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Steve Byrne
Trad climber
Flagstaff, AZ
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 15, 2012 - 03:26am PT
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Mixed in with the climbing and friend making, I was also always tinkering with new ideas. I had made a roller nut, A little two-cammed mini buddy, a set of curve RP's and stoppers, the drilled 'biner etc. and finally the TCU. Doug Played a little too, he made some cool hauling pulleys and did some stoppers, but mostly just made sliders as he needed them. We did go and test the first TCU together one day at the gorge, but until I brought cams into his shop for him to play with he had never made one, and until I left Oregon, he had never made a TCU. The Idea for putting a cable loop around three cams sprung together, came while sitting in Doug's shop one day. At first, I didn't think it would do much, except make the units flexible. It wasn't really any narrower. There were still five elements plus two springs, but it seemed worth trying, so I made one up. The very first one had the cables soldered straight into holes drilled through the axles themselves. The trigger and spacer were similar to those of today. It was tricky to make, but very compact and in rock, it was easy to find places where nothing else would work. The next ones were very similar to much later ones and can be identified by coffin shaped fittings and loose, peened over axles. I had made the first ones with steel dowel pins for the axles, but they broke at 800# in Doug's tester, so I replaced all the axles with grade 8 bolt shafts.
The first batch of six were played with and sold to a few locals. Todd Skinner was the first person to see one and truly get excited. He instantly knew what the future held, long before anyone else. He had appeared at Smith with a couple of friends in a VW van, and we all liked him right away. They were proud to be living and climbing on 85 cents a day per person and he even bragged about finding a fresh road-killed deer(still steaming)and leaping out with a big knife and cutting off the hind quarters. He imagined out loud what a passer-by would have thought and made a demonic, knife handler pose. I still laugh. I was able to sample a bite of his quarry, fresh sauteed, right there in the parking lot. Not bad at all!
Soon I was making batches of ten and starting to sell them as the new flexible point fives, but also in 3/4" and #1 sizes. I had learned from Hugh Banner to use a router to make cams and made a jig and some pattern cams. I made a trip to the valley with Doug and a couple of his friends from cal. in his old silver van. When we got to camp IV, I made the rounds, trying to sell some. I remember handing one to Skip Guerrin (sp?) who looked at it for a moment, then cast it down onto the picnic table and declared, "That's the shittiest point five I've ever seen." I was surprised. Maybe Skip, just didn't like me or something. It's the only conversation I've ever had with him. I still laugh about that to this day. Others were more open minded and gave them a chance. Dick Cilley immediately bought some and started selling them from his trunk.
Back in Oregon, Doug was going to meet with his patent lawyer, so I had him take a TCU to get an opinion. It was obvious by this time that there would be a demand for them. He came back and told me that It clearly violates Ray Jardine's friend patent, but that the improvement could be patented. It would cost about $3000 and still wouldn't allow us to make them legally. He said, "The patent part is really up to you, but I just can't afford the risk." (of violating the friend patent by selling TCU's). I was disappointed, but it put me where I was anyways. If I wanted to make a living I needed to make and sell TCU's and I was the only one who made them, so it should work out. I had no reason to distrust Doug and had no hint he ever planned on making them, so I figured we would part as friends and I would start my own little business, like he had two years before.
My first task was making a deal with my parents, who were mildly encouraging, but seemed much more concerned that I might not finish college. I told them my plan would be to find a school with the bachelors degree I wanted and good climbing nearby and that I would go part time, while running the business and establishing residency. Then I could enroll full time and be back on track. I would just need about $10k to get started... They reluctantly agreed, with the plan that I would pay them back, starting in about a year. I couldn't afford a patent, but no one else even knew how to make them and patents were for big corps that could afford to hire lawyers anyways. My plan was to sell TCU's by mail order at first until we were established, then later sell to stores for a wholesale price. Finances were tight from the beginning, but I was living my dream and very excited for the future.
