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Pink - well done to you and Jim for putting that up. I don't know why it hasn't been rediscovered since you did but it really is great climbing especially pitch 2. For all the closing down of Beacon until July this would be the shit as far as a great multi-pitch outing.

 

It sounds like Stoned Soup follows the Smoke Signals 2nd pitch and not vise-versa. Do you know the approximate date you and Jim set that route up? I was thinking that a fixed piece/pin could go into that traverse on pitch 1 where the gear is desperate and sketchy. I also think that older pin needs to be updated as it was a tad loose and looks a bit on the corroded side of good. Should I talk to Jim and have him come out or do you want to? Can we push Smoke to the top and add some more free climbing?

 

I'm stoked that we got on this and am excited to explore running it to the top.

 

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i'd never placed a bolt in my life until working those 1st 2 pitches (and installed them all of lead) so yup, most of them deserve replacing, especially b/c of the extra long studs exposed (most of them could just be saw-zalled short actually and be fine, there's plenty of steel in the hole) - i don't have any of the requisite equipment though and so haven't yet fixed it - i give my unlimited blessing to those who'd want to improve any pitch of stone soup and would like to be along on the endeavour, should you care for the company

 

that corner of beacon is wicked littered w/ junk, on all the ledges, from ground to summit - the base is a morass of water bottles, beer bottles, cigarette butts, n' fee slips, largely b/c of the hurricane winds that dump everything there - i made a right kewl trash dump up on the swiss ledges, half way up, that has, in addition to all the standard tourist-debis, the tattered remains of some real-kewl gay-pride TAT from many decades ago :)

 

the 1st pitch of stone soup makes most sense if you look at it from an aider's perspective and go there in february (when the s side closure sets in) and it's soaking wet (that line is the only dry one there at that time - you can tell that in one of your pictures by noting how it's the only line not heavily moss-clad)

 

i'd love to see the lower and 2nd tier more developed

 

go to the top and see how if you like it any better?

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Thanks again Pink, I'll chat with Jim and get him to chime in with his ultimate wisdom and mayor-shipery. Hopefully he can come out, climb and help clean that first pitch up with us!

 

Please get Jim out there, that would make me happier than anything.

 

Thanks,

Andrew

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saw jim out at the ozone a few weeks ago n' he was looking as hale n' hearty as ever, pink :)

 

it's hard to get him too far off the ground these days...

 

he gets cranky when his church is closed, he snapped at me the other night cause i was tappin on my phone while on speaker :shock:

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funny, i'm the opposite way - after years of not having to set foot in a church, this past week one of my favorite kids went and fucking killed himself, forcing me to set foot in crazy evangelist strong-hold for his memorial :(

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Jim was very stoked to see us freeing P2 of Smoke Signals. I saw a car stop in the parking area and this guy watched us intently for quite some time. When we made it back to the Parking Lot ledge he yelled up "Great job! Its about time that route gets freed more often!" I recognized him from his voice and he looked very pleased giving us the thumbs up numerous times.

 

I'll definitely get him involved and out there to get his hands dirty.

 

 

Thanks again Pink, I'll chat with Jim and get him to chime in with his ultimate wisdom and mayor-shipery. Hopefully he can come out, climb and help clean that first pitch up with us!

 

Please get Jim out there, that would make me happier than anything.

 

Thanks,

Andrew

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Bejebus Ivan - sorry to hear that dude.

 

funny, i'm the opposite way - after years of not having to set foot in a church, this past week one of my favorite kids went and fucking killed himself, forcing me to set foot in crazy evangelist strong-hold for his memorial :(
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funny, i'm the opposite way - after years of not having to set foot in a church, this past week one of my favorite kids went and fucking killed himself, forcing me to set foot in crazy evangelist strong-hold for his memorial :(

 

Jim's church is Beacon :) I never even remember him going to church and wearing tin foil until they closed the rock for the birds :/

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just part of a long shitty week really - hard to work w/ teens (or human-beings in general) and not have to deal w/ this insanity shockingly often - this was my 4th go-round i can remember in less than 2 decades - this kid i really liked though, so it was different...

 

beautiful day out at beacon today - couldn't find anybody to climb w/ so wandered up hamilton mtn instead...

