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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Apr 13, 2016 - 03:40pm PT
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T.M. took me under his wing when I first arrived in Camp 4. I vividly remember the first climb we did, not the climb itself but TM's antics while leading.
He traversed out a few feet to the right, placed a nut and made a move to some good footholds. He looked over at me with a wide eyed look and plantively said..."Donini watch me, watch me, the protection is at my (drawn out) knee! Another small move and from TM...."Donini watch me, WATCH ME, the protection is at my (now really drawn out) foot! Another move and another plaintive wail from TM...."Donini watch me, dear God watch me, the protection is BELOW my foot!
Not being familiar with the maestro's antics I felt beads of sweat forming as I prepared to hold a fall onto a lone nut. Suffice to say a fall never materialized and the climb went off as smoothly as one could have hoped for.
I discovered later after many more climbs with TM that the only times he was truly silent were the few instances when he really did feel like he might fall.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Apr 13, 2016 - 05:25pm PT
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Nice group shots, Walleye. Real keepers.
Jim, you were lucky, but he saw something in you. GOD KNOWS WHAT! :0)
One evening in Bishop years and years ago...
It was no drunken debauch, no way. Just four dudes hangin’ and drinkin’ Bud in Bardini’s yard.
Bardini was living next door to TM in Bishop at the time.
TM was pounding nails up the road in Minden.
Jeff Mathis, the Rev, was doing the same in Groveland.
I was on a week’s vacation from the barrel factory.
Mathis and I drove over to visit Alan Bard at his place in Bishop.
We bought beers and awaited Alan’s arrival.
TM showed up first.
Jeff knew him well.
I had met him one time.
He remembered me due to my association with Jeff.
He wondered how it went on Moby Dick.
He knew exactly where he’d seen me at least fifteen years before.
One of my best excursions.
Shootin’ the Sh#t With the Nail Pounder
There was not a lot of fat chewed
Between me and that Herbert dude;
But that night we got extremely crude;
And that night we got fairly stewed.
We talked of women, climbs and climbers,
Tales of experts and first-timers,
Our own times out while wearing blinders,
Of S A R rescuers and finders.
That night was long on shorts;
And we got on like real good sports,
Joshing over the many reports
Of our various sundry mis-deports.
That long past summer eve to me
Still seems like recent history.
TM means Tough Mother, but, you see,
That night he was another brother to us three.
I truly don’t remember much except I bought most of the beer for a change.
I just saw this from back a ways in this MAGNIFICENT CELEBRATION of the TOUGHEST MUTHA OF ALL!
What CAN I say, except, "I just had to throw this in."
"That's the way to recycle, brother Mouse."
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Apr 13, 2016 - 08:06pm PT
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The man and friends last Fall at Harper's Celebration of Life gathering.
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Bushman
climber
The state of quantum flux
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Apr 13, 2016 - 08:18pm PT
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That guy always with the stoic sense of humor, straight faced through it all. One time ran into him at Pie Shop and he offered to clean this 10a pitch I was on with a friend. At the belay he was talking up my brother the way he always did the few times I talked with him. All the while I was all thinking, "This is TM, he's a legend." I'm such a dufus. So I decided to tell him all about my big plans, big alpine routes and such and he's all, "I don't think you're gonna to do any of that." I'm all like, "Uh, wudduya mean?" And he's all like, "Well what are you doing climbing at Pie Shop for?" I didn't know how to take it. Shut me right up though.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Apr 21, 2016 - 11:35am PT
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Bump.
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BASE104
Social climber
An Oil Field
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Apr 21, 2016 - 12:41pm PT
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Does he still live in Bishop behind Bardini's house? I remember him being a neighbor of Allan's, but never got to hang out with him and get the full blown TM experience.
There have always been hilarious characters in climbing. With real skill. Geez, 2 guys take off on new ground and put up the Muir, with gear that would shock an Indian Fakir.
That was ballsy. I love it when he says he put Chouinard into his pack and put up the whole thing.
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Don Lauria
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
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Just a bump ... and a reply to BASE104.
TM has been living in the Reno/Sparks area for about 20 years now. He worked for Patagonia in Reno all that time, and has finally retired. Luckily, his MD son, Tom, has taken him under wing. He's now approaching my age and, like me, seeing and hearing less. So it's nice to have relatives and friends around.
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aspendougy
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Worked at Tuolumne in 1968 or 1969, I had only done a couple of climbs, didn't really know what I was doing on the rock, he invited me to go up the Water Cracks after supper. Knew the guy was a legend, and was surprised at how unassuming he was.
He swore by the old Robbins Blue boots, said to wear them down to the bone and break them in, then they were great. He used to disagree with Gerhughty, who said the boots sucked. It's funny the details you remember after so long.
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WBraun
climber
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The boots DID SUCK!!!
for free climbing that is .......
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BruceHildenbrand
Social climber
Mountain View/Boulder
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Last summer we are parking in the Tuolumne Meadows Store parking lot when TM pulls his car into the spot next to ours. He gets out, turns to me and says "Watch out. I might need to pull my car out of here quickly. I just killed a guy down in Lee Vining!"
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Don Lauria
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
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Sep 29, 2016 - 01:29pm PT
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My apologies to Ms. Chouinard for having misspelled her name TWICE. It's Malinda, NOT Melinda!
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Sep 29, 2016 - 06:30pm PT
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Ran into TM last month in front of the Store.
Here he is flirting with my wife. Waugh and Tom H look on.
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FRUMY
Trad climber
Bishop,CA
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Bump!
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Fan
climber
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The November 1961 Bel Air fire was raging. Bob was late getting home. The phone rang. It was TM calling to let me know that Bob had been arrested and was under suspicion for having started the fire. Only when Bob made it home was I able to take a deep breath and realize that I'd been had.
Bonnie Kamps
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