There were three schools I was looking at as possibilities... U of Cal at San Luis Obispo, NAU in Flagstaff, and U of S. Colo. at Pueblo. I was going on a road trip to go look at schools. I would start with a couple of weeks in Yosemite and then make a big loop and visit my school towns...
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drljefe
climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
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Feb 15, 2012 - 09:28am PT
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Cool. I know where this is headed, and i like it.
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Steve Byrne
Trad climber
Flagstaff, AZ
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 15, 2012 - 11:48am PT
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One of our natural, favored activities as humans, is watching the release and transformation of energy. High speeds, explosions, impacts... all can be very captivating. As climbers, we often find ourselves in high positions surrounded by loose, heavy objects that are just begging to head downhill. We would call it trundling if we helped them and it is generally not encouraged in guidebooks or by anyone unable to witness the events.
I confess to trundling. I f*#king loved it! I even made special excursions just to go trundling. I had help sometimes... actually alot of times. One time, Frank Cornelius and I went up to do "I Almost Died", a slanting 5.11a, with the crux just before you get to the base (long uphill hike). It is situated overlooking the wide, steep, scrubby slope that wraps around the right side of Picnic Lunch Wall at Smith Rocks. After finishing the climb, we became diverted rolling a few rocks down the hill. First, grapefruit sized, then watermelon, then Frank says, "Hey Steve, come check this one out." I come over and he's got a washing machine sized boulder, all ready to go and just needing 2 sets of legs to get it started. I don't actually remember pushing it, but the rest is still petty vivid. It rolled a short distance, then hit something and broke in half. One piece went nowhere, but the other half, about the size of a trash compactor, found a stable axis and started rolling. We could see very quickly that this one was going the whole way. There hadn't been anyone down there and it's not the direction most people would go upon entering the park, but we yelled like hell anyways. The rock started taking bounces and it had this incredible spin. It was as if it accelerated with each bounce. We lost sight of it briefly as it passed through a few cottonwoods next the river, then heard a woody crash just as the block reappeared mid river with a splash and finally rolled to a stop on the opposite bank. As we hiked down it was apparent that some of the bounces were well over 50 feet. Where the block crossed the trail there had been a bench. All that was left now, were two little boulders with concrete flat spots on top. This element of the event still gives me some regret, but at the time, it was hilarious! The block is still there, I'm sure. It's the big yellow one. All the others around it are darker.
Frank and I climbed, bouldered, tripped and trundled together quite a bit towards the end of my Oregon days. Then we caravanned to the Valley together at the beginning of my exodus. It wasn't my best trip. I had pinched a nerve in my ankle when a block we were leg pressing rolled back and pinned it (yes! I know, trundling and karma!). It's amazing how important ankles are, even for just walking around. I think I bailed early to go visit my sisters in Newport Beach and to heal a bit more and then went back to Yosemite.
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Steve Byrne
Trad climber
Flagstaff, AZ
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 15, 2012 - 06:01pm PT
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Back in the Valley was the funnest time there. This was May 1985. At that time I was climbing 5.11+ if it was a crack and about 5.11- if it was face. I wasn't going to get much better. At that time Deucie was there with all the camp IV regulars. Scotty Franklin was climbing trad routes, Christian Griffith, Johnny Woodward, Todd Skinner and others made for an interesting scene, with lots of diverse opinions.
I was of the mind to go trad if you have a chance of doing it, and if it's just out of reach, save it. And if it's way out of reach then go ahead and flog it. There was actually a climb at Smith, no one had led free, called the Zebra Seam. It got top roped alot and I had been all over it many times. I actually led it (placing pro) on top rope, then led it again without the top rope. It was the worst style ever (still 2 bonus points!).
