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couchmaster
climber
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Nov 17, 2008 - 12:52am PT
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Awesome stuff Don.
Hey, I've always been curious, when you and Robbins did Wall of the Early Morning Light on the 2nd ascent. How did you pull the bolts? Did RR really just take a chisel to the bolts? Would RR undo the nut and then chisel, or did he just whack on them? The last part of the question is this: like everyone, we all know RR changed his mind and quit chopping, but did he ever go replace the bolts he whacked?
Not a big deal, I was just wondering.
Thanks!
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Don Lauria
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
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Nov 17, 2008 - 02:28am PT
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First of all they weren't bolts, they were aluminum rivets. There were no nuts or hangers - hangers weren't used except at belay stations. They/we looped wire over the rivet heads and clipped the loops. Actually, Warren and Caldwell made their own special wire cable loops. Robbins and I used a very limited number of wired Clog nuts. We would just slide the nut down the loop and lay it over the rivet head then slide the nut back up. Since we had a small number of these we had to leap frog them on occasion. When we cleaned a pitch, we cleaned carabiners and wired Clog nuts (on the rivet ladders).
Oh, and yes, we used chisels and literally chopped them off flush with the rock. We tried to be neat. To my knowledge Royal has never replaced any of them - but then I've never asked him.
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Fletcher
Trad climber
Max V02
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Nov 17, 2008 - 02:36am PT
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I love that two of my good friends who now have two beautiful children and have been married for many years, were introduced to each other , by Warren, at the mountain room.
Hey wildone... I have no idea who your friends are, but this just made my day!
Fletch
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wildone
climber
GHOST TOWN
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Nov 17, 2008 - 08:11am PT
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Let's just say that one of them has a back that's....kind of...silvery in color.
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Barbarian
Trad climber
all bivied up on the ledge
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Nov 17, 2008 - 11:53am PT
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The key to Harding’s sense of humor was his ability to laugh at himself. He was always in on the joke.
In 1980 I stumbled across a some folks making a “climbing” film. I ended up carrying gear for them and, at one point, playing a “body” liberally doused with stage blood by a whacked-out special effects guy nick-named “Kaboom”.
The highlight of this foolishness was meeting Harding…and seeing his wit translated to film.
Best scene: Warren arrives in the Valley – It is night when the bus from Merced arrives at the Lodge. The driver gets out and opens the luggage bay under the bus. A startled Harding rolls out of the luggage compartment and onto the ground with a 1 gallon jug of wine in hand. He reaches back in to the hold, grabs his bag, and staggers off towards Camp 4.
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Don Lauria
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
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Nov 18, 2008 - 04:03am PT
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Mike,
Semper farcissmus!
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Swifter
Social climber
Flagstaff, AZ
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One summer day in 1954 it seemed too hot to climb in the Valley (isn't that always the truth in summer) so Harding and I decided to climb the Mt. Hoffman Thumb. No great climbing challenge but a great excuse for a Jag ride. We got up to the filling station and found neither of us had any money! At least the folding kind. So Warren reaches behind the seat and pulls out a bag (it might have been buckskin) that was full of silver dollars! I must have looked surprised or asked some silly question about banks. Harding said, "I look so suspicious I wouldn't be able to cash a check at my own bank even if I had an account there!"
Descent from the climb cost me $3000, but that's another story.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Oct 26, 2014 - 03:13pm PT
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When in Doubt, Go Higher!
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MisterE
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Oct 26, 2014 - 05:21pm PT
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Great stories!
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Oct 26, 2014 - 06:23pm PT
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Guido-Harding and Mort, circa very early 60s.
I'm about the same age, 16, as when Ken first met Warren. Fortunate to have been surrounded by such mentors and characters so early in the game of life. Then again how strange to be communicating on the Internet about a day over 50 years ago while listening to the 2014 World Series on an old-beatup-trashed AM radio sitting outside the door.
