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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jul 3, 2008 - 04:32am PT
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First ascent stories and photos, all taken from the "Welcome to Kevin Worrall" thread, which covers a great deal more than just this.
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=252358
Sep 18, 2006, 10:07am PT
Author: Largo [John Long]
Sport climber From: Venice, Ca
Yo, KW--
Tell us the story about you and three others on Mother Earth, and how you battled up to the big ledge after many heroics only to find that George had mistakenly bought dog food for dinner.
JL
Sep 18, 2006, 09:57pm PT
Author: The Warbler [Kevin Worrall]
climber From: the edge of America
George Meyers climbed with barely contained excitement - his fingers would flutter on each feature as he chose the exact position to move from. His gapped tooth grin was ever present on Middle, and his enthusiasm for the mind game played on her burnished flanks quickly worked it's way into some of us and grew to a passion ordinarily reserved for the fairest of maidens. John Long and I became two of her most ardent suitors.
General Meyers had found a weakness on the slab laying just right of the massive triangular North Face Apron, and had recruited one of my earliest climbing partners, Eric Schoen, to help explore the possibilities. As John will remember, we were together at the base of the Dihardral on Slab Happy Pinnacle when Eric, after sending the crux, uttered the classic "Jams are good, protection's good, I'm coming down!" All other versions credited to someone else are just that. Eric was the original. His mild manner, juxtaposed with an uncanny mantling ability and a herculean build, earned him the nickname "Mellow Brutus".
Eric and George boldly pushed upward little by little following the route as it led them. George's vision was a free climb ascending the entire slab, crossing the old North Face Traverse route, and continuing up the sweeping Northwest Buttress to the highest topout on the most massive Cathedral. An ambitious project for the era. I kept track of their progress as I climbed elsewhere, always pinning GM down for details after one of his skirmishes. Then one day they reached an impass. I don't remember the details, but chances are Mellow Brutus was a little too mellow for the increasing difficulty. General Meyers needed special forces.
George and Eric had pioneered six pitches of increasing difficulty and angle to a lonely belay seemingly within striking distance of a deep corner system leading down 200 feet from the North Face Traverse. Steeper climbing had stopped them, but George believed only a short section remained and that it was doable. I had been hoping for just such an opportunity, and John shared my interest. My regular climbing partner, Mark Chapman also joined the team.
Our plan was to stock the huge ledge on the North Face Traverse with bivy gear to eliminate hauling on the route below, and to have a base camp for the upper thousand feet of rock. That done, we spent the night at the base to get a jump on the first half.
We were immediately impressed by the beauty and boldness of the climbing. George's descriptions of the route deliberately hadn't done it justice, and he reveled in our experience as section after section of perfect stone and variety greeted us. The last pitch they had done was a continuous barrage of technical moves past bolts placed on stances that were difficult just to clip from. It follows a magical line up an otherwise unclimbable section of the wall and as such was used by Jay Smith and Paul Crawford to advance their own route nearly ten years later. It is surely George's best pitch on the rock, and it ends at a small ledge with lower angle rock only 30 steeper and smoother feet higher. I think George had even placed the first bolt on the next lead but was unable to continue.
Somehow the lead fell to me. I cinched my EBs, checked my swami, exited my butt bag, and went. Barely made the moves to the bolt, clipped and started toward the next stance. Thin smeary moves up a small fold in the stone brought me to a meager stance and I made the best of it. 15 minutes later, as I clipped the new splitshank, my toes were experiencing the kind of pressure that turns coal to shining gems. I lowered and handed the sharp end to Largo.
John moved on past my bolt and with his characteristic power and finess surmounted the headwall. Having attained the level of the beginning of the long corner system leading to our plush bivy, John placed a bolt and began the fifty foot traverse. As the three of us craned our necks fom the belay, we watched him steadily move toward easy ground and the skyline. But Middle is full of suprises, and John arrived at a sloper ledge surrounded by featureless rock, with the coveted crack system two feet out of reach. Much hollering ensued and John informed us that it didn't look good, but that he would place a bolt and do what he could. I had seen Largo blast bolt holes in half the normal time before and I always attributed it to his overall mass and thigh size forearms, but this hole was placed with the speed of light.
