By the sea, the shining sea

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MH2

climber

Topic Author's Reply - Mar 31, 2009 - 06:55pm PT

The desert outside Vegas was dry. Vancouver is not.

Up the Grind

Through the forest primeval

The Traverse

Cold salt water

mooser

Trad climber

seattle

Mar 31, 2009 - 07:05pm PT

MH2

climber

Topic Author's Reply - Apr 1, 2009 - 01:42am PT

The tail end of March 2009

MH2

climber

Topic Author's Reply - Apr 14, 2009 - 04:40am PT

Through the forest primeval, bearded in moss

One of my traverse buddies, "Tetra" (G)natha(n) Da(l)e

Scoping the runout

MH2

climber

Topic Author's Reply - May 19, 2009 - 08:15pm PT

I hear they might make an honest man out of me:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/05/19/bc-salish-sea-name-proposed.html

If so, goodbye Juan de Fuca.

And the Salish Sea has been shining splendidly, lately.

Chiloe

Trad climber

Lee, NH

May 20, 2009 - 09:43am PT

I hear they might make an honest man out of me

Good to sea.

MH2

climber

Topic Author's Reply - Jun 4, 2009 - 04:16pm PT

The distant figure of a man on the rocks over the water attracted notice. He would take a few steps and then pause as though unsure what to do next.

A woman's faint voice floated over the water to him.

The man's attention was elsewhere. The voice entered his ears but sat in his brain a few seconds before it was understood.

"Are you scared?"

The man considered the question and gave the right answer: "Yes."

He wasn't scared of his photographic subject:

He was a little scared of the subject of the last few minutes:

He was mostly scared of the spiders.
Those and the crazy world that fractures one's mind into easily conquered divisions.

But the line between climbing and swimming is simple, friendly, and familiar.

duncan

Trad climber

London, UK

Aug 16, 2009 - 04:04am PT

My “Hail Mary” for contributing to a political thread.

Shining sea, slight return...trip to the north Cornish and Devon coast.

Port Quin. Chocolate box cuteness.

Approach to Doyden Castle, "Built about 1830 by local bon-viveur Samuel Symons to entertain friends to nights of feasting, drinking and gambling." You can now rent it for short breaks (feasting, drinking and gambling not compulsory, as far as I’m aware).

Doyden Point climbing, Mun on a pleasant VS (5.7).

After a day's sea-cliff climbing there is only one possible diner

The parish church of St Nectan, Stoke. “The cathedral of north Devon”.

Approaching Lower Sharpnose Point. The British Government is listening but the cows don't seem too bothered. This site does not appear on any official UK maps, a ludicrous charade that continues despite it showing beautifully on Google...

The crags in this area are made of Culm, a soft sedimentary rock that forms striking cliff architecture. Some of the crags are tottering death choss (which doesn't stop people climbing them of course) but Lower Sharpnose is as solid as Culm gets. The cliff is formed of three disconcertingly slender vertical fins of harder rock that have resisted erosion … so far. A unique feature that also has very fine climbing in the 5.8-5.12 range.

Andy on 'Last Laugh' E2 (about 5.10).

Fi on 'Last Laugh' E2.

Andy on 'Pacemaker' E5 (about 5.12a).

This coast has a large tidal range (picture taken from a similar point to that of Andy on Last Laugh).

MH2

climber

Topic Author's Reply - Aug 17, 2009 - 03:53pm PT

Thanks, duncan.

Sites that do not appear on maps are appropriate for this thread.

Chiloe

Trad climber

Lee, NH

Aug 23, 2009 - 07:19pm PT

At least 2 people are missing, and others injured (including broken bones) after a wave
spawned by Hurricane Bill broke over a crowd watching the show at Thunder Hole (a natural
feature that amplifies waves) in Acadia National Park today. Most NE climbers know the
place, I think.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aITyeVIi54.Q

Mighty Hiker

Social climber

Vancouver, B.C.

Aug 26, 2009 - 04:38pm PT

Two friends of mine - we'll call them Dave and Dave - were the first to discover the seaside traverse featured in this thread, in the later 1970s. It is in a municipal park in a wealthy suburb, so access is a concern - parking is quite limited, which helps a lot. D & D saw the cliff from nearby, swam over, and after some effort figured out the line, which is perhaps 100 m long, from 1 to 5 m above the water at high tide. (Timing is, as they say, important.) Maybe easy 5.10. It took a long time for information about the traverse to trickle out, which was probably just as well.

For many years the three of us - we all started climbing at Squamish in 1973 or so - have gotten together on the Friday nearest midsummer's day to do the traverse, drink beer, and read poetry aloud. The last couple years we've missed out - this year one of the Ds was away, last year it rained and so we went hiking. So we went a few days ago. Here are the two Ds, en route. (We also picked up a bit of garbage.)
An early version of deep water soloing, not yet prettified as 'psicobloc'.

MH2

climber

Topic Author's Reply - Aug 29, 2009 - 08:51pm PT

For many years the three of us - we all started climbing at Squamish in 1973 or so - have gotten together on the Friday nearest midsummer's day to do the traverse, drink beer, and read poetry aloud.

Do you swim across and does the above completely describe your ritual, or is a young lady offered in protection from your pagan gods?

MH2

climber

Topic Author's Reply - Aug 29, 2009 - 08:53pm PT

And keep a lookout for Fast Eddie.

Ghost

climber

A long way from where I started

Aug 29, 2009 - 11:15pm PT

And keep a lookout for Fast Eddie.

I'm having trouble visualizing Fast Eddie on the Lighthouse Park traverse. Where were you on 26 July? Or where was whoever took that picture?

Mighty Hiker

Social climber

Vancouver, B.C.

Aug 31, 2009 - 12:30am PT

I haven't seen Eddie, at least not the one depicted.

Dave N does nice invitations to the annual girdle traverse and poetry fest. If I can find one, I'll scan it.

MH2

climber

Topic Author's Reply - Aug 31, 2009 - 08:30pm PT

Where were you on 26 July?

I was at the north end of the traverse. The picture below has some relevant details. Usually people cross low. A key large blocky chalked hold can be seen left of the kayakers. Or its shadow at any rate.

Once Guy Edwards and I had a try at returning by a higher line that occupies the upper part of the picture. We didn't do it that day, but I suspect he may have previously, but let me figure it out myself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE7HROM_SrE

The video is from a few years ago when the evening light was getting to the problem shown above. After the first session it was obvious that the indended audience, workmates, would be bored by the climbing stuff, and additional interest was needed. Going back a second evening I staged a fall, then realized additional takes should be had, but all 3 came out unexciting, really, because I dropped off instead of falling. The effort is redeemed only by the fortuitous appearance of the small boat and the guy asking, "Would you do it again, for us, please?"

And the Eddie referred to is the one who whisked up Pigeon Spire in the Bugaboos in 19 minutes.