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BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
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your a good bro albatross
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Ronin
Trad climber
Franklin, WV
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Thank you, Brian, not just for the few times you shared that McCray energy with me in person, but for all you did here in West Virginia, and across the world.
You were a true ambassador of not only climbing, but the human race.
The good ones die young.... the pricks live on forever.
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dougs510
Social climber
down south
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I'm sorry for your loss Ammon. You won't remember me, but we met when I was climbing with Bean in the valley several years back. Too many gone.... to young. Makes me really sad.
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Norwegian
Trad climber
dancin on the tip of god's middle finger
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as many days as possible,
enter absurdly.
and see what happens.
after all,
we only live a few thousand times.
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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Flo checked in on the thread and asked me to share this:
“Seeing the admiration for what Brian did on his own terms is truly comforting. Brian’s appetite for literature, art and history made him a renaissance man as well as an athlete and pioneer in his climbing endeavors. His legacy is one for us to honor and share”.
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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more wisdom from Brian:
thieves can only steal. to truly create is a difficult job that few want to tackle.
the thief grows weaker. the creator grows stronger.
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sandstone conglomerate
climber
sharon conglomerate central
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RIP...Flyin' Brian resolved a pair of my Anasazis a few years back...Terrible to hear about this. Seemed like a good dude.
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ElCapPirate
Big Wall climber
Ogden, Utah
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 9, 2014 - 10:39pm PT
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kunlun_shan
Mountain climber
SF, CA
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Thanks for bringing back this thread, Ammon!
edit - and thanks to RJ as well.
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nah000
climber
canuckistan
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thanks for fixing this cmac and/or co.
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Sep 10, 2014 - 03:07am PT
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Trade winds blow the divi divi tree, a weed in sand, an impossible scary stand against the blast
Moon and tide sun bleached wood as much dead as alive the div divi strong and weak barkless sends a shadow much greater is that beauty in rhyme and moon light.
By day the look is strange twisted knurled completely haggard and seemingly alone
Sands of time scream past as winds take their toll bent in doaist prayer div divi shakes
Casting the only shadow and so a little shade on the edges of a beach on the edges of the world
Pyrse built of it's fallen wood sing as they burn and those sent home by this fire go into the great void less alone for that song Divi Divi Flying Brian so long
Of Oak and Pine great Ball sycamore and Red wood sequoia they stand there in majesty unquestioned
In contrast half living and all seeing Joshua tree holds out as one of us taken by the spirit that
Kept low attainable a child's hopes and dreams that life may be all good
Spirit inside so contained in a weedy wood the desert has provided in moon light the spirit haunts the view a living thing and scary in singular alone just one against the rising dawn
I know that some are haunting sad none seem to smile unless in a stand of six or seven all
In sight of each other with deep roots that must be entwined
a mile of earth scanned thirty joshes, I see a man and then he is gone was he ever there at all
Yes and no a spirit that survived the fall but who's only road was too lonely to make it go
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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Sep 10, 2014 - 10:23am PT
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Ammon thanks for getting this back up. When you're ready it's going to be great hearing some stories of those speed ascents. Do you have that pic of when Brian put the beak through his palm?
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couchmaster
climber
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Sep 10, 2014 - 02:45pm PT
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Thanks everyone for sharing great photos and memories of what clearly was a most excellent dude who checked out much too early.
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rockgeir
Trad climber
Tucson, AZ
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Sep 10, 2014 - 03:15pm PT
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Thanks for bringing this thread back! I really appreciate reading all this great stuff about Brian.
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climbski2
Mountain climber
Anchorage AK, Reno NV
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Sep 10, 2014 - 03:51pm PT
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Pretty cool to see this back as it should be. Those who loved him will know how much so many cared about him and perhaps hear some stories they never would have any other way.
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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Sep 14, 2014 - 07:59pm PT
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http://waterstoneoutdoors.com/flyin-brian-mccray/
Maura remembers:
Gene and I met Brian McCray in the early 80’s at Seneca Rocks. He was on his first rock climbing trip, under the wing of Ron Putterbaugh, a friendly, relaxed Ohioan who had recognized potential in this intense and troubled teen. I remember a wide smile, pin straight white blonde hair and an appealing, goofy warmth. Sure enough, the boy was born to climb and climb he did. He and Ron were constants at Seneca, where Brian mastered the fundamentals. He was strong, ridiculously strong, but it was his fierce drive and his utterly abandoned approach to climbing that soon distinguished him.
