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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 2, 2007 - 12:44am PT
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Well, it was around 11 am when I speedily roamed up over towards the easy shoulder of Shoshoni to view the prize of Apache & Navajo. From miles away I imagined myself, ax in hand, carefully stemming the spine of snow between these two peaks, sucking in the freedom of the hills:
I stood out along the parapet of Shoshoni and gandered down a dizzying sequence of steps leading down from the summit, out toward Apache via a long connecting ridge graced with towers and sinewy edges, trying to see where I might descend:
I decided this time to scout a few options, because I didn’t favor the crumbled staircase leading straight out and down.
First then, I ventured down a gulley to the east, hoping to find a traversing ledge to skirt the difficulties. I scooted down to the brink of an edge where the gulley spit out into sky & clouds, with the plains roaring away below my feet. My pack was scraping against the wall behind, pushing my torso uneasily outwards above the yawn. I saw my path go ‘round the corner, but the wall above the narrow foot ledge was steep enough to topple me and there was a large coffin lid flake occupying the sweet spot.
Just then I swallowed, decided to turn back. As I turned around my hip brushed an ancient peg with some weathered tat on it. So I went back up to the summit: from there I surveyed the western side and found my way, happily down jamming an easy 5th class crack, stuffing feet, wedging hands, feeling the weight of my pack pulling me into the crack.
Quickly I touched down, stepped into the col and without hesitation set out along an ascending 4th class traverse toward Apache's N Ridge, using wide reaches of the arms, making time underneath darkening skies.
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paganmonkeyboy
Trad climber
the blighted lands of hatu
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sweeeeet...mucho sweeeeet...
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Prod
Social climber
Charlevoix, MI
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Hey Tar,
Gotta tell you. You're advanced hiking stories are a hoot to read. Sort of Jack London-ish in their hugeness and simple bold description. How about spinning a yarn with a little more free association, ala Melville’s Nostromo. If not bravo for what you have put out there.
Prod.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 2, 2007 - 09:55pm PT
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Well gee Prod,
Glad you enjoy the recollections.
Maybe we oughta have ourselves a little reunion and get up on ona' them bigger Teton's, wouldn't that be Grand?
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 2, 2007 - 10:00pm PT
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Well darnit’
If’n yer readin’ this real time, now Jello is propin’ up the real goods over on that ’78 Sports Illustrated Bridalveil Solo thread, so I better wrap this scramblin’tale up before it gets stale.
So, I was traversing beneath the east side of what is known as the Chessman, a set of pinnacles that proudly separate Shoshoni and Apache over what must be a half mile or so. You can see them quite well from Lake Granby, on the west side of things. I was seeing them pretty well, because I was traversing their mid sections on really fun 4th class rock, grappling upwards via an auspicious set of diagonal feldspar dikes.
Problem was, it was getting very dark overhead and not the kind of darkness brought on by nightfall you know; certainly not the stuff you feel comfortable with when clinging to a high ridge. I blasted back down part of the route to reach a gap in the ridge in order to afford a better look at the weather on the west side. With what I saw I became a little conflicted. So I merrily snatched the holds and went all the way back up and finally saddled onto one of the last of these towers, looking down into a deep set notch that separated me from the good cruising on Apache’s north ridge. When I topped out it became apparent that some down climbing and intricate route finding needed to be entertained.
It was time to go home. I returned once more across the angled terrain, descending towards a place where I could smartly step onto Isabelle glacier without any tricks. So back down I travelled and the holds felt good and the movement exhilarating. Soon, upon reaching the proper transition to snow, I pulled off my pack, put on some gloves, gripped my ax, turned around facing the slope and began kicking deep steps downward into the slope.
Instead of a sense of defeat, I felt just the same sense of meaning as I had at many points during the jolly excursion; it was just another perfunctory task of rhythmic movement which mountaineers perform, because at some point they make good decisions, and begin to do the type of climbing that allows them to get off of things and go home.
Here are some very blackened, foreshortened shots, right to left (north to south), of the path which would have lead me onward towards Arikaree, Deshawa, and finally Arapahoe peaks, where I presumed I would get a second bivi.
