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TripL7
Trad climber
'dago
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Nov 17, 2009 - 02:17am PT
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It was the Spring of '74, and with little money & nothing better to do with my life, I buy a shiny blue plastic tube tent and hitch to the Valley. I recall my first morning full of anticipation I awake early at the break of dawn, take a peak out the opening behind my head and their is a guy standing, intently staring up above my tent off into the trees I supposed. Thinking it perhaps a bit odd that some guy had placed himself so close to my dwelling. About fifteen minutes later I extracted myself from all my worldly belongings. I was surprised to find him still there, five feet behind my tent intently staring into the distance. He hadn't broken his gaze, not even for an instant. He vaguely resembled a friend, so not knowing what else to say I asked, "Are you so and so's older brother"? Only then was his concentration broken as he slowly turned to look at me. A slight smile broke out on his face and he slowly shook his head no. Not saying a word he went back to where his eyes had been focused.
I left him standing there as I walked over to the lodge. When I returned I was curios to see why he had stood where he had. The night before I had strung my tube tent directly in front of the best view of Sentinel, brimmed with snow and perfectly framed in the trees above. Shortly after someone pointed out that the gentleman was Chuck Pratt. And I instantly recalled reading that he climbed Steck/Salathe at least once a year for the last decade.
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Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
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These memories come from Chela Varrentzoff Kunasz who for some reason can read from Supertopo but can't get her computer to post anything here. I have put some of her photos of Frank on his thread and posted a little bit about her also on the Chick History thread since she was one of the early girl climbers and one of the first to lead back in those days.
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=53589&msg=1026452#msg1026452
"Sometime between 1959 and 1960 or so, I met Chuck Pratt and we talked about the Sierra Club Rock Climbing Section and the Sierra Club as a rock climbing organization which had "Certified Leaders". The Sierra Club was trying to provide training for aspiring climbers and teach safety techniques. It helped people like me, especially aspiring women (there were not many of us), find a way to start climbing.
Anyway, Chuck was kind about that aspect, but being young and seeing climbing standards rapidly evolve, he felt that their approach was getting very stodgy and that they were being a bit too "heavy" about the whole thing and not upping their standards for what climbing was becoming. He decided to try an experiment that amused him.
I was working on getting my "knot-tying", and "belaying" and other things on the Sierra Club list checked off so I could officially qualify to be a member of the "Rock Climbing Section". I was a 16 or 17 year old female. Finally, the application came to the part where you had to climb a number of climbs on their list with a Sierra Club "Qualified Leader", on which climb you had to demonstrate good belaying skills and rappel set-up skills, etc. to said Leader and he would check off and report on how you did. Then you mailed this form in to the Sierra Club and some committee would review it.
Chuck suspected that the Sierra Club itself would not stick to their own rules. So he and Bill Amborn took me climbing on several routes in Yosemite Valley (including Higher Cathedral Spire) and had me do all the work of hauling ropes, setting up rappels, and belaying the leaders, as the paperwork required (totally out of character in a way in that it was so bureacratic). I was more than willing to do all this. They found it amusing (and so did I).
Then Chuck wrote an essay on what should really be required, especially for a qualified leader, inserting names of climbs that were really hard and which he and others were pushing up in the Valley at that time. To become a Qualified Leader, you got points for leading various climbs. He gave big points for some of the harder routes that he and others were just then pioneering. He wrote all that on the back of my lengthy application for the Rock Climbing Section and we mailed the whole thing in.
Later I got an ecstatic reply that said, "Yes, you are admitted to the Rock Climbing Section" and was quite impressed that the whole thing was done by Chuck Pratt, who was becoming well known. They did not reply to Chuck's somewhat sardonic alternate climbing leader qualifications list. Later I "lent", or really gave a goldline rope to Chuck for his ascent of El Cap (following Warren Harding's ascent). It was used so much it was retired after than climb. I was happy that my rope went even if I didn't...
But Chuck pointed out that he was not a "qualified leader" by their definition and that he was not even a member of the Sierra Club, so my application should have been thrown out! But I just loved how much fun we had, and how I got to watch a wonderful natural climber in action. He was very careful with me (being clueless compared to him) and he was kind and friendly and became a friend after that. He and Bill Amborn said that everything was fine, I had potential as a climber, but that I should spend the summer before I entered the University (of California at Berkeley), really getting in shape by running the hills in San Francisco where I lived. I did that religiously all summer and it helped a lot! All of that was a great education for a city girl.
For years I enjoyed his antics and his presence in Camp 4 and also at the UC Hiking Club Office, occasionally while he was still at the University. Like many people, I later ran into Chuck at unexpected times and places. The last time I saw him was in the Jenny Lake Lodge where we saw him having breakfast and my husband Paul and I recognized him and he recognized us (it had been a LONG time) and we had breakfast together. I don't remember the year, but it wasn't too long before I heard that he had died."
