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Bad Climber
Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
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Dec 31, 2018 - 07:18am PT
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Thanks for the link, Rgold. Kinda weird for AN to Sunday morning quarterback the accident of a couple of teenagers 40 years after the fact. If he's done any legit climbing for any length of time, he's avoided disaster by dumb luck, which, if it had killed him or someone else, one might easily look back decades later and say from the courage of one's anonymous avatar, "What was that idiot thinking? Everyone knows that route has loose rock! That storm was totally predicted. That cornice was obviously going to blow...." I've certainly been there. Pot, meet kettle, yo.
I do find Herr's enthusiasm for cyborg development totally understandable, and he's done astounding work. He creeps me out a little sometimes with his vision of virtually everyone getting the tech reboot, however. To be honest, however, I could use a robo-finger right now as I deal with a blown A2 pulley!
BAd
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Bale
Mountain climber
UT
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Dec 31, 2018 - 12:08pm PT
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Mouse, that vid was pretty cool. He should have yelled “LEG!”
Nickname’s posts are Monday morning quarterbacking gone berserk.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Dec 31, 2018 - 03:37pm PT
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Hugh was a gymnast who took all that upper body power into climbing with the Gunks being the perfect venue to do it among the many places he climbed. Strangely, once he lost his legs below the knee he became even more powerful as his strength to weight ratio went right on upward.
I climbed with him on both sides of the accident and was amazed to see all of this in action.
Stage Fright at 5.12+X was likely the wildest lead in the east once Hugh finally put it all together and ample evidence that his train just kept on rolling along tube feet and all. Simply amazing!
"Gotcha Stage Fright!"
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kpinwalla2
Social climber
WA
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Dec 31, 2018 - 05:40pm PT
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My old climbing partner Geoff May was the one that found Hugh on Mt. Washington. I used to give Geoff grief for carrying flares when we were mountaineering in the Tetons and Sawtooths. Geoff used one of those flares to signal others to aid in Hugh's rescue. No one here probably knows Geoff, but without him, perhaps Hugh would have never have had the opportunity to contribute so much to the science and engineering of advanced prosthetics. So here's to Geoff, and I'm happy Hugh turned his misfortune into something positive!
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Dec 31, 2018 - 06:05pm PT
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Hat's off to Geoff for caring enough to come to the rescue!
Thanks for chiming in.
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Jim Hornibrook
Trad climber
Redwood City, CA
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Dec 31, 2018 - 06:57pm PT
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I had the honor of meeting a very young Hugh Herr before his accident. It must have been '80 or '81. My brother and I had just climbed the first pitch of Jam Crack route and were hanging out atop the pitch when we looked down and were shocked to see someone soloing Lazy Bum. We stared down in amazement as he cruised up the crack. He slowed as he reached the crux a few feet below us, looking for the face holds where the crack peters out. We were a little freaked being total noobies, and we asked if he wanted a rope. Hugh looked around and thought for a moment and then took us up on our offer. He thanked us and we chatted briefly. His unusual name stuck in our memory, and he told us he had just free climbed the Regular on Half Dome. He then proceeded to down climbed Jam Crack. Little did we know the greatness that had briefly graced our presence.
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Bale
Mountain climber
UT
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Dec 31, 2018 - 06:58pm PT
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David Roberts wrote a short story called, “The Mechanical Boy Comes Back”.
I think Hugh Herr’s life is inspirational and just a flat out cool story.
Thank you all for posting up.
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Brandon-
climber
The Granite State.
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 1, 2019 - 07:18am PT
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Thanks for sharing all, It’s not what he did in climbing, or what happened on the mountain where a rescuer died. I’m posting because he inspires me for what he did in his professional life.
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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he was given an 2nd chance and knowing his debt he stepped up to the plate and delivered.
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capseeboy
Social climber
portland, oregon
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But what I still find most astonishing -- as a simple "tale" -- is the EXTENT...
...that you need to bash a teenager's poor judgement. Seems beneath you to do so good sir.
Please share your story of being mortal. I'm sure you have one.
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Hugh came through Seattle in 1986ish and made an early ascent of the 13c finger crack out at Index. He had built some custom-sized feet to jam that so-thin crack and was super fit and motivated. He cruised it.
Some of the locals said the ascent wasn't legit because of the custom feet and the fact that his artificial limbs were lighter than regular flesh and bone legs.
I remember thinking "these people are idiots".
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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True dat!
I think Hugh got the second free ascent of City Park.
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johntp
Trad climber
Little Rock and Loving It
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I think Hugh got the second free ascent of City Park.
He caught some sh#t for that. Some folks took exception that his prosthetics were aid.
By the way Steve, it was good talking to you this afternoon.
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originalpmac
Mountain climber
Timbers of Fennario
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Anyone who climbs with prosthetics has my respect. I've watched a friend in CO climbing 5.11 with one arm missing from below the elbow down, scumming with the nub and using it to flick the lead line into the carabiner gates. Pretty awesome.
As far as "A Different Moniker" talking sh!t goes, dude comes off as a dou che. I seem to remember him talking sh!t on Foxy in the RIP Charlotte thread because she was rich. Fvck him.
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AKDOG
Mountain climber
Anchorage, AK
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Hugh Herr is one of the most intelligent people ever.
Masters from MIT, PHD from Harvard, Professor at MIT. No doubt, he is smart…
The BioM ankle he helped develop cost more than $20,000 and an above knee amputee’s smart prosthetic could cost $120,000+. The military is probably funding much of this research as we have been at war since 2001 giving us an endless supply of young people with lost limbs. I am sure the military is also looking at this technology for a future robo soldier.
I hope that at some point this technology can become affordable for everyone who has lost a limb.
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Happiegrrrl2
Trad climber
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Another Nickname - You didn't "merely" anything, but maybe you really don't understand that you seem to almost exclusively set yourself up to be "set straight" on things. Maybe you have a tendency toward masochism; I couldn't say. But it kind of seems that way!
It reminds me of the way Jon Krakauer tends to use "finger pointing" his genre in the books he writes. He's a great writer, and I've enjoyed every book he's written, but I can't help but think: Does he EVER consider the "There but for the grace..." thing in his stance?
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