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mouse from merced

Trad climber

The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.

Topic Author's Reply - Sep 26, 2016 - 02:48pm PT

slicing watermelon is sometimes dangerous
slice at your own risk
wear shark gloves next time, Tim

zBrown

Ice climber

Sep 26, 2016 - 02:49pm PT

Welcome back.

Baby doll is in black

Oh what can we do?

mouse from merced

Trad climber

The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.

Topic Author's Reply - Sep 26, 2016 - 03:27pm PT

to do nothing is futile
to do nothing about nothing is cool
to do something about nothing is impossible
nothing exists
nothing does not exist
WTF?

Stagg's chili is the best single-man chow i have found
it is better than the "top brand"
it is fine and dandy cold out of the can with a plastic spoon from degnans's or the lodge caf
it is ambrosia when heated in the can & scarfed at the campfire

Mexican sardines are three to a can for ninety-nine cents
the tomato sauce therein is piquant but not spicy hot
remember to bring a can opener next time but someone generally has one, so...

let's all hool at the mown
i heard some bird
out in the wood this morn
not-an-owl said get up or miss the bus

hustle slowly
one thing at a time
pack it right the first time
here comes GLee
he packs parachutes and the tent is soon twice as small as i'd ever get it
THANKS, Greg, you are amazing

sure wish Vegas Climber could have stuck around longer
he needed to be back for an archery tourney
new guitar, big sound, real fine playing, too
THANKS, Travis, you Dylanesque troubador

so many to thank

Jim or Jay from Pedro
at the raffle the other night, i left to go to C4 to see Glen Denny's presentation
from there i headed back to Jello Pine CG to rest, foregoing the raffle
my name was called for a light vest but i'm obviously not present to win
everyone sighs - tries to cover, but rules apply
so Jim's name's called and he has a heart of gold
later, nita came up and related the news
later, Jim did the same
later, someone said the same
later, another told me the tale
later, Jim asks me to guess who won the vest
three tries and it dawns that it must be him
yep that's right
hey, how often does it happen in one night?
it fit, it's Kuhl, it's mine

so on Sunday at the last raffle, Jim wins ladies's size 4 pants
he trucks around at the dinner in the eats auditorium trying to trade
this morning he tells me he was successful, with a patagucci top in an outrageous color
the gal with whom he made the trade had only a single pair of pants
very cool all around
THANKS, JIM FROM PEDRO
(that was some great smoke, too!)

THANKS, SPIDER!!
always nice to hear the sound of happy eyes

my beans were a success
gone in twenty minutes at meatfest
i'm dubbing them PATIO PINNACLE PINTOS
with a bottle of Mammoth Brewery's double nut brown added
courtesy of Cragman
and courtesy of Lisa and BooDawg, fresh homegrown tomatoes, fresh jalapenos, too

bell peppers from the village store provided by Barbarian, along with two cans of diced tomatoes

stove provided by Leslie the Lovely

beans, beans, the musical fruit
Woot-woot-woot!!!!!

mouse from merced

Trad climber

The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.

Topic Author's Reply - Sep 26, 2016 - 11:13pm PT

Thoughtishness

Memory winks

Where to begin?

A walk in the dark...the C4 shuttle stop to Yellow Pine, no light.

Headlamp fail, battery no mo. Got one the day after from Fattrad.

This was the second night, Tuesday, following the Reel Rock.

The night before I'd left the shuttle stop at the 4 Mile Trail and hauled my gear in fits and starts, enjoying the dark and the quiet, into Yellow Pine and parked myself.

Ta-da! THAT was a cheap thrill. Too bad I trusted the battery. Spares are nice.

So here I am, camera and a canvas book bag with this n' that, slowly finding the paved trail, hesitating whenever the foot strayed the least bit from firmness, getting some night vision, but there are lots of shadows from the trees.

The moon's not nearly up. The quiet is intense. I sit and listen to the shadows. I gaze up at a starless sky...it's overcast and we will be rained upon tomorrow. I know it sure as I'm here alone.

I proceed slowly. Here's the meadow, trying to glow, but it's not there.

