Matt Posted April 29, 2002 Posted April 29, 2002 I am driving from Seattle to Yosemite on May 8th and would like to share the costs of driving with someone. I can easily swing by Portland or Smith Rocks to pick you up. Send me a PM if you're interested. Matt Heller Quote
Lambone Posted April 29, 2002 Posted April 29, 2002 Whish i could bro, wanna go back in mid june? Quote
Matt Posted May 8, 2002 Author Posted May 8, 2002 At the last minute I shelled out for a plane ticket to Yosemite and I'm leaving tomorrow. Big plans on the big stone. I'm tired of reading bs about Pope's pearly back door, Lambone's dim bulb and what spray.comer would dominate the battle cage (if you want my honest opinion, Mike Adamson would rock everyone's world-- the dude is build like a tank). So please stop your nonsense spray fest and tell me your favorite story about Yosemite. Brother Dwayner? Pope? Dru? The effortlessly cool Mattp? What's your favorite valley climb? What's the ugliest back off you've done? Ever see ice on Half Dome? Do you know how to apologize in Japanese after you realized you've taken a shit on someone's bivy ledge? Has your rastafarian bivy kit ever run out half way up Zodiac and you just couldn't go on any further? Please, share. Quote
Matt Posted May 8, 2002 Author Posted May 8, 2002 TimL!! I will see you and Chris in Camp 4! We can have our own cc.com Pub Club in Yosemite! Quote
jordop Posted May 8, 2002 Posted May 8, 2002 General Tips I have gleaned which you probably already know: Schnapps is the cheapest booze in the store, don't clog up the drain in Camp 4 with leftovers like some dicks do, "borrow" towels from the lodge and bathe in the river that follows down by Manure Pile (or if that is a little too destructive, just steal showers from Curry when the stoner on duty leaves for a smoke), bring an extra set of plates for your car and just rotate them every two weeks so you can stay forever in camp 4, get up early, go to bed early, get some language lessons around the campfires (camp 4 is like the UN of the climbing world!), go to a library and find an old copy of an early edition of Yosemite Climbs because the new ones have many climbs around the falls (Guiding Light) and the horse trails delisted under pressure from Parks, earn money with some green, driving to climbs will suck up gas, use the damn bus and act dranged in front of the Tourons. Quote
Lambone Posted May 8, 2002 Posted May 8, 2002 Right on Matt, I hope you have a great trip! Good luck on the Captain! hhhhmmm...yosemite stories... My favorite free climb in the Valley is the East Buttress of Middle Cathedral. Stellar cracks the whole way. One spring I met up with an Aussie woman in camp and we made plans to climb it. While racking up she asked me...(I had done the route twice before) "Do you think I could get away without bringing my shoes for the descent, they are pretty heavy. I usualy go barefoot back home..." I asked her if she had seen the decent gully, to which she replied, yes. I said, "well, then if you'd even consider doing that barefoot, then I'd say go for it!" I decided she must be a super burly woman hardened by the Outback. So we did the route and all went well. Until the descent. Yes, she did the whole thing barefoot...and those of you who've seen the gully between Middle and Higher can appreciate what a personal epic she must have had. Regardless, she still beat me down. We spent a week more in camp 4 together, and for the rest of the time, every time we ran into eachother she just scoweled at me. The moral of the story...avoid making important decisions for women at all cost. It only spells disaster... Saw lots of ice in the valley in March. Sounded like thunder for days when the sun came out and it all fell down. There are some sweet looking ice climbs over by the leaning tower! As long as it stays cold! Quote
TimL Posted May 8, 2002 Posted May 8, 2002 Matt- We'll all have to get a site. Chris and I will be arriving late Friday night. Looks like the weather will be good. Yosemite stories.... I remember a fond occasion on the East Butt of Middle Cathedral when my partner dropped his smokes on p2. We continued to the top. I never saw someone so happy and move so fast down a descent gulley... Ring-tailed cats...... gotta love'em Quote
Matt Posted May 8, 2002 Author Posted May 8, 2002 Sounds brutal Lambone. I have done that descent in the dark while sharing a headlamp with my partner. He was hurting because a) it was his headlamp that went kapoot and b) he was wearing tevas and kept stubbing his toes in that mean old boulderfield. The first time I hiked down the infamous North Dome Gulley it was dark and MY headlamp went kapoot. Equally brutal. Quote
chris_w Posted May 8, 2002 Posted May 8, 2002 How long is everyone staying in the valley. I will be heading down on the 24th and don't want to be looking for the CC.com site when it aint there. Quote
Matt Posted May 8, 2002 Author Posted May 8, 2002 Chris-- wish I could say I'll be there until Labor Day, but no, I'll be back home before you get there. Have fun!! Quote
freeclimb9 Posted May 8, 2002 Posted May 8, 2002 I spent (misspent?) a couple summers in the valley in '86 and '87. One money-making venture I tried was selling cold beer and sodas on the shoulder of Half Dome. I partnered with my buddy Earl, and he acted as the lookout downtrail. I accepted cash (1 for 3, 2 for 5) and bartered, and was amazed to meet people making the 16 mile round trip with little more than reefer and Stohli for provisions. So, I was pretty high by 10:00AM. After stashing the leftovers near the base of the Regular route (we consumed them a few days later before climbing it), we headed down only to be greeted by a Ranger within a 1/2 mile looking for some guys selling stuff. We denied it, kept walking, then broke out running when incredulous tourons pointed out to the Ranger that we were those guys. Apparently, Rangers get pissed when you ignore their commands. And what's with their uppity exclusion of entrepenuers? Something to do with concessionaire BS. It was epic getting back to the valley. A full-scale search for us went out, and we resorted to bushwhacking and river-crossing to evade the law. A last second grab of my arm by Earl probably saved my ass from going over the falls when I slipped on the polished stone. We later wrote up the tale, and got it published anonymously (after all, several federal warrants were out on us. Cutting switchbacks is a federal crime, incredibly. Then there's the other infractions) in R&I. Our buddy, Kent Belueah, was in the Ranger station visiting a friend that night, and heard all the radio chatter going on during the search. It's amazing we got through. We made more money from publishing the story than through living it. I think we cleared $20 for the day. Quote
