Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
goatboy smellz
climber
boulder county
|
|
Good 'buster!
Keepin' it ALL in perspective.
{e!p}
|
|
dougs510
Social climber
down south
|
|
tube socks... too funny.
Man do I miss Yos.
Edit: Heather, your a pretty lady, and if you wanna go dirtbag for awhile, Hell, I'll quit my job and we'll be climbing bum's (the new, politically correct term for dirtbag). Then, you can write a book on climbing bums like my collage professer did when he went homeless for two years to really live the life... I'm game... after mucho cerveca tonight.. tomorrow, I may say F^&K it. Anyhow.
IMHO: the best climbers are what you refer to as "Dirtbags"... the truth is, they are the best because they climb incessently, without regard to funds... read John Kruckours book (Sorry for spelling, i'm drunk), "into the wild", or some of his stories of climbing the devils thumb solo. That's is a true blue, sold out climber.
Truth is, you will NOT find a "guide the tetons in the summer, go to patigonia in the winter" climber here... well, perhaps a few, but I suspect not many posting....HELL their climbing, and trying to get by to invest in the love of their life.
They don't post, cause their out there living it. If you don't get that, you are wasting your time trying to pry out what the true, sold out, commited to the core, climber is all about.
You will not find it here.
|
|
Standing Strong
Mountain climber
11_11*&*starz
|
|
hey heather, here's another post supporting you. that was lame of so many to be so rude to you. thank goodness folks like tarbousier came along!
holy mother of god. look at ron kauk! holy holy holy
i'm dyin'!!!
p.s. tube socks rock my socks!! this weekend my friend and i were shopping for tube socks with stripes and we couldn't find them ANYWHERE! WHY did they go out, they're so rad!!! they were for a halloween costume, my friend was going to go as a ping-pong champion.
|
|
hobo_dan
Trad climber
Minnesota
|
|
Some of the best days of my life were spent living out of a backpack, hitchhiking out west, riding freight trains and climbing until my money ran out. Showing up at an area and meeting people to climb with-having no idea who they were but locking on the assumption that they had something worth offering simply because they also were there to climb. And that assumption was almost always right.
the coolest I ever felt was after climbing when we would be walking back to camp with taped hands, a stolen scrub suit shirt from the hospital on my back, and that peculiar smell of my sweat mixed with fear that comes from climbing.
I wish anyone those feelings. They were the best.
|
|
Melissa
Gym climber
berkeley, ca
|
|
I think a lot of coffees get swiped and OE's get drunk by people who do so not b/c they are on a budget, but b/c that's what real dirtbags do. In those cases, it seems to me to be more about fitting into an image than having a minimal or materially detached experience.
|
|
Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
|
|
I have walked in both worlds.
Each teaches you to appreciate the other.
|
|
Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
|
|
Nice Ron-
Lean and poignant.
|
|
H. Lea
Trad climber
Canada
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 2, 2006 - 05:22pm PT
|
Cheers, Standing Strong :)
And shucks dougs510....I'll keep that in mind, thanks.
To everyone...this little spot on ST is providing me with a wealth of information. Thanks ever so much! (Even you guys from the start) :)
|
|
Standing Strong
Mountain climber
11_11*&*starz
|
|
i think stealing is wrong, corporation or no. that's basic preschool stuff. and did someone make o.e. kewl as joke?
u know, i think it sounds like if you were going to "dirtbag" it it would prolly be best to quit your caffiene addiction beforehand so you don't have to worry about coffee. it's such a waste of money. guilty pleasure for sure!
|
|
RRK
Trad climber
Talladega, Al
|
|
dougs510 invested the majority of his roadtrip money in whiskey and women (I presume that you wasted the rest). You are my hero. We've gotta get that Bigboy climbing club going, the rockrats are taking over.
I met my lifelong best friend and climbing buddy while trying to slip out of Linveille Gorge (past the ticket-cops) in a pouring rainstorm wondering where I ws going to scrounge up a climbing partner for the next day. I walked past a guy camping next to a prehistoric Dodge with his tent tied firmly to a "No Camping" sign and Doc Watson blaring from 1 blown out speaker. Something told me grab a brew and take a seat (PBR I think). Been getting vertical together for 30 years. At the time he had an antique airstream parked on the side of a mountain with cold running water, no electricity and kerosene light (bivy palace) He worked 2 days a week as a waiter and climbed the rest. I was a student which meant that I had tons of free time. Oh the good old days. But these days ain't bad either.