Another short tunnel. What's that? Voices from up the trail. A group of walkers and a guide, doing a no-lights excursion. They are talking about vampires as I speak out of the shadows, "On the right!"

They all jump out of their skins and some shriek and it was so much fun!

I got on the bridge, alone. Except for the voices of the waters of the Merced under my feet.

I became a night moth. I flew to the tops of the trees and saw the glow of the moon.

I rejoined myself on the two-way road with no traffic and traipsed down the same road I'd come in on the night before.

I kept humming the song I'd heard at Reel Rock, Dodo's Delight.[Click to View YouTube Video]

mouse from merced

Trad climber

The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.

Topic Author's Reply - Sep 27, 2016 - 02:36am PT

Banned Like the Mad Bolter
I seem to collect mutts. The Mad Bolter showed up at the volunteers meeting in Yellow Pine on Tuesday morning, though he's not one of the core group, simply an individual litter picker-upper.

He's been to several Facelifts in the past and he's now officially banned from participating at all as a signed-and-sealed volunteer.

Tom Roher has been a pain in the butt to the Facelift volunteers in the past, and he was just as bad this time, hanging around the booths and going behind them to talk to me and insinuate himself among the workers, telling awful puns, and making it hard to move around him when it's busy, and so on.

This time he broke the camel's back by some crudity which a young lady whose veracity is unquestioned and whose indignation was such that she had to make the complaint against the old codger.

It led to a difficult situation and it came to a head over the weekend.

The lead ranger for Facelift, Heather Booth, took him aside and gave him the low-down. He will be prosecuted if he shows up around the area of the Visitors' Center when Facelift is in progress, or something very much like it.

Heather is one of the most diplomatic persons you'd like to meet, but when it comes to the law, she's strict. I even got the word about pipe smoking in the mall area from her. It's not just frowned upon, but illegal.

The clingon wanted a belayer for the Energizer Bunny, a 5.12 at Church Bowl, so I had nothing going after the volunteers' meeting, so I grabbed the harness, etc., and we jammed in his car (the old beast of a truck quit on him, but the front seat's floorboard is littered with tools and junk, there is an old ice axe strapped in on the transmission hump, and Mozart is available on request.

The lot at Church Bowl was full, and the climb was put off till the next day, but I realized that I'd much rather be at the booths early than to go with Tom, so when he came over that morning I made the excuse (some truth in it, so no real foul) that my lack of sleep was catching up, that I had a commitment to the Facelift, and we would have to do something else.

We later went to visit the monument to Dr. Lafayette Bunnel by Bridalveil meadow right on the river. It's a beautiful spot for a monument. The walk is great in the not-quite-rain. Barbarian took himself over there on my recommendation the next day.

So the Mad Bolter's like many who want in and can't be in. They make themselves pests. Tom's modus operandi, according to those who know, is the same...attach himself to someone initially, and take it as far as he can.

I was told that no blame attached to me, that it's just Tom's way and that I need not feel responsible in any way for his actions. That felt good.

Hell, Tom was a joke long ago in the early seventies and was avoided by the climbing populace, so this is nothing new.

Tom's skin is thick. And he's a brilliant man, which simply means he'll be back, so stay tuned.

mouse from merced

Trad climber

The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.

Topic Author's Reply - Sep 27, 2016 - 03:44am PT

The Facelift got underway on Wednesday a.m. I was late reporting in for work my first day on the job. So fire me, I'm only a volunteer.

Tuesday morning, following my late night arrival at Yellow Pine CG, where I bivied near the bear boxes under the stars, I'd gotten up and stashed my gear in a box and took a very pleasant walk along the river to Swinging Bridge.

At the Lodge Caf I treated myself to pancakes and coffee. The coffee was Peets and just too bitter. Later I questioned the guy setting up the next brew and he told me some things.

It may be Peets but the way it's brewed first thing in the morning is not for public consumption. You're better off not knowing.

The Mad Bolter was there, so I grabbed a seat at his table, where he was having a conversation with a young NPS-er. We sat and jawed. Good cakes.

Tom Evans came by and we exchanged hellos. He was headed out to the meadow later with friends, so it was hi and bye. Never laid eyes on him the rest of the week.

