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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jan 22, 2008 - 12:37am PT
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Little Buddy!
Philo-I wouldn't be able to shake that rescue experience either. Yeow! How long before you went back there to climb again?
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philo
Trad climber
boulder, co.
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Jan 22, 2008 - 09:50am PT
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Steve G, Yeah that was a mess in more ways than one.
I was aghast and horrified but mostly I was mad as hell.
First that it happened in my back yard. Secondly that it happened at all. Thirdly that the strong arm tactics of the RMR team led to the abysmal rescue scenario. But mostly having to listen to the very stressed chief ranger talk about having to limit access or shut climbing in the Black down entirely. With every rock the liter knocked off the chief got more adamant about restrictions. Fortunately the rules didn't go there but at the time it looked grim for the future.
I believe I went back to climb the next week.
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TwistedCrank
climber
Ideeho
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Jan 22, 2008 - 10:08am PT
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Phil: Do you recall the body retrieval of the BASE jumpers around 1981? As I recall it was the fall before I moved to Gunnison so I only heard about it 2nd or 3rd hand. I think there were two jumpers and one paid the penalty for failure. I think it was either off North Chasm View or the Painted Wall. I also think Jay Nelson and Ed Russell were involved in the retrieval.
But I may have my facts all twisted up as usual.
Jay and Ed were a couple of class acts! Ed had a good crack machine in his basement. As I recall it was adjustable from stacked fingers up to rattly hands.
Who was it that said the Black Canyon is like Yosemite for grownups?
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jan 22, 2008 - 11:26am PT
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Sure doesn't seem like a very good jump zone because you have to spend hours thrashing out the gullies for less than a minute of thrill. No thanks personally.
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philo
Trad climber
boulder, co.
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Jan 22, 2008 - 11:56am PT
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Who was it that said the Black Canyon is like Yosemite for grownups?
I don't know but I might get that tattoed somewhere good.
Yeah Twisted I remember that day and I am familiar with several of the participants. 10/1/81 A very grim Black day!
Newberry & I showed up that day to climb a route on South Chasm Wall. It was a totally freaky morning and nothing was 'right' that day. On our under caffinated groggy way to check out the Chasm View overlook I audaciously said "hold on I gotta take a piss on this big rock here". Well I was standing on the very summit of South Chasm Wall at the time and the Canyon bides No disrespect. The Canyon-She was speakin' loud that day. She was sayin' go home wayward souls. The pinon and junipers on the rim were wreathed in dense fog that was being boiled down into the deep dark below. We watched these angry clouds get sucked into the abyss and decided to go elsewhere that day. On our way out we passed a fancy RV on it's way in. Thinking bad thoughts toward the road whale we aimlessly wandered til we got to Escalante canyon where inexplicable lethragy and general malaise kept us from climbing more than one lame pitch. Well as the story unfolded there were several jumpers that day. I think the victim, Larry Johnson the 2nd ever Base fatality, was the 3rd jumper off the Painted wall that Day. Apparently he stumbbled slightly at launch, corrected, deployed then snagged the wall. Some of the other jumpers went after and could tell he was inaccessible to them. Jay Nelson was indeed the crazy man who was lowered approximately 1000' on the same 1/4" cable system I described in the Leisure climb report. According to Jay; Larry obviously did not die on impact. It was evident that he had struggled into whatever comfort he could manage. Very sad. Very brave of Jay.
Turns out the fancy RV was a camera crew from America's original 'reality' TV show. Who here remembers That's Incredible? Well they had contracted to film this amazing event and weren't interested in the jumpers concerns about funky winds in the canyon. After all "the show must go on" we got a contract! The successful jumpers had to stash their gear and flee. The camera crew got off scott free.
I have since met a few more of the participants of that day. The first one was shortly afterwards on one of Jim Nigro's and my Painted Wall adventures. Down at the bottom by the river we ran across an oddly secretive dude who was obviously not fishing. Once he realized we weren't Smokey and Mr Ranger just dudes as crazy as he was he relaxed and opened up a little. He was retrieving his gear and just did not want to get busted. We had a nice chat about the differences in our sport's approach to gravity and we talked about the weird weather that day. We all wished each other well and went on our ways. Which I believe for us was 'UP'!