 

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funny, i'm the opposite way - after years of not having to set foot in a church, this past week one of my favorite kids went and fucking killed himself, forcing me to set foot in crazy evangelist strong-hold for his memorial :(

 

Jim's church is Beacon :) I never even remember him going to church and wearing tin foil until they closed the rock for the birds :/

gawdammit, i fell into that one... :)

 

i'm totally w/ him though - my drive out today i was practically puking over the steering-wheel i wanted to solo the corner so bad - fucking stellar day - the breath of the gorge blowing big n' warm :(

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and i don't remember putting the second pin on smoke signals.. i would guess that was put after Jim and I finished the route... i think the first pin was a sawed off BD Angle..

 

So i guess Brad put that one in after i left Portland with Jim's permission... Not like Brad needs permission :yoda:

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IMG_68741.JPG

 

This is the original line, little more flavor.... Not sure who cleaned out the right variation, it was nicer when it was more isolated... guess it's more stone to climb. You can see chalk on the holds if you zoom in...

 

IMG_6873.JPG

 

The first piece is a #1 rock and then climb up to a v-slot it think :) By taking the variation you are really missing out on the appetizer, preparing you for the next serving and then the main course :brew: taking the right variation and ur eating hot dogs at costco :hcluv: maybe come up with a name for that variation "skipping stones variation" is pretty fitting and ties in with IVANS name.

 

 

IMG_68722.JPG

 

Pretty steep climbing for it's grade, such positive holds and the gear is really pretty decent all the way up. The creative gear placements really adds to the route and at the same time very preserving, which i feel is the true spirit of Beacon Rock. Pre-Internet, Pre-Beatard...

Edited by pink
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Pink - well done to you and Jim for putting that up. I don't know why it hasn't been rediscovered since you did but it really is great climbing especially pitch 2. For all the closing down of Beacon until July this would be the shit as far as a great multi-pitch outing.

 

It sounds like Stoned Soup follows the Smoke Signals 2nd pitch and not vise-versa. Do you know the approximate date you and Jim set that route up? I was thinking that a fixed piece/pin could go into that traverse on pitch 1 where the gear is desperate and sketchy. I also think that older pin needs to be updated as it was a tad loose and looks a bit on the corroded side of good. Should I talk to Jim and have him come out or do you want to? Can we push Smoke to the top and add some more free climbing?

 

I'm stoked that we got on this and am excited to explore running it to the top.

 

What do you mean traverse? The variation on the right? Id talk to Jim about a fixed pin there,.. All this stuff was originally lead without fixed gear, pins were added later to give the route some direction and make it more appealing :P We did a little more exploring above the second pitch as well, also Jim and Marc Farrah did quite a bit of exploring up high, as well as some oldtimers... pre- internet.. pre- beatard... pre- closures... pre- steve johnson...pre- fontaine :) There is more potential up and around Smoke Signals, lets keep it BOLD AND IN THE WAY ... Also it would be cool to come up with a name for this area, maybe "Lower North Wall"... "Upper North Wall". There is also "the 420 Boulder Problem" that Larry Harpe and Chris Hill put up, it's just west down the Lower North Wall, and guess what tomorrow is :moondance:ddd.gifI'd say most of this activity went on back in the summer on '99 Don't forget "The Forbidden Slab" (5.10B) which i think is a BOB route, to the right of that "False Profits" (10d) Chris Hill and Myself Bolted and did the FFA) which i was calling "Cry Baby" in previous post, Jim reminded me of that today... Props to IVAN for talking to the ranger and getting this face opened for you guys, even though it was retarded that it was closed to begin with. WTF, we're climbers, we eat falling snags for breakfast :hcluv:

Edited by pink
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how much fixed gear is on the second pitch of smoked signals! i know i put some pins in on lead but we removed them as i was going to the ditch shortly after :)

 

7 bolts, 2 fixed pin's and a Link Cam. Oh, and please refer to the correct name, named by the first ascensions in 2009: Leprechauns in Leotards. 5.11B they say.

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Mr.Pink - I'll check out that start and let you know. I don't recall exactly how many bolts and pins are on P2 but Bill's count sounds about right.

 

Are you serious it is called Leprechauns in Leotards? Who put that up if it wasn't Jim and Andrew? 11b??

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Does the route follow the top rope line up and over to the anchors as shown in your picture below?

 

Jim mentioned it was April 11, 99 or 2000 that he thinks you did the route with him. You recall?

 

IMG_68722.JPG

 

 

99' His Daughter Heathers Birthday...

 

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Tons of potential on the upper pitches. First two is just getting ya off the ground. The last pitxh is steep and wild, kudos to Ivan for that one.

 

 

Except the lower part i'm guessing is the cherry part of the wall... damn decaying tooth :P glad ur up and posting Steve, ur a bad mother fucker... PROPS :mistat:

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