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pc
climber
Eastside
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Feb 21, 2006 - 11:42am PT
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Man that's a great picture of a man ahead of his time. Notice the hairdo, currently hip in London and Stockholm ;)
pc
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the Fet
Trad climber
Loomis, CA
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Feb 21, 2006 - 12:21pm PT
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Warren J Harding or Warren G Harding?
Batso often put the J in there.
I'll concur with Largo, Warren was good hearted, and super generous I might add.
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Feb 21, 2006 - 01:57pm PT
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Warren J Harding- Rocket J Squirrel - Bullwinkle J Moose - Homer J Simpson - Bart J Simpson
Distinguished company, with the Jay Ward ones at least.
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Feb 21, 2006 - 02:26pm PT
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Overrated? I don't know, Epiclapse. Sure, cults get carried away, but he's definitely a piece in the climbing history puzzle.
When I was small I went to a Chicago Mountainerring club meeting or annual dinner or something, with my parents. The key note Speaker was Tom Frost giving a slide show about Annapurna(?) (I'm guessing from memory, but that sounds right). Before the slides started he introduced two guys in the back row.
"in town for the trade show(?) and just back from twenty eight days on the first ascent of the Wall of the early morning light."
That night my wee brain was filled with images of climbing in exotic asian mtns, replete with a re enactment of a spit blessing from a wandering holy Man (if I'd known at the time about Mormons and Mr Frost being one I might have locked up in confussion)
Then hearing the grownups talking with Harding and Caldwell (Frost got in on this too) later about another adventure that I could only vaguely imagine almost popped my developing synapse's.
These people were into a world I wanted to know more about, even bigger than Devil's lake and the Jenny Lake boulders (my previous climbing exposure)
Years later, on spring break in Yosemite I climbed my first three 5.10's. But what I really remember from that trip was hearing stories from WJH ( I think I knew Downward Bound by heart @ that time) in the old Mtn room bar and pouring red wine down my 19 yr old throat. With my buddy Tibor.
Remember that one? 'Chicken Skinner'?
Anyway, the guy made an impression on me!
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426
Sport climber
45 Degree Wall, TN
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Feb 22, 2006 - 10:06am PT
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Anyway, the guy made an impression on me!
Yeah, me too. Still does. Were you around for Harding's "All Star™" tour at RS, Jay? Kegs of "Great Basin" were flowing, Harding was cruisin' 3rd gear, showing some early slides of his career...
Drops the clutch, flashes the first "Cap" shot. "I think I climbed this..."
Needless to say, the manager was horrified at the hell he had unleashed that night at the gym....I guess he thought that Harding was "overrated." Until he saw the catered table and brew savaged in fine "Stonemaster Jr. (Jr.)™" style. Had to slake the thirst just hearing about "drillin' all night" on the Nose headwall.
Me, I've been on a "quasi-crusade™" to do all of Harding's FA's (hey, I sound just like a VC). I've even knocked off some obscurities like "Harding's Other Chimney" at Phantom Spires. But I think the mission stops at Porcelain...too much work...
"Warren Harding Throughhole™"-from the classic episode where Homer is worried about being "Left Below."....PS-Callin' dibs on that route name "WHT™" for JB's next "heinous wide"...semper farcissimus (sic)...
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Feb 22, 2006 - 10:31am PT
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This was discussed elsewhere, and I suspect that the responses here will be equally provincial, but I am in possession of the only remaining bat tent from the Wall Of The Early Morning Light. It was the unused spare that was carried.
It came my way along with one of his hammers and other distinctive hardware from Kyle Copeland who was Warren's close friend as well as Moab neighbor.
This is obviously the Holy Grail of bigwall climbing, the first single point hanging bivy gear, and I am deciding where I want it to be a museum piece, Golden or Yosemite.
Feedback?
(Be honest, say where you're coming from.)
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426
Sport climber
45 Degree Wall, TN
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Feb 22, 2006 - 10:34am PT
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Wow, too cool PR.
Yos.
For heritage sake...(non-partisan; from the "durty" South)
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Feb 22, 2006 - 10:58am PT
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Probably should have been more specific;
the museum at The American Mountaineering Center in Golden which is the repository of countless treasures of our culture along with an enormous library.
To be honest, I'm leaning towards Golden. In Yosemite its more likely to be stolen.
