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Patrick Sawyer
climber
Originally California now Ireland
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Nov 10, 2005 - 08:15am PT
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Growing up in the East Bay, I had a dislike for large cities, even San Francisco. It wasn’t until I started traveling and seeing other cities that I realised what a special one the City is. Also, having met and talked with far more ‘worldly’ and cosmopolitan travelers over the years, just about to the person they all say that Baghdad by the Bay either rivals or surpasses the other great cities of the world, including Singapore, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janiero, New York, Chicago, Tokyo, London, Paris, Sydney, Rome, etc etc.
Having worked in the City (I kinda agree, the Bay Bridge is a nice one too, even while commuting), partied there, and played football there (San Francisco Celtic, San Francisco Concordia, San Francisco Hungarians, AC Mexico), it holds a special place in my heart, even though I am East Bay ‘Grease’
And hey, don’t diss the fog. (I won’t cite the Twain quote.)
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imnotclever
climber
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Nov 10, 2005 - 03:39pm PT
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I did that walk once. My wife still gives me crap about it.
You see it was our honeymoon and we were at the Palace of Fine Arts and thought we could catch the bus from there to the bridge to check it out. Well we get to the stop and there are no busses that day, I can't remember what day of the week it was. So, I convince her that if we start walking towards the bridge we'll find anoter bus stop.
Well, we did find another bus stop, when we actually got to the bridge. After all of that walking we still walked across and back. We only went all the way across, because we figured there be some place to buy food- vending machine or something. Turns out there wasn't. I was 0 for 2 that day, and even though it was our honeymoon there was NO honeymooning going on that night.
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short-rope penis-head
Trad climber
nor cal biiiaaaatch
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Nov 10, 2005 - 03:54pm PT
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Yeah!
San Francisco is rad! The bridge is so cool; to bad the SF Chronicle is running a multi-segment article about suicides on the bridge, and the debate over a proposed baracade to prevent jumpers. That's kind of a bummer.
SF (and east bay) also is home to some of the best valley climbers ever!! What what!
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Apocalypsenow
Trad climber
Cali
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Nov 10, 2005 - 07:09pm PT
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Hardman...do you have any idea what the fine is for climbing the bridge?
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kevin Fosburg
Sport climber
park city,ut
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Nov 10, 2005 - 07:49pm PT
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Back in about '83 a buddy and I climbed the bridge from the Marin side in the early a.m. It was great.
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Apocalypsenow
Trad climber
Cali
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Nov 10, 2005 - 07:51pm PT
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Didn't get caught?
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rockermike
Mountain climber
Berkeley
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Nov 10, 2005 - 09:24pm PT
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Nice photos but its much more impressive from a windsurfer or kayak. Every time I go under the thing I get chills, its so cool. And when you go to the west a little you are instantly transported into a wild wilderness like setting. Big ocean swells, seals, sharks?. but you can still see the skyscrapers in downtown. Sort of a weird juxtaposition.
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WBraun
climber
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Nov 11, 2005 - 06:52pm PT
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Bump
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Hardman Knott
Gym climber
Straight Outta Squamton
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 11, 2005 - 09:10pm PT
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Thanks for the bump! I can't believe nobody commented on this;
it's not like you see a 14-year old on the GG Bridge cable every day...
Clearly this was before 9/11; I don't know how you could get away with it today.
Here's another pic from a slightly different angle––the Bay Bridge can be seen on the far left:
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WBraun
climber
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Nov 11, 2005 - 09:19pm PT
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Don't sea gulls live 14 years?
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Mr_T
Trad climber
Somewhere, CA
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Nov 11, 2005 - 09:51pm PT
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Once upon a time it was safe to climb the bridge cables. I tried in 1995, but the cops showed up in the parking lot on the north side as we were pulling on harnesses - just parked and stared at us. We decided it was time to leave...
If you try climbing it now, they'll probably shoot you (terrorist). And worse, Bill O'Reily will talk smack about you when you're dead...
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Loom
climber
167 stinking feet above sea level : (
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Nov 12, 2005 - 12:54am PT
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I climbed it with a housemate when I was in college.
I had scoped it out a couple years before with a friend I used to climb with. When I was in college I tried to get someone to do it with me, but it wasn't until I pitched my brilliant idea of climbing it in the early a.m. of October 19th, 1989 that I got a bite; I argued that the cops would be too busy to care about our little mischief.
We drove over the Richmond bridge; the other one being out-of-order. As we hiked up the cable we could see that the Marina district was still smoldering.
Some cops did come through and shine their lights, but we were on top of the north tower, and they soon left.
You really can feel the movement when there are some cars on the bridge, but especially when there are some big rigs. Once, I felt the bridge shake quite a bit, and I looked down expecting to see some big trucks, but there was nothing.
We ended up staying too long. My brilliant plan hadn't included an early exit. It should have though, because the morning traffic was much increased because of the bay bridge being closed. As we were coming down it seemed that hundreds of eyes were on us as we ran out of there.
One of my college friends had suggested that we put up a banner that would have said something like, "SHAKE IT OFF SF". I'm really glad that I at least had enough sense to know that was stupid.
Later we found out there had been a 4 or 5 aftershock while we were up there 30+ hours after the Loma Prieta earthquake.
This is looking south from the north tower
Sorry about the poor quality. This is the better of the two photos I could dig up.
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Denise Umstot
climber
Princess of the El Cap Bridge!
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I was down at Baker beach during the Loma Prieta earthquake. The cars came to a stop and the cables on the Golden Gate sounded like guitar strings! That is a sound that I will never forget! The Golden Gate is Awesome!!
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rich sims
Trad climber
co
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How many more STers are in the nite climb club Mr C what do you say Bro, just wondering who holds the record for most accents?
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Jingy
climber
Somewhere out there
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Great shots Hardman Knott!!!
Should I take me new segway out there?
do you thing I'll get the look? from the CHP and passersby?
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bjj
climber
beyond the sun
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Dunno if it got mentioned anywhere above but there's a documentary called "The Bridge" about people who jump off. The film makers set their cameras up in the park on the SF side and caught more than 20 people making the leap over the course of a year. They then interviewed the family and friends of a bunch of them. Absolutely haunting and mesmerizing.
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pc
climber
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Not so pretty for me anymore. Lost a friend there.
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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I served my apprenticeship in the early 70's with the company that built it (American Bridge) at the LA plant.
By the 80's it was gone. A victim of the intransigence and stupidity of the United Steel Workers and U.S. Steel management.
You'd be hard pressed to find an outfit that could repeat the feat.
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