The Chessman:
Chessman & Apache’s N Ridge:
Apache’s East Wall:
Navajo , with the little pinnacle of Dicker’s Peck to the right:
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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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Absolutely perfect line to end the ramble with, Roy:
"Instead of a sense of defeat, I felt just the same sense of meaning as I had at many points during the jolly excursion: meaning it was just another perfunctory task of rhythmic movement which mountaineers perform, because at some point they make good decisions, get off of things and go home."
Represents the best of adventurous alpinism.
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Mimi
climber
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Sorry Bob, this is too good to stop just yet.
Great TR Roy. And Mountain Jello's perspective is so nice.
Edit: That is a very nice pic Bob. You always post such nice flora and scenery pics. Must be around that awesome place you live.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 2, 2007 - 10:32pm PT
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Nice Bob,
A sweet little flower to punctuate the final sights which I looked upon with glee as I walked out; some towers jutting out from a spur of Shoshoni.
Bob, Jeff,
Have either of you perhaps climbed a splitter crack in one of these?
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 2, 2007 - 10:48pm PT
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Kevin Donald once told me he and Duncan used to do a high camp up there on Isabelle Glacier with clients, then, at night, they'd solo up those snow gullies on Shoshoni, when the snow was nice and firm.
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bob d'antonio
Trad climber
Taos, NM
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Thanks Mimi...here another one on the same trail in IPWA.
great thread Tar.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 3, 2007 - 12:26am PT
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Yer awesome Bob,
-A nice lil' bouquet of Columbine, the Colorado state flower, laid with gentleman's charm in Mimi's arms, so she can share them with the rest of us.
Berg Heil!
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Some very fine stories about fjell rangling, or if you like tinde rangling, in Colorado. Thanks!
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 3, 2007 - 12:36pm PT
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Well Anders,
That last little prattle of mine indeed veered awfull close to actual climbing.
But yes, really some sort of Fellfurghnuegen or something eh?
This 'ole guide by Dick Du Mais pretty much sums up the spirit underlying the Sunday Ski & Rubble Ogle:
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Prod
Social climber
Charlevoix, MI
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Yo "Roy",
How about answering my last email... Anyway, you pick the date for Grand Teton. I'm thinking somewhere between Mid-June to Mid-September. I'm pretty open for a surgical attack, if you're thinking longer, we'd have to plan a bit on my part.
G.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 3, 2007 - 10:17pm PT
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Sorry Prod, yah we can do The Grand,
But I don't answer emails or phone calls.
Cuz I live on Supertopo.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 3, 2007 - 10:19pm PT
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Nope,
Not done yet.
Never done, there’s work to do.
So back to it.
In our tireless search for rubble to rumble over, we ski, and we ogle:
Sometimes you can’t see much in the way of rock, so you take what you get:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 3, 2007 - 10:38pm PT
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Ah, now that’s a lil’ bit better.
This is The Gore Range, seen from an 18 mile one way tour, known as the Commando Run:
Top of Siberia Peak, at the end of the ascent portion of the tour:
What goes up get’s to go down, sometimes way, way down:
Not sure what them peaks is called.
But darnit I'm gonnah git in there under 'em,
Take a closer look at their name tags and find out.
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Nice, Tar, Sorry Bob, but it's not over till the fat lupine sings.
This year's commando, Roy? I've done it three times, three different years, never with orange plastic, though maybe once with green plastic franken-t-2's, though I'm into leather for that sort of thing. Never without drinkies at the dreaded 2 elks, though!!
A very cool tour!
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 4, 2007 - 12:26am PT
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A week ago friday Jay.
I prefer touring on 3 pin with leather boots but was advised against it for this one.
Not really a very experienced off piste skier, in fact this was the first time I'd toured with an AT rig and the first time I'd used the stuff for turning outside of lift service.
Glad I did, otherwise my little twig legs would've snapped at the knee, probably no matter what the snow condition, which happened to be oatmeal & breakable crust for the entire descent once we got a bit below Siberia.
The snow was in fact so bad, Pomerance, who has done it every year for 20/30 years, on all kinds of gear, just put us on the road after a while. ...and the views were darling.
Wahoo!
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