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New and experienced climbers over 50 #38
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My Easy Keyhole guidebook notation was in 1965. Needless to say, I, too, have no memory of the climb. And, given Buck and Dragon's accounts, I can't say that I'm anxious to get 'reacquainted' with the climb!!! I got outside today to a very obscure local crag--short approach to keep my knees happy. Nice in the shade, but still hot when we got into the sun, still good to be outside. |
Alan Rubinwrote: I've been working so much and occasionally cragging outdoors that I probably haven't climbed inside for about 4 weeks *and I'm paying for a membership* which hurts a little bit except for the fact that the 14 year old is lead belaying and crushing old school 7s now which opens up many many doors! |
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The climber in the Persistent photo is John Meyers.  |
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I’ve done all the “Easy” routes over the years (Keyhole, Overhang, and V). Comparing the red Williams with the grey, I see a 5.6 called Easy Street in the older guide that is missing from the grey. Bloody Bush (5.6) seems to be the same route. Anyone know the story? By the way, there is a route called “Easy” over at Skytop (5.0). Anyone ever done Easy Rider in the Nears? |
Buck Rogerswrote: I'll keep you updated. :) We head up there a decent amount, wouldn't be making the trip for just that climb. |
PTRwrote: Renamed due to a potential negative connotation. I wasn’t around back when the ancients named it, so I don’t know if it was meant as a double entendres |
PTRwrote: Easy Rider, twice. It's fun. |
Rich Rosswrote: Yes. |
Buck Rogerswrote: Yeah, it'd be cool to meet up! I also wasn't intending to say that Easy Keyhole is a major classic. But it's interesting especially because it's atypical for the Gunks. A large diagonaling crack, with stemming across a chimney-like gap. A cramped exit under a roof. Maybe it's ho-hum for more experienced climbers. Fun to hear about people's ticks on the route, can't believe you didn't find it memorable! But do you guys remember anything that you did that long ago? I definitely recall quite a bit of my epic lead of Easy Keyhole (in 2012). It was one of my first leads at the Gunks, and it started raining before I'd topped out. I found it very challenging. Another pic of this beauteous route:  |
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"But do you guys remember anything that you did that long ago?" Funny, but pretty typically, I remember certain climbs or incidents on climbs or 'off climbs' from BITD very clearly ( or think what I remember is what actually happened!!!), but most of 'it' is 'lost'. And, it seems that it is the 'off climb' incidents I recall more than any details of the specific climbs themselves, though there are definitely some of the latter as well, especially the epics!!!! For example, in the current Gunks guidebook, rgold describes an incident that happened during one of our first days climbing together. I had very clearly remembered that climb--not knowing what route we were on ( no guidebook yet) and that the climbing up to the traverse was the hardest by far that I'd ever done up to that time, but I have absolutely no memory at all of my big fall from the traverse--probably some sort of psychological trauma defense mechanism!!! |
Alan Rubinwrote: It’s funny, but I remember a couple things when I was 3, big block around teens that’s completely blotched out. A few from my college days, and pretty much most of my career. I remember always dabbling in stuff and finding the most efficient path to solving problems entirely by chance. that’s pretty much most of my climbing career. Dabbling and eventually solving the problems, by chance. There was one incident where we were sandwiched between two groups, 50 feet above us and 50 below, and I really had to take a shite… I’ll leave it to you to figure out my solution… |
dragonswrote: Rarely. When I repeat a route that I climbed years ago, I now call it an "amnesia onsight." |
Li Huwrote: There's that truism: "If you remember the '60s, you weren't there"!!!! |
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I remember most routes that I did in the 70’s. The first route I ever did in the Gunks was Boston (now 5.5, was rated easier). I was 16 and smoked a bunch of pot in my older friend’s father’s Mercedes on the way there. We arrived stoned out of gourds in the fog. I lead Boston straight away and I remember bring surprised at how hard the chimney felt. I guess that makes sense as Mountain project says “difficult to protect without #5 and #6 cams” lol since cams hadn’t been invented yet. |