For the record I really dig Base jumping! Even though, while several Base friends have graciously offered to huck me off a lot of stuff, I myself do not jump. When done well it is a truly elegant and beautiful sport. I don't think it should be illegal and often wonder how mainstream America would view it if even one soul would have Base jumped to safety out of the world trade centers on 911. Many of you would likely be surprised that the PW jump is not uncommon.
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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Jan 22, 2008 - 03:50pm PT
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Do you still climb in the Black, Philo?
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philo
Trad climber
boulder, co.
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Jan 23, 2008 - 09:14am PT
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Don't let the Hankster fool ya. I am a broke down old has been, once was a wanna be. The Black place scares me silly. anybody got a handi-wipe?
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TwistedCrank
climber
Ideeho
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Jan 23, 2008 - 10:21am PT
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Has anyone else ever had the peach pie from the little diner in Crawford? I had some there once that was like a slice of heaven.
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swill
Social climber
Colorado
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Jan 23, 2008 - 10:44pm PT
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Black Canyon climbers are always hardcore. Becker is lowering off the slab with nothing more than a two inch swami belt in intentional great agony. Pete Gallagher, known for keeping his cool remains focused lowering Bryan to the safety of the belay. Chuck as always showing his known commitment to safety by improving his "on his back upside down hip belay" in anticipation of such a situation this spring in the Black while lowering me. Black Canyon climbers are always hardcore, even on slabs!
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philo
Trad climber
boulder, co.
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Jan 25, 2008 - 12:25pm PT
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bump for a good Black Canyon artical in the new Rock & Ice issue #166
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Feb 18, 2008 - 11:51am PT
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Great thread, all. The mentions of Bryan Becker brought back memories. I happened to meet him in Chamonix in 1976 when we were both without partners and we teamed up for a route there. Haven't crossed paths since.
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ydpl8s
Trad climber
Denver, Colorado
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Feb 18, 2008 - 04:37pm PT
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Pic of upper section of Journey through Mirkwood, from across the canyon, during first ascent (Pulaski, Newberry, Rosholt, and Pearson, Fall of '76)
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swill
Social climber
Colorado
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Feb 18, 2008 - 07:55pm PT
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With the talk of Jay Nelsons great heroics in the canyon...well here is Jay himself eating a rope.
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philo
Trad climber
boulder, co.
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Feb 18, 2008 - 09:20pm PT
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That is an absolutely classic Jay shot. Thanx!
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J. Werlin
climber
Cedaredge
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Feb 18, 2008 - 09:44pm PT
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Skied out to the Black (North Rim) this last New Years just to make sure the canyon was still there. It was.
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philo
Trad climber
boulder, co.
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Feb 19, 2008 - 10:49am PT
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The Black in winter is really incredible. Skiing the rims in solitude is special delight. Thankx for the pics.
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nature
climber
Santa Fe, NM
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Feb 19, 2008 - 10:52am PT
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I don't have any Black stories.... yet. Now that I live closer PapaJoto and I have hatched a plan or two to explore the canyon. This spring we'll head up and go free climbing. In the fall we're hoping to return to get on the Psychedelic Wall.
I'll make sure to take the time to read this whole thread.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 19, 2008 - 10:56am PT
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Better get on up Stratosphere and give us a report Nature, as none 'them old tymers is speakin' up on the subject.
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philo
Trad climber
boulder, co.
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Feb 19, 2008 - 10:57am PT
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Nature if you provide the sushi I will be your personal tour guide for the Black. Provide enough sushi and I can get Jimmy Newberry to come along as well. We just have to keep this quiet or there will be a Black Canyon sushi fest in the making.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 19, 2008 - 11:03am PT
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Black Canyon Sushi Fest!
I'm In.
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