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Jim E
climber
away
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Apr 26, 2010 - 11:38am PT
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Another great Whitehorse outing with great partners. Maxine is usually shy at first with new people but Cowpoke put her at ease right off and we all had a fun filled day.
Probably the second most amazing thing about the day, after Maxine's mad skills, was the fact that even though we arrived at the base after 10:00 AM we did not have to wait behind any other parties. We cruised up the cliff in a sub 3 hour time to arrive first on the summit ahead of all other parties including those that started before us.
Maxine goofing around on p2. It amazes me she is so comfortable with the height above the ground.
The usual mank.
Cowpoke on the last steep bit. (Photo by Maxine)
Maxine self portrait.
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cowpoke
climber
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Apr 26, 2010 - 11:59am PT
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Yeah, with blue skies and the black flies not yet biting, maybe allergies were detering the crowds?? Echo with swirling pollen:
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tradchick
Trad climber
Vermont
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Apr 26, 2010 - 12:39pm PT
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Strange weekend indeed...where was everybody?
Tomcat and I went to Oscar on Saturday and had the entire cliff to ourselves.
Sunday we were on the Thin Air Face for half the day and only saw 2 other parties.
No bugs at Oscar or Cathedral and basking in the sun both days.
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meclimber
Trad climber
Dover, NH
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Apr 26, 2010 - 03:20pm PT
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We did the south but. on sat, we got a little late start and there weren't too many people in the lot. Crowded when we left though. Got back on the eliminate again, got worked again!!! I did however get the bottom crux on the second pitch clean this time, but kept on flubbing the upper crux leaving the corner. In other words I now have 2 bail anchors on this pitch!!! Ended up taking a good fall on the first pitch after kicking a piece out going by the roof, oops!
Went over to cathedral after to work on an OW project of mine, when we had crazy rockfall off below retaliation, that came all the way down to the bryce trail. Rumor is that it may have been ems guides dragging a rope on the upper ledge, but just speculation and heresay.
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TrundleBum
Trad climber
Las Vegas
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Apr 26, 2010 - 03:51pm PT
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Wow cowpoke:
I took one look at that last pic and thought:
"What's all the yellow/green spooge in the water?"
Pollen 'eh ?
Man mercy too the ones with allergy prob's
Great photo ;)
Makes me think of Ed Sklar sitting out there in the afternoons, in his lawn chair with a 6 pack, supposedly doing research for his thesis !
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Andy Middleton
Trad climber
Cow Hampshire
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Apr 26, 2010 - 04:21pm PT
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Pretty sure everyone was skiing on Mt Washington... at least it seemed like it.
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Jim E
climber
away
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Apr 26, 2010 - 04:23pm PT
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We later saw some dude swimming back and forth through the stuff. At first we thought it may have been a doggy but later decided it must be a person because they kept swimming lengthwise across the lake.
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divad
Trad climber
wmass
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Apr 26, 2010 - 04:39pm PT
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Loch Echo Monster?
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TrundleBum
Trad climber
Las Vegas
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Apr 26, 2010 - 04:40pm PT
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Speaking of black Flies:
The 'Defender of the Wilderness'
I love Bill Staines' music and I have been going to see him perform since I was about 8 yrs old.
Here is a great song for you New England folk about to experience the explosion of the piranha of the air.
Bill Staines singing 'The Black Fly Song'
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slabbo
Trad climber
fort garland, colo
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Apr 27, 2010 - 09:37am PT
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You guys got about another week or so and then BLACK FLIES !!!!! Ya wouldn't suppose that any chemicals from the damn golf course leech into the lake ?
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Morgan
Trad climber
East Coast
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Apr 27, 2010 - 09:41am PT
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Isn't that early for the big pollen clouds. I thought that usually happens in mid-june?
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cowpoke
climber
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Apr 27, 2010 - 12:26pm PT
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Loch Echo Monster? we didn't consider that one...
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Topic Author's Reply - Apr 28, 2010 - 03:00pm PT
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Will there be a multi-daughter TR in the future, from the Cowpoke and JimE crews?
Based on my limited experience with multi-niece climbing, I recommend a noncompetitive venue!
Very nice, guys.
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Edge
Trad climber
New Durham, NH
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May 16, 2010 - 05:42pm PT
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A TR of amazing insight and Whitehorseness will follow... I promise. There will even be pictures, if you read that far or (if you are wise) you exercise your index finger scrolling skills. Be careful, though, there may be valuable coupon links hidden in the otherwise boring text.
Well, long story short, I have not climbed multi-pitch in a dog's age due to a variety of factors, namely a turf toe injury that basically prevents me from edging on the left toe. And by "basically," I mean completely.