One unfortunate side effect of saving climbs, is getting overly worked up about them when the time comes to try. Back to the Valley, Christian Griffith wants to go do "Tales of Power", a really steep handcrack below Separate Reality. It was a dream of mine ever since seeing a picture of Ron Kauk doing it. I wanted to lead it on sight, so I told him I'd go and follow him if he made it, but if he had to hang, he had to lower off and clean all the gear and we were jugging out. He agreed. It was immediately apparent that this 5.13 face climber was way out of his element. His hands were pretty pudgy and just weren't making it happen for him. We stuck to the deal, but I think he had me tie off the rope so he could jug and clean at the same time. I heard lots of grunting and cursing and when he got to the ledge he was pretty scraped up and not at all happy. Looking back I feel stupid about it, cause I fully scoped out the climb on rappel. Still, it was fun watching an big international name in lycra, so out of his element.
When I was ready I had the same issues finding a partner. That was until I met "Mr. Way", now probably just known as Brian Knight, and offered him $10 to follow me... on jugs if he had to. He went for it and It went well. My hands go into 1 1/4" crack pretty securely, so there were only a couple of sketchy moves right off of a good rest. Then it was Brian's turn. Again there's horrible grunting and cursing, but he actually came up smiling. He immediately spent the $10 on food and then fed me with it. I felt bad, cause that meant he did it for like $6 and change, but we hung out and became friends. Later I ran into him doing dishes at the cafeteria in Telluride. We crashed at his place and he let me wear his ski pass for three days. Believe it or not, he was totally stylin' and had a HOT girlfriend living with him. I hear he's a lawyer now... Man I'd like to see that. He was a riot.
Peter Croft was also very active in the Valley at that time, but he didn't seem to rope up much. I was okay soloing 5.8 or 5.9, but didn't like to hang it out too long at one time. Peter came by one day and asked if anyone was going over to Middle Cathedral. He wanted to go solo the northwest face I think. I asked if there was a good solo, but maybe shorter and 5.8ish and he suggested the Braille Book, which was about vertical in a book, with lots of holds. It looked good so we headed over there. Peter to do his 9 pitches and me to do my 5.
It's a really good climb. There were a few places where the rock seemed a little fragile but there you could be careful and it wasn't too bad. The top of the 4th pitch has a nice little ledge, but above that is an off width that looks harder than 5.8. Even if it was 5.8 off-width I'd still be screwed. Why didn't I notice this on the topo? I tried jamming myself into it and squirming up, but that was ridiculous. I couldn't figure it out. There was a hand crack that went up to the left, but it was obviously harder than 5.8. I considered downclimbing and looked down for a moment... Yikes! The hand crack was looking better now, so I gave it a try. It went up a short overhang and over a bulge out of sight. I was thinking it was too hard and then over the bulge I got to a fixed nut with a carrabiner on it and nothing but mossy blank above. I hung on biner for a moment in disbelief and then started carefully downclimbing back to the ledge. I remember squeezing every jam really hard and made it down to the ledge, but I was freaked. I tried arm barring the off width again, but there was no way. I sat down and may have wept a little. I worried about mom if I didn't make it out of this... That wasn't ok! But Pete! Pete knows where I am, he can get me a rescue... No, that might piss him off... I look at it again and think I just may be able stem it palm to palm and not use the crack at all. I finally try it and find it to be about 5.8. As soon as I topped out, I see Pete trotting down the trail from the top. He has a big smile and says, "How'd you like it? That's a nice one, eh?" I told him my adventure and he says "Oh, yaa... I think there's a little 5.10 off of that that doesn't go anywhere, you don't want to go that way". Whoa Nelly was he right!
The best part of the trip was running into the Flagstaff gang over by the base of controlled burn. I think it was Jim Gaun, Bobby Dubois, Rand Black, Jim Erdman and Barry Ward. After hearing about Flagstaff, I decided to head there next. They gave me the address of the local climbing "flop house" I was on my way...
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Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Joshua Tree
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Feb 15, 2012 - 06:45pm PT
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This is good stuff!
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Feb 15, 2012 - 08:06pm PT
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Hello Steve-
Been a long time...
I believe we climbed the West Face in good time on that 1985 Yosemite visit. Quite a fun adventure.
Looking forward to seeing where this goes.
