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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 13, 2007 - 10:04pm PT
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Hey there Prod:
While we are waiting for Chiloe to tell us what happens next, here are some materials to help explain Spearhead a bit.
(Chiloe must be working or something: I don't know how he finds time to do that…)
Obviously for Believers is line 13.
You can see where it passes the right side of the Eye of Mordor near the bottom of the route.
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Oli
Trad climber
Fruita, Colorado
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Aug 14, 2007 - 02:07am PT
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Chiloe, what is a "right coaster?" Never heard that phrase before.
Larry Dalke. My young pal for several years. We more or less discovered climbing together, shared the same dreams, slept overnight at each other's houses so we could start walking up to the rocks before dawn. We once started a forest fire cooking breakfast on a windy day in dark below the flatirons. Fortunately people came and put it out quick, as we watched, ashamed, from the Third Flatiron. We used to run (half walk quickly) from Baseline Junior High up to the flations, after school. We had unlimited energy. One hot summer day we go dropped off in Eldorado, hiked up and climbed the Maiden, then both east routes on Devil's Thumb, then out of water walked to the top of Bear and finally all the way home, dying of thirst. A cow chased us in a field (that field now is Table Mesa's houses). He and I made oaths not to climb with anyone but each other, though that ended abruptly when Layton called and wanted to climb with me. I had to call Larry and have him come with us. Larry and I did hundreds of routes together and had hundreds of adventures, and I loved him dearly. He followed Kor into the Jehovah's Witnesses, though, and they have some kind of doctrine (in my opinion contrary to Christ's teachings) that they should not spend any time with anyone not of their faith. Strange, but it was good while it lasted. I could write a rather large book just on the subject of my times with Larry. He was a natural climber with huge amounts of talent, much more naturally talented than I for sure, though I later became much stronger than he when I continued to develop in climbing and in gymnastics. So at the end I was bouldering and climbing harder, but now and then he would always do something amazing, such as his free ascent of X-M, a real feather in his cap. I repeated it soon after he did it and realized it was reasonable, if one were in shape, but he had that initial vision, that spark of inspiration. He left climbing when he got married and when he joined the JWs. His two or three children must have families of their own by now... Our last trip together was to Yosemite in 1967, when I led the Slack Center free (and he followed nicely). He hated off-widths, though, and I had to do a lot of pulling on climbs such as Ahab and Left Side of Remnant. He was tormented back then by some strange but lovely girl he was mad about, and she tried to seduce me in his presence, but I would have none of it, being totally loyal to Larry... It always works out that those most painful young crushes never were the right ones for us. I still love Larry, though haven't seen him in many years.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 14, 2007 - 02:48am PT
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Oli!
That was a wonderful little vignette on your time with Dalke.
You are a jewel.
You know there are the big names; you obviously have a very well-known name. Then there are others who added to the rich tapestry of this whole affair, climbers who are known in the grand historical sense but who are not really so directly understood by way of reportage.
I know this is primarily what you have achieved in your “A History of Free Climbing in America” and that is an important work.
The chain of striving, the legacy, the spirits of those adventurers who came before; I have long been intrigued to know more about the tangible aspects of their character.
Cheers to you Pat,
Roy
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Aug 14, 2007 - 08:20am PT
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Chiloe, what is a "right coaster?" Never heard that phrase before.
Heh, like right and left coasts? Meaning I live in a different time zone (and social zone) from Supertopo's center of gravity.
(Chiloe must be working or something: I don't know how he finds time to do that…)
An unexpected minor job, rebuilding a database, came up and ate a good chunk out of yesterday.
Had to try reading my own mind from a few months back, and that gets confusing.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Aug 14, 2007 - 08:29am PT
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Meanwhile back on Spearhead ....
The 7th pitch was marked A4 on our topo. That was the reason I'd grabbed the odd leads.
Paul followed in light rain, to the sound of approaching thunder.
This pitch ended on the grassy ledge in foreground. We weren't far below the top now but it was getting late.
Seemed best to hunker down for the night where we were rather than continue up into darkness and storm on the summit.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Aug 14, 2007 - 08:37am PT
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After a long sleepless night, the morning sun finally warmed us and dried out our ledge.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Aug 14, 2007 - 08:39am PT
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Paul led the final steep pitch.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Aug 14, 2007 - 08:44am PT
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And we stood on the summit of Spearhead.