John's frame was a silhouette on the skyline, the afternoon sun piercing our eyes. When he announced he was going for it, we all hopefully squinted into the sun. A cumulus cloud of chalk dust rose on the updrafts, and John pulled slack, but did not reach higher. His bulk disappeared from the skyline instead, and our moment of confusion was his moment of decision. He suddenly reappeared, arms outstretched, not unlike Superman, flying upward. Another chalk cloud appeared as he slapped the target and swung sideways tugging the rope abruptly. After much cheering, the pitch was ours, and the ledge followed.
Meyers botched it and brought a family size can of some kind of artificial meat for our dinner. The serving suggestion on the label looked good, but it was false advertising. As John said, it might as well have been dog food. It was inexpensive though.
That night we built a big fire with oak branches cleared from our sleeping areas, and cast giant shadows of ourselves up the massive untouched Northwest Buttress of Middle Rock.
Sep 19, 2006, 06:24pm PT
Author: Jorge [George Meyers]
Kev
Okay, okay, that was a low blow and has forced me to totally refute your otherwise wonderful post about the BO. Unfortunately I have gotten lost in the cobwebs of my mind in trying to find anything that might for sure say that was NOT dog food.
Great to connect again.
Jorge
Sep 21, 2006, 09:30am PT
Author: Largo
It was dog food, Jorge, and sans vittles, we had to bail meaning when I returned to do the whole route I had to climb those lower pitches again, which was exciting. I remember being very proud that I made it all the way up those first ten leads with no falls.
I also remember Mark Chapman had just returned from Alaska and wasn't really dialed into rock climbing at that exact moment and he got out there on one of those 5.9 pitches down low-- with basically no pro--and things got a little sketchy. There's also a 5.10d pitch up high, like 2,000 feet up there--Kauk led it and it's a dandy. Ron also ended up with the short but chilling A4 bit.
Those adventures on Middle were amazing, none moreso than the first ascent of Stoners, before any of us knew what the hell we were really doing. Kevin was at the top of his game and did some amazing route finding out on the sharp end. There must have been like 20 people involved in all the probes of that route.
JL
Sep 21, 2006, 07:12pm PT
Author: Jorge
Hey John: Yeah those routes were special. Mostly the wandering into the big unknown that set them apart from the crack lines. I truly don't know how anybody could do similar routes any faster than we did. It just was mentally tiring to get out on the sharp end over and over, and placing those bolts by hand.
Stoners was a breakthrough climb. I've got some classic pics of you on stuff. We'll get it out there eventually.
I think I lost interest in the upper Mother Earth when we started putting in the ladder off the ledges. You know some young punk could probably sport it out free these days...
And remember the impressive wall above the traverse ledges? WHat stunningly steep and featured climbing that would be? Maybe 3 pitches, way up high and real steep. How we fanticized how it could be protected on lead with hooks and slings on horns, opposing slings held with bungies, etc., not rap bolted by some yahoo... And it's still there.... Certainly bigger than us...
Jorge
Sep 21, 2006, 11:09pm PT
Author: chappy [Mark Chapman]
Social climber From: ventura
Unbelievable...Kevin W., George M., Roger B., Largo ??., (well largo!...he always defied description) Mike G., Werner B., and others...What have I stumbled upon in cyber space?? To the Mother Earth crew: I have a photo of Kev in his RRs with George (chesire cat grin in place!)at the base of Mother Earth that fateful day the four of us set out...One of my favorites and a fond memory indeed.
Chappy
Nov 28, 2006, 08:27pm PT
Author: Jorge
A few more, mostly to show the line of Mother Earth...perhaps explains the allure...