Until then, cheers
John Middendorf
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michaeld
Sport climber
Sacramento
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Feb 15, 2012 - 08:16pm PT
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Love it man, love it. Keep them coming!
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JBC
Trad climber
Portland, OR
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Feb 15, 2012 - 09:49pm PT
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Hey there Steve!
Great stuff, keep the stories coming! I fondly remember working with Wired Bliss as an early dealer. Great cams, and great dealing with you. My personal original set is long gone, but I was pleased to be able to replace them not long ago.
Jim Couch
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squishy
Mountain climber
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Feb 15, 2012 - 09:57pm PT
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best thread in a while...
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
the secret topout on the Chockstone Chimney
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Feb 15, 2012 - 10:06pm PT
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Famazing! Keep it coming Steve!
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R.B.
Trad climber
47N 122W
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Feb 15, 2012 - 10:17pm PT
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^^^ Flagstaff Boys right after that +1
(Barry, Jim G., Jim E. & RB sitting on Bobbly Wobbly's Baja Bus Tailgate during a Valley trip.)
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Steve Byrne
Trad climber
Flagstaff, AZ
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 16, 2012 - 04:28am PT
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Thanks, everyone. The encouragement helps a lot.
Hi John... It has been forever. I've missed you and I'm sorry for what came between us. You figure prominently in the next pages and I remember only good things. I hoped you might read this. Are you in Taz now? I gotta tell you my plans...
As I recall, When we did the West Face of El Cap, we passed Charlie Fowler and his woman partner (can't remember her name, just a lot of really bright colors) at the big ledge before the crux. I think we did it in like five long pitches and were back down a bit after lunch. What a blur that was! It was, "Come on, come on, come on!", then "Go... Just go!.. just keep going, pull on whatever, but just don't stop!" This went on for 3 hours, then we had to jog to the rappells with all our gear. You were checking you watch the whole time, like we were late for Disneyland. You were kind of in a speed climbing phase. I remember, you had done Nutcracker in 30 minutes base to base... How blurry was that?!
I assume by now, it's probably been speed soloed. Does anyone know the record?
I'll continue tomorrow and eventually get to the end or thereabouts. I just wanted to thank everyone again for the support.
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silentone
Mountain climber
wisconsin
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Feb 16, 2012 - 04:56am PT
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Cool thread
great reading
I like your style
Thanks for telling us your story.
S.O.
laughing about the trundling did you keep it up or quit?
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JMC
climber
the swamp
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Feb 16, 2012 - 04:58am PT
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Hans Florine maintains a site with Yosemite speed records here: http://www.speedclimb.com/yosemite/Elcap.htm
The West Face has been ticked at just under 2 hours. I'm enjoying your serial autobiography, Steve. Keep it up!
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Steve Byrne
Trad climber
Flagstaff, AZ
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 16, 2012 - 06:01am PT
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I don't trundle much these days, but it is still in my blood. Years later, in my hang gliding days, I had a friend with a built up, high horsepower jeep. Our local hill generally required 4wd, but he wanted to try it in 2wd and just horsepower up it. We got pretty far up, but started bouncing as the tires would spin and then bite. Finally, one of his axles snapped and we came to a stop. My first words, upon seeing the wheel laying there were, "Hey, can I roll the wheel?". This was Merriam Crater, northeast of Flagstaff, which is a grassy cinder mountain 1400 ft high and we were at about the 1200 foot level. Keep in mind, this isn't just a tire. It's the whole wheel, complete with bearings, brakes and now a short piece of axle...
At first it stayed on the road, but then veered off and disappeared down into a little valley. It had good speed when I saw it last. After driving his jeep down to a safe spot on three wheels, we went to look for the wheel, but couldn't find it. He drove my truck while I flew over a couple more times, but I never saw it. He told me later that he had gone back with a friend and another tire, and had his friend watch from below as he rolled the 2nd wheel. The 2nd wheel came to a stop and 50 feet from it, they found the first one.
These days, I think I'm less enthralled by the destruction, but I don't know. If it was the right rock, and I was in the mood and no one was watching...