So I made my way to the booths at the mall and signed in, then began working in the weigh-in booth, sorting and getting acquainted with the folks there.

This was very heavy work, bending over to look at things, checking for artifacts, always with an eye on who was coming to take litter grabbers, bags, safety vests, and disposable gloves.

I did my share of sorting, as much as my body could take, but eventually I tired and my efforts went to welcoming and thanking and equipping those who wanted to go pick up trash.

Eric Gabel and Brian were next door, along with Michia, letting people know where to go to look for trash, and recording our called-out weights.

We told everyone to be back by 4 p.m. as we needed to sort and weigh and get a final daily tonnage to report to the assembled crowd awaiting the raffle.

I got many photos of eager volunteers and this was apparently a good place for me. I found a good job, made friends, and helped out in a manner befitting my age and physical condition.

Next morning I felt really tip-top and got lots of trash sorted before my body said to quit.

One night, I guess it was Friday, I awoke on the hard ground with a terrible pain in my upper back, making it impossible to sleep, hard to take full breaths, and causing me a lot of anxiety.

Would I need to go to the clinic? They were closed on weekends and the staff was on call, so that was sketchy. I thought hard and did some vaguely yoga stretches inside the tent. I dosed with pain reliever and tried to sleep.

The funny thing is that after the first day, Wednesday, I had slept like a log.

Well, soldier on, I thought. You ain't backin' down from this. You are a tough old codger down under and let's get the show on the road. So I managed okay that day and the next, taking care not to do any heavy lifting and letting the younger folks do that.

Not just the younger folks, either, for there was Jeff from Mammoth, a tireless guy who always had energy to burn and a cheerfulness that never failed. It was great working with this guy all week.

And Jeremiah Simpson, another dynamo, came in on Friday morning, adding to the staff his experience and eagerness. They more than made up for my inablity.

And young Miss Emily, she was there for three days but had to leave. She was a bundle of energy and a good organizer.

Then there was Nick, who I loved to BS with and who had a sense of humor and energy to burn that made me wish I were younger.

And John, the other young stalwart, was bopping here and there and remained all week, along with Nick, Jeff, and myself.

Of all who worked the weigh-in area, Ranger Amanda, a fully-accredited archaeologist, knew the most and held sway with her brand of smarts and a store of knowledge I envied.

I expect she may be in YNP for a time, but her specialty will call her to some other park sooner or later. Hope to see her again next year.

When all is said an done, it was a team effort, a synergy in motion, directed by Ken and George and Heather. I enjoyed watching it and being a part of it.

Next year, I'm thinking of running a project instead of being at the booths. I'd like to get out and accomplish something of a different nature.

The pot's boiling on this one and it needs a great deal of thinking. It's all about moving cobbles and boulders from a culvert under the Sentinel Creek bridge on Southside Drive. One of the two is half full of debris while the other is clear.

I shall see what the NPS is going to do about it, if anything, and take it from there.

It could be brute work. Where to put the boulders? That is the question.

I can see a line of climbers and others carrying baskets of rock on balance poles going to place them in a low wall some place, just like Chinese canal workers with mud buckets building a dike.

The good thing is that it's close by Yellow Pine, so we could all head there for lunch and beers.

Sleep comes not to Middle Earth tonight. Think I'll read some of "Valley Walls."

Gnome Ofthe Diabase

climber

Out Of Bed

Sep 27, 2016 - 03:59am PT

Readin' anon & on & 0n. The one thing, in edit now, back to say
We come in three kinds all three in one from time to time.
Unbearable to one or two or un-bear able, yet considered fun
And no fun and un ban able but shunned.

