Beacon

[JosephH]

Ah, the voice of reason. Nothing better than when the real you comes out - thank god you have cc as way to practice constructive, non-violent expression.

[ivan]

originally hoped to do jensens today - the recent what-have-you mercifully deprived me of the experience as it was bitter cold and breezy near 9 a.m. and would have been a brisky day fo'shizzle

 

went out to oh8 w/ the time-traveler instead, a bit of bust as it was calmer there but choked in a freezing mist - temps never above 35

 

stopped by to take in the scene at beacon though, so for those who care:

 

facts:

- extensive wind damage for several miles east and west of the park - many trees across the road - power-lines down w/ big trees ensnared in them - north bonneville like some bombs went off - my favorite piece of debris a small boat on a trailer right off the highway picked up bodily n' flipped over, trailer-n-all - the most wide-spread damage i can recall seeing in this neck of the winds in all my time out here (about 15 years now)

- railroad open to traffic

- road to dock closed to traffic

- police tape blocking entrance to hiker's trail at the parking lot both by the sign/trash-can and by the water-fountain near stone soup

- tape blocking the climbers trail as well, though hardly necessary given that the climbers kiosk was destroyed by the wind, it's dry-rot 4 posts snapped off at the ground, and whole sheebang deposited right at the trail entrance, requiring the would-be explorer to climb over its busted remnants

- ranger patrick reporting winds to 85 mph on tuesday accompanied by multiple rockfalls and landslides across the hiking trail

- same feller reports he has NOT walked the climbers trail down to the south face and has no idea of any damage there

- ranger says tape across entrance into forest by stone soup present to keep people wandering up to the true trail further up

- no significant rock/tree fall on the north side observable - there is an obvious rock scar just off the 2nd pitch of stone soup but that's 3+ months old

- summit area of rock appears okay, all the big trees appear standing - no obvious threats to the north side in the form of perched blocks/half-fallen trees

-eponymous tree ledge tree clearly still standing as observed from the highway east of the parking lot

- no close observation of the west/south faces possible as access closed to west face talus field/boat launch

- hamiliton mtn trail open, but gotta park on the highway

- highway bathroom in good shape

- no obvious rock fall/damage on the east face of the rock

- practice of the park over the past 15 years has been least-restrictive closures possible regarding damage to the hiking trail, no trail closures below the hiking trail gate or on the s side climbing trail at all (beyond annual bird-closure)

 

opinions:

- the park's been shit-hammered, as bad as i've seen it

- north side climbing clearly accessible, at least as far as stone soup, without unusual rockfall risk to climbers or hikers

- south side's trail likely okay/safe, though very likely there will be some trees across the trail and rock damage

- hope that over the next week access will be restored to the south and north side routes

[Dennis H]

Thanks Joe !!!! For that voice of one eyed wisdom , you truly just don't get it. Remember take your Med's !!!!

[MrGecko]

At least no one has resorted to taking each other out with a suicide vest but man you guys get cranky with each other.

 

:kisss:

[JosephH]

Thanks Joe !!!! For that voice of one eyed wisdom , you truly just don't get it. Remember take your Med's !!!!

 

Oh, I get it all too well and, despite what the crew may think of me, I'm pretty sure there's little question among them

about which one of us needs to be taking his meds. I mean, dude, you even scare them.

[ivan]

At least no one has resorted to taking each other out with a suicide vest but man you guys get cranky with each other.

 

:kisss:

not me, i'm a nihilist

[billcoe]

^^Me either.^^ We have nothing to Fear but Fear itself. Anyway, the subject at hand. As Ivan noted, there are some issues to get sorted out. Got an email from Randy Kline which he wanted distributed:

"As you may have heard, last week’s storm caused significant damage at the park and we are in the process of assessing this damage. The park is closed while this work occurs. From the climber perspective, both the climbers trail and Beacon Rock itself are closed to climbing for the immediate time being. Adam Baylor and Bill Coe are assisting us with our assessment as it relates to climbing.

 

With good weather projected for this week we understand and are expecting some level of concern on the part of climbers. If you could please help us by getting the word out that we are working as quickly as we can to assess the damage and get the park open. The park has been receiving phone calls from climbers and we have become aware that some feel that this closure has been done purposefully to negatively impact climbing and the management plan update that is occurring. Obviously this is not the case. I’ve attached a few photos of the damage - please distribute as you see fit. Heath and other park staff are busy in the park so feel free to call me with any questions. ........