RRK
|
|
James
climber
A tent in the redwoods
|
|
"I think a lot of coffees get swiped and OE's get drunk by people who do so not b/c they are on a budget, but b/c that's what real dirtbags do. In those cases, it seems to me to be more about fitting into an image than having a minimal or materially detached experience."
Dilettantes give real dirtbags a bad name.
|
|
mdavid
Big Wall climber
CA, CO, TX
|
|
There are very few people living the dream of removing the crap we surround our lives with that give it less meaning.
dirtbag seems syntacticly incorrect; I long for a time when my responsibilities can be thrown aside and I can adventure.
|
|
Landgolier
climber
the flatness
|
|
I've got too much family to ever say I've had it all on the line, but man I miss not owning more stuff than would fit in my car.
Oh well, at least I get paid to read these days. Grad student life may bring me back to dirtbaggery yet.
|
|
hooblie
climber
from where the anecdotes roam
|
|
|
Sep 29, 2010 - 09:46am PT
|
my buddy knows the dismantling business. he tangled with a neighbor who turned him into the county for his dozen wrecks. we spent a good bit of the summer accumulating the 120 of 'em that it took to make it worthwhile to ship a crusher up from phoenix and a convoy of big rigs to haul away the spoils. the scene is 20 square miles that i lovingly refer to as the "rez" for the rest of us.
smash the roofs of two sedans and load them crossways on my flatbed. grab a cadillac from behind and toss it on top, no need to tie 'em down just use granny gear crossing the wash. when you get to the pile, chain up the front rig and drive out from under the group, no red tape or safety measures. it passed for a community clean-up but it was dirty work, and my idea of a good time.
the neighbor got more than he bargained for, and hasn't squeeked since.
he warn't dealing wit no dabbler dirtbags
we wanted the 30' chassis out from under a tired old 5th wheel travel trailer.
the hoe made quick work of the house, plucking the insulation
out of the bushes took a while
|
|
donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
|
|
|
Sep 29, 2010 - 09:55am PT
|
You haven't earned the real "Dirtbag" appellation until you've reached that unfortunate point in life where you realize you don't have, and will never have, a pot to piss in.
|
|
Charlie D.
Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
|
|
|
Sep 29, 2010 - 10:30am PT
|
^^^indeed JD, it certainly separates those from whom have a trust they don't speak of.
|
|
Spider Savage
Mountain climber
SoCal
|
|
|
Sep 29, 2010 - 10:35am PT
|
I think a lot of people could never handle being a real dirtbag. Too materialistic. Afraid to get their hands dirty.
I've tasted that wine. Moved to LA from N. Idaho in '78 with nothing more than a backpack & $17. Camped in Griffith Park until I could pull it together.
It wasn't a true dirt-bag experience because I did it on-purpose.
|
|
pedge
Trad climber
SW
|
|
|
Sep 29, 2010 - 10:35am PT
|
People said I was living the dirtbag life when I had no other residence than my vehicle (for years at a time). If that’s all it means, its not really interesting enough to talk about. I think some climbers, living life with great enthusiasm and spirit have inspired many of us to try to live that way ourselves, in part through climbing, in part through being open to any adventure. But when you try to distill what some individuals had and encouraged within a group into something along the lines of a material-status definition, you are missing the point. Some people cruise around in big RVs without any other residence, but with lots of invested wealth to back them up. Some people spending their lives climbing and living out of their rigs have secure families to back them up if something goes wrong. Some people climb when they can but dutifully maintain the image and life they need to keep the jobs that will lead to the sort of financial security that no one in their family has. Sometimes these are the people who are most alive, the most open and on the biggest adventure, despite their non-dirtbag lifestyle. Its how people relate to the world and others that is important, not where they sleep. That said, I think the article could be great. It is worthwhile to remind people, especially young people, that there are alternatives when out in the world to paying for everything and sleeping in hotels or paid campgrounds. It can be inspiring to hear stories about how far and how long people have been able to go on the money others spend on a single weekend trip.
|
|
justthemaid
climber
Jim Henson's Basement
|
|
|
Sep 29, 2010 - 10:55am PT
|
Holy thread bump. LOL I suspect the article is long gone.
Dirtbag? It was said on page one.
Tucker is The One. He needs only beer, chacos, his garden and climbing.
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!