Erik Erikson Appreciation Thread

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Bushman

Social climber

The island of Tristan da Cunha

Topic Author's Original Post - Dec 21, 2014 - 10:31pm PT

'Erik Erikson '

Though it's been almost twenty years since I retired from climbing it's time I paid homage and recounted an amusing story from my first El Cap route with one cool dude who's still livin' the dream on the big stone.

Erik Erikson was one of my first climbing partners and mentors at Tahquitz and Suicide rocks in the early and mid 1970s. He took me on and witnessed most of my folly on the sharp end and at the edge of my ability or beyond. That was probably one of the easier albeit deadlier tortures that Erik was to endure during the course of my tutelage. His encouragement coupled with sardonic wit served to temper and quell my exuberant zeal for climbing myself into situations for which I had no obvious solution. Over the course of a couple years I narrowly survived several dangerous leader falls before Erik's chagrin and admonishments began to curb me of my wanton flirtations with mortality.

A few years and many routes later found us both in the Valley looking for a partner and teaming up for our first El Cap route. It was February 1981, five months after my brother Tobin died while soloing in Canada and I had come to Yosemite adrift and confused, but intent on trying to reconnect through climbing with some of what I had lost.

I remember talking with Erik about how I often thought about doing El Cap but never had the courage to attempt to do so until then. Tobin's death was the catalyst. I had been thinking a lot about how Tobin had done so many hard climbs, first ascents, and big alpine routes all over the world in his short life and yet here I was, barely getting up a few easier walls in California in relatively the same amount of time. It felt like I hadn't even started seriously climbing yet, so I felt honored and committed to doing the Salathe route at Erik's suggestion, and of course in the back of my mind I was still scared shitless at the prospect of launching off into the unknown on that big ass stone.

Skip ahead a few days and we had been cruising all the aid and some 5.9 or 5.10, we had got through the cold wet bivy in the alcove below El Cap Spire and we were starting on day three. Along with some others the block pitch was wet and muddy, and the cold was starting to wear on us by that time. The next lead was mine and I was supposed to tension or swing to Sous Le Tout ledge and fix before our next bivy on the Block's sloping ledge. Erik had insisted much to my dismay that I was off route and was wasting precious hours or the possibility of our not summiting the next day. This weighed on my mind during the bivy as I slid down and scooched up all night long on the sloping ledge with the drip drip of the mini waterfall wetting my toes through my bag by dawn.

So Erik jugs up to my high point and sure enough I was off route and I'm starting to stress but he finds the crack and Sous Le Toit and gets us back on route. After a thorough drubbing I started up some A2 about 30 feet above Erik when I levered out on a #3 cam and wanged it straight into my forehead, and commenced to cry out like little girl as I felt the hot blood hot on my face and hand. Then I lowered down to Erik and whined plaintively, "How bad is it, Am I going to need stitches, man?" "Dibbs, it's just a scratch!" Without missing a beat he reaches up and slaps a patch of duct tape on my forehead and tells me, "Now get back up there!" I think we topped out that day.

Too many years have come and gone to remember much else, but I do know how much Erik looked up to and respected my big bro. For the way that a good friend kept his cool and looked out for us during our first voyage up that big cliff, I think Tobin would have been grateful to him for that.

-Tim Sorenson

Fish Finder

Social climber

Dec 22, 2014 - 04:44am PT

I've met a lot of great climbers here on the Eastside

Its the subtle guys you notice and wonder - WTF? how does he do it?

well- he just does

Very impressive climbing resume

Very Cool Human Being

Hope to hang soon

Happy Holidays Erik !!!!!

couchmaster

climber

Dec 22, 2014 - 05:32am PT

Thanks for the morning humor Tim, great story.

Levy

Big Wall climber

So Cal

Dec 22, 2014 - 08:37am PT

Cheers to one of the true all around hard climbic people you'll ever meet. Erik does it all, from hard free climbing too hard aid climbing and I mean sick, hard aid climbing, to ice and Alpine madness. The guy is a master of all disciplines of the sport,and a funny guy too.

I've probably climbed close to a thousand pitches with him over the years and he still impresses me all the time.

rincon

Trad climber

Coarsegold

Dec 22, 2014 - 08:50am PT

Great story Bushman.

"Now get back up there" Classic E!

hashbro

Trad climber

Mental Physics........

Dec 22, 2014 - 08:53am PT

now we're talking

Reilly

Mountain climber

The Other Monrovia- CA

Dec 22, 2014 - 09:05am PT

Well told, Bushman.

I strongly second Scrubbing Bubbles paean.

MisterE

Gym climber

Bishop, CA

Dec 22, 2014 - 09:12am PT

Had the opportunity to work and climb with Erik here in Bishop this summer.

Highly skilled carpenter and climber, super humble and chill.

henny

Social climber

The Past

Dec 22, 2014 - 09:14am PT

Oh yeah. The dude still does it all, and doesn't seem to have slowed down much at all. Bad azz. Not a bunch of spray, just a bunch of doing.

MisterE

Gym climber

Bishop, CA

Dec 22, 2014 - 04:58pm PT

This thread is Choad, Dude!!

;-)

Gagner

climber

Boulder

Dec 22, 2014 - 05:09pm PT

Erik's the man …. and one of the most accomplished all around climbers and cool, mellow guys!!

WOO HOO!!

looking sketchy there...

Social climber

Lassitude 33

Dec 22, 2014 - 05:17pm PT

EE and DEE circa 1975.

EE is the man.

fosburg

climber

Dec 22, 2014 - 06:08pm PT

The dude smokes like a stack and always seems psyched to climb, borderline iconic at this point I would think.

wayne w

Trad climber

the nw

Dec 22, 2014 - 07:49pm PT

Tim, thanks for posting that great TR from your Salathe adventure with EE!

An inspirational icon he is!

neebee

Social climber

calif/texas

Dec 22, 2014 - 07:53pm PT

hey there say, bushman... thank you for sharing... i get the extra blessing here, to learn all about these folks that you all, already know...

i am always enjoying the adventure of it all, here at the taco... :)

may not always remember it all, but it will at least 'ring a bell' now, :)

dee ee

Mountain climber

citizen of planet Earth

Dec 22, 2014 - 07:58pm PT

Yes that mutha' fu#!er was a mentor for me as well.

On the PO, we suffered some up there. Dude it was

SO DAMN FRICKIN' HOT!

Here is the man chillin'.