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the Fet
Trad climber
Loomis, CA
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Feb 22, 2006 - 11:08am PT
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PR: there is at least one bat tent at Derryberry's place in Bishop.
http://www.millcreekstation.net/
The Yosemite Climbing Association Museum should be the best collection of Yosemite climbing artifacts. I don't know if they have a bat tent. If they don't I think yours belongs there.
http://yosemiteclimbing.org/
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wildone
climber
right near the beach, boyeee (lord have mercy)
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Feb 22, 2006 - 12:02pm PT
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STolen? C'mon Ron, do what's right. Yosemite is the only choice.
Who goes to Golden?
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Feb 22, 2006 - 12:31pm PT
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Said like a Californian!
Plenty of climbers visit Golden. Have you?
Before I give it away though I think I'd like to use it once on a FA and bivy in a bolt ladder (but just one night. The thing is not the height of comfort.)
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David Nelson
climber
San Francisco
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Feb 22, 2006 - 04:29pm PT
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Batso, the Mountain Room Bar, Wall of the Early Morning Light, bat tents: what part of that makes you think "Golden"?
It is Yosemite all the way. If you are worried about it being stolen, talk to Chicken Skinner (Ken Yager). I have donated my artifacts to the Yosemite Museum. Ken has much more valuable things, like the original Stoveleg Pitons, etc. Nothing has been stolen to date, as far as I know. The final museum will have extensive security and climate control. Ken wants to do this right.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Feb 22, 2006 - 04:36pm PT
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Maybe we should start an official thread as some might consider this a hijack.
Ain't there nobody from Golden?
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Gene
climber
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Feb 22, 2006 - 04:56pm PT
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PR,
No. This thread is good.
WH and YV/EC are inseparable. It would be fantastic if such a memento were displayed near the site of Harding's many pioneering accomplishments. It would be more highly appreciated in a museum a mile or two from the WOEML than 1,000 miles away in Golden.
Provincially yours,
Gene
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Feb 22, 2006 - 06:03pm PT
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Have to give credit to the californicators; they're a more 'vocal' bunch.
I'll reserve judgment for now. Like I said, there's more besides the bat tent. I need to compare sites. Besides, they COULD share displays. Its not unheard of.
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Gary
climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 22, 2006 - 06:24pm PT
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Plenty of climbers visit Golden. Have you?
Let's face it. When people think of climbing, Golden, Colo. is the first thing on their mind.
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Feb 22, 2006 - 06:29pm PT
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They make red wine in California.
They make Coors, in golden.
The choice is obvious.
Actually, now I want to see the golden display.
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Ed Bannister
Mountain climber
Victorville, CA
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Feb 22, 2006 - 06:34pm PT
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Harding sounded a lot like Dr. Dimento.
and when it comes down to a quart or so of water, and your parner says you take the rest up with you, there has to be some respect there. Besides he went from vette, to beater van, who else has that to talk about?
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Russ Walling
Social climber
This ain't Tijuana
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Feb 22, 2006 - 06:37pm PT
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I vote for Yosemite.... but, I did hear that some stuff in the past was sold off on Ebay (ie: stolen, pilfered, liberated, etc.) before getting into any museum or collection. All that was before Ken Yeager, who from all accounts is a fine guardian of the Crown Jewels of Yosemite history.
Quick Harding story.... I'm hanging out at my van in the C4 lot one night. Warren is a couple of vans over yukking it up with the Indain Sisters. Pretty standard night in the lot.... eventually Waren stumbles over to my van and gurgles in that sing-song voice of his, "hey.... Fish.... would ya happpen...... to have.... a corkscrew???" I'm like, "nope... too highbrow for me..." Warren then takes the bottle of wine and bashes it hard enough to snap the neck off on the frame of my van door.... "Got it.....thanks anyway" he says......!
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426
Sport climber
Holy Roller. LRC. TN.
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Feb 22, 2006 - 06:45pm PT
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Table Mountain rocks! Nice basalt and a great view of the Brooery...
Not quite the Ditch, though...
'99---“It’s a genetic combination of stuff. I can just look at the stupidity of humankind without being a Democrat, Republican, Christian or Muslim. I look and think, ‘What a bunch of stupid f*#king stupidity.’ Going back to my early years, I’ve always had one f*#k of a strong mind. Fortunately, it didn’t lead to raping, burning and pillaging."
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