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rick d
climber
ol pueblo, az
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Feb 16, 2012 - 08:24am PT
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steve!
what is up. Glad your here tellin' stories.
RB, the whole crew in one spot. Maybe you could start a flag thread and tell about Gaun's pacemaker.
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drljefe
climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
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Feb 16, 2012 - 08:34am PT
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Classic shot there RB.
Loving checking in on this thread.
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nutstory
climber
Ajaccio, Corsica, France
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Feb 16, 2012 - 08:38am PT
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Steve Byrne
Trad climber
Flagstaff, AZ
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 16, 2012 - 11:26am PT
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I almost made it to Flagstaff. In those days I was driving an beige Audi Fox station wagon. It was essentially the same car as the VW Dasher, but somehow much less reliable. It was pretty quick for an econo and handled well when shod with good, low profile tires. The best part was a rear area about six inches longer than the rest, so I could sleep diagonally with the hatch closed very comfortably. In the Valley lots, I could usually hear the rousters in time to hide and throw some gear over my bag. After waiting through a few flashlight taps they would usually leave. Once, over in Curry Village I forgot and left my little tv on... that time I got busted.
I-40 leading to flagstaff comes up a few big hills on the way. Approaching Williams, AZ, 30 miles to the west my oil light came on, then I started losing power and finally the clunking. I made it into a gas station in Williams, but that motor was done. When I came to Flagstaff, it was in the passenger seat of a tow truck.
The guy towed my car to the Holiday Inn parking lot, next to the Audi dealer. This was on west 66 just as you entered town. I think it was a weekend. I decided to walk around a bit and maybe find a popsicle. Right down a short street was the little Pik Quik store. As I was paying for my popsicle the clerk asked if I was a climber (he could tell from my hands). I nodded and told him my basics. His name was Danny Ott and I met with him and a few others the next morning to go climbing in Winslow. When we met up, it was Tim Coates, who was really our guide, Danny, Dave Gorman, Stan Mish and Tim's girlfriend, who's name escapes me. It was to be a skinny-dipping trip, which made me nervous, since I wasn't sure I wouldn't spring a boner at the sight of Tim's girl, but mostly we just climbed. The Winslow gorge (Clear Creek Canyon) is about 200 feet deep, with mostly sheer walls and a riparian oasis in the bottom. Further down it becomes lake and I look forward to canoeing there when my kids get a little bigger. I was immediately struck by a thin crack across the canyon, called "The Hanging Judge", a 5.12 climbed by Tim. Alas it was a bit of a project to get to and no one there was up for it.
When I arrived in Flagstaff, there were two groups of climbers. There was a climbing store owned by Larry Coates, Tim's older brother, and it was the headquarters of the "Purist" group. They were the old timers and the purest of trad climbers, even eschewing the use of chalk. I went in there once, and asked if they had any for sale. I was told, "No!" and brow beaten so badly that I never returned (I mean sheesh! no chalk?). There were rumors of crags that they wouldn't tell anyone about. Tim had been sworn to secrecy and was kept sequestered. There was absolutely zero mixing between them and the folks I was getting familiar with. They are still a mystery. In any case, Tim was resposible for most of the hard routes done up until then, and my hardest projects would be repeats of his. Tim was pretty quiet and never gave any details and I never saw him climb. That day at Winslow, he and his girl just pointed out some things and disappeared up canyon until much later.
I remember climbing a bolted 5.10 face with Stan, who would become one of my best friends. It was super hard, varnished sandstone with soft stone behind it that had degraded leaving very sharp edges. Yuck.
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Steve Byrne
Trad climber
Flagstaff, AZ
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 16, 2012 - 02:30pm PT
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The early moments at any new climbing area are always kind of magical. You see things and want to know what it is, how hard, freed yet? etc. Flagstaff has a lot of smallish areas locally, and a continuous variety in almost every direction if you were willing to drive. There was the Overlook at Oak Creek Canyon, terrible climbing and great bouldering at Mount Elden, bouldering at Buffalo Park and the museum, beautiful basalt at Paradise Forks and down in Prescott there was Granite Mountain.
