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cragnshag
Social climber
san joser
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I met Paul briefly this last Spring at a slideshow. He had brought the rubber chicken to the event. He was lively, fun, and seemed to appreciate my juvenile stunt... I think we shared a certain sense of humor that evening.
I'm ordering a ball, though perhaps two balls would be more appropriate...
I'll be taking Paul on some FA's so he will get to be the first to touch new rock.
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Vegasclimber
Trad climber
Las Vegas, NV.
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Looking forward to receiving our chalk ball, thanks for the update. There will at least be a couple of them in Vegas, so I'm guessing Paul will get some good Red Rock time.
Just an idea, it might be good to start a thread just for the climbing with Paul photos and stories.
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Gym Birdwall
Gym climber
The
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Is this you cragnshag?
A moment captured at the slide show.
Your other stunt was a good one too.
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nature
climber
back in Tuscon Aridzona....
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I got my ball today!
wooohoooo!
now I just need to travel the world and climb
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John Butler
Social climber
SLC, Utah
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Thanks Ruth,
I'll get him on a classic George Lowe route on Monday
jb
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couchmaster
climber
pdx
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Hola Ruth!
Just grabbed the chalkball and am heading out in @20 min. Looking at a potential pretty sizable new route. As there are a lot of badasses around here, I am suspicious of the rock quality, or if might have already been done and is unreported: but even if this turns into a hike during the heatwave we are having, we will have an adventure.
Ciao:
Bill
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bringmedeath
climber
la la land
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Bill, you don't need the chalk ball for the 750 feet of approach.
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Pastor Dave
Social climber
Yucca Valley, CA
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Sep 10, 2011 - 12:03am PT
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Ruth, Got my Box today. Will post pictures as soon as I can get into the hills where Paul first began boldering around Glen Avon CA when he was @ 9 yrs old. (North East of Riverside.) Paul will also be traveling to AZ and New Mexico with us sometime this fall.
Love to you and all Paul's friends who will share thheir adventures with Paul. Lets see those Pictures!
Dad
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couchmaster
climber
pdx
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Sep 11, 2011 - 01:21am PT
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Bill, you don't need the chalk ball for the 750 feet of approach.
LOL! It turned into a 125' route after all! Woot! At the base, when pulling out my chalk bag I said "this is a Pauls ball" to my non-internet savvy buddy, he frowned and cocked his head in question. I told him the story and said, yes, some of Paul Humpreys ashes are in here and I'm helping to fulfill a wish and a testament of a fellow climbers life......
There was a look of 12 seconds of dumbfoundedness, then happy laughter. The real crux was trying to find my chalk bag before leaving home. I rarely use it, never on routes like this where the dust is so thick that you don't need to add more:-) I looked and looked. At the last moment it appeared. It was interesting that in the time of getting all our crap together (do I bring jugs? do I bring a Grigri? do I bring Tomahwks? do I bring aiders? do I bring pins? do I bring do I bring..once the chalk bag was attached and I was ready to fire, it bought a whole nother dimension to the thing, in a good way, and connected me with Paul and his story...in fact, maybe to all of our humanity, and the shortness of life for us all.
Pics later. Typical choss, I will apologize in advance:-0
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Batrock
Trad climber
Burbank
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Sep 11, 2011 - 07:36pm PT
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I got mine yesterday, thank you very much.
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yllw2lip
Social climber
Orange, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 12, 2011 - 01:41pm PT
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Couchmaster, that is great to hear about your story about using "Paul's balls." I am so happy to hear that the climbing with Paul has already started.
I would like pictures posted, whether here on this thread or on another one. I'll leave it up to everyone to decide on a new picture dedicated thread or to just at the pics to this one. I'm happy either way. :) "Climb on!"
Anna (Paul's sis)
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cragnshag
Social climber
san joser
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Sep 12, 2011 - 03:15pm PT
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Guilty!
That's the Donini #3 Camalot there in my right hand...
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John Butler
Social climber
SLC, Utah
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Sep 12, 2011 - 03:25pm PT
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I'm not one to carry a camera, but Paul got me up this classic Little Cottonwood canyon seam this morning. This was such a fantastic idea. Honored to be a little part of it.
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SCseagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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Sep 12, 2011 - 04:08pm PT
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Got mine....wept at the beautiful prose written by Paul...no surprise the poignancy it stirred up in me. No more "whys"..... Susan
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couchmaster
climber
pdx
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Sep 12, 2011 - 05:17pm PT
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Couchmaster, that is great to hear about your story about using "Paul's balls." I am so happy to hear that the climbing with Paul has already started.
I would like pictures posted, whether here on this thread or on another one.
Oh it's started for sure Anna, Paul was on a first ascent with me Saturday. Both in chalk and in spirit. My chalk bag showed up at the last moment out of nowhere, as if it wanted me to keep thinking of it:-) I opened the chalkbag package and put it in my trad chalkbag (this has a headlamp and knife in the zippered pocket Metolius puts on the bottom of it).
