New and Experienced climbers over 50 #21

Lori Milaswrote:

Russ, what few words did you leave behind for your obit? 

None.  I was going to live.  If it got down to it, I would have overpowered my partner and taken his clothes, Olde English, and the Power Bar he was warming in his butt crack.  I'm a survivor. 

Super cool temps this weekend, 47 on Sunday morning and windy and overcast at the remote crag we are developing.   Finally sent this, was using bad beta on the top boulder problem and having trouble in the blasting sun.  I thought harder at first but “only” 12d with the new beta. 13 bolts, super classic.  Thanks to my brother Chris for the belay (s).

Russ Wallingwrote:

None.  I was going to live.  If it got down to it, I would have overpowered my partner and taken his clothes, Olde English, and the Power Bar he was warming in his butt crack.  I'm a survivor. 

Great. I just blew brew all over my computer. I didn't lose it 'till the power bar in the butt crack. That one blindsided me. 

Sweet route, Ward.  Good for you.  Stil cranking hard I see :)

Russ Wallingwrote:

Here's an epic trip report:  Native Son trip report

That was quite possibly more epic than Touching the Void.  I lost count of the number of “almost died” moments.

Here's a little epic tale (excerpted from the Risk Management chapter of my book Advanced Rock Climbing):

In 1980 my partner and I started up the Salathe Wall of El Capitan, planning to veer off up higher and climb the infamous Shield route—a smooth, overhanging headwall of granite climbed via a 600-foot incision that splits the wall.

On our way up the Free Blast, the first twelve pitches of the Salathe Wall up to Mammoth Terrace, we climbed smoothly and efficiently, and in no time, we were only a few pitches shy of the terrace, where we planned to bivy. Suddenly I heard faint calls for help, muffled by the afternoon breeze.

Soon, from the valley floor, came a broadcast through a bullhorn: “Climbers approaching Mammoth Terrace. If you can hear us, raise your right arm.” It was YOSAR, the Yosemite Search and Rescue team rangers, who had their telescope trained on us. The conversation went back and forth like a game of charades: "Climbers on Mammoth Terrace, if you're in need of a rescue, raise your right arm." When we reached the ledge and found the two climbers, they looked strung out. They’d been up there for two nights, with no food or water. One of the guys had stretched out his T-shirt down to his ankles, and he looked cold and grim. The first thing he said was “You don’t smoke, do you?” And I didn’t.

Their goal had been to climb the Triple Direct route, then base jump off the top, although one of them confessed he had "limited climbing experience" and had only been climbing for six months. They planned on fixing lines down from Heart Ledge, but they made a serious mistake by loading five ropes into a single pack. The nonredundant strap on their pack broke, leaving them only one rope—and no food or water.

With various questions via bullhorn from YOSAR and various responses with raised arms from us, we agreed to assist the stranded climbers. 

We agreed to abandon our climb and rappel with the two unfortunates to the ground. Down on the valley floor they proceeded to give me their rack as a gift, and swore they’d never climb again.

Afterward, YOSAR chief John Dill asked if I’d like to join him for dinner. After a thorough debrief John asked if I’d like to join the YOSAR team. I guess my partner and I saved them a lot of work.

And so began a serendipitous period in my life where I worked to help hapless climbers who’d been in accidents. The perks: free unlimited camping at the Camp 4 rescue site in addition to high wages during actual rescues.

Bob, that may have been epic for the boys you rescued but I don't think you can use that as an epic.  We know you have better tales to tell.

Russ Wallingwrote:

None.  I was going to live.  If it got down to it, I would have overpowered my partner and taken his clothes, Olde English, and the Power Bar he was warming in his butt crack.  I'm a survivor. 

The newpaper quote is classic, "Walling said he was in "mint condition" after the rescue about 5pm." 

Good thing I'm between coffee refills...

Great storied Guy, Kriss, RG, Bob and  Russ. Russ's climb would have been epic without the storm.. 

I finally was able to get out for a short hike this morning and just felt flooded with peace. I believe summer is my favorite season here because it’s so quiet and so endless, I have the place all to myself. I can head out in any direction and find new stuff and just roam. It seems to sometimes hinge on the music and this morning I was listening to U2 which reminded me of the album Joshua tree and made me wonder why we don’t have more routes from those songs.

I bumped into a very scared hiker on the loop who was sure he was seriously lost.  That was me 2 years ago!  I offered to walk him back to his car… he didn’t want that. But I do know how easy it is to get lost here when you are just 50 yards from your car. He was in a total panic.  