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Doug Robinson
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 21, 2009 - 12:35pm PT
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There's no reason to doubt the amazing story of Chuck hanging out in the OW on Twilight Zone while Chris Fredericks took him off belay (he had nothing in anyway), and ran down to the car to fetch a bong. The bong didn't fit in the crack, so Chuck ran it out to the top essentially third class.
Chuck was scrupulous about the truth for things as important as climbing, even though he was notoriously sly about nearly everything else. And Chris Fredericks, who was a great admirer of Chuck and also his student and understudy -- probably the second best OW climber in the Valley at the time -- and friend, was equally careful and modest about telling it like it happened on climbs. No one else was there.
Likely the best account of that climb ever written is Pat Ament's, in his Wizards of Rock: A History of Free Climbing in America. I think it's one of the standout passages in the whole book.
The fact that Chuck's ascent seems so outlandish to modern climbers only underlines that we are looking backward through a lens of big cams, let alone the wider bongs that came along soon after. I see a similar lack of ability to comprehend, for instance, the extreme skiing being done by the early 80s on skinny nordic mountain skis driven by leather tele boots. Modern tele skiers on fat, shaped skis steered by plastic buckle boots simply don't get it. Hardly their fault. Chuck was well protected by immensely good judgment, solidly backed by technique. His skill was so great that it's rumored he never fell.
Seems like Twilight Zone was not only the free climb of the year in 1965, but I look on it as the standout free climb of the whole Golden Age of the Sixties
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gonzo chemist
climber
Crane Jackson's Fountain St. Theater
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Jun 11, 2010 - 05:01pm PT
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I was in Yosemite for a few days of climbing over Memorial Day weekend. Having never climbed at Arch Rock before, that was a high priority destination. When we got there, I took one look at Entrance Exam, and instantly knew Chuck Pratt had balls of steel...
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steveA
Trad climber
bedford,massachusetts
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Jun 13, 2010 - 12:42pm PT
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I feel fortunate to have shared a few drinks with him in Camp 4. He was one of my idols.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Jun 13, 2010 - 12:54pm PT
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Just a FEW drinks Steve?
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steveA
Trad climber
bedford,massachusetts
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Jun 13, 2010 - 01:06pm PT
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Jim,
Unfortunately, only a few. Wish I had known him better.
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Branscomb
Trad climber
Lander, WY
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Oct 20, 2010 - 11:30am PT
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What a great narrative. Thank you for sharing those memories.
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Doug Robinson
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 19, 2011 - 01:10pm PT
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Amy Brennan always said she would put something together from Chuck's memorial in the Tetons. This is really good! Lots of photos of Chuck I had never seen, lots of remembrance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeJo9MRqqHw
Thanks Amy and Forrest!
Sweet.
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BBA
climber
OF
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Jul 19, 2011 - 08:17pm PT
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This is the summer of 1962. Chuck and I were sitting at a table in Camp 4 reading a used newpaper from the Lodge. Chuck took out his pocket knife and neatly cut out an article of a sensational nature, but ridiculous in the way the headline read. I don't recall it, but I asked Chuck, "Why are you cutting that out?". He said that he had a collection of outlandish stories from newpapers to remind him what humanity was like.
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Todd Eastman
climber
Bellingham, WA
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Jul 20, 2011 - 01:26am PT
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I had a wonderful stroll with my dog up/over/around Sehome Hill in Bellingham today looking at the bouldering that a young CP might have played on. There are not many routes but there is plenty to keep someone busy. There did seem to be a third wandering with our party of two...
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Trusty Rusty
Social climber
Tahoe area
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Oct 15, 2011 - 12:54pm PT
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Worthy read!
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snowhazed
Trad climber
Oaksterdam, CA
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Sep 25, 2012 - 12:54pm PT
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love when this stuff re-emerges and I get to see it for the first time- bump it
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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DR recently asked me to repost this onto this thread, so here it is.
Climbing Art magazine.
Excerpts from an interview Mort Hempel did in 1986, titled "Minstrel of Despairs." Pat Ament was the interviewer in this wonderful and insightful passage into the life of Mort.
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JOEY.F
Gym climber
It's not rocket surgery
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Bump for awesome
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stunewberry
Trad climber
Spokane, WA
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bump, again. Read every word. Worth keeping on the first page forever.
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Anastasia
climber
Home
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Wow Doug... I hope when I go, you are around to write something so beautiful too. :) That is such an incredible tribute.
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BooDawg
Social climber
Butterfly Town
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Hard to believe that I've missed this thread till now. I've read nearly every word here, shed some tears over the eloquence and love express here, I'm humbled without words of my own to add. Thank you to all who have contributed to this thread and to sharing your views of Chuck's life. I do have a few photos to add:
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