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Juan Maderita
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Dec 14, 2007 - 03:54am PT
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Yeah, I'm sure it would have been in tents...
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dee ee
Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
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Dec 14, 2007 - 11:55am PT
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In the mid 80's I went down to solo the Giraffe. I carried my rack down and left it at the base intending to return the next weekend with agua and comidas. I returned as planned to find my entire big wall rack, two ropes etc. stolen. Man was I bummed. Never did find out who were the theives, gringos or Mex. Heard a rumour that Ep saw someone in nor cal with some nuts stamped DE a couple years later. Probably gringos did it. I hope karma took care of it.
It took years to rebuild my rack, pitons etc.
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crøtch
climber
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Dec 14, 2007 - 01:13pm PT
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That's a crazy story, DE. It's such a long way to go to get to the base of the wall and such a pain in the ass to get back up the approach with a wall load. And you've got to assume they had their own wall loads with them, unless they were just scouting or knew your stuff was down there.
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John Vawter
Social climber
San Diego
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Dec 14, 2007 - 01:26pm PT
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Largo said: “Next ascent plunked in some bolts that removed the dangerous bits, especially the upper face climbing which originally had no bolts at all.”
Partly true. You drew me a topo in Camp 4 in 1977, and I’m pretty sure Werner and I did the second ascent in March ‘78, after an attempt in February aborted due to cold. But the bolts we put in were all at belays except the two on the free arete on the pitch above the high roof (then P 9, now 10). So none of the hard aid (three A3, three A4) was compromised in any way. It's in my blurb in the '78 AAJ. We didn’t think twice about adding bolts to the marginal belays at the end of the pendulum on P5, top of P7, and top of P8. But we agonized over those last two because they were between belays. The only reason Werner drilled those was because the face was sheeting water (had been raining all night), and that pitch had a 100+ foot runout on a quartz dike. It would have been trivial if dry.
[Edited 12/17/07] Deuce's topo is essentially unchanged from yours. The aid cruxes are all there with no new bolts. P2 A3 hooks, P3 A2/3, P4 A3+, P5 A3, P6 A2/3, P7 A3+, P8 A3. The only major change is a new lower belay at the end of P3 with two bolts there that weren't there when we did it. It's down to the left of the big roof where you sited the belay.
A couple of years later we did a recon to the left and ran into a pair of Valley wall rats. They were backing off Giraffe after getting to the hooking on the upper half of pitch two. We told them it was A2 because that's what you guys rated it. IIRC it's about five flat Leepers in a row above a bolt with no hanger, and a fall would swing you into the little dihedral on the lower part of the pitch. One said: "If that's A2, I'd hate to see what the A4 is like." Deuce's topo shows this section as A3, and that's more like it.
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Dec 14, 2007 - 01:34pm PT
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yeah big head, i'm still stumblin' down the rocky road of life. possibility i may be in sandy eggo for xmas, hittin' santee and roubidoux and woodson and rainbow while chillin' with the 'rents.
but back to canyon tajo epics...if i recall correctly, didn't guy andrew's vw bus catch on fire down there?
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John Vawter
Social climber
San Diego
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Dec 14, 2007 - 01:47pm PT
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John L., you should tell them the story about the wind and Hugh Burton's hammock.
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Juan Maderita
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Dec 14, 2007 - 02:25pm PT
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bvb,
Speaking of Guy Andrews, were you there for the "snake dance"?
After a day of cragging, a dozen of us were sitting around the campfire. The sun had set, and Guy was still not back in camp. We knew he would be back soon. Someone had killed a rattlesnake and brought it back to base camp. A plan was hatched: one empty seat around the fire, one cold cerveza at the ready, one coiled rattlesnake perfectly poised in striking position... you get the idea.
Sure enough, Guy arrives in the campsite, distracted by the conspirators with beer and conversation, and gladly accepting the designated seat. Straight faces all around. He sets the beer next to the chair without looking down. We're almost holding a collective breath to keep from laughing. Moments later, Guy reaches for the beer, sees the rattlesnake about to strike his hand, and flies straight up out of his seat! Dancing wildly, pointing, and shouting! We spilt some guts, howling with laughter. Too bad there weren't video cameras back then...
Every time I hear The Police "Roxanne" I think of Guy's encore dance to that around the fire. A few more beers and he was dancing, singing, and the life of the party. Sadly, his bright flame was extinguished by a storm near the summit of Aconcagua in 1980. Guy, may you RIP.