Nov 29, 2006, 07:31pm PT
Author: Jorge
and mother earth: I particularly like the "staging"\
Kevin Worrall on pitch 6
Nov 29, 2006, 07:37pm PT
Author: Jorge
and then, above the traverse ledges on Mother Earth:
Jan 1, 2007, 04:04pm PT
Author: Steve Grossman
Trad climber From: Seattle, WA
Kevin, I came across the topo that you drew from memory circa 1977 of Space Babble and Mother Earth on a page in my old Meyer's guide. All was mysterious up there for me back when you passed on the treasure map and I started scheming on me own share of the riches!
Jan 1, 2007, 05:27pm PT
Author: The Warbler
I thought you were joshin' me at first, but that is my writing and what a flashback after these thirty years! Can't believe you've held onto it all this time.
I always thought, and have told Donny, that it would be really cool to have some original topos drawn shortly after the FA, in the hand of the first ascensionist, in the guide to give the book some soul.
Thanks for posting another blast from the past, keep 'em commin'!
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Jan 1, 2007, 09:49pm PT
Author: Steve Grossman
The "5.10 up&down" and "Leap or 5.12" on the Mother Earth topo are absolutely classic! Wasn't that 5.12 section "the hardest moves that I've done on rock" to quote Kauk after he did it statically? I just noticed that neither comment made it into the Yellow Meyer's guide topo. Donny, you checchecking this out?
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 3, 2008 - 05:23am PT
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More tidbits from other threads:
Jan 3, 2005, 09:55pm PT
Author: Largo
IT WAS WRITTEN: …another early-era rad similar to Arches Direct is Middle’s N Face (Kamps, Pratt, Roper). I think I read that Arches Direct and the Middle route saw ascents from Kor and maybe Bridwell. Bet few or nobody since.
And to the right of Middle N Face is Mother Earth? That was a storied route (wasn’t that the one Meyers tried for years?). Did/ does it ever get climbed?
So far as I know, Kor and Bridwell have the only repeats on Arches Direct. Mother Earth was tried about 6 times by George Meyers, once with Kevin Worral, Eric Shoen and me, who pushed it all the first aid off the big ledge 10 pitches up. We had to bail when Shoen mistakenly bought dog food for bivy rations and none of us could gag it down.
I later (78) returned with Ron Kauk and Mark Chapman and did the whole thing, and it´s a dandy, with a genuine 5.12 face pitch down low and some challenging mixed stuff up high--even a touch of A4. A real old style trad testpiece. You don´t realize how big Middle is till you get up there on Mother Earth. It´s gigantic. I am somewhat amazed that Mother Earth didn´t become a popular wall because we all thought it was one of the best in the Valley. Same thing with the Bob Locke route on Watkins.
I never did find out quite where the North Face of Middle actually goes.
All those routes have basically been lost in time . . .
JL
Jun 14, 2006, 01:07pm PT
Author: Largo
Yeah, George spent a ton of time on Mother Earth--like six or seven trips. A lot of tricky route finding down low and scary on-the-lead bolting, sometime pretty far out there. One of those 5.9/10A pitches down low only has one bolt and little else.
On my second try I recruited Ron Kauk and Mark Chapman and we did the whole McGilla, which sort of completed our education on Middle. We thought it was one of the best walls we'd ever done--the bottom ten pitches are steep and go-for-it, with supurb open face climbing up to 12a, and many interesting pitches of 5.10.
All on that perfect, orange, Middle C stone.
The upper part is truly big-wallesque, with several hard (some A4) and steep aid leads off the big ledge, then back to free climbing way the hell up there. We all thought (in '76) it would become a sort of hardman big wall. The location (some gigantic air on the upper bits), the climbing and the line were as good as anything we'd ever done, even on El Cap. It has an other worldly feel, especially on the last four or five pitches, above the aid--mostly 5.10+ face, all naturally protected, and so far up there you can't believe it. Middle is really huge right there, well over 2,000 feet high. Looking at the profile of the buttress from down by the Tower, you get the feel of the great size and vertical rise of the thing. It just sweeps up into the sky like a dream.
But verily, it's had few ascents to my knowledge, and I sure wonder why. That route absolutely rocked. One of those routes that left you with a glow for months afterwards.
I'm sure modern climbers would have a blast on those face pitches, which are probably exciting still.
