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TrundleBum
Trad climber
Las Vegas
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Topic Author's Original Post - Dec 13, 2008 - 05:00pm PT
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I saw the 'Broken protection' thread and well...
Ok I have a whole epic story about the possible origin, use and recent discovery of this block.
Here is the synopsis:
In late Oct/early November my partner and I spent the better part of a week in the Valley. The Indian Summer was amazing, we kept mis takingly climbing in the sun as it was late season. So one day to avoid the sun/heat we went down to the Captain to do some of the west side, base routes.
Once the sun clocked around we dug out. Heading down the talus my partner decided to take to the trail inside the tree line for the sake of shade. He stopped to pee and... lo and behold ! As I approached he said "Dude" and was pointing with his toe to an object that was half buried in the forest litter.
I looked with great curiosity, as why would my partner find some moldy, old 8" - 10" block of 4X4 to be of much interest? I picked up the block and with a gasp asked "May I have this?" My partner a tuff, young, buck sporting a total of 18 1/2 years on the planet and a couple in the climbing world... He gave me a grand smile and told me it was certainly mine. He added that I had a lot more right to it then I.
You see my young partner is a climbing history buff.
Countless times he has poured through what books I have, The Vertical World, The Yosemite Climber etc and asked exhaustive questions, to which he remembers the answers and asks subsequent drill down questions later. In a nutshell he loves his American climbing history and for someone pretty new to the activity (a lot of that time in a gym with other young gymmies) he has a very solid historical info base on the early development of Yosemite walls and free climbing.
My partner has given inexhaustible audience to my long winded 'stories of old'. He has enjoyed them and logged the info...
So what's up with the block ????
I dunnoh, I am curious, but I have a deep gut feeling that I was a partner in crime in the pirating of C-4 bath house power (remember BITD when there was two and they had some power outlets?)...For the sake of the cutting and milling of the groove in this 4X4 block.
After I had picked the block out of the forest litter and asked if I could have it, I looked at my young partner's smiling face and said "you know what this is?"
He did !
Or at least he knew what I thought it was.
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Ok I don't know for sure that it is what I think it is, so let's here it folks ?
The block was found just inside the tree line in between Sacher crack and La Cosita.
It is old/moldy/decomposed enough that it is at least 10 years old. However it could have by no means lasted for say 50 years.
So what do you suppose it is ?
Was there a ranch in the olden days that was right up to the bottom of the Captain? Perhaps the NPS had a trail in the vicinity that had posts and hand rail of rope or wire (why the groove skived in the side of the block?)?
Anybody got any solid info/ideas on why I should not believe that this block was used and dropped off Excalibur by John Rutt, some 25+ years ago?
Perhaps it was used on Excalibur but it was another party ?
Does anybody know how many early parties used cams and 4X4's ?
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It was spring 81' or so, when John Rutt got this hard on for Excalibur. He wanted me to do it with him but I begged off as I had limited time and experience for such an endeavour at the time.
However I did hook John up with my other buddy Dino Tassinari a non climber, east coast, travelling, carpenter friend of mine, who was hanging out enjoying the Valley and a visit with me.
The two of them, jumped into Dino's VW bus and drove out to Fresno or somewhere. John came back into Sunnyside with about 4, 8' 4X4's and plunked them down next to the 'near' bath house. Dino then proceeded to get out his Skill saw and start cutting.
The groove was an after thought suggested by Dino but 'poo poo'd by Rutt. Rutt explained to Dino that climbing cams will work in a flare or even with a book inside the crack, so there was no real need to skive the groove in for the sake of more purchase by the #4 wild Country cams he was going to use. Dino being the proud wood butcher that he is, still threw a small groove into each segment he cut.
Once the blocks were all cut John and I went out in the boulders and started testing.
Damn if they didn't work like a charm !
~~~~~~~~~~~
I left Rutt to his project that spring and headed off to a summer job in Colorado.
When I returned in the fall I learned that Rutt did indeed do an early (12th -13th'sh ?) ascent of Excalibur.
