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mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
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Feb 10, 2011 - 03:21am PT
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Thanks Scott, that puts a real world wrap on Walt for me.
Stick around for a while!
Cheers
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
bouldering
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Feb 10, 2011 - 04:13am PT
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(Dan) Rather credited the newsreel footage to freelancer "Walt Shipley". I was stunned to hear that, asking myself: "Could it be!?" I just lurk here huh, but I've never heard anything about Walt filming, or traveling outside of the western hemisphere. Would love to say "I stand corrected" tho, if needs be. Good post to a great thread Scott. Really appreciate it.
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east side underground
Trad climber
Hilton crk,ca
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Feb 10, 2011 - 10:51am PT
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bump for climbing ledgends- RIP Walt
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Feb 10, 2011 - 11:19am PT
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Walt was in Afghanistan for sure. He happened to be on a mission when a friend I studied Hindi with got hepititus or something and died in the field. Strange coincidence, I knew them from different worlds entirely and heard about it on the evening news and later from Walt.
Peace
Karl
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can't say
Social climber
Pasadena CA
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Feb 10, 2011 - 11:43am PT
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hoipolloi
climber
A friends backyard with the neighbors wifi
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Feb 10, 2011 - 11:55am PT
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Just did Re-Animator last weekend.
I guess he was the man behind the insanely reachy rivets.
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WBraun
climber
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Feb 10, 2011 - 12:58pm PT
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That Afghanistan job was really for me but I didn't want to go at that time.
When Hoover told me I'm going to Afghanistan I ducked and Walt was standing behind me so I told Hoover "Walt's going!!! LOL
Hoover was kind of irked about that but I told him Walt's bomber and he should take him in my place.
LOL ..... Walt didn't have a clue what he was getting into ......
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ryankelly
Trad climber
el portal
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Dec 24, 2011 - 02:22pm PT
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never met him.
but its good to hear these stories.
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mctwisted
Trad climber
e.p.
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we were freezing are butts off on this trip, so at one point i grabbed some latex gloves out of my first aid kit. we had to be really careful not to poke holes in them, we only had the two pairs. they were so valuable for the warmth of out hands. we found this great small cave (with firewood) to wait out a snowstorm that started later that afternoon
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Gagner
climber
Boulder
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I really miss Walt - he was always a loyal and fun person to climb with and be around. We had a ton of fun adventures together over the years, from drinking oil cans and leering in front of the deli to soloing in the Valley to routes in the Meadows to climbing in Patagonia.....
See you on the other side my friend .... Miss you a ton
Paul
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Captain...or Skully
climber
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Yeah, Ol' Walt, man. Like a barrelful of monkeys on fire.
I couldn't imagine climbing with him. I'd die for sure.
Here's to ya, man.
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bob
climber
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Its pretty cool to me that my last multi-pitch routes in the Valley were in part, Walt's free creations. I never met Walt, though I'm sure I would have if he stayed around. Thanks for the vision bro.
Bob Jensen
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Risk
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
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Every time I get reminded of Walt's passing (quite often), I cringe in sorrow for a friend lost too soon. RIP, my friend.
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WBraun
climber
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One year he had sheets of blotter.
It was his 3 day plan year.
Every third day he had a blotter.
OMFG !!!..... what a year that was ..... and some of the stories are unfit for print ....
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Psilocyborg
climber
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There must be one or two from this blotter year that are indeed fit for print!
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DF
climber
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Found this forum today and while I am not a climber, I knew Walt at Fresno State. We were in the mechanical engineering (ME) program together and I spent the last 2 years in ME with Walt. When I read the postings in this forum about Walt it was clear that those that knew him caught what he was about. He was one unique mofo, that is the only way I can put it. I thought I would add my experience to the record to show a side of Walt that I knew and add to his complexity but make no mistake about Walt, if you were his friend, you were his friend. I did not know he did anything in Afghanistan, that was news to me but I did not know anything about Walt from about 1980 till his death.
I remember him telling me a story about how he climbed either Half Dome or El Cap in Yosemite and that at the time he was on LSD. I was shocked and I said Walt, you are effing nuts and he said yeah. But Walt loved climbing and he definitely enjoyed his drugs at the time.
As an engineering student, I can only say that I thought he was brilliant. Just before an engineering class test, Walt knew that I would go to the University's library and study inside a study room we had there. This was my habit and he knew he would find me there for just about every test. So he would pop in and say "Don, oh man I have been partying and have not been studying, what is on the test?" I said "Walt didn't you do the homework?" and he would reply "Don, I have just been to busy with other things" so I would go over some things with him and write some of the engineering concepts on the blackboard and damn it, he would go in and ace the test and generally pull the curve for the class. Either I am a damn fine college level engineering teacher or he was just effing brilliant. I go with the latter....
All of us in that mechanical engineering group were pretty close as students and we all knew Walt as a lovable/intense loon, best way to describe him. Also Walt lived in a van at least for one semester, I don't know if that is the same van described earlier or not.
By the way, the last time I saw Walt was in my apt in the Bay Area after we had both graduated and he was working at Lockheed, probably in 1980. He was designing unfolding arm elements for satellites there. But that last time, he was likely high or drunk as he thought my little dog was a big rat and he was was chasing our dog around in the apt, thinking he was protecting our baby. My wife had enough and wanted Walt to leave. That was the last time I heard about Walt until one of my fellow alums called and told me Walt was lost in a rafting accident up in the mountains near Fresno.
Anyway, just thought I would add this to this forum, adding another bit of flavor to the Walt I knew.
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zip
Trad climber
pacific beach, ca
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