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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Dec 15, 2008 - 12:19am PT
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I had some correspondence with John Dill about the "bad bolts" problem in 1979 or so, after meeting him the Valley. The epidemic at Squamish seems to have been from part or all of a box owned by one person, though he gave a few to others. There were half a dozen breakages or more, plus I suspect a few while bolts were being placed.
There wasn't a lot of contact between Squamish and Index climbers at that time, but I suppose it's possible that somehow a bad batch got shared. If I remember rightly, quality control and reliability of Rawl compression bolts generally was an issue then, due to incidents in several places. People were experimenting with other makes, too.
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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The recent article in Rock & Ice about climbing in Oklahoma during the 1970s was quite interesting. It reminded me that at that time, there were many more distinct regional climbing cultures around North America, and the world. Including Squamish. Some very distinctive, of course, but relatively few were parochial. There was enough contact between different places – magazines, visits, etc – that there were many commonalities. But we also all had our local characters and peculiarities, and differences in what we had to climb. It made for more diversity. Particularly as transportation and communications have improved, not to mention equipment and techniques, and as incomes have risen, more homogeneity has developed. I’m not sure it’s always a good thing.
The history and historiography of climbing are interesting things. One aspect of which is that the most difficult/significant ascents are not always those that get the press, or in the marquee areas like Yosemite.
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Anyway, returning to our saga. It’s about 1978, and suddenly more climbers appeared. At least it seemed sudden to me – I spent much of summer 1977 in the mountains. But a fair number of new climbers appeared 1976-77, and some stuck with it and got quite good, quite quickly. One of them was our first serious ‘girl’ climber, none other than the estimable Tami. (Or should I say ‘grrrrl’?) In fact, women climbers had contributed right from the start – Elfrida Pigou was on the first ascent of North Gully in 1958, perhaps the first route at Squamish. Alice Purdey was a partner on several significant ascents during the 1960s, and Jeannine Caldbeck in the early 1970s. And of course various girlfriends came and went, and some did a fair bit. But Tami was the first serious female climber at Squamish in the later 1970s, and here she is.
She’s climbing a route called Black Bug’s Blood, on the central Apron. Leading, too. It was, previously, a ‘route’ called Slim Pickins – more or less, anyway. Few if any bolts, simply finding a way through the lichen. Bits and pieces may occasionally have been climbed. Anyway, Peter and Tami and Richard (?) and I set out one day to work on it – I think they’d already done some of the lower part. Typical slab climbing. It probably had the occasional partial ascent. Then, a few years ago, someone who has established a fair number of new routes at Squamish came along, scrubbed a line which is about 90% the same, added a pile of bolts, and attempted to rename it. Go figure.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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was, previously, a ‘route’ called Slim Pickins – more or less, anyway.
Mostly less, but it did get the odd ascent. I remember following John Wittmayer up the pitch that Tami's on in your picture. He didn't have short shorts, or a cute bum, or EBs, though. Just mountain boots and an amazing ability to focus. The pitch after that, which can be done as a sort of direct variation to the second pitch of Sparrow is pretty spicy.
No idea where the original Slim Pickins goes after those two pitches though.
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Tami came from a background in high-level gymnastics, and so had something of an advantage in athleticism and competitiveness compared to many of the males, who had often been repelled or inept or both at school sports. She was also quite determined, didn’t take any guff from the boys, and worked hard. Her regular partner in crime – in fact, soon after a route by that name appeared – was this fellow from Nanaimo named Peter. He was really determined. Nanaimo is not exactly a hotbed of climbing, even now – although you can see mountains from it. He nonetheless appeared, and started to do lots of climbing – often with Tami, also with Robin B., but with the whole gang. Here are the two, attempting a climb opposite Browning Lake at Murrin Park.
I hiked around the back and rappelled part way down to take pictures, which was fine – until Peter asked for a top rope. Had I known he planned to hang around for a bunch, cleaning and practicing – on a hip belay – I might have said no.