He left his mark on Seneca Rocks and then made his way down here to the New River Gorge in the mid 90’s. Mind you when he showed up hardly any climbers lived here. There weren’t any cool restaurants, there really wasn’t much going on at all. We were psyched he showed up because he was so…psyched. He was dedicated. And that meant he went climbing all the time. No matter the heat, no matter the cold, he just went climbing. I will leave it to others testify about his climbing feats; i just want to say that I remember him as being consistently kind and thoughtful and interested–a good friend. I am glad to have known him, the NRG is better for him having been here, my heart goes out to his family and friends who are missing him so badly every day. Rest in Peace Flyin’ Brian.
Kenny remembers: Flyin’ Brian McCray was the most motivated, “psyched” climber I have ever known. A lot of climbers are good, as in talented, and a lot are just so motivated they look good. Flyin’ Brian was both. His determination was inspiring and this aspect of his personality made those around him climb better. His tenure at the New River Gorge truly launched it as a climbing area to the next level. Doug, Porter, Eddie, and others had huge impacts on the development of the New and, having climbed with all of them, were all great climbers. But something about Brian was different. He just had a sense about him that he could do it all, which he basically went on to do. His many ascents on all kinds of climbing terrain have been documented elsewhere so all I will say is that it was evident then what was to come for Brian in his climbing career.
Like many of my climbing friends, Brain had slipped out of touch so I had not talked to him in a long time. The last time I remember seeing him was after his Alaska trip with Bridwell. He came to the shop and gave a gripping slide show about the ascent. It was truly mind boggling what Brian had done up there, basically learning how to ice climb way up on an Alaskan wall. Only Brian had that kind of climbing talent, drive, and fearlessness. I remember how fun Brian was to be around and do things with. My first time down the New was at night with Brian, Tom Wendell owner of Hard Rock, Jim Taylor, and a few others. We left late after a day of guiding with lots of beer and other things in our systems for the put in. Neither Brian nor I had ever been on whitewater before and for Brian it just didn’t matter. It was an adventure with good friends. It was all of that and more as I recall and Brian was the highlight.
It’s those memories of Brian that will all really stick with me. His hilarious chuckle that he had. Just him laughing made others laugh. It was a real laugh and that was truly contagious.
R.I.P. Flyin’ Brian, you were one of a kind.
Mikey Williams interprets:
I can’t pretend that I knew Brian well. As I was researching for the New River Gorge guidebook, we chatted on the phone and exchanged emails, but that was the extent of our interaction. That said, you can tell a lot about a person by examining the legacy of what they left behind. Many route developers helped shape the New into what it is today and Brian McCray had a firm grip on the reins during the late 90s.
It sounds clichéd but examining what Brian was doing during the era he was doing it defines “visionary.” Perhaps more than any other climber in New River Gorge history, Brian saw the potential in the blank walls that had turned away everyone else. His primary contribution was, of course, the Cirque where he bolted over 20 routes, most of them all the way to the top of the intimidating cliff. Proper Soul gets all the glory as the New’s first 5.14 but his other contributions are just as stunning. Ride the Lightning, a sandbagged 5.13b, was one of his proudest—a climb he considered “good enough to hike there for just that one route.”
He possessed impressive physical ability which we can reflect on today as the next generation of strong young gym rats get punted off his “5.13b’s” like Xanth. There was a time when the only climbers that had repeated Xanth had all previously climbed 5.14! Another of his 5.13b’s, Quake at Beauty Mountain, is likely still unrepeated. Brian’s House of Cards (5.13d) wasn’t repeated until last year. Ragnarock (5.13b) may be unrepeated as well…
But more impressive than his physical ability was his vision to see what might be possible. Whether he thought he might someday be capable, or if he was bolting for the next generation, is unclear to me. But back in 1997, Brian was bolting 5.14 and what may be 5.15 routes in the Cirque. This was during a time when 5.15 didn’t exist in the world, yet he was already seeing the possibility. What we’ve dubbed the Cirqueles project is one example of a route that I never would have thought possible, even in today’s world where we view almost anything as achievable. His project to the left of Ride the Lightning is still unsent to the first anchor, but what lies above is simply outrageous climbing that would likely shut down Adam Ondra and maybe even his unborn children.
