New and Experienced Climbers over 50 #39

Buck Rogerswrote:

"Wicked" crowded, eh???

Are you originally from the Northeast???

I have lived all over the US and the world but grew up in northern Vermont and we always said "wicked" but I have not heard it much out of that region!

Buck, that's interesting! I only started to hear people using "wicked" like "extremely" (like "it's wicked hot") when I moved to the Boston area.
My impression was that it was moving into common American English usage in the last 10-20 years or so, maybe due to ad campaigns?

Missing my fall and spring trips to Fontainebleau!

When we lived in western Germany for five years we'd go multiple times each season.

Wicked awesome bouldering there!

;)

Beautiful pictures Daniel---or to be consistent with the current drift of the thread---'wicked cool'.( For some reason, I associate 'wicked' as a positive adjective as initially coming from Rhode Island, maybe Ward, Mark S., or Ed E. could provide more background!!!)

I only spent part of one day ( after wandering for over an hour looking for some rock!!!) in Fontainebleau, but it was 'magical'. I agree, Buck, what a wonderful place.

dragonswrote:

Buck, that's interesting! I only started to hear people using "wicked" like "extremely" (like "it's wicked hot") when I moved to the Boston area.
My impression was that it was moving into common American English usage in the last 10-20 years or so, maybe due to ad campaigns?

When I was hanging around North Conway in the mid/late 90’s “wicked” was in common use. Seemed especially ubiquitous with Mainers. Don’t hear it used much here in California currently. 

Alan Rubinwrote:

Beautiful pictures Daniel---or to be consistent with the current drift of the thread---'wicked cool'.( For some reason, I associate 'wicked' as a positive adjective as initially coming from Rhode Island, maybe Ward, Mark S., or Ed E. could provide more background!!!)

I only spent part of one day ( after wandering for over an hour looking for some rock!!!) in Fontainebleau, but it was 'magical'. I agree, Buck, what a wonderful place.

Thank you Alan. I’m wicked appreciative for your kind comment. 

Buck Rogerswrote:

"Wicked" crowded, eh???

Are you originally from the Northeast???

I have lived all over the US and the world but grew up in northern Vermont and we always said "wicked" but I have not heard it much out of that region!

Wicked Pissah!  Spent too much time in the Northeast I suppose...(climbed in North Conway with a crew from Boston a few years back...laughed so hard my diaphragm was sore for a week).

Could blame it on:

A brief history of Hank Caylor

At about 2:21...ha ha.  Edit to add:  too much Bill Burr.

James Harvey wrote:

And the true mastery was evident the second you saw him for the first time.. he was rather diminutive in stature.

His ladders were like Glen Denny had drilled them.

Glen was 6’5” tall and his bolt ladders were notoriously reachy. The Prow on Washington Column has a few reachy bolts installed with what became known as the “Denny Arm”.

The “ladders” on Prodigal Sun and Touchstone can be real eye-openers to neophytes unfamiliar with top stepping.

I recall being impressed by Steve Sutton's rivet ladders on Mescalito, El Cap, in 2000. Back then most of the original rolled metal rivets were still there, with an occasional 1/4" "chicken bolt" added along the way. Anyway, Steve is not a tall guy. I've got a few inches on him and those things were very reachy. I've heard tales of him using some sort of back-board set up to get the height, but can't confirm that. However he did it, those placements are proud. Are they all up graded to modern bolts by now? They were looking pretty ragged 25 years ago. Dicey, as they say... 

I don't have any pics from those rivet ladders. I guess we were too gripped for photo's. So, here's one of the Molar Traverse (pic by Rob Brown). You go up around the corner at the end on aid, then lower down about 50 feet and do a big pendulum across to a crack system. Setting it up so you follower is safe is technical.

Daniel Shivelywrote:

When I was hanging around North Conway in the mid/late 90’s “wicked” was in common use. Seemed especially ubiquitous with Mainers. Don’t hear it used much here in California currently. 

Wicked pissah has been part of the vernacular around certain sections of Greater Boston many decades.  

Wow that, is a Strange Dihedral!

James Harvey wrote:

On the Prow pitch two back in the 1900s.. giggling at my newfangled (sic) CCH Aliens which stuck amazingly well in the angle scars. 

Useless trivia…

Early exploration of the route was Royal Robbins and  Mike Covington..

Same “Michael from Mountains” in the Joni Mitchell song..

Glen Denny and Royal finished the route 1969..(the year I was born)..

Such a beautiful and evocative song. So at least according to the song, he didn't have time for her because his "mountains have called".  That's some impressive dedication on his part!

I was always a huge fan of Joni.  I would have told my partner to find someone else, I'm busy!  LOL

GO

Excellent pictures as well, James.

I never knew that about the Joni Mitchell song!!! I actually climbed a few short routes with Michael in Yosemite when he was very young ( as was I). Nice guy--can understand why she was attracted to him.

