New and Experienced climbers over 50 #22

Lori, you should know that, entertaining as it is, Valley Uprising is far from a complete or even fully  accurate, account of the time period it depicts. As is almost inevitable in such productions, certain significant  participants and events are over-emphasized, while others are either totally ignored or only mentioned in passing. Bridwell didn’t just appear as the central figure in the Camp 4 scene. He , and ‘his group’ were very much not ‘the first’ full time climbers resident in Camp 4 ( I believe that that ‘honor’ belongs to Mark Powell—climbers there before him were weekenders). He had worked his way up through the climbs along with others, but with his talent, commitment, and strong personality, he emerged to fill in the ‘gap’ when most of the leading personalities of the previous generation moved on from the Camp 4 life—some to highly successful business careers.

catchy?

philip bone wrote:

catchy?

You got it!

Alan Rubin wrote:

Lori, you should know that, entertaining as it is, Valley Uprising is far from a complete or even fully  accurate, account of the time period it depicts. As is almost inevitable in such productions, certain significant  participants and events are over-emphasized, while others are either totally ignored or only mentioned in passing. Bridwell didn’t just appear as the central figure in the Camp 4 scene. He , and ‘his group’ were very much not ‘the first’ full time climbers resident in Camp 4 ( I believe that that ‘honor’ belongs to Mark Powell—climbers there before him were weekenders). He had worked his way up through the climbs along with others, but with his talent, commitment, and strong personality, he emerged to fill in the ‘gap’ when most of the leading personalities of the previous generation moved on from the Camp 4 life—some to highly successful business careers.

Yvon's journey from dirtbagger to billionaire is one of the great success stories of our country. And Mark's charm and good looks had him playing bit roles in James Stewart westerns. He told me of the patience required to film those cinematic jewels with Stewart flubbing his lines over and over. 

The Stonemasters were the second great generation of Yosemite climbers, but John Long and others were so skillful in getting the word out many think they were the promulgators of it all. Bachar and Long visited me in southern Colorado in the late 1970s when they were young, athletically talented and charismatically good looking, and it was a pleasure to watch them play on the local rocks. After treating them to breakfast at our house, my wife, Dorothy, said to me, They are like young Greek Gods!

Alan Rubin wrote:

Many, myself included and a decade plus later, and on the opposite coast, were guys (very much mostly guys back then) who tended to be loners and not good ( an understatement in my case) at the traditional sports, but who felt comfortable in the outdoors and first got into hiking, then hiking up mountains, then getting interested in mountains that required more than just hiking to summit. Options for learning were very limited—some were self-taught, but many learned by getting involved with clubs—such as the Sierra and Appalachian Mountain Clubs or, for many, college outing clubs.

well said Alan!  You left out one east coast mainstay, summer camps for us entitled upper middle class white kids.  For me it was 1st backpacking camp at 14 where I saw folks climbing the prow on cathedral.  From there it was this crazy New Paltz based camp called Wilderness Bound.  That taught me how to live the life of a real climbing dirtbag including scamming showers, dumpster diving etc so we would have more beer money, yes we were 15-16years old….along the way we climbed alpine routes all over the west.  From there it was straight to the gunks as a 15 year old In 1977.

  Wilderness Bound

Yes, I definitely got into hiking, especially mountain hiking, at one of those camps in the N.H. White Mountains, even did a bit of scrambling, but rock climbing  was not part of the program at that camp. However some friends did attend a camp that included some climbing instruction, and subsequently one of their counselors took me along on my first roped climbing, although by then I was already a dedicated ‘armchair mountaineer’.

Lori Milas wrote:

 I’m just trying to figure out how a kid born in say, Chatsworth, winds up on a rock in Joshua Tree and decides this is gonna be my life… In 1975.