Image result for a cur, dog, definition
A quick look in the dictionary will show us that cur means a mangy mongrel or a crossbred dog. However over the past century the usage of the word has come to have a different meaning. A Cur is a type, group, or family of dog. (
What Is A "Cur" Dog? - Cat's Cradle Catahoulas
http://www.catscradlecatahoulas.com › html

Funny, I was, yesterday, checking if the unfixed
Was a Cur
No it is a mutt

Still and still and I need a sthil
To cut thru

Got to go pay hills bills

",.,.,.,.,.,..,.,.,.,..,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,,,,.,..,,.,.,.,.,,.l.,,,,..,,!?!???.?!?!L??zzn

Got it, gone . . What follows came first and in tj, in the middle that shoulda' been JTree

Conscience conscious ness . . . Nuff said!
http://youtu.be/FMA3lIeqV8M

TAKE IT EASIER than before, or it will all end up in a war ,

if you behold it it may come true

or join me,

I lose snap boxes as fast as some lose girls,
women left me at an inordinately Regular rate
when I was svelt cute and great
Oh the strut back then I strode!
Twelves were no thing
I need that big one,
Artificial Intelligence !

Now down graded ?
Oh of course?!
It really
Is a
13
5
Killer jive that it is now graded 12d

Oh my,
The very he like she, always left my skirts twisted.
But I could claim that after work
Or in the sandy dirt I had climbed the top grade
The very top whan. A single
chosen for its non height dependent crux.

Tweeky crimps and a short by pass thigh over to the roof shingle
A pad hung at the wrong. Low angle

'Course I got all fresh faced and like a kid
when we did get to dance,
trouble tying shoes,
Pulled like normal?
Broken lace
F bomb
I face the music
Take my place

And belay
A fall from grace

as I remember those blues.
She had past being cute.
I was hitching,
now that might make her
remember
those bubbles, luffa, Raffa?
The pleasure was all hers,
I was cold not in the water
Stream

Impossible to take it back I'm glad that I never broke my back!
Hold old hippie, even though you're no longer that
Just go
Get uncurved
there's no marine corps to the rescue
Just a SAR guy Hooves we've all been thankful for
Hero is that good and not descriptive.
that 'ill get you to be back in folds of dust .
we will see
You through

There is no way to add other than to say; while driving out of a parking lot a man went down.
What caused it and his condition I never saw. He just Crumpeled . . .
His head bounced off the pavement with that sickening thud sound. He was attended to by many at the instant, we, my wife and I did not stop. . . . . .we both felt the tug to jump in,
it was two o'clock and the school bus would already be rolling before we got home.
The rescue call I made made us feel worse for not staying. There would have been no reason. We were due to be other places. Rationalization but true to responsibilities.
[Click to View YouTube Video]

Now I've had a day from well it rhymes backed the soon to be bought back V-dub diesel
Into a plug branch and popped the rear widow
SMASHED?
Now I'm being schooled as to weather Cayman Brac is a sport climbing destination!
Anonymity be damnd the cat is 61 yrs young , living in haze heaven ....

This is my thoughts I ay or may not it is not clear that I'm going to reply

If you must you must, but my knowing what I'm talking about and your reading comprehension seem to have led to a confrontational response.
Great that you recommend it. I wonder
If you have a place there or a financial intrest in the island in some way?
then maybe I can see why you would make the recommendation.
As to fitting in to a question for a top ten of areas.?
You certainly schooled me !
I'm not going to try to do the same for you
The story was published in one of the two magazines in th 1990s ( rock& Ice )
Then there was the climbing accident there?
It involved a father & daughter from the east coast, it may have been a grigri failure ?

Again I'm not in Colorado, I often wish I were,
but my memory is not sharp on some things
Especially if they have very little chance of having any bearing on my life.

I have no interest in what your intrest in recommending a climbing trip to the island might be.

I simply said it used to be a great way to break up a diving vacation . Without mentioning the entitled trips I've made it o the region.
Nor making any derogatory comments.

I was Infact very impressed and felt that I was helping to recommend the Web site. A clear misunderstanding.
Sorry to have ruffled your feathers would you like me to retract something I said or enhance my post
to be more supportive ?

My days of this sort of tripe are near their end.
Glory to you and all you do if that is what is important to you. It is not why I post.
I'm thoughtful and concerned, I only hinted at the known, to me, concerns.
Have a better day, mine is going down hill fast thanks for that

mouse from merced

Trad climber

The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.