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Dec 14, 2007 - 03:16pm PT
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ha! yeah, i was there but i had completely forgotten that story. back in the day, back in the day........
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Dec 14, 2007 - 03:26pm PT
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Hey DEEE,
That rack theft incident, sadly, (not to rub in the bad) didn't you also blow the engine on your hot rodded VW bus as an extension of that debacle?
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Dec 14, 2007 - 04:35pm PT
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DEEEE, down at The Trono, some time ago:
(photo by Moony)
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BeeHay
Trad climber
San Diego CA
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Dec 14, 2007 - 08:16pm PT
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I was sittin' right next to Guy, a big box of Curly's Macadamia nuts 'tween us. Scared sh&t outta me too, you bastards owe me a couple of years of my life back. BH
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Watusi
Social climber
Newport, OR
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Dec 15, 2007 - 03:07pm PT
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Hey Dave, I do remember hearing about that incident...who the hell would want to climb with pilfered gear? You guys bring tears to my eyes when you mention Guy Andrews. He was a great friend and I still think of him!
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dee ee
Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
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Dec 17, 2007 - 06:32pm PT
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Dang Tar, the memories keep coming back. Yes I lost a rack AND a VW van. The van was a money pit. Before this episode I had blown my trick 1835 racing engine (that I had built in our living room)at Josh, so on this trip it was a measly 1600. It broke down and I had to leave it at the campsite after limping in. I returned a week later with parts, fixed it, enjoyed a weekend of climbing and headed home. On the way home I had another major mechanical and had to park it near La Rumerosa. Marge was escorting me back (after taking me down initially). I pulled all items of value and left it with no regrets. We saw it a couple of times after that and then it disappeared. To lose it was a blessing in disguise. That was the last VW I will ever own.
That Mooney shot is classic. That was the first time we did a route on The Throne. He and I went down with no beta in bad weather (at first). We were driving on a section of road in a wash and it was flooding, just a little. I missed where the road cut left out of the wash and then we were in trouble. The water was getting deeper and deeper and the van was starting to bog. It was too narrow to turn around and too soft to stop, I had to keep on the gas (as such is possible in a van). Just when we were starting to panic the canyon widened and there was enough room, I gunned it hard, bounced over a sandbar and pulled a u-turn just barely making it. We found the turn and made it to the camp.
The next day the weather was perfect. We headed in to do the E. Buttress, all we knew is that there was a route there somewhere and it was 5.10 and may or may not have had aid as well. We started swinging leads and found the climbing tricky (multiple 5.10 sections) and the route finding even more so. I did some aid on at least one pitch, we had no etriers or jumars. We saw no evidence of other ascents. Late in the day we found ourselves coming up under a huge triangular roof in a dihedral that stuck out 40 or 50 feet. It looked like a total dead end. We lucked out though and found a cave/chimney that tunneled through the roof and came out near the summit. We had done about 15 pitches.
It seemed like every time I went to do a big route there it was some kind of epic! Too much fun.
Yes Watusi, Guy Andrews was a bro. I haven't thought of him in a while.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Dec 17, 2007 - 06:40pm PT
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Excellent tale Dave!
Glad you ditched the Van, too bad about the rack, especially in those threadbare days.
Was Guy Andrews the guy who disappeared on the S Face of Aconcogua with Chuck Bloodworth (Lynnie's brother in law)?
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Juan Maderita
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Dec 17, 2007 - 11:22pm PT
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"Was Guy Andrews the guy who disappeared on the S Face of Aconcogua with Chuck Bloodworth (Lynnie's brother in law)?"
Yes.
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Dave Tapes
Trad climber
Silverado CA
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Dec 17, 2007 - 11:54pm PT
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Hey Dave E I heard that when you returned for the van, a family had moved in. Probably a blessing in disguise. There's a bunch of stories involving VW van epics down there.
The first time I went down there was with Jeff Elgar. His old VW van dropped the muffler going thruogh the dip about a mile from camp. Luckily we found some bailing wire (ubiquitous to Baja) at the nearby ranch ruins, a bit of flintstone engineering got the pieces back together. We did the Pan AM that trip with no topo.