I met Michael Covington very briefly in the Khumbu in the fall of 1979. He was hiking with Ray Genet’s wife for her to fly out of the Syangboche airstrip. Ray and Hannelore Schmatz had died of hypothermia descending Everest a few days before. Michael was to be married to a Sherpani a few days later. He mentioned how excited his new wife was about moving to Colorado, until she learned that his cabin there had no running water. Sherpa women spent a lot of energy carrying water and she was disappointed that she would still have to do this in the US!

apogeewrote:

Disney put Kimmel back on last night. Sounds like Kimmel did some poking at Trump. Anybody catch the monologue?

I did see the monologue on youtube has already racked up 6.7 million views. The median number of views the prior 6 months was 240,000. Showing once again a good way to get people interested in something is to try to keep them from seeing it.

James Harvey wrote:

Same “Michael from Mountains” in the Joni Mitchell song...

More likely musician Michael Durbin?

Brian in SLCwrote:

More likely musician Michael Durbin?

From Google AI:

Joni Mitchell's song "Michael from Mountains" was written about Michael Covington, a friend and singer-songwriter who was instrumental in establishing climbing standards in Colorado in the 1970s. Covington eventually left the music scene to found Fantasy Ridge guide service and become a notable mountaineering guide. 

• Who was Michael Covington? He was a singer-songwriter and musician, a friend of Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon, and a close acquaintance of Joni Mitchell. 
• What was his connection to the song?Mitchell wrote "Michael from Mountains" for him in 1969, inspired by his connection to the mountains and his transition from a musical career to a life in mountaineering. 
• What happened to him? Covington left his music career to establish the Fantasy Ridge guide service, which operated in Rocky Mountain National Park and Denali National Park

Terry Ewrote:

From Google AI:

Joni Mitchell's song "Michael from Mountains" was written about Michael Covington, a friend and singer-songwriter who was instrumental in establishing climbing standards in Colorado in the 1970s. Covington eventually left the music scene to found Fantasy Ridge guide service and become a notable mountaineering guide. 

• Who was Michael Covington? He was a singer-songwriter and musician, a friend of Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon, and a close acquaintance of Joni Mitchell. 
• What was his connection to the song?Mitchell wrote "Michael from Mountains" for him in 1969, inspired by his connection to the mountains and his transition from a musical career to a life in mountaineering. 
  
  

Joni wrote the song in 1966 or 67.  Judy Collins released her version of it in 1967.

According to an interview in AK with Covington...his association with Art was in the early 70's.  No mention of Joni in the interview.

Joni, per her biography (which she is referenced as liking on her website), met the subject of the song in New York who was a musician from Colorado with the last name Durbin.

They are kinda close in age though...he woulda been 19 or 20?  She on the cusp of a divorce in early '67...

Print the legend

AI presents so much BS as fact. If you don't know much about the subject you wont recognize it. I guess that is kind of like humans, but at least with humans we tend to evaluate the source more. With AI people tend to treat it like it is wisdom from on high

M Spraguewrote:

AI presents so much BS as fact. If you don't know much about the subject you wont recognize it. I guess that is kind of like humans, but at least with humans we tend to evaluate the source more. With AI people tend to treat it like it is wisdom from on high

Agreed! AI does a lot of hallucinating.  Who know how much is true of what I pasted above!!!

Brian in SLCwrote:

Joni wrote the song in 1966 or 67.  Judy Collins released her version of it in 1967.

According to an interview in AK with Covington...his association with Art was in the early 70's.  No mention of Joni in the interview.

Joni, per her biography (which she is referenced as liking on her website), met the subject of the song in New York who was a musician from Colorado with the last name Durbin.

They are kinda close in age though...he woulda been 19 or 20?  She on the cusp of a divorce in early '67...

Print the legend

I had to get this one visible, I remember this clip from film study class BITD 

Does anyone else have difficulty pasting in links for videos? It always takes a few tries 

James Harvey wrote:

Al Rubin: thanks for the kind words on the photos.

I try to bring light in dark times.

Thumbing through the 20th Anniversary Issue of Climbing Magazine (1990) I saw this fantastic picture of you taken by none other than this thread’s very own Rich Goldstone (rgold).

You guys are both studs.
Always appreciate your candor and wit to go along with your steel trap brainage.
Been a long time lurker on MP and the Taco.

Edit: To Al and even Rich..

Is Al wearing RR blue suede shoes?

Love your “harness” btw Al.

Also credit to Galen Rowell c/o Climbing Magazine for photo #1

Credit to Richard Goldstone for photo #2

Gotta keep it honest 

Thanks James---you really had to do a lot of digging to uncover that issue!!!!

Yes, those are RRs and a 'swami belt' ( I was a very late convert to a harness!!!)---typical late '60s/early '70s 'kit'---which is exactly why Climbing used that picture.

As posted earlier in the thread, thanks to Buck Rogers ( and with the cooperation of the weather gods!!!), Rich and I got to climb together in the Gunks again last month for the first time since the '70s---a wonderful day.

James, Daniel, everyone---keep those beautiful pictures coming!!!!!