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WBraun
climber
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Jul 26, 2007 - 04:00pm PT
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Hahahaha funny Rgold
And thanks to both you and Bob D for those nice posts.
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Jul 26, 2007 - 04:43pm PT
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Great story telling, Rich. I can remember how surprised I was at how organized and grown up you Easterns seemed to be. A strange concept for a California bred, Valley climber--even the Vulgarians, who organized their farces and put out a magazine. Grown up rebels, so to speak.
Great posts.
Best, Roger
PS: Give a big hello to John for me. It has been a long time.
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Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
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Jul 26, 2007 - 04:55pm PT
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I wish you would write more stories, Rich. Like long ones. We'd all very much appreciate it, I'm sure.
JL
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rgold
Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
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Jul 26, 2007 - 05:02pm PT
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Most of the Vulgarians moved on to various "conventional" lives. Several PhD's, architects, a few artists, shopkeepers...
When owner Dave Craft was working at the North Light in New Paltz, he had occasion one day to eject a rowdy patron. Reflecting on the incident, he said, "I just threw out someone for behaving the way I used to ten years ago!"
Perhaps the inclination of younger generations to find ways to upset their elders is just part of an inevitable cycle of life. It's their "job" to piss us off and our "job" to be pissed off by them. We will, in time, pass on and they will find themselves, somewhat to their surprise, occupying the positions we vacated, as yet another generation finds its own way to troll the trollers.
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bob d'antonio
Trad climber
Taos, NM
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 26, 2007 - 05:16pm PT
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Bob Dylan...1963
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.
Bob Dylan 2006
You think I'm over the hill
You think I'm past my prime
Let me see what you got
We can have a whoppin' good time
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Jul 26, 2007 - 05:41pm PT
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Happens to the best of them, Bob. When my daughters took to rap and other hopeless noise, I had to remind myself that 'Rock and Roll' is not 'Rock and Roll' and serves no purpose if your parents like it.
Thank goodness for headphones. I used to make my parents listen to Dylan in 1963 on the family phonograph.
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happiegrrrl
Trad climber
New York, NY
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Jul 26, 2007 - 06:05pm PT
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...I hadn't clicked this thread in a few days, figuring it was still fizzling f-words.
Ho-lee wow. As a so-far-down-the-scale one in the luminousity department that I am lucky in being able to stand beside the campfire circle and bask in the glow - I have to say those last few posts brought tears to my eyes.
How lucky I am, to have found my own little spot in this galaxy. I have, as does everyone else here, you Supermen to listen to. But I also volunteer over at the preserve a little bit, and because of that I get to hear about the history of the area. I find it pretty damned cool. Thank you all for taking the time to tell it like it was.
(wipes face and averts her eyes) I love you guys!
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jul 26, 2007 - 06:22pm PT
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Slightly off topic, I was wondering if any of those frequenting this thread knew Leif Patterson?
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bob d'antonio
Trad climber
Taos, NM
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 26, 2007 - 06:27pm PT
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Good Kevin story.
On a particuar snowy and cold day someone asked Kevin what he did that day. Kevin said he went running...the person asked him if it was cold and hard to run in that much snow...Kevin said no.
Told the person that he ran around in his small apartment.
Seems Kevin measure out the living and dining area and ran something like 5,000 laps to equal 4 miles.
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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Jul 26, 2007 - 07:30pm PT
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Mighty Hiker,
I believe I met him once when he was a professor at UC Davis. I don't know if he is still around.
Ken
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Jul 26, 2007 - 07:37pm PT
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so funny, I just tuned in after work, I can only see the last three posts, I read Bob D''s story about "Kevin", and of course, from the context, I know he means Kevin Bein. What a small world!
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Jul 26, 2007 - 07:47pm PT
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Just hit the 'previous' button. The naughty triple front lever story, alone, would have made my day!
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MikeL
climber
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Jul 26, 2007 - 09:20pm PT
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"Perhaps the inclination of younger generations to find ways to upset their elders is just part of an inevitable cycle of life. It's their "job" to piss us off and our "job" to be pissed off by them. We will, in time, pass on and they will find themselves, somewhat to their surprise, occupying the positions we vacated, as yet another generation finds its own way to troll the trollers."
The smartest and most compassionate thing said here.
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Curt
Boulder climber
Gilbert, AZ
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Jul 26, 2007 - 11:49pm PT
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OK. Now I also feel compelled to tell my favorite Kevin Bein story. In 1981, I was living in Joshua Tree and had driven to San Francisco on business. I felt in no particular hurry to get home--so, I decided to drive across Yosemite, boulder a bit in the meadows and then return to JT via 395.
