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68 years ago today marked...


sobo

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learned the day "scotty" from star trek died that he'd landed w/ canadian forces that day on an uncontested beach, yet randomly a bullet flew in and blew off one of his fingers - apparently he did a good job of always concealing it while on camera :)

scotty_sans_finger.jpg

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The pointe du Hoc struck my imagination as a child. I couldn't fathom climbing the cliff while being shot at from above:

 

pointe_du_hoc_escalade.jpg

 

"How did they get the rope up there"

 

the first multi-pitch crag i climbed at was seneca rock in west virgina, where the rangers trained for that mission on the "face of a 1000 pitons"

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John McCown was in charge of the school when the first group of 150 volunteers went through the school. Total greenhorns were taught the rudiments of rock climbing in two intensive weeks. In a matter of days they were doing aid routes on the rock, as well as mixing tactical training in with the ascents. They practiced "low visibility" climbing - avoiding ridgelines, silent rope signals, night ascents, climbing with helmets and weapons. [..] In January of 1944, Duke Watson replaced McCown as the commander of the rock climbing school. His staff consisted of many of the top climbers of that generation. David Brower was second in command. Raffi Bedayn was supply officer. Among the fifty instructors many names stand out-Dick Emerson, Fred Becky, Bill Dunaway, to name just a few.[...]

The school continued into the summer of 1944. During this period, 75,000 pitons were driven into Seneca, Champe, and other nearby rocks, according to Raffi Bedayn. As supply officer, it was his job to procure and issue climbing equipment. Fortunately, most of these were removed, but enough remained to inspire the name Face of a Thousand Pitons.

http://homepage.mac.com/galaher/10thMountain/seneca.html

 

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