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Orion
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Nov 13, 2007 - 09:07pm PT
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The other night I was reading in Roper's book Ordeal by Piton about the F.A. of the Dihedral wall and what caught my attention, besides the amazing story, was that after these guys were done with the wall they went down and picked up trash that they and others had dropped. How cool is that?
Let's see a revival of the cult of the Blue Cagoule, and I'm not talking about a once a year clean up, no this needs to be done on a regular basis at the base of the walls!
After a failed attempt to start the east butt of the cap, there were two parties of two and two parties of three ahead of us, we walked along the base to do some of the short routes just around the bend. Well as we went I just couldn't help but pick up water bottles, cut one open so I could put wrappers and red bull cans in it, well by the time we got around said corner I was attaching bottles to bottles an my arms were full.
So basically I'm saying, C'mon everyone do your share and pick up some litter and maybe some booty and revive the cult of the blue Cagoule!
Cheers
Sam
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mark miller
Social climber
Reno
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Nov 13, 2007 - 09:19pm PT
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Sam is right( or maybe left if he's liberal, whatever). You guys do a brilliant job at the major clean ups, but I find my self picking up from Pigs every damn place I go. Why? There's more crap at the base of climbs then ever. I used to think climbers were at the top end of enviromentalism but that has sure changed the last 10 years....
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Watusi
Social climber
Newport, OR
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Nov 13, 2007 - 09:39pm PT
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Nov 13, 2007 - 09:40pm PT
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Yes, heaven - people, and climbers, who pick up after themselves.
The cult of the Blue Cagoule seems to have originated with the third ascent of the Dihedral, in 1967, by Dennis Hennek and Don Lauria.
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mark miller
Social climber
Reno
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Nov 13, 2007 - 09:41pm PT
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Isn't that Oyster Cagoule?
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Watusi
Social climber
Newport, OR
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Nov 13, 2007 - 09:57pm PT
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Tee Hee...By the way Mark, hadn't we maybe cragged in the past at Josh?
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mark miller
Social climber
Reno
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Nov 13, 2007 - 10:24pm PT
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I wish we had but the first time( I recall being at JT) was at JT sushi Fest 2 weeks ago. If you think we may have climbed anywhere from Lonepine North since "78" I may be your "Huckleberry", it's easy to forget the wonderful number of people I've had good times with.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Nov 13, 2007 - 11:28pm PT
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After many El Cap walls in the 80s, we'd go back and clean up everything we could find along the base. But that was partly because we chucked much of that stuff off ourselves! Other people were doing the same thing, so some of what we tossed had already been picked up by people who topped out before us, and we'd pick up stuff from people who hadn't topped out yet.
Nowadays, with people generally not tossing off the dreaded brown bags, the base of El Cap is *WAY* cleaner than it was in the 80s. It can be hard to find trash, at least along the base trail. Still possible if you scour the bushes.
We used to also hike along the base if we got rained out from free climbing, looking for booty and mostly picking up trash.
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mark miller
Social climber
Reno
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Nov 13, 2007 - 11:36pm PT
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In 05' I went to run Laps on the R. Side of Lacosita and couldn't do it because of the sh#t bag splattered down it turned my stomach. I couldn't do the sweet jams packed with "Corn".
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Orion
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 14, 2007 - 01:53pm PT
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I assure you that if you go there this week you will not have to scour the buches to find trash, maybe some of the brown stuff but nothing that's manmade, well processed I mean, no um, you know what I mean.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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bump... maybe Don Lauria has some memories of this...
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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So how do you become a part of the BC Cult ? neubie, Lynne
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Double D
climber
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What's a blue Cagoule?
There ya have it!
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WBraun
climber
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"The cult of the Blue Cagoule"
Weren't those people the ones who swallowed some poison to go travel on some Haley comet to meet up with .
You better fill in that blank .....
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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For more on this nefarious group, go to the Nose reunion this weekend. It appears that at least one of the founding members of the cult will be present, and that obscure rituals will be engaged in.
You can also read about it in "Dihedral Diaries", in Roper's "Ordeal by Piton". It is an account by SuperTopo's Don Lauria of the third ascent of Dihedral Wall in 1967, which he did with Dennis Hennek. In it, he mentions the mysterious Cult of the Blue Cagoule. Roper's introduction says: "The cryptic 'Blue Cagoule' reference comes from the fact that both men, while wearing these items, decided that ethics were all important - and a minor 'cult' was thus born."
Quotes from the three page story:
"Dennis, a wearer of the Blue Cagoule, insists that we clean every fixed pin and every piece of old sling from the route."
"Dressed as an ordinary tourist, I hesitantly leave the glory of Camp 4 to return with Dennis to the base of El Capitan. The cult of the Blue Cagoule has dictated that we are bound ethically to clean up the refuse of our climb - water bottles, salami wrappers, old pitons, and sling material. Three unfamiliar climbers inquire quite seriously, 'Are you guys paid by the park service for the work?' 'Oh, yes,' is our reply. 'We are paid in advance.'"
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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and the eyes to match. Where does one get this duo ? :D
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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DoubleD. should not you be packing ? hehehe :D
Thanks Anders. Glad my coats are all the shade of blue cagoule.
Will bring indelible marker for Mr. L and others to sign off on if they will be so kind. Imagine....all the stuff this gal has learned in the past 7 months. Yo All The Greatest !
Really love ya all, Lynne ....Peace and alot of Joy on the journey.
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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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There were yellow ones too, though not as popular. Foamback worked great at first while new. It had a slight insulation factor and was semi waterproof. Lynne a Cagoule is a hooded garment with no zippers.
Ken
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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For ages, I had a long Peter Storm cagoule. Green. Worked great. They used to have quite cheesy ads for them on the back cover of Mountain.
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nick d
Trad climber
nm
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I can remember turning blue in my foamback cagoule plenty of times.
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