There are some really nice rocks near Chatsworth (Stoney Point,) so I am guessing it goes something like this..... He saw them and came to the call of their song, and was enchanted. He met others there, who likewise could not resist. Then they were hooked. 

cassondra l wrote:

There are some really nice rocks near Chatsworth (Stoney Point,) so I am guessing it goes something like this..... He saw them and came to the call of their song, and was enchanted. He met others there, who likewise could not resist. Then they were hooked. 

Lori, 

I’ve never been to chatsworth, but it sounds a hell of a lot more appealing than growing up where I did in the east.  I literally had one Boulder and the walls of my high school to climb on.  The Boulder I only found out about long after I started climbing.  

This appears to be a good place to post this photo of 3 "old" guys with over 160 years climbing experience.  John Bouchard, on the left, joined me for a hike into the East Fork Valley of the Wind Rivers, where exactly 50 years ago we did 2 long 1st ascents. We met up with Jim Donini, on the right, who was also in there with many experienced "old" climbers; including Jay Smith and Jack Tackle. The combined climbing experience assembled was quite extraordinary!

I climbed the Salathe Wall with Jim 51 years ago, and did many long routes with John over a 50 year span.  It was fun to re-connect.

The contrast with young Alice Bouchard was striking and made me realize just how old I had become!   Hiking in and out with her was like trying to keep up with a greyhound.

Hi Steve, Great to see you posting on this thread  and great to see the three of you still getting out there.   Alan

Alan Rubin wrote:

Hi Steve, Great to see you posting on this thread  and great to see the three of you still getting out there.   Alan

Ditto!  The Winds might be my favorite climbing area.  I only made it to the East Fork once sometime in the early seventies.  Went in from Big Sandy, stopped off at Shadow Lake to do a route on Sharks Nose, then on to the East Fork, and over the pass at the head of the valley to Bonneville.  We did the Becky route on Ambush and, I think, the Arsenaut-Bouchard route or some variation on it.  We encountered a dripping wet overhanging section that looked plausibly 5.10, but we did three or four improvised aid moves because of the moisture level.  We did a route on Summer Dome (then called Vulgar Dome) and then something on the North side of Bonneville.  A great trip and fond memory.

The Stonemasters were the second great generation of Yosemite climbers, but John Long and others were so skillful in getting the word out many think they were the promulgators of it all.

Spot on.  JL liked to write and could spin yarns.  Then there was the internet to facilitate input from anyone/everyone.  The end result was a plethora of captured experiences/stories that gave the appearance, due to volume, of everything having happened in the Stonemaster generation - which is far from true.  It may sound trite but no generation is an island unto itself, we are all partially what came before us.  There is no doubt that had prior generations had the same opportunities to "get the word out" we would have far more of their history.

 After treating them to breakfast at our house, my wife, Dorothy, said to me, They are like young Greek Gods!

Ho Man!  I sure hope they didn't overhear that.  Then again, maybe that explains it...

Darrell Hensel wrote:

 It may sound trite but no generation is an island unto itself, we are all partially what came before us.   

+1. So true.
Isaac Newton: "if I have seen further [than others], it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."

rgold wrote:

Ditto!  The Winds might be my favorite climbing area.  I only made it to the East Fork once sometime in the early seventies.  Went in from Big Sandy, stopped off at Shadow Lake to do a route on Sharks Nose, then on to the East Fork, and over the pass at the head of the valley to Bonneville.  We did the Becky route on Ambush and, I think, the Arsenaut-Bouchard route or some variation on it.  We encountered a dripping wet overhanging section that looked plausibly 5.10, but we did three or four improvised aid moves because of the moisture level.  We did a route on Summer Dome (then called Vulgar Dome) and then something on the North side of Bonneville.  A great trip and fond memory.