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wiclimber
Trad climber
devil's lake, wi
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Aug 14, 2007 - 09:16am PT
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So was most of your gear comiing from Europe at that time? How did you get your hands on it?
So cool. I've always wanted to go back to Eldo with knickers and socks, and a little red hat like Layton's on the Titan (but with modern climbing shoes:).
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J. Werlin
climber
Cedaredge
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Aug 14, 2007 - 09:17am PT
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Tar and Chiloe--
fantastic stuff! Thanks for sharing and taking the time to post.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Aug 14, 2007 - 10:02am PT
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So was most of your gear comiing from Europe at that time? How did you get your hands on it?
Well the pitons and carabiners were mostly Chouinard, of course. Apart from those and the
"Colorado Nut Company" hex nuts and I-beams that Sibley and Roos were manufacturing in Eldo,
I think most of our gear was European. In Boulder, Holubar Mountaineering, Gerry's and
later the Boulder Mountaineer (Bob Culp's store) all stocked the imported stuff.
Steve Komito was replacing Vibram soles on the north side of town, and Neptune Mountaineering
was just the dream of a young sales clerk at Holubar.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 14, 2007 - 01:26pm PT
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Nice job Chiloe!
I'm going to take the liberty of posting Larry's climbing homepage here,
A nice little stash, a treasure trove of stories and pictures:
http://pubpages.unh.edu/~lch/climbing.htm
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Aug 14, 2007 - 05:34pm PT
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Its amazing that Chiloe could be so accomplished and still find the time to post on ST.
Multitasking, that's the key. I'm sitting here running 7 programs at once, with 1-5 windows each ... ST is in one of those and whenever I come back to it, I relax for a minute. Helps all the other stuff flow, or so I'll claim. Sure I'm not the only one who does this.
But it's about time to quit and go home. Wine on the patio is calling. Cheers!
L
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Aug 14, 2007 - 06:08pm PT
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That shot of Briggs will always be the seminal image of Eldo for me...
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Oli
Trad climber
Fruita, Colorado
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Aug 14, 2007 - 06:22pm PT
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Thanks, Roy. That was, of course, a drop in the bucket that I could say about Larry Dalke. He had his torments, on his BSA once tried to outrun a police car chasing him and spun out on dirt, just as he arrived at a trailhead behind the Bureau of Standards. Spent a couple nights in jail. He told me how an officer came in to talk to him, and Larry slammed the jail door in his face. I really miss those times with my old friend. We grew up together in climbing, inseparable... until we separated.
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JesseM
Social climber
Yosemite
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Aug 14, 2007 - 07:21pm PT
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Roy, Chiloe, Unimog
Great to read these stories! Gabe, told me about the "accident." Hilarious and classic Sibley style. Gabe definitely inherited those genes! I think he may be out there right now, or just was, to help the old man with his project.
He actually is Dr. Sibley now beleive or not!
Sasha, I don't know if you remember me. I was Gabe's roommate and pal back in the Emory days. He's actually going to be in my wedding in September In Yosemite. I knew Roy was a regualr on the TACo, but how long have you been surfin' here?
Next time you guys see Paul, say hello for me, and tell him I'm looking forward to staying in the new blasting area/guest room!
Jesse
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Aug 14, 2007 - 10:25pm PT
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What marvellous stories!
If the retro-shoe thing happens, I have a pair of EBs in nearly mint condition. Size 41 or 42. Let me know.
When I get a moment, I'll scan a page from Basic Rockcraft, on selection of rock shoes. Quite interesting.
Roy mentioned voice-activated software - please tell us more.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 14, 2007 - 11:11pm PT
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Climbing shoe selection Anders?
By all means, let's have a look at that Basic Rock Craft stuff.
Oh yes, I use Dragon NaturallySpeaking voice recognition software for all my typing.
I set the mouse pad on the floor and operate the mouse with my right toe.
Hands-free dude!
Saves my arms, so I can go out and crush the stones ...
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Aug 14, 2007 - 11:27pm PT
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For follow-up, we could have a Sheridan Anderson thread. Baron von Mabel's Backpacking, even.
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SuperTopo on the Web
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Let us know!