While bouldering in Tuolumne, I happened to run across Kevin and Barb, who I had climbed with before in the SD Needles. They asked me to stay and climb with them the next day, but I told them I was totally unprepared (having no sleeping bag, etc.) as I was just planning to get in a couple hours of bouldering on my long drive home. Kevin then told me that they had an extra sleeping bag--so I did indeed stay over and climb the following day.
What I only found out later was that the "extra" sleeping bag was Barb's and they spent that night together in a single bag so that I could have hers.
That's the kind of people Kevin and Barb were.
Curt
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Jul 27, 2007 - 12:00am PT
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I'm sitting here after a day of cragging, with ice on knees & elbows, a beer open and am savoring a good feeling from a physical day, a special day. You see, I was out with Chiloe in Eldorado Canyon and afterwards we stopped in to see his old climbing buddy Paul Sibley. They had not seen each other for over 30 years, so some good stories flowed and friendships picked up where they left off.
Nice to see this thread get back in the groove.
Let the life blood flow.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Jul 27, 2007 - 01:02am PT
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It may be that this climbing thing ranks among the more important movements of our lives. Especially this is so for those of us who did it to the exclusion of all else, well rooted in a bohemian striving once galvanized during the Golden Age.
And yes, it carries forth deeply for current generations, for the likes of House, Potter, Sharma: still for younger pad totin’ rebels the beat goes on.
Last week I went out on a long ridge traverse at 13,000’; swift, high, & alone this body I steward found its way along the precipice. A sense of urgency permeates the consciousness in those ethereal & ancient places. The next day I went looking for boulders on Ute Pass below Pikes Peak; while high above, my wife was repeatedly running the final miles to the summit of Pikes, performing intervals in the clouds. Down below I set out to find the Ute boulders and walking alone in the brush, unproductively ambling through the grainy erratics, I heard young voices.
It changed everything. They hid their pipes as I approached and I quickly eased them into a familiarity by asking them to share their smoke and what followed was that wonderful thing that happens when climbers come together, striving to unfold their adventures, pushing themselves, living a life on the fingertips, unlocking sequences, searing their minds to the call of the stone.
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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Jul 27, 2007 - 01:08am PT
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Nice words Roy.
Ken
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Oli
Trad climber
Fruita, Colorado
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Jul 27, 2007 - 03:45am PT
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Rich, you always bring such good light. I too have many cherished memories of our climbing together on so many occasions. I remember when your forearm turned into a pizza, literally, in appearance, bubbling and juicy, from the poison ivy we ripped away with our hands in the Black Canyon. I will never forget the climb we did in the Royal Gorge, the little ledge we sat on that night, under the bridge, with starlight and the rattle of the occasional car going across. The bouldering was always in a great spirit. I don't remember teaching you about offwidth climbing, but maybe I did. I was doing a lot of that back then. Of all those people you named, few could rightfully be called your "betters," as you say. Maybe in some specific way or other, some specialty. Part of your and my connection is that we both were disciples of Gill, which kind of made us a part of a certain school of climbing, a brotherhood, if you will, blessed to have the master as our good friend... and thus to be linked in spirit. When you came to visit me in Colorado and climb, it was a very happy time for me...
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bob d'antonio
Trad climber
Taos, NM
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 27, 2007 - 12:38pm PT
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The Gunks in the mid-to-late 70's was a special place. John Stannard was freeing old aid routes at a rapid pace and Henry Barber, John Bragg and Steve Wunsch were doing their share to raise standards...the rest of us would be in awe and try to repeat what ever routes we could in somewhat good style.
Kevin talked me in going to Tomorrow, Tomorrow (5.11R) with him and Barabra one summer morning in 1978... a route freed by JS and a second ascent by Henry Barber.
What in hell were we doing there??
The route is a hard to protect seam with thin face climbing that goes right after about 40-50 feet up to ledge and belay below a roof. We do the usual up and down placing gear and trying our hardest to not do the route. Kevin fires in some crack-ups before the crux and then comes down and test the little buggers...they hold body weight. False security is better than none.
My turn...up I go and by some act of higher powers I make it past the crux and right to good hold. Looking back I see the crack-up slowly move then fall dowm the rope. Pacic hits and it hits hard...the next move seems impossible...I go up down and few times and then tell Kevin that I am coming down and to catch me.
Panic hits him...he tell me no and to try the move one more time and that there is a big bucket past the move. I regroup...pull and bingo ...a perfect bucket and safe terrain and the anchor.
I set the anchor and come down...thank Kevin and he tell me great job as he ties in to go up. I asked him how he knew there was a bucket up there...and with that little smirk/smile of his on his face says...I didn't...but I sure hell didn't want to catch you.
Kevin had a way of making you think you could do a route no matter what. His support was never ending and to someone like me...almost dangerous. I had several near misses with Kevin that summer and years later in the Needles and in Colorado...he had a way of making you think you were the best!
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