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Kevster
Trad climber
Evergreen, CO
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Mississippi Half Step is a serious sandbag, especially if you stay with the crack at the crux. My main climbing partner just thrashed his leg in a surfing accident, so I am trying to find some others interested in finishing some FA's with me up there this winter, let me know if you are interested.
Of course that is assuming that some snow melts up there, I climbed on the Sunshine Wall last Tuesday and there were chest high drifts along the base...I bet it is a lot worse now.
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pyro
Big Wall climber
Ventura
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Jan 14, 2007 - 09:46pm PT
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never been there12. the lady and I are going to look at it tomarrow.
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Oli
Trad climber
Fruita, Colorado
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Jan 15, 2007 - 02:55am PT
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I used to drive out for Christmas to see my parents who would winter at a second house they had in San Diego. I had many lovely visits to Mt. Woodsen and Santee on those trips. On probably my first trip I soloed up and down the Robbins crack, thinking it was the 4th class route to the top and down. Someone later said it was 5.9 or 5.10. That kind of surprised me. It seemed like a perfect hand jam, but it was nice. I might have had a harder time, had I known how high it was rated. On one finger-crack, much more difficult than that one, solid 5.11+, I stood at the bottom feeling the first holds, himming and hawing, making excuses, you know, saying I was over the hill and out of shape... I'd been eating and gaining weight. My mom and dad had come along for the walk, and there were a bunch of young kids standing around, surfer-looking folk, strong, tan, and suddenly my mother said, "Stop standing there and get up that rock." It shocked me. No fellow climber could have intimidated me in such a way, and I went right up the crack like a scared rabbit. There's a funnier, much better wording for this little story in my small book Direct Lines. I should have copied it in here, actually, but oh well. Anyway I have great memories of that beautiful place.
Pat
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mooser
Trad climber
seattle
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Jan 15, 2007 - 06:12pm PT
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Pat wrote: "On probably my first trip I soloed up and down the Robbins crack, thinking it was the 4th class route to the top and down. Someone later said it was 5.9 or 5.10." That sounds about right, coming from the one who did the FA of Supremacy. I remember years ago dreaming about how cool that would be to try that one myself some day. Downright inspirational.
Woodson was my local haunt for years. The first time I did Robbins--my first 5.10--I was ecstatic (it was around '75 or '76, and I did it with a toprope, thank you very much). I was dating a girl named Robin at the time, and I said to a group of non-climbing friends "I climbed Robbins Crack today...I climbed Robbins Crack!!!" They all appeared kind of shocked and confused as to what exactly that meant.
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Jan 15, 2007 - 07:47pm PT
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every time someone bumps this thread my mouth waters.
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Klimmer
Mountain climber
San Diego
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Jan 15, 2007 - 09:00pm PT
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Damn, one of the original Poway Boy(s) was in the Hood, and I missed it. Greg, very nice shots. Mt. Woodson/San Diego is pretty damn awesome. Lots to do.
You know after all these years and still only about a 1/4 of all of Woodson has been touched. What gems lie out there we can only guess at. We used to camp up there on the weekends in the seventies just to make better use of our time.
Between here and Bishop, life seems pretty complete. Sweet. Thanks for that and for reminding me how special Woodson is.
Klimmer
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Watusi
Social climber
Joshua Tree, CA
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Jan 19, 2007 - 12:57am PT
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Yeah BVB!! Remember the '70's!!
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Ricardo Carlos
Trad climber
Off center, CO.
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Jan 19, 2007 - 01:24am PT
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Nice pair of scats. I threw away a pair last move. Still have a pair or two. I remember the manager of a shoes store was a climber and had all the pairs moved to Grosmont shopping center.
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Watusi
Social climber
Joshua Tree, CA
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Jan 19, 2007 - 01:28am PT
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Nah, these were tigers. But I had scats as well. I swore I could do more with these than EB's though!!
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mooser
Trad climber
seattle
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Jan 19, 2007 - 01:45am PT
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Hey Mike,
That's how I remember you at Woodson. Firing off "hear my train a comin'" in tennis shoes.
Tom
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eeyonkee
Trad climber
Golden, CO
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 19, 2007 - 10:48am PT
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My fingers were always too big or something for 'hear my train'. Yeah, that WAS it.
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mooser
Trad climber
seattle
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Jan 19, 2007 - 11:44am PT
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Uh...yeah...uh...mine too!
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Klimmer
Mountain climber
San Diego
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Jan 20, 2007 - 12:55pm PT
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Mike P.,
That is how I remember you at Woodson in the 70's. It was like watching a magician on rock. Wild long hair and pulling off the most intense moves while soloing and making it all look smooth and very easy.
I did give you a few Bs back then. I gave you a belay on Test Tube, and you tied in with just a bowline on a coil around the waist and you forever changed my idea about minimalism.
I like to do that even now sometimes just to carry as little equipment as possible.
The 70's were a good time and full of wonderful memories. I miss them. Seems they were more innocent times.
Glenn Simpson
"Klimmer"
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Jan 20, 2007 - 01:09pm PT
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Greg,
Thanks for the inspiring thread. This year I'm getting serious about climbing again...gonna start tomorrow...or the day after.
Rick
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Watusi
Social climber
Joshua Tree, CA
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Jan 20, 2007 - 01:26pm PT
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Yeah Greg!! It's been forever but do you guys have any original Poway Mt. Boys photos? Now that would be a blast from the past!! Peace, Michael Paul.
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Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
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Jan 20, 2007 - 06:58pm PT
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That place is truly finger size dependent. You got big fingers you simply ain't gonna do some of the really thin cracks there, and others with comparatively easy ratings (like Hear my Train at 11C) will likely be harder than any 5.12 crack in Tarnation. On the other hand, a lot of the wider stuff is not so bad for bigger folk.
What I'd like to see is a shot of the Silk Banana, an oddball classic with an interesting finish.
JL
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mooser
Trad climber
seattle
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Jan 20, 2007 - 07:44pm PT
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Thanks, JL. I feel vindicated! By the way...there is a shot of Silk Banana (a truly odd classic) in one of the latest issues of R&I or Climbing. Can't remember (or find at this moment) which one.
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Klimmer
Mountain climber
San Diego
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Jan 20, 2007 - 08:50pm PT
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I've been forever off of correctly judging class 5 ratings having grown-up climbing at Woodson in the seventies. A Woodson 5.9 is more like a 5.10. Many 5.10s at Woodson are more like 5.11. And then of course 5.11 could really be 5.12. There is often a full letter grade difference.
I don't know. Maybe other areas got soft? It has screwed me up ever since. My grading system is very workable though: hard, harder, and damn near impossible.
It would be great to see more of the "Poway Mt. Boys" post up. It would be cool if Rick P., were to arrive and talk about the days of yore. Last I heard from another thread - he was up in Tahoe area.
Greg, are you in touch with him?
PS We should link other Woodson threads to this thread. A lot of history has been discussed here over time. ST is a great resource.
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