But we did have lots of fun – here’s Simon, Peter (in natty cardigan), Tami, and A. Nother, goofing around that summer.
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MH2
climber
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Ferget the EBs, Robbins, mtn boots: Who was climbing in sabots??
Black Bug's Blood is one of those climbs I remember, too, but not the year or shoe ware, just going up a long ways, clipping a rusty bolt, looking at a little overlap with no obvious way above it, traversing about 30 feet left, and spending many long minutes thinking before stepping up what is now a part of One Scoop.
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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I'm fairly sure that the clogs were Tami's. She had a lot of trouble finding EBs that fit, as she has dainty small girl feet. Tami also came from an established Vancouver mountain family - they even had a tiny cabin on Hollyburn Mountain, on the north shore.
Edit: Corrected below - but Tami & Peter did live in a cottage on Hollyburn, about 1983.
One distinctive thing about Peter and Tami, and earlier about Eric and Daryl. They pretty much lived to climb. Most of the rest of us at least pretended to be students, or to be working on trades or careers of some sort. Tami went to art school a little later, and so nurtured her cartoonist skills. But otherwise they all climbed, a lot. Which meant the usual dirtbag lifestyle, but also meant that they got a lot of experience quickly, and improved from there. There was also by then a bit more of a base to build on at Squamish - more climbers, more free routes, more knowledge of what was there, more of a sense of possibilities. Critical mass stuff.
In 1978/79 Friends appeared, plus we discovered that the Little Smoke Bluffs had some possibilities, which we were ready to make the best of.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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Anders,
Tusen takk for historien (jeg aer 1/4 norsk)! I just crawled out of my hole in SoCal and discovered the Cascade Climbers and SuperTopo forums. I'm finding them very therapeutic and perhaps usefull in forestalling Alzheimers. Whew, I couldn't possible reply to all the 'hits' that acted as a big hand grabbing what is left of the hair on the back of my head and giving it a good jerk.
I was part of the Leavenworth scene. In early '71 I met Bruce and Ellie Hawkins and we hit it off quite well even though I couldn't inhale as deeply as him. After bagging the Town Crier at Index we figured we were ready for the U Wall. I don't remember how we got our 'beta' (my new word for the decade) but I think it was from Givler. He was too nice a guy and didn't mind slumming. I don't recall much info other than getting us to the route's start.
We were fairly flush so we checked into the Hotel Squamish. They were fairly bemused when the three of us asked for a 'single' with a cot chaser. That was one classy joint! I can still picture the single bulb, sans accoutrements (see, some of us 'Merrycans' got some culture), hanging from the ceiling. I think we also did the 'direct' on the chinese with the loggers' bar chaser. Both Bruce and I are/were well over 6' so despite our extremely disreputable looks we felt relatively safe. Having Ellie along probably provided us the most security, even if she had to come in through a separate entrance. How quaint that tradition was!
As for the climbing since we were already 'hardened' by a stiff grade IV it went quite well. I managed to dislodge a tied-off 5/8 angle on the first pitch which wouldn't be worth mentioning but for the fact I expected and so had left my daisy clipped to the last pin. Needless to say I never did that again; that was one abrupt stop. I led the pitch off the bivy ledge and took great pleasure in utilizing my reach to make Bruce's job of cleaning the traverse as miserable as possible. The hut was already on Dance and I recall a bit of a register in it to which we proudly added our names. I think we were about the 6th or 7th up the U Wall. Is Bellygood Canadian for 'next time I'm going to the top'?
In the interest of full disclosure I should state that Ellie did not do the U with us despite her having jugged the Crier. I don't recall the rationale. For those of you who don't know she was the first 'girl' to do the NA on the Cap'n a few years later and more than pulled her weight, so to speak. In fact, she, and her 95 pounds, were shamelessly thrust onto the hardest nailing pitches. She also gleefully recounted leaving a tied-off tampon in the hardest placement on the route.
