Who Beulah Was

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philo

Trad climber

boulder, co.

Oct 16, 2009 - 11:58am PT

To paraphrase Crocodile Dundee when seeing the 9.4 X 70
Rope, that's not a rope.

Then pulling out the 12 X 50 and saying
Now that's a rope!

Run, run away!

Chiloe

Trad climber

Lee, NH

Topic Author's Reply - Oct 16, 2009 - 12:24pm PT

Hah, that's exactly the right image, Philo.

One sad consequence of that rope, and the two- or four-handed belays it required, was that
I took no action photos that day.

Chiloe

Trad climber

Lee, NH

Topic Author's Reply - Oct 16, 2009 - 12:33pm PT

But later that afternoon, safely back on the ground ...

Leslie has quietly been a part of the Red Rock story for as long as I have. On the 1972 trip
where Joe and I almost died attempting the Rainbow Wall, then ran away to climb the Salathe
Wall instead, I was telling him on ledges about this wonderful girl I'd met. Letters I wrote to
her from that trip became our best record of the climbs.

One year later, when Joe and I did finish the Rainbow, Leslie and Betsy hiked up the limestone
ridge to meet us.

Chiloe

Trad climber

Lee, NH

Topic Author's Reply - Oct 16, 2009 - 12:37pm PT

After Beulah's we hiked back towards the car, wrapped in all kinds of thoughts.

And as Tarbuster would know, it was beer time.

philo

Trad climber

boulder, co.

Oct 16, 2009 - 12:39pm PT

"One sad consequence of that rope, and the two- or four-handed belays it required, was that
I took no action photos that day."

Well that settles it then. Hang up the cable and pick up the picture box.

Larry this really is special stuff please don't stop.

Any chance that is an old Chouinard Super Rope?
I had one and loved it even though it was so stiff the joke was; "On belay PUSH!"
I always thought there was real wisdom in a triple core rope. Particularly for running over edges.
The triangulation of cores eliminated flattening.
Using modern materials some rope company might be able to
produce a lightweight super rope with a triple core.

Chiloe

Trad climber

Lee, NH

Topic Author's Reply - Oct 16, 2009 - 12:41pm PT

Seriously, this was the view as we sat down with our beers -- watching peaceful sharks and
rays, then a mermaid came along.

Later, Joe drove home to Pam, while Leslie and I smuggled a bottle of wine out to a Jaccuzi under
the stars. I'll let this wandering story end there.

philo

Trad climber

boulder, co.

Oct 16, 2009 - 12:52pm PT

I want to drink where Spartacus do.

Chiloe

Trad climber

Lee, NH

Topic Author's Reply - Oct 16, 2009 - 12:58pm PT

Any chance that is an old Chouinard Super Rope?
I had one and loved it even though it was so stiff the joke was; "On belay PUSH!"

It might have been, I didn't even know they made 12mm climbing ropes.
I think the theory regarding our climb was that if all your ropes are old, choose the thickest.

philo

Trad climber

boulder, co.

Oct 16, 2009 - 01:05pm PT

I think they grew with age. You probably don't have to worry till they get to 13mm.

Bob Dickerson, an old Gunnison Guru, cracked me up with an old rope story.
After dinner with the old friend he had climbed with that day Bob was showing slides of BITD.
On one projected slide from thirty years ago an all too familiar cord showed up.
A big fat, fuzzy once bright rope.
Bob's partner, aghast, asked "is that the same rope we used today?"
Bob replied "it hasn't failed me yet!"

Chiloe

Trad climber

Lee, NH

Topic Author's Reply - Oct 16, 2009 - 01:16pm PT

I think that Jim E, who really does know ropes, was similarly aghast when he saw an old rope
that Michael Hjorth and I had climbed on in Sweden. Like, we all should get new ones every
two decades at least.

Mighty Hiker

Social climber

Vancouver, B.C.

Oct 16, 2009 - 01:20pm PT

Edelrid made 11.5 mm ropes for a while, in the mid 1970s. Daryl liked them.

Edit: Edelrid's 11.5 mm ropes were blue and white, but not (if I remember correctly) quite the pattern in Larry's photo.

Chiloe

Trad climber

Lee, NH

Topic Author's Reply - Oct 16, 2009 - 01:39pm PT

I suppose in the collective brain of Supertopo there should be someone who can identify that
distinctive blue-and-white pattern.

cowpoke

climber

Oct 16, 2009 - 05:34pm PT

Lovely, Larry.

Just lovely.

Just freaking lovely.

climber

The Big Blue, of course

Oct 16, 2009 - 06:58pm PT

Nice one, Larry. A bit of mystery and a good story with spectacular photos...thank you!

perswig

climber

Oct 16, 2009 - 08:57pm PT

...and nobody mentioned belaying (a leader? god forbid!) with a munter.

Nice story.
Dale

Studly

Trad climber

Oct 16, 2009 - 09:15pm PT

Very cool TR Larry. You guys are legend. Regarding your tarantula photo, one time when I was in Red Rocks the tarantulas were out in force. I saw at least 5 ON the Loop Road that day, actually stopping the car to let them pass. Is that a normal seasonal occurence?

Brian in SLC

Social climber

Salt Lake City, UT

Dec 5, 2009 - 01:33am PT

Wow...great, great stuff...

From next door, last weekend, from another JH route, the Friar...

Yeah, watched folks do that bolted variation to the left. Can't even really compare. Nutty.

Thanks!

-Brian in SLC