 

Best wishes, Randy"

 

As noted, Adam and I are meeting with the park folks tomorrow. I'll be checking in with an update for you all after making the loop tomorrow. (ie, loop = Beacon then Mt Hood Meadows to ski, then nap, then glass of wine, another nap, then post is the planned sequence currently) As long as I'm taking time off work I want to play for part of the day.

 

Here's some of the photos Randy forwarded.

 

 

 

[ivan]

nice - i'm happy to see the sorta-kinda tacky 2nd (3rd?) generation railing survived the onslaught

 

at least the big bridge that was nearly destroyed last time came through unscathed (i'm assuming, given that that'd be the kewlest photo share if it had)

 

the reasonable climbers, and they are the majority, aren't into conspiracy theories (did anyone else notice the 3 rangers on the summit at the moment of the disaster in the 300$ boots?!?) - that said, barring the unknown, i can't imagine for the life of me how a closure of the south side would last more than a few days more - it is entirely reasonable to expect a 10 minute reconnaissance down the trail and along the south face will have occurred within 8 days of the storm (your meeting tomorrow), and that a further closure will only remain in the face of altogether unusual conditions on that face

 

have fun bill, i trust your judgement as always (except when you insist that i lead )

[pink]

Maybe the Rock Gods are pissed, because some jackass jack hammered a via-ferretta into the Rock... this would be a good time for Obama to restore the original Indian name to the Monolith and put Pete Rose back into Baseball Hall of Fame

[ivan]

sheeeit, while he's doing all that he might as well bring back the 3$ bill

[pink]

sheeeit, while he's doing all that he might as well bring back the 3$ bill

 

Close Enough!!

 

 

[ivan]

krist, is that supposed to be the tri-colour or halloween?

[pink]

more of a three dollar amendment...

[JosephH]

i can't imagine for the life of me how a closure of the south side would last more than a few days more - it is

entirely reasonable to expect a 10 minute reconnaissance down the trail and along the south face will have occurred

within 8 days of the storm (your meeting tomorrow), and that a further closure will only remain in the face of altogether

unusual conditions on that face

 

It's possible they have some concerns that less than experienced climbers or people not as familiar with the rock

may feel the need to come down the tourist trail, or that folks who end up on top without a rope and can't rappel

might feel similarly inclined. And, given its current condition, it's not a stretch to guess they might not want people

on the trail at this point regardless of which way they're coming from.

[pink]

the administration loves getting in the way of Darwinism....

[JosephH]

Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm a big booster of Darwin and would have no problem if there were about half as many 'climbers'

in the world tomorrow. The issue, though, is more about trying to figure out where 'they' might be coming from and what concerns

might be driving their decision-making from so Bill et al can engage them on some basis slightly more constructive

than 'fuck those cocksuckers'.

 

[ P.S. Why is it every time I get to the base of the business to do Little Wing I always have to stop for a second because for a

fleeting instance I can't shake the image of some grinning fool half way up it free soloing? It's beginning to really bug me. ]

[pink]

but... at the end of the day, all bullshit aside "fuck those cocksuckers" is something i can hang my hat on

[ivan]

i can't imagine for the life of me how a closure of the south side would last more than a few days more - it is

entirely reasonable to expect a 10 minute reconnaissance down the trail and along the south face will have occurred

within 8 days of the storm (your meeting tomorrow), and that a further closure will only remain in the face of altogether

unusual conditions on that face

 

It's possible they have some concerns that less than experienced climbers or people not as familiar with the rock

may feel the need to come down the tourist trail, or that folks who end up on top without a rope and can't rappel

might feel similarly inclined. And, given its current condition, it's not a stretch to guess they might not want people

on the trail at this point regardless of which way they're coming from.

december at beacon doesn't attract the same number of innocents as august, does it? sheeit, when it's cold and blowy like this, it's always lonely.

 

i think we're mostly on the same page here - past practice is a good guide - the hiker's trail has been closed on many occasions over the past 2 decades, but no climbers have to come to grief as a result of it, no? is it really that hard to figure out how to rap down the south or north sides? or past hiking trail obstructions if it came to that? assuming there are no widow-makers hanging over the south face or along the trail, what is the reasonable concern for the current blanket closure of the s side?