After the U we headed all the way around the Cascades via Stevens Pass up to Liberty Bell for 'The Crack'. They were just starting to work on the road. Bruce had a 4 wheel drive pickup with a camper so we just moved the roadblocks aside and motored unmolested right up to Washington Pass. I don't know why they weren't working on the road as there were a number of large graders and such parked at the pass. We spent 2 days there watching it piss. Hanging out with Bruce for 2 days in the rain in a camper was tough duty, believe me. It took an ironclad set of lungs.
OK, I'm getting a headache from remembering so many great days and people. Next time, boys and girls, I'll tell you about how Uncle Bob Crawford tried to both kill me and get me put away for a long time in one memorable Leavenworth weekend. With no apologies to Ray Milland our weekend made his look a kindergarden tale!
So one last thing, how come everyone seems to be so shy of using their real names? Are that many of you in the Witness Protection Program? Mastadon especially, we must have rolled one up!
Unrepentantly yours,
Reilly Moss
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Crime of the Century has to be the best at the Bluffs!
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Anyone named Moss seems a cinch to enjoy climbing at Squamish...
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Hi Reilly -- welcome to the Cuckoo's Nest.
Since you climbed with Bruce and Ellie, I wonder if you knew Keith Nannery (who was on that NA Wall ascent with them). A really nice guy who lived in Vancouver and climbed in Squamish in the 70s, and climbed all over the world, completely below the radar.
David
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MH2
climber
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Tami sez those sabots were mine.
Maybe it relates to art. My hometown pop. 4,000 Springville NY was a dairy farming community without a lot of artists but Harold Olmsted more than made up for that.
A staunch individualist, he was frequently seen walking around Springville in wooden shoes and wearing a cape of Llama wool.
http://preserve.bfn.org/bam/kowsky/camp/olm/index.html
Welcome to Reilly Moss. I hope he tells us a little more about Bob Crawford. He made the Seattle news twice for being rescued without needing or asking for it. He broke the solitude and silence of my first Cascades alpine rock trip with a brilliant red shirt and the tonk-tank-tink of a piton, as Bryan Burdo and I stared across at him and Pete Doorish doing the FA of the North Rib on Triumph.
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mastadon
Trad climber
Tahoe
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Mr Mossy Sir,
Always wondered where you wandered off to. Figured you disappeared into Never Never Land with a Russian princess or something.
Ran into Crawford last summer. A totally random occurence. At a 4th of July party in Tuolumne, I sat and listened to this guy tell stories for half an hour before I realized that it was him. As it turns out, he was campground host at the Saddlebag Lake campground at Tioga Pass. Considering the last time I saw him (mid 70's) he had a rifle and was threatening to shoot me, things went OK. It was actually good to see him.
I remember you always used to carry a camera, so post up Buckwheat......
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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A brief diversion into Bob Crawford stories would be just fine. For example, Mastadon being threatened by him with a gun. It seems out of character for someone who's now a campground host, but you never know. Maybe MazamaRick is around somewhere and can help...
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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Hi y'all,
David,
I never met Keith but I do recall B & E lauding him.
Tami,
As for those 'babes' Catherine was scary good, Julie was so nice and so tough, but I think Carla was the best on rock. Ellie got really good living in the Ditch. A couple years after the U Wall I went down to do Half Dome with Markov. After a 2 day epic snow storm (a fine excuse to not free more than necessary) which involved a night standing on that pathetic ledge below the friction pitch (we didn't know and couldn't see the A1 alternative to the top! I saw it the next morning) I found Bruce and Ellie and headed for some fun and sun on the Apron. Ellie was sporting these weird shoes called 'EB's'. Fine, but nobody is peeling my cold dead fingers off of my RR's, right? "Hey Ellie, wouldn't you like to slow down enough to clip the few manky bolts there are?" I couldn't wait to get off that stinking rock and burn rubber all the way to Modesto to have Carson fit me for a pair at Royal's!
Yes, Don, I almost didn't come back from that trip to the Pamirs with Sylvester, Kroger, and Hacket. But even a blonde ballerina couldn't make up for the worst beer ever brewed on the face of the earth! Besides, I was headed to norskieland where they had plenty of both; oh yeah.