JL
Jun 14, 2006, 02:50pm PT
Author: Largo
"Thanks for posting about your ascent of 'Middle Earth,' John. I have had no information since Geroge was working on it on the earlier tries. I do rememeber seeing a note somewhere emphatically stating that the pitches above the main ledges do not go free."
As I remeber, there's only two or three pitches just off the ledge with aid--but they're real aid pitches, like a bolt ladder off the ledge and a lot of blades and Rurps on the next pitch, all on vertical to overhanging rock. The buttress sort of scoops in there for a few hundred feet before kicking back a little up above, so the upper pitches have the feel of climbing above a sort of headwall. There's no ledges up there, and you're hanging right out there on the convex part of the buttress--nice and airy and with enough features that the free climbing is steeper than that normally found on Middle. And it's good right to the end. After one last hard face lead. There's a short 5.7 pitch off a sling belay and bam, you're on top. You wander right for a few minutes and you're in the Gunsight, which you can wiggle down pretty fast. Literally an hour or so after topping out we were hiking back along the base and looking up at what we'd just spent three days clawing up--always a strange experience. I remember we met a couple friends at the base, around the DNB, and they said it was a trip watching up earlier in the day, pasted way the hell up there, dead center on that buttress. It's all coming back to me now . . .
JL
Jun 14, 2006, 05:35pm PT
Author: Largo
I loved the North Face of Middle--it was like mountain climbing. And what a trip to hear someone did that traverse that cuts across the face and ends up, where?? In the U-Shaped bowl? That always looked way adventurous.
Per Mother Earth, I believe Max Jones and Mark Hudon did the second ascent, but who knows after that??
JL
Jun 15, 2006, 10:20am PT
Author: Roger Breedlove
Trad climber From: Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Here were my two cents in about 1974:
"There is another route, as yet unfinished, to the right of the North Face Slab. George Meyers began it in 1971, by climbing a pillar at the base of the wall. He has returned at least eight times, gone through as many partners, and is seven pitches up. Though slow, this sort of climbing project, which, as Steve Roper comments, 'sound like a job!", lacks none of the sprit and adventure of most first ascents. Climbing a 10ft. 'blank' section free can be as absorbing, time-consuming and serious as an entire pitch.
George often feels oppressed by his 'Big One', as it has come to be known, and would like to get it finished. He is not trying to do impossible feats on the route: he is doing what climbers know to be possible, but he trying it on a big, almost blank wall. His route in some ways epitomizes the newer routes on Middle, and perhaps points the direction for other new routes. Those who are repulsed by the elements of drudgery in his ascent should rest assured that some day the route will be a pleasant romp for some young climber."
I do not remember if the ‘began it in 1971’ is accurate. Might be. However, when we started climbing on the North Face Apron in 1973, nothing else was over there.
I guess that we are still waiting for the 'pleasant romp' prediction to come true. Ha.
ps: Note to what has changed over the years--originally typed on an Underwood manual typewriter, double-spaced, edited by hand.
Jul 23, 2006, 01:07pm PT
Author: Largo
You can't get a very objective rate value on the E. B. of Middle from someone (like Roy) who grew up at Tahquitz and Suicide. The East Butt is steep thin pure edging (unlike the smearing and "smedging" on most Middle routes) and there's about 500 routes with that kind of climbing at Suicide--but few with that kind of pro (bolt ladder).
Middle Standards look like this (IMO):
5.10 a/b: Powell Reed, Central Pillar (1st 7 pitches), Free Wheeling, Paradise Lost, North Butt., etc.
5.10 c/d: DNB, East Butt, Sachar/Fredricks, Stoners, etc.
5.11 a/b: Pratt/Fredricks (first 5 pitches), Orange Peel, Birchieff/Williams, Worral/Kauk (left of Central Pillar--don't remember name).
5.11 c/d: Black Rose, Mary's Tears, etc.
5.12a: Mother Earth (1st 10 pitches), Direct Start, Central Pillar, Crucifix.
JL
And on and on . . .