While Brian’s contributions to the gorge are most concentrated in the Cirque, he also laid claim to hard climbs throughout the region like BC in the Coliseum and the futuristic Dihedral Project that was finally sent two years ago. Suicide Blonde (5.13b) and Deep Throat (5.13c) at the Lake are also his. He claimed the first dude ascent of Lynn Hill’s Greatest Show on Earth (5.13a trad) at the lower Meadow and the first ascent of the still unrepeated trad route Temporary Insanity (5.13a) at South Nuttall.
Outside of the Cirque, South Nuttall was the site of Brian’s other major contributions, though his focus there came right at the end of his time at the New River Gorge. He left a handful of futuristic projects there that are still unsent, like the two beautiful projects on the White Wall or the Reign in Blood project—a name that offers some insight into his penchant for dark clothing and dark metal music.
It’s impossible to examine Brian’s legacy at the New and reflect on his character without addressing the fact that he was, undoubtedly, a bit of a renegade. Many of the routes he drilled at South Nuttall were done illegally which ruffled feathers with other climbers and the NPS. He also caught sh#t for “adding” a hold or two to make a route go. Without condoning the practice, I still feel comfortable applauding his craftsmanship. It’s obvious that he spent hours sculpting and camouflaging a single handhold so that the sequence was perfect and subsequent climbers would need to break out a magnifying glass to determine the “authenticity” of the grip. House of Cards is a testament to his vision and stealth as is Into the Sarlacc (5.14b) another project he left behind that wasn’t redpointed until last year.
My favorite story regarding Brian’s outlaw behavior took place at Fern Buttress as he illegally drilled bolts on the Wide Open Beaver project. Park officials were alerted by the hum of a drill and came to investigate. Caught red-handed, Brian hung from the rope and quickly debated what to do. He could have tucked his tail, rappelled down, and faced the music, but instead, I picture him copping a little smirk as he jugged to the top and ran away!
It’s been nearly 20 years since Brian moved on from the Gorge and what he left behind, whether sent or unsent, STILL represents the future of difficult New River climbing. Up-and-comers test their skills on the routes he redpointed while today’s cutting edge climbers attempt to redpoint the projects he left behind. Today, his rusty bolts mark paths through the Cirque that may someday be climbed by the next generation of elite climbers. These relics left by Brian McCray, the first person to climb 5.14a at the New, might mark the New River Gorge’s first 5.14c, 5.14d, 5.15a, and beyond.
He was a visionary soul for sure and the legacy of routes he left behind is impressive, but not nearly as extraordinary as the speed with which he accomplished this. Nearly everything was established during a three year period from 1995 to 1997. It takes today’s climbers twice as long just to climb all his routes, minus the exploration, rappelling, and bolting.
The whirlwind pace of life that Brian subscribed to during his time at the New continued for another 17 years and the scale of his accomplishments grew with time. All this—everything that we here see as remarkable—represents Brian cutting his teeth and finding his groove. We celebrate his contribution to New River climbing, but in the grand scheme of his climbing life, this was all just practice for what was to come.
Brian was a climber, first and foremost, but climbing still represented just a portion of who he was. He was an elite level rigger, an antiquities dealer, a shoe-resoler, and so much more than that to the people that knew him well. His character was larger than life and, although I sense it through his contributions to the New, I wish I had known him for the extraordinary person that he was during those rare moments when his feet were planted firmly on the ground.
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Norwegian
Trad climber
dancin on the tip of god's middle finger
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Sep 15, 2014 - 07:10am PT
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albatross sometimes i get
trapped in the reality coop
and luckily some visionary
carbon chain before me,
someone like brian,
installed a bailing wire
trigger that reaches
to outside of reality's confines
and by pulling the wire
the latch to beyond
is actuated,
and i'm free.
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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Sep 16, 2014 - 07:05pm PT
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Norwegian that was beautiful, thank you.
If we get really lucky, we meet and know a Brian McCray in our lifetime.
I am certain Brian did not like social media especially towards his decision, but feel the rock climbing world should hear some tales of his talent. The man was all over the rocks.
Looking forward to hearing about some of those bad ass El Cap and Zion ascents.
Especially in the last decade those areas that Brian developed he considered sanctuaries, places of rest and recuperation, we should regard those areas in the same respect and admiration for the wild is far and few between these days.
I could probably dig up another story or two if anyone is interested. It will be cool to hear the stories trickle in from people following in his footsteps.
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