I played catcher: Little League, Babe Ruth and Legion ball. Seemed like the most exciting, dangerous and fun position. I'm thinking baseball and climbing here. Ain't life great!
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survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
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Oct 26, 2014 - 06:30pm PT
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THAT photo is the way I first made the connection between Guido, and Joe!
I've loved that picture for years.
Thanks Guido!!
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Fossil climber
Trad climber
Atlin, B. C.
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Oct 27, 2014 - 05:37pm PT
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Harding was nailing a pitch on a small sea stack somewhere between Bodega and Jenner - Harding leading. All of a sudden he let out a horrendous scream. “Whatsamatter?” I yelled. There were a few moments of amazingly inventive profanity, then he said, “I just drove my finger into this crack. When you come up to clean it, just leave the damn thing in there.” Then he finished the climb.
There was nothing solid on top to rap from, so we dropped the ends of the rope down opposite sides and rapped simultaneously. Back at my car (a 1950 Studebaker Starlight Coupe) he said, “You drive - I’m a casualty. I need some serious anesthetic.” He dug into the box of supplies and came up with a jug - a gallon of Pedrizetti red, which was around $1.25 in those good old days which we had already reduced to about a quart. He said, “Nah - got something better,” and pulled out a bottle of Paul Masson Rare Tawny Port, which was our preferred celebratory toast. It must have done the job, because he hung his damaged finger out the window and waved it at good many of the cars we passed.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Oct 27, 2014 - 06:30pm PT
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hey there say, ken and all...
wow, since the newer bump... got to see this again...
still enjoy it...
and say, as to this:
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 8, 2006 - 04:59am PT
Hello,
The first time I met Harding was when I turned 16 and the day after I received my driver's license. I gave him a ride to his Mom's house in Sacramento after picking him up at Lovers Leap. I had been climbing during not so perfect weather and he had apparently been lurking and needed a ride. Scary looking fellow at the time. I was terrified at first ( because my parents told me not to pick up hitch-hikers! ) until he introduced himself and I immediately felt much better. My father knew who he was from the Wall of the Early Morning coverage and all I had to do was make a phone call and I got to eat dinner that night at his Mom's house, check out both corvettes, made climbing plans, got to meet his wonderful mother, and best of all got in no trouble at all with my parents for my first known infraction that my parents ever found out about.
Plenty more stories later if interested.
Ken
still enjoy it as if a great 'intro post' before all the rest, here... :))
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Vegasclimber
Trad climber
Las Vegas, NV.
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Oct 28, 2014 - 11:36am PT
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Awesome bump. More tales please!
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graniteclimber
Trad climber
The Illuminati -- S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Division
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Oct 29, 2014 - 10:40am PT
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This is another historical thread with far less than 300 posts.
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Roots
Mountain climber
Tustin, CA
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Oct 29, 2014 - 01:20pm PT
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A bad ass character!
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tom Carter
Social climber
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Oct 29, 2014 - 11:16pm PT
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We love this stuff!
Thanks to all!
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Charlie D.
Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
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Oct 30, 2014 - 07:04am PT
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I had heard countless stories of WH mostly involving alcohol and C4 before I finally met him in the late 70's. My buddy Tim and I were climbing at Lover's Leap and came down off our route and headed back to our packs and my dog. There near our gear was Warren and TM Herbert not looking too happy.
TM cheers up a little since he and Tim knew each other. He goes on to explain that my beast had eaten their sandwiches. Harding said nothing while his scowl said everything. The furrows on his temple would deepen and his downward pointing ends of his mouth would drop as he'd glance over at my happy dog. I knew I had to do something quick and declared we had beers to share. Warren's scowl disappeared and we spent a fine afternoon in their company.
BTW I asked TM about his 1966 FA of the Line and he told me, "hell we didn't do it first, we found an old piton high on the route that day." If these rocks could talk we'd no doubt hear many lost tales.
Charlie D.
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