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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Nov 26, 2008 - 06:17am PT
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Jay, I remember that time he told us of the intensity of Afghanistan. The story of the Russian helicopters circling, blasting groups of Mujuhadeen he had just spent the evening with the night before, while he and Hoover's crew crouched hidden behind a nearby boulder, praying not to be seen.
And that wasn't even the most intense story he told of that trip. Walt's tales of terror still terrify me today.
Here's some pics:
What would we do without the Deli?
If you were inclined to take some chances, Walt was the kind of guy who'd you be ready to take some even bigger chances with, perhaps the biggest of your life.
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wildone
climber
GHOST TOWN
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Nov 26, 2008 - 08:23am PT
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Check out Ken!
What was the title of that documentary Walt worked on? Any chance it's available out there?
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quartziteflight
climber
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Nov 26, 2008 - 09:48am PT
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excellent pics!
Never met walt. Wish I had...
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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Nov 26, 2008 - 01:21pm PT
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Thanks for that John. I'd only seen some of those shots. Truly amazing.
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WBraun
climber
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Nov 26, 2008 - 01:29pm PT
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Wildone it was NBC Nightline.
What really happened Hoover said; "Werner, get your ass in gear you're going to Afghanistan."
I ducked and Walt was standing right behind me and I said; "Walt's going because I can't hear if in the night all hell's breaking loose and we got to whisper I might fukup."
Walt looks at me with deer in the headlights look and a WTF???? face. Hahahahah
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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I snagged this photo from the Rat Room bulletin board, when Walt was guiding for YMS:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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We miss you Walt.
Can you feel that???
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marty(r)
climber
beneath the valley of ultravegans
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Wow! Wild eyes, Adidas sneakers, and a bazooka-like weapon! Funny cuz Walt had that same wild-eyed look when he'd come by the Fish copperhead gulag for a malted breakfast and tall tales of whitewater. Wish I'd known him better and had more time to spend listening to him.
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WBraun
climber
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So Walt comes back from his Afghanistan adventure and tells me the story when the Russian tank spotted him and Peers high up on a ridge. The hide behind some bush hoping they're not spotted.
The tank starts firing some big ass shells at em. Walt looks at me telling the story with intense wild eyes.
"Werner, those fukers were really trying to kill me"
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ron gomez
Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
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Werner I can close my eyes and picture him telling the story, thanks for sharing that with us. Only knew him briefly,.....but what an impression he left with me! He's greatly missed by all and those memories are one of lives treasures!
Peace
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Paul Martzen
Trad climber
Fresno
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Great pics from Afgahnistan. Thanks for posting them John.
I continue to enjoy reading about the different experiences people had with Walt and their different perspectives on his personality. There is a dipload of stuff I never knew about him.
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east side underground
Trad climber
crowley ca
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Great photos! love the deli shot. uncle ned you out there? you sure looked young back then......hehehe
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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I loved how hard that guy made me laugh.
Amazing pix from Asscrackistan. Holy warriors..first we're with 'em, then we're against 'em. Confusing eh?
A few years later, and Walt coulda been rolled up like John Walker and sent to Gitmo. He would've had some wild tales from that place too...after he busted out.
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OR
Trad climber
So.VT.
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I was living in the Valley in 93 and had not met Walt yet. I was sitting in a beach chair in C4 kinda out the way and i see this guy on a jalopy bike and a huge straw hat make a beeline at me full speed chanting " trip,trip,trip". He skids to a stop and says " you O'Rourke?" Im like...Yes (Kinda nervous). He say's " you just get off The Trip with Sullivan?" I say "umm yup" He just says "nice" and goes tearing off on his bike. My Buddy walks up and says " what did Shipley want?" I said" sh#t, I had no idea who that was". I cant explain it but the encounter somehow made me feel really good. Like without saying much he just said welcome to the Valley. Killed my liver with him a bit at the Deli the rest of the season. Really good person....
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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OR, that sounds a lot like my very first walt encounter, which i still recall quite vividly. a real hit-and-run job that left me feeling both bewildered and kinda all warm and fuzzy and good about myself. walt's valley welcome wagon. what a great heart he had.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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In the Zebra:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Jan 17, 2009 - 11:58am PT
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Walt was meticulous about many things.
On this particular day in Joshua Tree, he was all giddy about showing me the various modifications inside his van:
During the winter of 87/88 we did a lot of exploring and bolted a bunch of first ascents together.
I put a list together at one point; routes which we named things like “Cool Jerk”, “Too Steep to Climb”, “Get the Boot” and so forth.
While out looking at things one day, we saw this under cling, I wasn’t so interested so Walt just soloed it:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Jan 17, 2009 - 12:09pm PT
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Some of Walt’s oldest friends, people from college, his earliest climbing partners, were really nice people.
(Not that most of us as his friends were not nice, heh), but I mean really polite & reserved people Walt had as friends.
The guy who took these photos was one of them.
Russ would remember his name, so I will hopefully be able to give correct photo attribution; he ran a fairly successful sewing business.
So this sequence of pictures was taken by [edit] Hy Zornes on a first ascent that Walter drilled:
(I believe I got these because Walt was visiting me in Colorado, had these developed there and left them with me.)
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Russ Walling
Social climber
Upper Fupa, North Dakota
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Jan 17, 2009 - 12:13pm PT
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Hy Zornes was the sewing guy. He used to make haul bags for me BITMFD
Hey Tar.... was that the same season where you guys did Avant Cave/Chain and that other stuff and there was a near fist fight?
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