I’ve been thinking about climbing a lot, too, and some of the deeper things I’ve done for my health are restoring some energy I haven’t felt in a long time. I may even give up my insulin pump for a while and go back to injections just to be free of all the gadgets. I think gadgets have weighed me down.  While I was so sick in Northern California I took some time to review everything that has been prescribed and recommended for my health and considered whether any of it has done any good. (For me or Tony) I decided to pack all but the most essential few supplements, protein powders shakes herbs and potions and haul them out to the shed. I think I can move on.  I think I have whatever I need right here in nature provided I can also get back out onto the rock here and there this summer.

I understand back in the day Yosemite  climbers would have a an El Cap day here in Joshua Tree, or a Half Dome day.  If Half Dome is 23 pitches perhaps I could shoot for Half a Half Dome day… sounds like a Starbucks order “I’ll have a Half-Half Dome Latte”.    

so finally had the follow up for my MRI from a few weeks ago. looks like i had compression fractures i two vertebrae which would explain the slow healing process and all the pain. 

Very stylish hat, Lori.

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

so finally had the follow up for my MRI from a few weeks ago. looks like i had compression fractures i two vertebrae which would explain the slow healing process and all the pain. 

Whoa.  Stay healthy Nick!

phylp phylpwrote:

That was quite possibly more epic than Touching the Void.  I lost count of the number of “almost died” moments.

I love the quote in the LA Times article: "It was grimsville up there." Classic Russ!

Lori Milaswrote:

I understand back in the day Yosemite climbers would have a an El Cap day here in Joshua Tree, or a Half Dome day. If Half Dome is 23 pitches perhaps I could shoot for Half a Half Dome day… sounds like a Starbucks order “I’ll have a Half-Half Dome Latte”.   

The amount of climbing would depend on if it was by vertical feet of climbing or pitches.  Half a Half Dome day would be 1100 feet.  

phylp phylpwrote:

The amount of climbing would depend on if it was by vertical feet of climbing or pitches.  Half a Half Dome day would be 1100 feet.  

Thanks, Phylp.  It’s a pretty intriguing idea to climb 1100 feet in a day.  I believe the most I’ve ever climbed here in a day is 5-600 feet.  That would be a Quarter Dome, not nearly good enough.  Will give this some thought.    

Jan Mcwrote:

Bob, that may have been epic for the boys you rescued but I don't think you can use that as an epic.  We know you have better tales to tell.

Bob is too professional to have epics. He'd never wander off route after the crux pitch of Mr. Toad's and have a near death experience (you can tell that one), or get his rappel ropes stuck on a wall in the middle of nowhere with a busted partner. Some folks just don't epic. Or maybe he's still got it coming. 

Randywrote:

I love the quote in the LA Times article: "It was grimsville up there." Classic Russ!

Haha…. The LA Times dude didn’t even bat an eye when I told him I was from Compton!  Too funny!

Kristian Solemwrote:

Bob is too professional to have epics. He'd never wander off route after the crux pitch of Mr. Toad's and have a near death experience (you can tell that one), or get his rappel ropes stuck on a wall in the middle of nowhere with a busted partner. Some folks just don't epic. Or maybe he's still got it coming. 

Done a lot of mind-blowing, risky stuff in 50 years of climbing, but never had a real epic. Had a couple close calls with rockfall, and took a 50-footer aid climbing on El Cap, but that's about it. Never got hurt climbing or had a partner who got hurt, at least where we couldn't walk away from it. Guess I've been pretty lucky. 

Bob Gaineswrote:

... and took a 50-footer aid climbing on El Cap, but that's about it.

Yeah, the longest fall I ever took, by far, was aid climbing. I was doing Mescalito. For those who aren’t familiar, it’s a fantastic route over to the right of the Nose on El Capitan. In the scheme of things, it's fairly moderate.

I was going up one of those nice long right leaning cracks about five pitches up that would have been nailed, mostly with lost arrows, bitd. Like a lot of that wall, the rock was a little overhanging. Using cam-hooks it was easy and fast, and they were so solid I didn't worry in the least about running it out. And the steepness - nothing to hit - made it cool to be a little reckless. I used three cam-hooks, always keeping two in, and moving the bottom one up top. Rinse and repeat, with nothing left behind but an empty crack. I clipped a fixed pin about 30 feet above the belay and kept going, all casual. After about another 20-25 feet the cam-hooks were getting funky. I didn’t see that one coming. There was a nice-looking fixed pin just out of reach. I got two lobes of a purple tcu in the crack. It didn’t look too bad, and I got on it. I was about to step up in my aiders and clip the pin when my partner yelled "Test it!" WTF? This was not the place to be testing the gear. But, without thinking, I gave it a little bounce. Pop. It was out of there and I took a flyer that had folks down in the meadow howling.