Sep 13, 2006, 09:05am PT
Author: Largo
He asked: "Anyone know how run out Mother Earth really is? What grade runouts w/ potential injury?"
This is another question beyond that of the spray paint but I'll say this: Mother Earth is pretty run out, but not horrifically so if you're tight climbing up to about 5.10A with little pro and 5.9 with no pro. The nailing above the big ledge has a touch of A4 but is mainly A2. I think pitch 8 has a short stretch of 5.12 by a bolt, and other places on the route have some 5.11, usually pretty well protected.
That route was put up (with Ron Kauk and Mark Chapman) in 1976 so the bolts--old 1/4 inch buttonheads--would need to be replaced. We all thought it was one of the best walls we'd ever done. Middle is really big right there.
JL
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 3, 2008 - 05:26am PT
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And some info on the second complete ascent, plus the 1982 topo:
Jan 30, 2008, 09:40pm PT
Author: Largo
I have no idea why or how but I never got to climb with either Max or Mark, despite us being in the Valley, on many of the same routes, at roughly the same time. My loss. I always respected how these guys always went for the hard stuff, even obscure stuff like Mother Earth. More heros . . .
JL
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Jan 31, 2008, 08:38am PT
Author: Steve Grossman
Did M&M do the entire Mother Earth or the lower portion?
Here is a classic Kevin Worral topo circa 1977 showing the lower part along with Space Babble. Mother Earth is still at the top of my Middle list!
[see above]
Jan 31, 2008, 08:43am PT
Author: mark Hudon
Trad climber From: Hood River, OR
Yeah Dave, which one is you?
Largo, Wow, thanks. I consider it to my advantage that I was taught to think for myself and not really care what other people thought about what I was doing. Max and I weren't out to make a name for ourselves, we were always amazed that we were doing what we were when we thought that there were other climbers who were much more talented than us around. We always thought "Why aren't these guys doing this stuff"?
Steve, we did the whole thing.
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Jan 31, 2008, 08:51am PT
Author: Steve Grossman
I would love to hear about it Mark. You guys got the first repeat I imagine with as little traffic as that one received. The little bits of aid up high was enough to deter most folks.
Which one of you got the infamous "leap or 5.12" pitch?
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Jan 31, 2008, 09:16am PT
Author: mark Hudon
We did do the 2nd ascent. I led the leap, but didn't leap and really didn't think it was too hard. We followed the free climbing and jugged only the aid. Max did the leap also.
Max and I had done the Mescalito, Zodiac and had been up on the PO (I dropped a rock on my finger and tore out the nail so we retreated) so aid wasn't foreign to us. We did it in two days with a few pitches fixed.
At one point, Max had some wide ranging, semi sketchy belay set up and I was climbing some pillar, maybe 5.10+, right above him when I thought I saw it move. If it had gone it would have killed us both. I freaked out, I yelled that this sucked and that we were going down and I don't give a F2#%K and we're out of there and all that. Anyway, I calmed down, continued on and we didn't die.
I have some photos but they're out in the garage.
...
Feb 1, 2008, 08:00am PT
Author: Steve Grossman
Very few pictures of Mother Earth ever made it out to press. I bet your slide box is a treasure chest, Mark. How about kicking down a few doubloons for some hungry old pirates! You guys may be amazed to know that the entire route hasn't likely seen another ascent since yours! I never heard of another party doing it while I was keeping track especially once the Little Mother Earth exit traverse became popular as an all free outing.
Here is the complete topo from the Yellow Meyers' guide.
Any other recollections about the climbing up there? Did you guys think that the aid sections would go free in passing through?
I have a memory that Kauk climbed the "leap or 5.12" crux statically, with great difficulty, calling it the "hardest moves that he had done on rock," at the time. Nice job on the send. Did you guys warm up on any of the other Middle Rock testpieces beforehand?
The complete Mother Earth is probably the rarest jewel in the crown of MCR gems as far as repeats. Again, outstanding adventure to bite off back then!
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Coz
Please, grace us with your story of the back side of Half Dome. . . .
