Calling all old skool JT craggers!

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Ouch!

climber

Jul 10, 2005 - 06:38pm PT

Juan's JT Epic

He climbed all day
and throughout the night
and just before the morning light
he stood atop that gnarly height
six feet above the level ground
how in hell will he ever get down

Watusi

Social climber

Joshua Tree, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Jul 10, 2005 - 11:52pm PT

Ouch, That was cool, But the man is irreproachable!!! (edit) I thought you meant Juan Largo. Even as a punk, if there was ever a Largo sighting...We wankers would line up with any kind of offerings we had...just to get "The Word!" He was and will always be "Larger than Life!!" It was a special time then to actually know your gods!

Mungeclimber

Trad climber

one pass away from the big ditch

Jul 11, 2005 - 12:41am PT

I can remember the first time I saw someone place a bolt on lead with a bosch (pre-ban). It was on the route "Good Bye Mr. Bond"... yard up on the arm lean out and drill. Super human those guys! One of them lead me up Sweatband while we were waiting. good times.

Anyone know Linda Nelson? Apparently "Linda's Face" on the short wall was attributed to her and their early group of climbers.

Goldline, swami belts with 1" tubular, hip belays and moving up to high technology "Figure 8" rappel device to belay with.

Watusi

Social climber

Joshua Tree, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Jul 11, 2005 - 12:52am PT

Yes the Bosch was a boon!!! However there was a few decades out there when we hand drilled everything (a tap a tap a tap a)whilst on stance! Nonetheless we must revel in the marvels of modern science!

Watusi

Social climber

Joshua Tree, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Jul 11, 2005 - 01:47am PT

Super vid footage Mr. Middendorf!! And as you know that snow was quite rare, especially as deep as it was! Always so great to hear from you Deucey!! A5 forever!!
My next door neighbor, the illustrious Don Reid in action on the nordic skis!

Watusi

Social climber

Joshua Tree, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Jul 11, 2005 - 02:03am PT

Cheers again for all the posts! My best regards from out here at the edge...

Shack

Trad climber

So. Cal.

Jul 11, 2005 - 12:20pm PT

Watusi, I think I remember you.....
Isn't there a picture somewhere of you on a
boulder prob (maybe "Stem Gem?")and your
playing a bass guitar?

G_Gnome

Trad climber

Jul 11, 2005 - 12:36pm PT

Just look for the guy missing a bit of a finger and that will be Watusi. Don't go around corners too fast or you could have the same problem.

Watusi

Social climber

Joshua Tree, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Jul 11, 2005 - 01:07pm PT

Shack, you might be thinking of the Hatchett movie "Hard Rock" (Masters of Stone 2) Where I do some bouldering and play my bass on Stem Gem. Shortimer, is that all you remember of me? I was known for far more than that...

JuanDeFuca

Big Wall climber

Chatsworth

Jul 11, 2005 - 01:12pm PT

Mungeclimber,

I used to work with Linda Nelson at REI in Carson.

Your story is true? How do you know her?

Maybe she still works at REI?

Juan

can't say

Social climber

Pasadena CA

Jul 11, 2005 - 01:44pm PT

Well Mikey..since you asked:)

can you say having a vicious Limp Huey??

or maybe doin the Yoda at the Ranch?

or being responsible for the most wicked bad topos ever drawn?

or maybe it was the man with dead digits?

just to name a few...

It was the best of times, it was the weirdist of times...

Shack

Trad climber

So. Cal.

Jul 11, 2005 - 02:44pm PT

Ok, that's right, Watusi...
but I first remeber you from JT in the mid 80's,
then seeing you in the video and thinking..
"I remember that guy".
You were a fixture out there for a while,
like Dick Cilley.

G_Gnome

Trad climber

Jul 11, 2005 - 03:02pm PT

Hell no, that's not all I remember. I also remember those wicked problems on the back of the Peyote Cracks among lots of other hard climbing. But many other people climbed hard, not many rolled their trucks on the road into the park.

Watusi

Social climber

Joshua Tree, CA

Topic Author's Reply - Jul 11, 2005 - 04:28pm PT

Actually more than you think! Ever hear of "Bullwinkle's Traverse"? (Bet you can imagine what happed there!) Did you know Too Strong Dave? Rolled his as well...to name but a few.
Yeah I was known to be able to run laps on "The Baby Apes" and those back there, even after losing my pinky!!

G_Gnome

Trad climber

Jul 11, 2005 - 04:35pm PT

Yeah, I go back farther than you Mike. I do remember Dean rolling his now that you mention it, but I didn't know that Too Strong rolled his too. But then it is pretty hard to keep up on all of Dave's exploits.

Are you still climbing much or just doing your art?

deuce4

Big Wall climber

the Southwest

Jul 11, 2005 - 09:10pm PT

Funny to see that some of the new climbers don't know the legends of Michael J. Paul. Not just a local in Josh, one of the true keepers of the place. Back in the old days anyway...

Thanks Mike for the flashbacks!

(though no longer an advocate for the global A5 ball-cap and novelty apparel brand anymore--would be if there were some royalties, which there's not)

Ksolem

Trad climber

LA, Ca

Jul 11, 2005 - 09:23pm PT

I remember when Dave Mayville first started showing up at Tahquitz, Suicide and Josh. We used to kid him that if he would ever learn to use his feet would be a good climber. Then of course, he did. He was always one of my favorite people to be around climbing. He even talked me into leading the first pitch of Race With the Devil one time. He stood there in the talus belaying and I just knew he would run down the hill head over heels to catch me... (luckily that theory went untested.)

Dave took one of the longer falls I have ever seen, climbing onsight on The Cameleon, Josh, on the Sentinel. 12a. 6 or 7 bolts lead to what looks from the ground like a wide flare (actually it protects with tcu's in deep.) Anyway Dave took the wrong size gear and ended up running out the whole upper part then coming off. I'm on the top of the 1st pitch of Desert Song and I hear Dave over there say "No!... No..!" then he's in the air, huge swails of rope just hanging there in space below him. His wife at the time, Jody, caught him just off the deck. 1/2 hour later he sent it.

More recently I saw Dave guiding in HVCC. His client was a strong woman. All day they ran around doing the 5.10 classics. He would lead, bring her up then solo down. At the end of the day I went over to say hi. During the conversation I asked him how his back was doing. His client - who thought he was superman - says "what about your back?" He pulls up his shirt to reveal the scars, front nd back as well as the battery implant, from several reconstructive spinal surgeries. Her jaw hit the dirt...