Charlie Posted May 8, 2002 Posted May 8, 2002 Shower at the housekeeping camp- just walk in like you know what you're doing and it'll be free. Early june is when all the college hotties start showing up for work at the villages- scoop one up before she finds out about the dirtbag climbers, and always tell them you're going to be there all summer . The buffet at the lodge is easy to sneak into (done it about 15 times) and check the board at the ranger kiosk for climbing partners/ cheap deals on gear. Obviously, use the bear boxes and don't leave anything resembling food in your vehicle (you'll be rousted out of bed by wildlife mangement or a bear will rip your doors off). Don't talk to chongo or look at his book. Climb lost arrow spire! Quote
willstrickland Posted May 8, 2002 Posted May 8, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Matt: TimL!! I will see you and Chris in Camp 4! We can have our own cc.com Pub Club in Yosemite! I'll be rollin in, fresh from Humboldt Co, on 5/19...see you there. Quote
Dru Posted May 8, 2002 Posted May 8, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Matt: At the last minute I shelled out for a plane ticket to Yosemite and I'm leaving tomorrow. Big plans on the big stone. I'm tired of reading bs about Pope's pearly back door, Lambone's dim bulb and what spray.comer would dominate the battle cage (if you want my honest opinion, Mike Adamson would rock everyone's world-- the dude is build like a tank). So please stop your nonsense spray fest and tell me your favorite story about Yosemite. Brother Dwayner? Pope? Dru? The effortlessly cool Mattp? What's your favorite valley climb? What's the ugliest back off you've done? Ever see ice on Half Dome? Do you know how to apologize in Japanese after you realized you've taken a shit on someone's bivy ledge? Has your rastafarian bivy kit ever run out half way up Zodiac and you just couldn't go on any further? Please, share. I come out of the closet a bit here... I have never been to Yosemite. NEVER!!! You can have Yosemite and crowds and rangers. I will take Powell River walls and Coast Range summits and no crowds and no regulations. Quote
Matt Posted May 8, 2002 Author Posted May 8, 2002 Crackbolter-- I used to hate chaos, then I learned that America is all about entropy and once you learn to embrace the transience of life you can ride it like a wave coming into the beach. Om mani padmi hum... The last time I was in the valley was in June 98 and there was a HUGE rock fall on the Apron. Took out some cabins, I seem to recall. We plan on heading straight for the wall and save the socializing for ledges high above the valley floor. I'm sure there will be many people there, but that's part of the experience, right? And Dru-- Yes Canada is awesome, but a climber going to Yosemite is like a Muslim going to Mecca. [ 05-08-2002, 01:23 PM: Message edited by: Matt ] Quote
Dru Posted May 8, 2002 Posted May 8, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Matt: Crackbolter-- I used to hate chaos, then I learned that America is all about entropy and once you learn to embrace the transience of life you can ride it like a wave coming into the beach. Om mani padmi hum... The last time I was in the valley was in June 98 and there was a HUGE rock fall on the Apron. Took out some cabins, I seem to recall. We plan on heading straight for the wall and save the socializing for ledges high above the valley floor. I'm sure there will be many people there, but that's part of the experience, right? And Dru-- Yes Canada is awesome, but a climber going to Yosemite is like a Muslim going to Mecca. Here is one unclimbed reason why I dont need yosemite, out of 100 more reasons within 1 day of where I live. Quote
Lambone Posted May 8, 2002 Posted May 8, 2002 Looks like we were all in Yosemite during that fatefull June. We saw the brigade of emergency vehicles come in from Leaning Tower , and came downthe night after it happened...we had no idea why there were big news vans everywhere...weird feeling. Getting straight on the wall is the way to go, then poach the brightest campfire the night you get down. If you bring beers the other partieres will be more than welcoming! Then repeat... Quote
Lambone Posted May 8, 2002 Posted May 8, 2002 Thats definately cool Dru...but there is no other place quite like Yosemite. The weather and clean granite make it worth seeing at least once. Quote
fern Posted May 8, 2002 Posted May 8, 2002 the Devil's Bathtub is a cool place to skinny dip and scare the tourons. it's kindof like a natural hot-tub (lukewarm-tub) under the Royal Arches. If you run into a german guy missing a finger who looks like this say hi for me Quote
willstrickland Posted May 8, 2002 Posted May 8, 2002 WTF? Guy has all his fingers in that pic... Quote
Dru Posted May 8, 2002 Posted May 8, 2002 quote: Originally posted by willstrickland: WTF? Guy has all his fingers in that pic... It got chopped off by a block on Sea Of Dreams Quote
willstrickland Posted May 8, 2002 Posted May 8, 2002 Well goddamn I say! Harsh tokes. Hope he was alright otherwise and still climbing. Quote
fern Posted May 8, 2002 Posted May 8, 2002 obviously the picture is pre-chop, duh. robert is really cool and modest and the most kickass climber I have ever met, but he seems to have Joe Simpson style luck. he was soloing SoD and self rescued from the 14th pitch (down Chongo's fixed lines). [ 05-08-2002, 03:46 PM: Message edited by: fern ] Quote
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