1977 Yosemite Plane Crash

[Off_White]

You mean Jeff Long, unrelated to John. Angels of Light wasn't a half bad read.

[LostCamKenny]

Actually, no I mean John Long ... related to john long the climber - wait! Same guy. Check imdb.com

[MarkMcJizzy]

You mean Jeff Long, unrelated to John

 

You, unsurprisingly, are wrong, wrong, wrong. John Long was one of the primary writers of the film, or actually the film was written on a "premise by John Long". Several years previously Jeff Long had written "Angels of Light". After Cliffhanger appeared, lawsuits and acrimony occurred because Jeff Long thought his ideas had been stolen. This was detailed in Outside magazine at the time. I think Jeff Long ended up outside looking in, because how can a true event be stolen, especially by one of the people involved, (or not).

 

Regardless, Cliffhanger was a wild movie, but not very good. And it was not necessary to change such a bizarre true event. I hope Rickie's book is great

[Off_White]

Mr. Jizz, Jeff and John are indeed not related, so there is clearly a limit to my wrongness. Wrong perhaps, but not wrong wrong wrong. Besides, if you ask Jeff Long, he'll assert that the film was written on his pilfered premise.

 

 

[Dane]

OK, but how many here will admit to having toked some of that weed BITD?

[LostCamKenny]

Mr. Jizz, Jeff and John are indeed not related, so there is clearly a limit to my wrongness. Wrong perhaps, but not wrong wrong wrong. Besides, if you ask Jeff Long, he'll assert that the film was written on his pilfered premise.

 

The credits in the movie list John and not jeff, though, so you are only wrong, wrong...

[MarkMcJizzy]

Mr. Jizz, Jeff and John are indeed not related, so there is clearly a limit to my wrongness. Wrong perhaps, but not wrong wrong wrong. Besides, if you ask Jeff Long, he'll assert that the film was written on his pilfered premise.

 

 

You are correct about Jeff Long's assertions. As I stated just previously. So not only are you wrong wrong, you have very poor reading comprehension

[sobo]

Guys, guys, guys... can't we all just get along?

[ghost]

I was wondering when the topic of the plane crash of 77 in yosemite would get a place to post information, now I can chime in and post a few words. First of all, now that I am a few days away from turning 60, I have no qualms about posting on the event that changed a few of our lives way back then. Only those of us that actually went to the plane, and we all know who we are, can speak honestly and accurately about what we saw and what we did and how it all played out.

 

Amazing how many so called experts have posted on this site. I was lucky enough to be living there in yosemite in 77 and was working at the awhanee hotel at that time as well. No names need be mentioned here, tis best that way, after all, the government is listening.

 

The government knew all about the plane crash when it was happening, when it went down in the lake, there was a large amount of the pot that was taken out of the plane, and the fed ran out of budget, and the lake froze over. About 1000 pounds of X, XX, and XXX were taken out of the plane, it was stashed in the jail and it was soaked with aviation fuel as well. It got the name lodestar lightening as it would make you cough and it would from time to time, spark a bit in the bowl. Cool rangers from time to time would snatch a bit of it and it would show up at parties around the valley there in yosemite.

 

Climbers from camp 4 would go to the plane and would score, and they would come back with new toyota station wagons loaded with gear, and money to live in the park and more stash in the rocks for future needs. My friend roger bannister ( now dead ) was the very cool hippie from pittsberg california that had set the price of what it should sell for, and was about $600.00 a pound per san francisco prices.

 

There was an article written about it in the 77 edition august I belive, by tom devries in the magazing called " new west " and the article was called, " yosemites little gold mine " all history now at this point.

 

After the fed ran out of money, a rumor was started that the lake was being guarded by marines and that it wasnt cool to go to the lake, all false indeed. The original "go jump in a lake t-shirts" were from a very cool slightly over weight man that worked for the park service, his first money gotten from sales of the weed bought him a great old 51 chevy cab over dump truck that he filled full of beer and had a party, he then did the shirts and they went everywhere, needless to say, sales were hot.

 

3 of my friends that worked at the awhanee hotel were the people that were snowshoeing and were the guys that found the wing in the snow and by telling the feds, the word was out that others now knew what the feds had known all along. Wow, what a firestorm of information that went viral up and down the west coast. People at the hotel were going to the plane and scoring and would quit thier jobs and head out to college and points unknown. The word had come down from the feds, that this was all going to be shut down in a matter of days. And if the fed wanted to, they could have busted us all very easily, after all, there was a well worn muddy trail that led to the plane.

 

It is true that some of the first people there at the plane after the lake froze over, did in fact take a chain saw and cut a hole in the ice, and a bail of pot did surface. It is true that the pilots were from seattle, how ever its doubtful that the "rumor" of the briefecase in the cock pit was full of bags of un cut coke. How ever, a local from mariposa that was famous for not wearing shoes did dive into the plane, but that is another story that he should tell.