I think in most cases a central spot is needed for a full-on "scene" to really develop. Oregon had Smith Rocks, Yosemite had Camp IV and other places had their own. The climbing scene in Flagstaff was kept coherent by virtue of happy hour at Alpine Pizza on Tuesday and Thursday nights. It has a covered outdoor patio and was simply "THE PLACE TO GO", if you were a climber in Flagstaff. Stan used to show up in his little blue Datsun truck with his trademark mannequin leg hanging suggestively over the tailgate. Wonderful times were had there, even for non beer drinkers. Later we would share space with the equally impressive and rowdy, "Mutant Bikers" gang. They used to stack their bikes in one big pile, which I remember being well over my head on a couple of occasions. It seems like within a couple of weeks I had met just about everyone.
I rented a warehouse space (555 Blackbird Roost #9) and set up my bedroom on top of the office. Barry Ward was my first employee at Wired Bliss and my main climbing partner for maybe my whole first year. He's tall and thin, extremely good natured and was climbing at about the same level. We used to bail from work early, several times a week to go climbing. Sometimes we'd just go bouldering, but usually we went to The Overlook to free solo.
The Oak Creek Canyon Overlook is at the top of the highway switchbacks on Hwy 89A, about 12 miles south of town. It has a mix of pretty clean to jumbled basalt columns and is loaded with routes, mostly from 5.6 to 5.10 in difficulty, and all crack climbs not requiring off-width skills. It was heaven. We set up a rappell rope in the same place, in the same tree, with the same rope, using the same knot many many times. It was our favorite rappel and we knew every little bounce and bulge blindfolded. Depending on moods and such we'd do 6-12 pitches in a couple of hours, and then head home with sated minds. Often we would climb together, sometimes separately. Free soloing was special, because it was simply too serious to be competitive in any way. Backing down was a proud thing. Scaring yourself was stupid and it wasn't about that. It was about doing it and not scaring yourself that made it ok. It was a phase for me and for Barry too. I'm so glad we both lived. The sense that I may have been encouraging Barry always made me very uneasy, but he insisted that wasn't the case and his choices were all his. It seemed ok and I don't remember any bad scares from it.
Courage is something you learn, or maybe fear is something you get used to. There isn't much difference, but it does allow a person to do some stupid things and luck through them. I don't remember how I ended up by myself at the left end of Granite Mountain, but I found Jim Waugh there doing a hard climb with someone and my mind clicked. Rap line going up! The climbs in that area all end on the same big ledge, about 100 feet up and there's no way to climb down. They were going to rap off and I could use their rope if I wanted to solo something. Down a little ways from Jim and partner was a twin crack in a box stem thing that was 5.8 or 5.9 depending how you did the exit around the roof at the top where the stem box ends. I think it's called "C.W. Hicks", or maybe that was the climb Waugh was doing? It was chilly and a little wet, but the rock was dry and climbable... mostly. As I got to the little block/roof part, I could see that the left side (5.8) was dripping with water and became concerned for a moment. Looking down, I had done a lot of stemming that wouldn't be easy to reverse and the right exit didn't look too bad, so I continued. You can kind of stem as you move out to the lip of the roof, but then you have to commit and move out onto the corner. Once you get your feet up to crack level, it's over. I committed my feet first and swung over onto them so I could see up the crack. There was an obvious, kind of weird, half hand jam and I wanted it. I reached up and expected alot more grip than I was getting. It was wet and my hand slipped. Just for a moment I was out of balance. My stomach flipped! I grabbed again and still slipped, but less and then again hard! Finally I had enough to move on and advanced through to the top. I was shaking bad as I clipped in to rappell. On the ground I told Jim about it (less detail) and he said, "Aww... I would have given you a belay." I feel stupid just remembering it. It was one of very few moments in my life when I really felt threatened... and for a wet 5.8?... I just shake my head. Soooo, sooo stupid.
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