You guys get off Serpentine Ridge OK?

[pdk]

There was a party of two about 1/2 way up Serpentine yesterday (tuesday, July 1) when the hail/rain/thunder storm hit. You guys get off the route ok? We couldn't find you on the face when the storm cleared.

[Rad]

no stll there txtng u 4 2 rescu plz

[pink]

[Crillz]

That's not funny! This could be serious!

Rad, what are the coordinates from your GPS? I will send out some SARS.

[scheissami]

We ran into them as we were hiking out after doing the same route. They had planned to bivy on the route above the pillar anyway, so hopefully they were well prepared.

 

One of them is a regular here, so I expect we'll hear from him soon.

[G-spotter]

Did anyone see a Y symbol?

[ivan]

talk about exciting - the storm hit as we reached the big ledge w/ the pillar - we hunkered down to take it and it became kinda comical as it got worse and worse - lots of creative solutions were found, since we just had soft shells that after 30 minutes became utterly soaked - used my trash compacter bag ghetto-style as a lap warmer (it had our sleeping bags inside) - the walnut-sized hail was fucking painful, so turned my half z-rest into a smashing alpine cape by punching two holes in either end w/ a nut tool and using a sling as the clasp - the hail eventually covered everything 2-3 inches high

 

the most impressive shit was the waterfall that drains that whole face section between backbone and serpentine - what was a slender, white stream when we passed became a raging brown torrent, continously shitting giant boulders from high above - the snow cone below was completly covered in black stones when the storm passed - about half an hour into the storm, bummed that the 420 was upon us but inobservable, i looked behind me only to see the crack system we were parked next to explode in a tremdous geyser of water, soil and hail, covering our pack and feet and continuing to flow for another hour - as for us, i was willing to stay on our ledge after the storm and endure a wet bivy (the sun at least broke out for the last hour of the day) in order to get the summit, but my newbie partner was rather less than impressed w/ this, only his second climb (the other being the day before, when he took a huge fall on the lower n ridge of stuie and watched his pack plummet several hundred feet to the ground, destroying most it contents!)

 

so, in the end, we had an orderly bunch of raps off the face and were back to the car a bit before midnight - we had an agreeable time at castle rock yday (goddam canary's a bit of alright) then came back to the 'couve

[sobo]

Now that was the beginning to what coulda been a fine epic.

Too bad your partner hosed you out of it.

[Bug]

Ivan, Post your remaining scheduled climbs for the summer.

I want to avoid bad weather.

 

[ivan]

Ivan, Post your remaining scheduled climbs for the summer.

I want to avoid bad weather.

july 5 to september 5

[Off_White]

Oh. Turns out it was Ivan? Duh, shoulda seen that one coming.

 

Pictures?

[sobo]

Yeah, he's kinda like that Joe Bfstplk guy from the Li'l Abner comic strip.

Brings his own weather with him wherever he goes...

 

[G-spotter]

so turned my half z-rest into a smashing alpine cape by punching two holes in either end w/ a nut tool and using a sling as the clasp

 

where was your fucking TAUNTAUN m'lad?

[sobo]

it got carried off by a mynok.

 

oh wait, they only like power cables...

[KaskadskyjKozak]

 

[ivan]

so turned my half z-rest into a smashing alpine cape by punching two holes in either end w/ a nut tool and using a sling as the clasp

 

where was your fucking TAUNTAUN m'lad?

waiting for me at the summit of course, for i will not deign to trod the aasgard path w/ my radiant feet again

 

wish i had pix - regretably, the wet did in me partners camera, which along w/ his stuart plummet, brought his tally to digital items destroyed on the trip to three

[billcoe]

Ivan: I love that you just get out there and get 'er done. You get more interesting challenges in a month than some of us get in a lifetime, you're just packing it all in and going for it.

 

That one sounded pretty knarly.

[Rad]

Idea to keep gym rats in the gym: send them out with Ivan for their first alpine outing. The resulting sufferfest will send them back indoors faster than a flaring offwidth.

 

This is not really a new idea. Layton did it to MrE on E Mox. Worked him so good the poor guy moved to a warm, sunny, brush-free state and hasn't looked back.

[miker]

Well crap, I was Ivan's partner and now I am the loser who fucked it up.

 

But seriously, it was an epic couple of days and if I had all of my food and had not had my peanut butter explode all over the interior of my food bag the day before when my pack tripped the light fantastic and fell 300 feet off of the NR of Stuart I might have been more ready to weather another night on the rock. Why did my pack fall? I fell on it while it was clipped to a piece below me and broke its top strap.

 

But, mad props to Ivan for keeping our priorities straight. I will post a trip report and some pics in the next couple of days. Not sure if my camera survived the wet, but at least the memory card is waterproof.

 

Now I have to get back and finish something up there, perhaps next year?

 

Mike R

[ivan]

Well crap, I was Ivan's partner and now I am the loser who fucked it up.

 

But seriously, it was an epic couple of days and if I had all of my food and had not had my peanut butter explode all over the interior of my food bag the day before when my pack tripped the light fantastic and fell 300 feet off of the NR of Stuart I might have been more ready to weather another night on the rock. Why did my pack fall? I fell on it while it was clipped to a piece below me and broke its top strap.

 

But, mad props to Ivan for keeping our priorities straight. I will post a trip report and some pics in the next couple of days. Not sure if my camera survived the wet, but at least the memory card is waterproof.

 

Now I have to get back and finish something up there, perhaps next year?

 

Mike R

just post a pic of yer pack after sir isaac newton had his way w/ it and that'll be all that's required

[Jim]

talk about exciting - the storm hit as we reached the big ledge w/ the pillar - we hunkered down to take it and it became kinda comical as it got worse and worse - lots of creative solutions were found, since we just had soft shells that after 30 minutes became utterly soaked - used my trash compacter bag ghetto-style as a lap warmer (it had our sleeping bags inside) - the walnut-sized hail was fucking painful, so turned my half z-rest into a smashing alpine cape by punching two holes in either end w/ a nut tool and using a sling as the clasp - the hail eventually covered everything 2-3 inches high

 

the most impressive shit was the waterfall that drains that whole face section between backbone and serpentine - what was a slender, white stream when we passed became a raging brown torrent, continously shitting giant boulders from high above - the snow cone below was completly covered in black stones when the storm passed - about half an hour into the storm, bummed that the 420 was upon us but inobservable, i looked behind me only to see the crack system we were parked next to explode in a tremdous geyser of water, soil and hail, covering our pack and feet and continuing to flow for another hour - as for us, i was willing to stay on our ledge after the storm and endure a wet bivy (the sun at least broke out for the last hour of the day) in order to get the summit, but my newbie partner was rather less than impressed w/ this, only his second climb (the other being the day before, when he took a huge fall on the lower n ridge of stuie and watched his pack plummet several hundred feet to the ground, destroying most it contents!)

 

so, in the end, we had an orderly bunch of raps off the face and were back to the car a bit before midnight - we had an agreeable time at castle rock yday (goddam canary's a bit of alright) then came back to the 'couve

 

Frikin' A man - you are just packin' in the excitement here! Makes our snooze atop seem pedestrian. Glad you guys are OK.

[setnei]

Glad to hear both that everyone survived, AND that there's the potential for some fun suffer-fest shots...

[layton]

HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[ivan]

HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

you wouldn't been able to handle it, mikey - dude, it got so wet after a while my cigs wouldn't stay lit!

[ivan]

ah yes, and for the record, the amazing hail-resistant, mostly wind/water proof, studded-for-his-n-her-pleasure, neo-colonial alpine cape w/ dyneema ass-floss cinch!