 

I and three other people, decided to go to the plane to get our share before the blue customs helicopters were going to be cruising the valley to find us all. It was amazing, 14 miles in to get there in the middle of the night, empty pack and high adrenelen. When I got there, I was burnt out and dog tired, and I crashed out on the ground, but could hear the action around me. There was enough weed scattered on the ground that I gathered up 20 lbs wet and started the hike back out. As stated, we could have all been easily caught, but the fed wasnt into it at that time I guess.

 

The dorms in taquahoya all had laundry rooms, and all of the dryers were being used 24/7 to dry the weed, the dorms were full of it, you could smell it. I opted to go dry mine out on the rocks about 400 ft above the tree line on the talis pile across the street from the ahwanee. Talk about trying to be safe and not get caught, it was amazing. I dried down to 5 pounds dry.

 

Roger bannister had made contact with a person that was supposedly comnnected with the people that owned the plane that had taken off from san quetin baja, there were out to buy back some of the original pot. A person was brought into my room with a satchel full of money, the exchange was made and in minutes I had 2000.00 in my hand, the price had dropped to 400.00 a pound and I was glad to get it, I paid off a debt with it.

 

Sadly, people that were connected with the plane crash, a few of us suffered some loss. Keven worral was killed in a car crash, roger bannister and his girl friend stacey hughes, were murdered by factions of the plane crash, roger had gotten into the realm of coke with them and it went bad at some point. There was another car crash and the girlfriend of the driver got a bad gash on her forehead, the man in question was one of the 3 from the hotel that found the wing in the snow, he isnt in good health at this point so he should remane nameless as well as the lady that has the scar on her forehead, they know who they are.

 

The book by nevada barr is highly inaccurate as anyone that has been to the plane will tell you, but its a good read as well. The film cliff hanger, had nothing to do with the plane crash in yosemite in 77.

 

All that being said. There are those that are out there that are still alive and kicking, we all know who we are, and at some point, there should be a true set of facts and experiences set forth in a great screen play that it should be made into a true accurate movie. But that may never happen because as time goes by, the relatively interesting story of the crash of 77, may just fade into a " silent history " as all of us older left wing tye dye hippies just sit back and smile and are happy in knowing what we know, and what we did.

 

I doubt the fed will give a dam about any of us that were there and went to the plane, pretty hard to herd cats at this point. The spirit of the alumni of the plane crash of 77, all know where we are, and some of us keep in touch from time to time.

 

So with that happy note, it will be interesting to see the myriad of new post about this amazing older story of a great event of long ago in a place that for its time, was one "hot" cool place to be. Any body that reads this that was truly there, will just smile and silently know, that what has been posted here is true and accurate. After all, there is no berry like an "elsberry"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Sincerely,

Ghost,

(@)(@)

[pink]

nice!

[Off_White]

Ghost, Kevin Worral is alive and well, a frequent poster on Supertopo and resident of San Diego. If he was a buddy, you can easily contact him via that site. I'd thought I heard way back there that he'd crashed a VW bus into a tree in the Valley and it was his girlfriend that died, but that's third or fourth hand at best.

 

There's also a long thread on this subject there you'll find interesting.

Edited March 18, 2013 by Off_White

[ghost]

Indeed, you are correct, it was kevins girlfriend that crashed the bus, thanks for the accurate info. Its been a long time since the crash, so at 60, I am at the outer marker of just a tad bit of memory fade. Your accuracy is appreciated.

 

Very glad to know that " 5/11 " "Kevin" is alive and well. As with anything, there was so much that happened to a myriad of people that went to the crash site, from time to time there will be inconsistant information that with time can be inaccurate.

 

By the way, if any of the climbing community from that time period remembers chuck berry, who used to be a bellman at the ahwanee, I was the last person that has seen him alive, seeing how I have been in seattle since 79, and have had extensive dealings with alaksa and the fishing industry, so far there hasnt been any sign of him for almost, 15 years, thought I would put a feeler out there to see if anyone has heard of him or from him. We used to be room mates during that time period in Yosemite and our adventures at the Awhanee hotel. Last I heard was that chuck was still out on the "crabbers" deckhanding, but the weather in dutch harbor had really affected his health and his breathing, he was shallow of breath known as " crab asthema ", he knew he should have quit the industry long ago, but he was addicted to the adventure and the money.

 

What a great website, a pleasure to be a part of it.

 

Sincerely,

Ghost.

(@)(@)

[Buckaroo]

The Lockheed PV-1 Ventura. Load capacity 2800 pounds.

 

The upgraded PV-2 was 4000 pounds, sounds closer to what we are talking about here with a "modified" plane.

 

4000 x $400 per pound = $1.6 Million.