Catching our breaths after an ugly approach, my partner quickly called dibs on the first pitch. It surprised me as it was my idea and project, and had invited him, and not the reverse. I squinted hard at him and the route, it was mine to choose to lead or not, I could see th fire in his belly though, and I am old....er. The 2nd pitch (mine if he did P1) looked cleaner and harder and as P1 looked easy but loose and mossy, and was a traversing pitch (and thus out of rockfall range). So I was fine with it. My buddy, who's done many El Cap routes, several in a day, took almost 6 hours to lead this pitch: without any water, so focused he didn't want to tag any up. We rated it 5.6 once it's clean. Once I brought some water up, he wound up drinking well over a gallon in short order.
As I followed, maybe taking 15 min to fire it, everytime I chalked I thought of Paul. Every time. Very special to me, and I never met Paul except for online on this site.
Partner had installed an anchor and rapped to the remaining water at the base. I had carried the spirit of Paul with me the whole pitch, purposely chalking despite my natural reticence to not use the stuff in this kind of an environment. It felt good and I felt connected. No issues at all, very uplifting for me. So I patted down the area near the anchor before I bailed off and reflected peacefully on the fleeting intransigent nature of life...for us all, but for Paul in particular. It was a peaceful, happy and connected thing. Thank you for letting me be a part of it.
PS, for anyone who cares, my buddy had a couple of Theron's big Tomahawks pounded into Horizontal cracks, I think they might have held a short fall. There was an extreme amount of loose rocks and crap (this accounted for a 135' 6 hour lead for a 5.6), and several boulders were trundled. The hawks were in looseish blocks as well, and not anything resembling clean granite cracks.
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Vegasclimber
Trad climber
Las Vegas, NV.
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Sep 12, 2011 - 09:51pm PT
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We got our chalk ball in the mail today.
As soon as I can figure out where my chalk bag went, in Paul will go, and hopefully out to do some climbing this week.
Thanks for sending it out! We look forward to sharing our adventures with Paul.
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Pastor Dave
Social climber
Yucca Valley, CA
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Sep 13, 2011 - 12:47am PT
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WOW!!! You Guys and Gals are really doing my heart GOOD! I just read these first few posts and my eyes are filled with tears of JOY! I know Paul is laughing and rejoicing that he is still leaving his mark on so many rocks and so many lives. His determination to battle the cancer and then to go on climbing in this way has inspired this 73 years young dad to join a gymn and get out and ride Paul's Bike. And that Poem Ruth selected and included is so perfect, so PAUL! I cary it with me and read it to strangers. I have always been proud of my son, Paul David Humphrey, but never more than now. From the time Paul was 9 years old all I could do was watch him climb and encourage him to do what he loved so much! CLIMB ON PAUL!
Love to you, Paul and all your friends but especially your wonderful, generous, LOVE, RUTH
Dad
PS Just did a Google search on "Paul's Balls" and found the link quickly.
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Bill Mc Kirgan
Trad climber
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
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Sep 17, 2011 - 08:35am PT
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Received one of Paul's Balls week before last, but couldn't get out to climb until today.
I did not personally know Paul, but feel a kinship through the ST forum, and am honored to help fulfill his wish to keep climbing with us.
Today I ventured out with friends to Pictured Rocks county park near Monticello, Iowa where Paul joined us at the Wild Iowa wall.
http://www.summitpost.org/pictured-rocks-wild-iowa/363471
It's about a 30 minute drive through some of that classic Iowa hill and dale that makes you think you driving through a Grant Wood painting.
Pictured Rocks is also known as 'Wild Iowa', and that name comes from the name of our 'Wild Iowa' wall. The routes are short, but severely overhanging.
After a little prayer as I committed a Paul's Ball to my chalk bag I had a go at leading this local favorite, Virgin Lemonade (Ron pictured leading it below). There's some good places to rest and chalk-up and I took advantage of that as I made my way to the top.
I've never climbed a 5.11 before, but with Paul riding shotgun I somehow managed to get close to finishing this. Pictured below is Alan leading, and I had a shot at this climb with him coaching me on where to find the sharp 2-finger pockets.
I'll post-up with more pictures for the family and dear friends whenever I can.
Peace and Love,
Bill
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John Butler
Social climber
SLC, Utah
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Sep 17, 2011 - 06:29pm PT
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a little bit of Paul's chalk made its way up Sasquatch today... then it rained :-)
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Lace
climber
las vegas, nv
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Sep 19, 2011 - 07:36pm PT
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Storms were covering the canyons of red rock so we headed up to a developing boulder spot by Jean, NV. The three of us teared up at the prose that came along with Paul's Ball. We spent 2 days there. On the final night the guy that started developing the area dropped by for his bday r&r. We all took Paul up some new lines and some established ones. Paul got to ride back to Vegas in the tow truck with us as I poked a huge hole in my fuel tank on the way out. Ooops.
Once the sandstone was dry and the work week was through, Paul went out to Red Rock. We did some cragging in the shade and then thought it'd be nice to take Paul's ball up Lotta Balls. It is worth mentioning that one partner had a consierably large rip in his pants and was sharing his balls that day as well. Overall it was a ballin day.
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