Randywrote: Funny…I call that a grey point ascent. |
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Thanks to both Rich Goldstone and Rich Ross for fleshing out some of the details on the photos, I have corrected captions appropriately. Here's the story on the Coexistance photo from the photographer Rich Perch... "rgold I really hate to correct my elders, but there are fewer and fewer of them left so I can't pass up the opportunity. The photo of Coexistence isn't of Barb Devine...it's Spaff Ackerly. (I took the pic from the crux of Star Action) If you're in need of stronger eyeglasses, I think I have an old set that you're welcome to have. Just have to sign the obligatory liability waiver. Better men than you have lost their eyesight looking through these things." rich John Gill, thanks for this… Another dimension of my deviation from mainstream, and one I rarely discussed with fellow climbers, was my fascination with what I saw as the ultimate form of rock climbing, what now might be called free solo exploration. I did not realize I was following along a path tread by Preuss and Winkler. I was curious to find my limitations. After a number of solitary rambles in the Tetons, the Needles and elsewhere I found my limits, and from then on continued the practice but turned down the dial of difficulty, until an incident of a shaking block, high up in the air, at the end of the twentieth century. I did much more of this than bouldering - it was an entirely separate discipline. I am proud to be following the path laid down by Preuss, Winkler, you and a few others, now if you will excuse me I must go deflate my over inflated ego from all of this “ultimate form of rock climbing” I’ve been doing. Perhaps dogging and hanging my way up a sport route will do the trick and snap me back into line. Now AHEM… Rich Ross to the front desk please… What’s the story on Red Tape? That thing looks killer. In the mean time... Here's a couple more photos from Rich Perch, Henry Barber's answer to climbing Matinee in the clunky green shoenards of the day.   |
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"rgold I really hate to correct my elders, but there are fewer and fewer of them left so I can't pass up the opportunity. The photo of Coexistence isn't of Barb Devine...it's Spaff Ackerly. (I took the pic from the crux of Star Action) If you're in need of stronger eyeglasses, I think I have an old set that you're welcome to have. Just have to sign the obligatory liability waiver. Better men than you have lost their eyesight looking through these things." In case any of you right coasters are interested… Spaff lives across the street from me. He no longer climbs, but is doing well and seems happy. |
Nick Badyrkawrote: Best. Name. Ever. |
fossilwrote: "Ultimate form" at first meant pushing the limits of what one can do without the apparatus and relative safety of trad climbing - my introduction to this form of climbing stemmed from my scramble up the east face of Longs Peak in 1954, and for several years after I was mildly obsessed with this notion, especially while serving at an isolated Air Base along the Canadian border. During that time I became an existentialist. But by the early 1960s I had begun to see free solo exploration as a kind of freedom, from paraphernalia as well as pushing grades. The continuity of scrambling and the satisfaction of exploration having little to do with competition and number chasing. My favorite climb of all time was the pillar seen below. Usually not more than 5.6 or 5.7 depending upon how I climbed it, and I climbed more that twenty miles on it by the time I retired. The feeling of flow was a powerful incentive once the exploration phase had vanished.  Your interpretation of the "ultimate form" perhaps coincided with my early thoughts, but had no relevance for me after 1962. Dogging and hanging your way up a sport route? Do so if you wish, but I would advise against it. Photo by Heinz Zak |
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Isa put on an art festival yesterday. I was the music tent. I played about 2 and a half hours and organized for three other acts to fill out the rest of the day. it was a smashing success. there is only one power outlet on the green and we had a soft serve ice cream vendor using half of it with the other half running the two tents. I was a bit nervous about the idea but rather than run 150ft of cord up to the town hall I decided to tray and run my 1,000w PA off of the solar system in my van. I was pleasantly surprised that with my new lithium batteries I had plenty of power to get the job done. Batteries stayed ay 100% all day.   no pictures of me playing naturally.. a child about to jump and scream in terror at Isa's cedar carved wolf..  |