Another time we were all sitiing around the campfire when Mugs Stumps and his significant other (I can't remember her name, Lora?) wandered into camp. They had fallen victim to bad directions and the "drive straight towards the crags" route finding technique. Their van was buried in the sand to the floorboards about a mile away. We all hiked over there and after unloading enough gear to climb El Cap, Everest and anything in between, we literaly picked up the van turned it around and with a collective shove Mugs drove out of the sand trap. They weren't the first to get stuck in that sand wash and I'm sure they weren't the last.
Late one Friday night as Tripper and I were hauling ass down the Rumerosa road, getting air in the gaint dips in the road, a pair of headlights come barreling around the corner. Barely avoiding a headon collision we watched a dirty VW Square Back lockin em up behind us. Recognizing John Freicks VW we punched it. He was lost and knew that his only hope was to follow us to camp. We knew that and did our best to lose him, the race was on. I knew the road really well and was able to drop him, but we felt bad and waited at the turn off for him to catch up. Love that place.
Dr. Fry, Jack Tripper, Jeff Elgar and I did the Gran a year or so before you an E did. Spring of 1984, I think. We went down there with a discription of the first pitch and pior experience from the Pan AM.
The way I remember it the crux aid pitch was low on the route. Jack led that pitch. Upon arriving at the belay bolt just below the famous roof, and just above a fair bit of hooking he gratfully clipped the bolt. Once on the bolt it promptly broke, dropping him onto a hook placement. Fortunatly the hook held the fall. Otherwise he would have gone for a pretty big fall! He was able to get up to the roof where a good crack provided sufficient anchors for a belay.
Then, it was my turn. I made the reach out the lip of the roof where a spinning bolt beckoned. After the scare Jack had, I jiggled the bolt just to check, it came out in my hand. This was the famous bolt that Hugh drilled while standing on Largos shoulders. At least thats how the ledgend goes. JL? Anyway I didn't have much choice but to tap the bolt back into the hole and get on it. We left it there for the next suckers.
The most memerable thing about that climb was the weather. It was like 30-40 degrees, the wind was blowing straight up the wall about 35-40 mile per hour. We didn't think we would ever be warm again. That night as we shivered on the Pancho Villes Bivy ledge (just enough room for two asses, and there was three of us) we watched a full moon come up over Laguna Salada Lake. Yes there was water in it back then. I have very vivid memories of the long reflection of moonlight stretching across the water.
The humorous bit was that the next morning, Jeff, in a bit of a stoner move, let the wind rip his sleeping bag out of his hands. It blew straight sideways some where into the south gully. Three weekd later when Jeff and I went down there to do the South East Butress, we found the missing bag! I think we did what DE E called the E butress. But thats another story.
I've been going down ther for 25 years, it's a really great place. Anybody that wants to go down there should. It's not that big a deal Just drive 23 miles south from La Rumerosa and look for the crags to the east. Wander around a bit (look out for the sand washes) and you'll find your way. In Baja the best technique for navigaiting is just look for roads going in the direction you need to go. Don't be afraid to drive in circles a bit.
But the cheater line, is to look on google earth and scope it out.
DW
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Dec 18, 2007 - 12:30am PT
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That thar is a real peach retrospective Mr Waverly Wonderly Dave Tapes Dude!
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Dave Tapes
Trad climber
Silverado CA
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Dec 18, 2007 - 12:37am PT
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Jeff I forgot to mention that I was driving the Crag Whore Van. Previously owned by the Leklinskies. I kmow I spelled that wrong. It was the famous red VW van with th porthole windows in the back.
The "Hotties" is what we, the lesser ones, called the socalled Stonemasters back then.
Actually I haven't been lurking just delinquent.
DW
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Dave Tapes
Trad climber
Silverado CA
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Dec 18, 2007 - 12:48am PT
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Roy, Baja and the Canyon Tahoe area is my favorite place. It's been a few years 4-5 since I actually climbed there, but I get down there several times a year.
Here's DE E in recent years at the Indian lookout Canyon Tahoe.
DW
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Juan Maderita
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Dec 18, 2007 - 01:36am PT
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Hey DW, how the hell are ya? Haven't seen you at the base camp fiestas in a few years.
"Another time we were all sitiing around the campfire when Mugs Stumps and his significant other (I can't remember her name, Lora?) wandered into camp."
That was Laura O'Brien. I climbed Tajo with her in 1975-ish. The last time I ran into her at Tajo, she mentioned that she had taken Mugs there.
Cheers,
John S.
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