Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
|
|
|
Mar 25, 2009 - 09:43pm PT
|
Herb is a great guy and very funny. I had the opportunity to spend time with him in the early 60s in Yosemite and later in the Tetons. The following photo was taken at the Pratt Memorial at Climbers Camp in the Tetons. A lady was rambling on and on and on and on about Pratt, and Herb says just loud enough for us to hear,"that is one he should not have fu####ed. We are all trying to hold back the laughter. From left to right Robinson, ? Don Lauria, Myself(Little Joe), Herb, Joe Fitchen (Big Joe) and Jeff Foott. Pratt would have loved it.
|
|
donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
|
|
|
Mar 25, 2009 - 10:18pm PT
|
Herb is a great guy with a wry wit and a healthy cynicism brought on by numerous but not totally fruitful encounters with the opposite sex. He was the chief guide at Exum in 1971 when I started as a junior guide. Herb took me under his wing and counseled me on numerous things not all having to do with climbing. He was a mathematician and could have been a concert pianist. He is somewhere in Montana entertaining the locals with his acerbic wit.
\
|
|
Scott Cole
Trad climber
Jackson, WY^
|
|
|
Mar 29, 2009 - 02:11pm PT
|
Herb is probably the smartest person I have ever met. When he decides to persue something, he quickly becomes the best. Herb is now living in Twin Bridges, Montana (He's in the phonebook) Still funny as hell.
Scole
|
|
Don Lauria
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
|
|
|
May 23, 2009 - 06:56pm PT
|
The question mark is Dennis Miller.
|
|
Don Lauria
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
|
|
|
May 23, 2009 - 07:39pm PT
|
Some memories:
Swedlund was the guy that told me Robbins was looking for me to do the second ascent of the Dawn Wall. We were both skiing at Badger Pass and while sipping a beer out in the sun he mentioned that Robbin's wanted to talk.
I spent the whole summer of 1995 in Andy Carson's backyard sleeping with Allan Bard's dog Moose in a tent. I was working with Allan guiding with JHMG.
I spent a lot of my off time hanging out with Swedlund. We had met back in the 60s in the Valley, but I hadn't seen him for almost 30 years. We spent some quality time at the brewery and Dornan's - one night at Dornan's we managed to get all of us together - Pratt, Swedlund, Bard, and me - a memorable jocular evening.
We climbed at the Guide's Wall one day and when we topped out I heard someone yell "Hooman". Hooman Aprin - don't call me Iranian. I'm Persian - was a manager at West Ridge back in the 70s and I had heard that he moved to Wyoming, but had no idea he was guiding there. I found him with his client. He had lost most of his hair, but otherwise he was still the same very amiable person I had known back at the Ridge. Swedlund had no idea that Hooman had worked for me.
Next day Herb let me follow him while he taught a beginners class. What an experience. A superb teacher and a total riot.
The story of his comment at the Pratt memorial was posted above by Little Joe. Classic Swedlund.
|
|
Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
|
|
This photo from 1970-71 has just turned up. Darwin Alonso took it and was a climbing partner of mine from those years. He posted it on the Indian Rock thread just now. This is a great shot of Herbie.
|
|
Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
|
|
Grat to see a pic of the Black Ice Coulier.
JL
|
|
Fritz
Trad climber
Hagerman, ID
|
|
Bump for Herb.
The ex-wife had him for an instructor at Exum in the mid-70's. (She was single, southern, and 18)
She thought he was fun because: "even though he was an old fart, he flirted with her."
|
|
Fuzzywuzzy
climber
|
|
I first met Herb in Jackson Wyo. back in 1973- he was working patrol at Rendezvous. Saw him many a morning for breakfast at the Sojourner in the Village where I was a bus-boy. Very funny. Original.
He described the Wyoming winters as, "BRUTAL". And told me to beware!
Told me that when he would visit the Valley he would drive in and just hike high up to the rocks to sleep and watch. Said he could not take it otherwise.
As I remember, he was a nationally ranked marksman. Maybe top ranked at one time?
In regards to guiding I heard him say, "I could talk a tapeworm up a slack halyard"!
|
|
guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
|
|
I remember Swedlund describing his driving technique in the run between Jackson and the Valley in an old VW Bug in the early 60s.
With the hugely underpowered VW, he would draft large semi trucks and ride 15-20 ft off their back in the slip-stream. Believe this did generate a number of tickets but made for a faster trip. Saftey factor? go pucker!
|
|
Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
|
|
|
Sep 11, 2009 - 08:46am PT
|
I first met Herb Swedland at the University of Colorado in 1963. I'm not sure if he was a student or just hanging out there. He and Jack Turner threw some good parties though, and along with Pete Lev introduced a lot of Coloradoans to Teton Tea. Dick Erb probably remembers him from those days too.
Meanwhile, I'm trying to remember whose house in Boulder I partied at in those days that had a beehive in the back bedroom with the window open in the Colorado winter for the bees to come and go. Anyone?
|
|
scuffy b
climber
Sinatra to Singapore
|
|
|
Sep 11, 2009 - 12:05pm PT
|
Jan,
the fact that you can even ask that question with any
hope at all of getting an answer is just about mind-blowing.
Boil it down to basics: Who had a beehive in his bedroom in
Boulder in 1963?
Could you have conceived of asking that a couple years ago?
Cheers
sm
|
|
Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
|
|
|
Sep 11, 2009 - 12:11pm PT
|
Scuff means that it is a feasible question nowadays, given Supertopo's forum community. OH, and Scuff, you forget in "boiling it down to basics": the window was open. That should pinpoint it. SOMEONE here knows, for sure.
|
|
Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
|
|
|
Sep 11, 2009 - 12:15pm PT
|
Well neither Layton Kor nor Steve Komito can remember (the question came up in regard to Layton's bio that Cam Burns is doing).
|
|
Scootter
Mountain climber
Mill Valley, California
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2009 - 02:57pm PT
|
Seems like eons ago that I met Herb at the Marin Ski Club, Kingvale, CA. The year about 1956, we were at Marin JC, Kentfield, CA and Herb wanted to ski more than eat. We had a great time. We entered UC Berkely at the same time but I passed on the fraternity scene and Herb went on to greater heights. In 1965 we caught up again in St. Anton when he was about to go on a cruise with his in-laws. I could tell he was not too keen on this adventure!!!!. We met again in J/Hole and introduced my wife Phillis to climbing. That was about 1998 or so. No sure of the date, it was long ago. He lived in Jackson - something like 150 Henson Rd. or something like that.
Herb was partially raised in Mill Valley and fished the local streams for steel head. We were in love with the late Sceeter Werner (sp) and loaded bullets in his room over the garage, When I saw him again in Jackson, he still had the bullets on his chest of drawer.
What fun and what fun memories. He also bartended at Sugar Bowl, CA - about mid 1960's.
There is another storey on that episode but I'll end here.
Scotty Watterworth, Mll Valley, CA
|
|
Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C. Small wall climber.
|
|
|
Nov 14, 2009 - 03:34pm PT
|
Wonderful stories!
Leading to the question, does having a beehive in a bedroom lead to having bees in one's bonnet?
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!