 

love to all, and a merry t-giving, good-night

[pink]

Honestly, i always thought the first pitch of the corner was a crappy solo...

 

 

 

[JosephH]

i think we're mostly on the same page here - past practice is a good guide - the hiker's trail has been closed on

many occasions over the past 2 decades, but no climbers have to come to grief as a result of it, no? is it really that hard

to figure out how to rap down the south or north sides? or past hiking trail obstructions if it came to that?

assuming there are no widow-makers hanging over the south face or along the trail, what is the reasonable concern

for the current blanket closure of the s side?

 

Unfortunately, it's not all about just us. I mean is the SE Corner that hard you need a big wall rack, eight hours, and

arrows scratched in the rock for your second? In short, yeah, never underestimate the ability of people to fuck up even

the simple things, especially when they're not simple to them.

 

Offhand, I would guess that's the 'reasonable concern' that's driving the current closure - that, one way or another,

someone will try to come down the tourist trail. By closing it they can just focus on the shit they need to get done without

worrying about yet another thing given they're way shorthanded as is. That may not sound like a 'reasonable concern'

to you, but again, they don't manage the place just for locals who know what they're doing, they have to manage it for

anyone who might decide to show up, however competent or clueless.

 

I know everyone wants to get back on the rock, but the whole park has sustained widespread damage, they have

a third of the bodies and a fraction of the budget to deal with it all. Cut them some slack or don't, but you don't

do yourselves any favors by not at least trying to figure out where they're coming from in a situation like this. It's also

a stretch to hope that pulling an 'unfair' or 'victim' sympathy card is going to get much traction with

'dem fucking cocksuckas'.

[pink]

but... at the end of the day, all bullshit aside "fuck those cocksuckers" is something i can hang my hat on

 

Yeah, it's definitely the feel-good way to go so long as you never want or need anything they have say over.

 

you do know i was kidding...right?

[MrGecko]

I wanted to post this here for those not in the various FaceBook climbing groups and since I know a bunch of you guys are local if not all.

 

[font:Century Gothic]Big Wall Tips & Tricks with Mark Hudon[/font]

 

Saturday, December 5th, 2015 ..... 1:00-5:00PM

 

Mazama Mountaineering Center

527 SE 43rd Avenue

Portland, OR 97215

 

Last spring we held this class through the Mazamas Clinics & Special Presentations. It was a full house, packed with great information and very well received. Mark is just back from a full season of climbing completing one of his projects by sending all the 12a's in Rifle on Colorado's Western Slope. This fall he spent yet another long session on the big stone climbing some serious El Cap routes in Yosemite.

 

Please spread the word.

Thanks

 

SIGN UP: http://mazamas.org/education-classes/clinics-and-special-presentations/

 

CLINIC DESCRIPTION, $45

-----------------------------------------

 

If you have already embarked on your path to big wall climbing, have a few or many ascents or are just about to open that door but have a good idea of the logistics involved then you might want to join big wall master Mark Hudon for an evening of big wall tribal knowledge.

 

Topics to be discussed and/or demonstrated include:

 

Advanced hauling and docking

Solo bag movement

Packing a haul bag

Nice to have extras and specialized tools

Unique/uncommon gear placements

Cheaters

Efficient leading and following

Fast belay setups

Communication or lack of

Preferred aiders and ascender setup

Big wall racking

Fast ascending/following

Portaledge setup

Faster transitions

 

.

 

About Mark Hudon

Mark Hudon first climbed El Capitan in 1974 when he was 18 years old. Over the next 6 years Mark would climb El Cap 8 more times by a number of different routes such as the Mescalito, Magic Mushroom, New Dawn and the Zodiac, not to mention nearly free ascents of the Salalthe Wall and The Nose. In 2009 Mark was bitten by the big wall bug again and lead The Nose route in a 15.5 hr push. The next spring he soloed Grape Race to Tribal Rite in 11 days and has done 15 routes since, including two more solos. With various partners Mark knocked out six El Cap routes this year including Tempest, A4+ and Genesis A4+ . Mark was recently featured in Climbing Magazine - http://www.climbing.com/…/el-cap-pioneers-hudon-jones-plan…/

 

Edited November 25, 2015 by MrGecko

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