'll all come over to your house and take out. I settled on the Thurs special 2 for $2 big macs at the 82nd st. McDonalds after climbing.

 

Very sickening.

 

But good.

 

You know it!

[billcoe]

Yup, right there.

 

Should I bring a rotohammer? Last time I was there, one of the top anchors had a broken section of rock, and had a single bolt for an anchor.

 

Should be good by now.....you'd think.

[hemp22]

bill, that missing anchor bolt has been replaced.

 

i might show up...

but, as usual, if i do, i won't know until right before...

 

 

[billcoe]

Thanks Jeff! Hope to see you, but if not, maybe you can go get Stewarts gear !

[billcoe]

Main note:

 

Well, the big news is that the route on the left looks like the block which the rap anchor bolts are in is not long for the world. Sometimes that kind of thing is hard to guess....but still.

 

BUT, you can clip the anchor bolts to the right , and belay off to the side, not under the thing.

 

Side note:

 

Tweaked my middle finger. Which is gonna make both pleasuring myself and flipping you assholes off much more difficult.

 

ice and ibuprofen - ice and ibuprofen ice and ibuprofen ice and ibuprofen

 

It was only Ujahn, Davidhiers and I representin last night. David gives good belay FYI.

 

Also, the group of poison oak top center looked like it was partially sprayed months ago, is damn near totally dead now, and you don't have to climb in it to clip the anchors! Nice!

 

I would advise Clif to NEVER EVER climb here, as the base is in the zone which gets regularly and totally 100 percent sprayed with herbicide by the Railroad, and since they own the property, you won't get them to stop. Now don't be a hypocrite, best just stay away.

 

Edited to say - thanks Mel ! catch ya next time.

Edited August 22, 2007 by billcoe

[rmncwrtr]

Wish I could have been there, Bill. Take care of that finger!

[billcoe]

Wish I could have been there, Bill. Take care of that finger!

 

Next time. I did it stretching on the way over. I have it fully taped with athletic tape right now, perfect for flipping all of you beyotches off. So at least there is a practical side to things.

 

However - no climbing tonight for me.

[hemp22]

bummer bill....

...and here I was hoping to get outside again today.

 

did you hurt yourself on anything in particular at lake O?

[billcoe]

I always stretch out in my car while on a drive to a climb. I was stretching my fingers while on the freeway and did it then, before I was even close to the crag, but climbed anyway.

 

Its the tendon ON TOP of the finger, not the one every normal person tweaks - so I can crimp hard until it reaches a tight arc, then it screams in pain on the TOP of the finger. Darnest thing, I can just bend it with no weight and it feel the same!

 

Moral of the story, cars cause injuries.

[DavidHiers]

I always stretch out in my car while on a drive to a climb. I was stretching my fingers while on the freeway and did it then, before I was even close to the crag, but climbed anyway.

 

Its the tendon ON TOP of the finger, not the one every normal person tweaks - so I can crimp hard until it reaches a tight arc, then it screams in pain on the TOP of the finger. Darnest thing, I can just bend it with no weight and it feel the same!

 

Moral of the story, cars cause injuries.

 

 

What? You were climbing hurt? Never could have guessed...

 

Anyone headed out to RB tommorow?

[billcoe]

What? You were climbing hurt? Never could have guessed...

 

Anyone headed out to RB tommorow?

 

Thanks, pretty bad, nothing ice, tape and ibuprofen hasn't helped:-) It has been helpful in flipping folks off too all taped up like that!

 

Typing sucked for a while too! RB sounds good since it's been dry lately. I think I'm game, where do you want to climb? It's your call.