RICE isn't helping, and it's been six months. Web searches don't help; they describe the injury in three different diagnoses, all of which seem to heal themselves in three months. I hear about this injury primarily from professional football players, and it is always quantified by the "the team is doing everything to remedy the situation ASAP" bullsh#t.
Why don't these pro football teams describe what they do to help the fallen turf-toers??? Why?
Also, I lied about the "valuable coupons" bit. In fact, you could win a yacht.
Anyway, I have had enough couch surfing, graduation ceremony attending, and Red Sox losing to push myself over the brink. Dammit, I was going climbing, and there was a valid partner just one town over. I e-mailed, he e-mailed, then I e-mailed, then he e-mailed, and somewhere we found a date that worked for both of us.
Um, not a date. A climbing engagement. The former would be gross.
Anyhow, I had not climbed Standard since the day I brought my then 7 year old up. She is now 21 and if my math skills are still sharp, that makes it 34 years ago. But I digress.
Josh is a young dad and husband who had not done Standard. Thus, a likely victim.
From the well-named "Launching Pad" Josh followed my brilliantly linked flakes, solution pockets, and head-pointing on the first pitch. The guidebook only gives it a 5.2, obviously written by sport climbers who fail to find bolts and are spiteful. It is full-on 5.12, and they know it.
I belayed at the famous "Toilet Bowl" belay. I don't know who coined the phrase, but I still to this day want to have this view of me, only I will be sitting down, pants around my ankles, with a Playboy splayed open. For the articles.
Yes, for the articles.
Josh at the Bowl.
"Second verse, same as the first, a little bit louder and a little bit worse..."
The Standard Arch sings a siren song like Lady Gaga, or perchance a five car accident. You know you don't want to look, and yet you do. "Damn you, Gaga!"
After rubbernecking for long enough, we hit "Lunch Ledge." Being a guy, I did not write down directions, and refuse to ask about them. In fact, the route looks as impossible as "Realization," except the prospect of me dynoing to solution pockets on a slab makes me a bit wonkers. If that is not an official word, then it should be.
Me acting happy to be here. I am decidedly pooping.
(WWDD???)
(What Would Devo Do?)
I take a picture of my cool, calm, and collected belayer/partner.
Ganstas wear their hats like that, and so I am reassured. His will is a Glock.
*This is the part of the route where we killed chickens, hanged trees, and sent licken and moss to their maker. Take that, Beotch!
OK, I got a bit carried away there. Anyway, we surmounted the overlaps.
Everyone, and I mean everyone, take a summit shot with Cranmore, Echo Lake, and the Norte Conway Shopping Plaza in the background. We chose to photoshop in a fictitious, snow-clad mountain.
Several days trek lead (* I used "lead" here instead of "led" because of the previous Glock reference...) us to the paved paradise where they put up a parking lot at the golf course. I like, golfers, really I do, but only when properly seasoned.
We had no less than 6 parties following us up the route. In a past life I would have thrown chalk balls at blank spots in overlaps to throw them off our trail, but I have grown.
I now insist my partner pendulum over and rake them with 28" finger scars that end on and over an edge.
Perfect partner for a full-on fun day of Whitehorse slab goodness.
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Topic Author's Reply - May 16, 2010 - 09:22pm PT
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A fine day it was for Whitehorsing around!
Although I'd have thought that with a bum toe, 8 pitches of friction might have hurt?
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Edge
Trad climber
New Durham, NH
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May 17, 2010 - 07:54am PT
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Although I'd have thought that with a bum toe, 8 pitches of friction might have hurt?
True, and I am paying for it today, but I couldn't stand being away from the crags any longer. I still can't edge on the inside of my left foot, but smearing "en canard" and edging on the outside of the left foot made it possible. I am still a long way from being able to return to routes like Last Unicorn or Hotter Than Hell.
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Jim E
climber
away
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May 17, 2010 - 08:01am PT
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Edge wrote:I still can't edge...
A sad irony.
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slabbo
Trad climber
fort garland, colo
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May 17, 2010 - 09:25am PT
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Keep at it Edge- soon you will be up for Sliding Board and you will have gone full circle in only 30+ years !!!
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Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
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Topic Author's Reply - May 17, 2010 - 11:56am PT
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I still can't edge on the inside of my left foot, but smearing "en canard" and edging
on the outside of the left foot made it possible.
When my right leg went to hell a few years ago, I developed the belief that there were
"left-footed climbs," and tried to concentrate on those.
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TrundleBum
Trad climber
Las Vegas
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May 17, 2010 - 04:49pm PT
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I find this pic' timeless:
Gott'a love those White mnt's.
Biggest, little peaks in the world perhaps.
Love that, tee shirts with snow on Mnt WashTub in the BG!
Looks like you guys had an enviable day in the hills.
Thankz for the TR.
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