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dickcilley
Social climber
Honolulu
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Reading this forum got me so hyped up yesterday that I went out and sent a project I´ve been trying for about 7 years.Love the photos.Reminded me of the deep shadows that you get in the vally.
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Feb 14, 2009 - 02:58pm PT
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Another Mother Earth thread.
I can remember sitting with my pipe and listening to those guys and their wide eyed stories..holy sh*t.
It scared me just listening to them. I felt like such a pup, and they were such veterens. To look at these photos now, THEY look like such pups!!
Thank you Clint for these inspiring threads.
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Feb 14, 2009 - 11:48pm PT
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OK, let's try this again.
*First ascent.
*Great info and comments by the first ascent team.
*Also comments by the second ascent team (Mark H.)
*Climbed by real hard men, including a couple of our friends here on the taco.
*Pictures included.
*Climbed in the old bad ass way. Runouts and balls...
*8 posts???
* You guys are laming me out here....
Sorry, but it's bullsh*t to have nonsense threads with 100 posts and just let these fade away.
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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Feb 15, 2009 - 12:29am PT
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Holy Shit! Good thread.
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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Feb 15, 2009 - 12:47am PT
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This is an awesome thread. I also just can't understand why the young dogs of today are swarming that thing.
Zander
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MH2
climber
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Feb 15, 2009 - 12:59am PT
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High quality on many counts.
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
pads are for girls
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Feb 15, 2009 - 01:12am PT
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Yeah , this thread , and the (240+ posts) welcome thread are brilliant . Very Inspiring . I also have a slide I took of Kevin on a thin crack at the 140 entrance (on the river side) . Hopefully I can find it and get it scanned .
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Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
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Feb 15, 2009 - 01:51am PT
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It's my understanding that the first 10 pitches of Mother Earth have been rebolted so I suspect once the word gets out this might become a somewhat popular face climb, given that it's classic Middle quality and by modern standards, isn't end-all hard (5.12a).
JL
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James
climber
My twin brother's laundry room
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Feb 15, 2009 - 03:46am PT
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I have always wanted to climb this thing to the top.
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bob
climber
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Feb 15, 2009 - 11:04am PT
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Awesome post for sure!!!!!!!! Can't say I don't want to do it that's for sure.
A question to the older crew. Lets say someone's done lots and lots of routes on Fairview Dome. Many terror festivals included. Now lets say this climber has not done a ton of Middle routes, but would like to. Does Fairview set one up for Middle? Or, vice-versa?
Bob J.
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Feb 15, 2009 - 01:16pm PT
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Warbler, that was a beautiful post man.
We've all had amazing, touch of the divine moments in Yosemite, but that one sounds special indeed! I could feel it.
Bob,
"Many terror fests included" on Fairview would qualify you for most things, wouldn't it?
The rock does differ in the character of the polish, and it seems to my recollection that a lot of things on Middle are "rounder". But one of the big dogs might have a more detailed answer for you.
Terror is terror, run is run, smearing is smearing, headspace is headspace.
Good luck up there!!
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east side underground
Trad climber
Hilton crk,ca
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Feb 15, 2009 - 01:43pm PT
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nice! was roomates with mellow brutus back in early eighties, he was way into hang-gliding back then, cheers eric if you're out there. warbler you continue to be the man
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Feb 15, 2009 - 06:00pm PT
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More from Mother Earth Pleez??
I love this thread.
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Mark Hudon
Trad climber
Hood River, OR
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Feb 15, 2009 - 06:49pm PT
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This is Max on the second pitch. It's a .10c mantle. He rambled right up there, pressed it out, stood up and promptly fell over backwards! It was hilarious!
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Feb 15, 2009 - 08:42pm PT
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Very nice Mark.
Thanks for coming back!!
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 15, 2009 - 09:10pm PT
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Cool, Mark.
Last summer, I barely pressed onto the mantle (after aiding past the lower bolts). But I couldn't quite get stood up. Fortunately there was some old tat sling hanging down from the next bolt. I managed to pinch just the tail between my thumb and side of my index finger, and barely pulled up on it! :-)
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