Rich,

Ten years ago I repeated that 10 pitch route on the right side of Ambush Peak with Jim Donini, who led the crux pitch at 69 years old. He led it in fine style, and felt it was 5.10D.  With cams it was much easier to protect, and when I led that pitch with Bouchard, we only had nuts.  I took 2 short falls trying to lead it and finally had to use one point of aid, which was frustrating, at the time.  The 1st few pitches are loaded with grass, and dirt, but higher up, it is pretty clean.  To the left of this line, there is another crack system which looks good; except for a few hundred feet of low angle slab, at the bottom,  making it hard to protect without bolts.  If I was younger, I would explore this possible line.

stephen arsenault wrote:

Rich,

Ten years ago I repeated that 10 pitch route on the right side of Ambush Peak with Jim Donini, who led the crux pitch at 69 years old. He led it in fine style, and felt it was 5.10D.  With cams it was much easier to protect, and when I led that pitch with Bouchard, we only had nuts.  I took 2 short falls trying to lead it and finally had to use one point of aid, which was frustrating, at the time.  The 1st few pitches are loaded with grass, and dirt, but higher up, it is pretty clean.  To the left of this line, there is another crack system which looks good; except for a few hundred feet of low angle slab, at the bottom,  making it hard to protect without bolts.  If I was younger, I would explore this possible line.

I don't remember a lot of grass and dirt, but it was almost 50 years ago...  We only had nuts as well.  At this point, I have no clear recollection of where we went, other than the fact that we were on that face and encountered a very wet overhanging section about midway.

One trip to the Winds years ago, planning to do some much easier stuff. It rained and snowed the whole time. But the setting was spectacular.

Wow, lugging crash pads in there must have been a 'grunt'. What section did you go to and...was it worth it?

I agree with Rich, the Winds ranks as one of my favorite climbing areas. I've made 8 trips in there over the years and, even those with not the best weather (though, overall, I have been 'lucky' there in that respect) have been well worth it. Unfortunately, unlike Steve, John, and Jim, I am doubtful that I can make it in there again, especially as 'deeply in' as the East Fork Valley. Still have the memories--and the photos!!!!!

Wow Memory lane!  

Lori- if you had walked into Camp 4 in 1975 looking for sex. You would have found about 125 climber dudes who would have been happy to help you out.

@John Gill - That road trip John and John made to visit you had a huge impact on the “StoneMasters” and the development of our hard climbing. Work out, train, work out, and train some more became our mantra. Bachar scored some weights and got most of the “Stoney boys” into the Tuesday/Thursday work outbouldering sessions. John had a photo of you on “the thimble” I think. Your very honed, cut body is what we aspired to look like.

Mark Powell - RIP- he got me into climbing and showed me how to pound pins and aid climb but more importantly how to party- climber style- in the desert. Jug wine, big campfire and tall tales!
He was most suspicious when we went on a trip and I brought the gear… a brand new rack of Nuts and Stoppers. Mark just had to give them a little tap with his hammer.
One of Marks proudest achievements was catching an 11lb Trout up in the winds, a (at the time) state record! He took it and raced back to town to get it weighed and stuffed. He had it on the wall in his office at Pierce College alongside the iconic photo of Warren, Dolt and Mark drinking wine after a early try at The Nose.

@Nick- good shooting! Get a “Mt Man” get up and go for it, the “Green Mt boys” look would work really well for you I think.

@Jim - Thanks for the Taco links.

We do stand on the shoulders of great climbers, while helping with the “Stony Point: Portrait of an American crag” documentary I got to know Glen Dawson. He was most humble about his contributions to climbing only saying “we went out to have fun and adventure and in the process made a bunch of life long friends..” When I shook hands with him I was shaking a hand that shook hands with John Muir, Norman Clyde, and many great climbers.

Carry on please this is gold. 

Guy Keesee wrote:

 Glen Dawson. “we went out to have fun and adventure and in the process made a bunch of life long friends..” 

I have to believe this is true and the path we all more-or-less took to a life long involvement in this sport of ours.  
Very few, if any, got into it and quickly made it a mission to start a movement, make a revolutionary change, or otherwise leave a mark on climbing.
Things happen, stars align, momentum builds, aided by a healthy doze of good fortune and hard work, and the rest, as they say, is history.