As for the Bob, well, let's just say that I cherish all the characters I've met climbing. I think our 'Lost Weekend' deserves its own post as it was pretty freaking epic. Did the midwife drop him on his head?
Yes, I do have some shots but I've only just joined the digital age photographically speaking. Most are slides but I am scanning them. I did post some over on the CascadeClimbers about my routes on Mt Constance with Pete Doorish and my Swedish friend, Ulf Bjornberg, who got the chop a few weeks later when we hit the Ditch. I just found a couple of Osiander and whoever he did the FWA of Stuart's N Ridge with when we shared a snow cave at the base. I went up the Ice Cliff the next day to practice tunneling up through massive cornices unbelayed. Stay tuned!
I would love to tell a LeDuc story too but I don't know if it is politically correct enough for this age. I don't think he would mind but I wouldn't want to start a hate-mail avalanche!
In closing tonight here's a PC Givler gem. So, a herd of us are up in the Enchantments-Linda, Steve Harder, Heinz, the Hawkins, and a few more. Nobody is really very gung-ho except Al, of course. He starts egging and needling us to put the bongs away and DO SOMETHING! With that sly wicked grin of his he casually lets slip that there's this 'interesting' slab he tried a year or so before with Mead. Being from Chicago originally I can see where this is going in a heart beat. I had wondered why his pack had been so big walking up there and now I knew why. It was all the damn sand bags in it! OK Al, let's have a look. Well, it was interesting all right, if you are into grounders. Everybody dutifully has a go at it but about 20' up it gets too interesting, at least on such a nice day. Finally, Al has his turn. He gets up to 'the move' and gives it about 3 goes without joy. I can see he's got a slight burn going but the landing would not have been pretty. He eases onto it for the umpteenth time and then starts screaming bloody murder! He backs off onto the mini-stance and we're all staring dumbfounded at him. He hasn't roasted like it sounded he was about to. He's just standing on this tiny knob shaking his head. "What Al?" Completely dead-pan he looks down and announces, "I just stepped on an ant." Needless to say, that was the end of climbing that day; how can you climb when you are convulsed with laughter? Here's looking at you mate!
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mastadon
Trad climber
Tahoe
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Crawford???? Out of character???? Guess you didn't know him very well.....
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MH2
climber
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I went down to do Half Dome with Markov. After a 2 day epic snow storm (a fine excuse to not free more than necessary) which involved a night standing on that pathetic ledge below the friction pitch (we didn't know and couldn't see the A1 alternative to the top!
Is there a pattern here?
We did a route in WA Pass once that didn't match the description. After a lot of other asking around I got the idea to look Greg up in the phone book.
"The weather was poor and we weren't sure which summit we had reached."
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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Don,
After that weekend I was afraid to know him any better!
MH2,
Back in those days weren't we pretty used to bad or no info? I'm not putting this on Greg's head, he didn't order up the weather and we were on route. However, I will say that we reached that ledge, the first one you reach which is only about 6" wide (not the one you can sit on down to the left-we couldn't see it!), at about 4PM. It was snowing pretty good and the slabs had at least an inch on them. Visibility was maybe 25' although I could see the first overhang at times. The crack that runs up the slab from the belay certainly appeared to carry through the roof and I was for trying it. Greg wouldn't hear of it, "you don't know for sure, that's crazy!" I'm not too proud to admit I let him talk me out of trying it. We pulled the 2 man bivy sack over us and stood there for the next 14 hours! 'nuf said about that! At first light it had stopped precipicrapping and I announced, "I'm outta here!" Sure enough, I was up in about 45 minutes! Oh well, it takes two to tango.
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RDB
Trad climber
Iss WA
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Jan 11, 2009 - 02:49pm PT
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Great read in this thread, thanks.
Here is a pic from '79 on Clean crack and me thanking GOD someone left the stump :)
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jan 11, 2009 - 03:38pm PT
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Railroaded by the railroad?!? Say it ain't so*&%@$!! No mo Caboose!
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