Topic Author's Reply - Sep 27, 2016 - 08:18am PT

Curious Curry was in a hurry
Ford cars ran without a worry
Said Curry to Murray
"It sounds so purry,
Let's creep up to the valley
using only chains and little cat feet."
Said Murray back to Curry,
"Shotgun!"

This just in.

Camera found.

I'm bound

for the YARTS office

& dee's guys are on the run to Yosemite, circa 1940.

The Gilmore run
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J5gA7nMp5k

hooblie

climber

from out where the anecdotes roam

Sep 27, 2016 - 08:33am PT

wooOOoot!!

mouse from merced

Trad climber

The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.

Topic Author's Reply - Sep 27, 2016 - 02:47pm PT

Hey kids!!!!
On our stage tonight, a really big shew with The Japantics.

Gnome Ofthe Diabase

climber

Out Of Bed

Sep 27, 2016 - 04:55pm PT

Providence nd clean living have served up you well ! glad for that! I'm the lucky guy who cracked his rear widow smash an now need to get Glass.
Ive also got to get some
it not as much fun as piping up at the mall around dusk or so,,, but it is now fresh showing that I'm paying for wet, but it is an honor to go to the crib. I am a bit scared of getting shot
as no one knows me in the murkey halls.

Dick Dale Surf Guitar thing, givin , up some history from a start in '54

[Click to View YouTube Video]

kinda' wierd story at the start, a shotgun shack in Quincey Mass. Is hardly a "Diliverance" type of location.

Bushman

climber

The state of quantum flux

Sep 27, 2016 - 11:00pm PT

Mr HOA...president elect

He's got big plans to be so dominant
In the HOA where he's prominent
With his phony smile this resident
Sells Trump bumper stickers for president

Rubbing shoulders with all the clans
The golfing ladies in their tans
Don't piss of the republican
If you do you'd better plan

On bringing legal counsel proper
His lawsuits often are a whopper
The self appointed vigilante copper
Surveils you if you own a chopper

Or you happen to be brown
He'll always prove that he's a clown
A weasel who should stay in town
He rarely lets his cover down

He always has his can of mace
Don't punch this poser in the face
If you don't want to lose your place
Just walk away there's no disgrace

The world is full of fools like this
Attuned to every slight or dis
God forbid you have to take a piss
On his front lawn but that would be bliss

He would scream and shout
And try to run you out
Of the community with his clout
And his ugly little piggy snout

But you don't need to worry
Time goes by so fast it will be blurry
But the world's not in a hurry
For such pettiness so small and furry

Mr homeowners association man
You could fit right in the klu klux klan
What you need takes great elan
But you're doing the best you can

-Tim Sorenson

mouse from merced

Trad climber

The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.

Topic Author's Reply - Sep 28, 2016 - 12:46am PT

#Neverbeenmarried!!!!

Colby B - Kim L - Kelsey R - Sarah S
Outside YNP Visitors' Center
Yosemite Facelift 2016

mouse from merced

Trad climber

The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.

Topic Author's Reply - Sep 28, 2016 - 01:03am PT

neebee

Social climber

calif/texas

Sep 28, 2016 - 01:19am PT

hey there say, mouse... wow, thanks to god's grace, wow!!! you got the ol' camera!

great facelift report here, too...

got to go sleep, am helping ursula tomorrow... :)

mouse from merced

Trad climber

The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.

Topic Author's Reply - Sep 28, 2016 - 03:46am PT

I'm probably going to hell, but what the hell...

Delhi Dog

climber

Good Question...

Sep 28, 2016 - 04:03am PT

Timid TopRope getting over his stage fright.

Wait!

I've never know TT to ever have 'stage fright".
And I've know him for...hmmm, at least 36 years...

I REALLY did miss something if that was the case:-)

mouse from merced

Trad climber

The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.

Topic Author's Reply - Sep 28, 2016 - 04:20am PT

I've caught me a Delhi Dog! Woot!

He's just reviving from his debilitating malaise which prevented him from picking all day long.

Litter picking, that is. No kidding, he wasn't himself till later that day when everyone started coming over for the meats n' eats.

He stayed in camp all day.

They served up some big dogs, too!

The Cashners and TTR.
Meatfest 2016
MFM