Jaybro might have more detail re: the ascent, it's triumphs and perils. I recall hearing that Rutt went up with a very 'green' partner that dropped a hammer about 8-10 pitches from the top, which obviously would present some 'extra work' since the party only had two along.
~~~~~~~~~~
OK enough with the long winded'ness...
The pic' of the block and the tag question:
"Got any cool stories re: alternative pro, or travelling/rediscovered DYI equipment?"
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scooter
climber
fist clamp
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Dec 13, 2008 - 05:18pm PT
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By the look of that groove it seems hand hewn. I think that they are much older, and the groove is for keeping what ever you use to tie it off centered.
Patrick
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hungry man
Trad climber
around
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Dec 13, 2008 - 05:18pm PT
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DYI = Do Yourself It?
cool block.
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TrundleBum
Trad climber
Las Vegas
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 13, 2008 - 05:36pm PT
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As a carpenter my best guess on the groove is that is was formed by setting the blade depth about 1/2 (on a standard 71/4" skill saw) and then with a hand cupping the front of the shoe and the trigger hand lifts the back of the shoe. Riding side ways/ back forth, you can slowly lower the blade into the work piece as you lower the saw side to side, thusly creating just that sort of groove.
(just make sure you do the groove before cutting it to length :)
Could be "hand hewn" but I doubt it as there are no chisel or other hand tool type of marks.
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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Dec 13, 2008 - 05:48pm PT
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As soon as the woodblock appeared in the first act, I thought this was going to be an Excalibur tale. Hadn't anticipated the Rutt connection.
I have to think about this, he told me the story, but that was a long time ago, I remember the hammer incident. hhmmmm? On one of those routes (might also have been the shield) he had some kind of epic with a sketchy homemade porta ledge. That I seem to remember he borrowed from Rick Derrick. But I know these stories all get mixed up. He did have a story of an extra day off on the shield headwall, a rest day maybe more appropriate for an ascent of the magic mushroom, if you get my drift... the ledge problem might well have happened there.
Also, about the same time, I think a year earlier, Derrick and Lepton and the kiwi, John Dale, climbed excalibur and swung over to el Cap spire for a bivy and made a bonfire of their wooden blocks. Maybe one escaped the inferno? I kinda almost think they ran into Rutt there, who was climbing the Salathe at the time. Is that plausible?
Figures Jon would have a block that, instead of having a hole for a sling, would instead have a 'rut'!
ps,speaking of Green, thought not really, partners on el Cap, when I climbed Excalibur (we left the blocks in the truck and relied on two big Yates cams)it was my partner Dru Marquardt's first El cap route. Anyone who knows what a salwart madman he is can understand that I wasn't that concerned.
His speech while leading the old "A-5 pitch", will stick with me always;
"any of this sh#t could blow."
"I could die anytime."
"This is SO COOL!"
years later he and Walt had some adventures in the Grand Canyon...
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scooter
climber
fist clamp
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Dec 13, 2008 - 06:51pm PT
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I thought it was done by hand because it looks like it was cut by a hand saw on the ends. See how there is the miss overlap on the ends. Like they flipped it over to cut it after getting sick of sawing on one side, but were off 1/8 from the first cut.
(I guess that could happen with a circular saw as well)
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lucaskrajnik
Trad climber
Anchorage, AK
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Dec 15, 2008 - 11:14am PT
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Hand saw..no i dont think so.
The flat cut that is on two different planes is simply -the circular saw cant reach, so you flip it over and finish it.
---"glad you could do your part and pick up some garbage" ;)
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TrundleBum
Trad climber
Las Vegas
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Topic Author's Reply - May 24, 2010 - 02:14pm PT
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No further speculation ?
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apogee
climber
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May 24, 2010 - 02:25pm PT
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On one of the last pitches on the Shield, I found the rotting remains of a wooden peg in one of the cracks- I made no attempt to remove it (or clip it!). That was over 10 years ago- I'm sure it's long-gone by now.
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