Been climbing long enough to leave relics?

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mooser

Trad climber

seattle

Topic Author's Original Post - Apr 30, 2014 - 02:12pm PT

Just kind of a fun story for me:

I was looking at a San Diego area canyoneering forum, and read a short thread about a group of canyoneers who were hoping to have done a first descent of the canyon--including the falls--in Bandy Canyon (near San Pasqual / Escondido / Poway) in 2009. They came to the top of the biggest drop in the falls, hoping to find no evidence of anyone having made the descent before, and were bummed to have found an old Leeper hanger bolted to the top of the falls.

They also took note of how rusted it was, as well as how rust-stained the area around the bolt was, and how someone "a looooong time ago" must have descended these falls. Well, I put the bolt in back in about '77, in order to rap the falls, and be belayed back up, and I commented on his site that the bolt was mine--my first bolt placement ever, in fact. A great email conversation ensued over the next couple of days about how he and his friends had speculated for the last several years on who placed it, when, etc., and how his attempts to find the source kept getting nowhere.

It sort of hit me how--while the memory of placing it is very vivid, and doesn't seem like that long ago--it really was a generation or two of climbers back. Sort of felt...OLD!

Anyway, fun story for me, though incredibly local and small scale. It got me to wondering what it's like for some of you folks who have gobs of first ascents under your swamis, to go back to the scene of the climb, and find some of your own relics. Does it do a time-warp thing with your brain?

And P.S.--The above canyoneers went back in 2011, and made the hanger unusable for safety reasons. Not sure if they pulled the bolt, or just smashed the hanger, but either way...I'm glad no one will be able to rap off it.

jstan

climber

Apr 30, 2014 - 02:22pm PT

The first few months I was climbing I too was excited when I found myself in a place no one else had before been. What was the obvious conclusion?

That I should do just what the people before me had done.

eeyonkee

Trad climber

Golden, CO

Apr 30, 2014 - 02:26pm PT

I'm pretty sure I remember seeing that bolt, Mooser. It's hard not to be drawn to that spot if you're of a certain type and live relatively nearby.

JEleazarian

Trad climber

Fresno CA

Apr 30, 2014 - 02:28pm PT

Good point, jstan. Sad to say, I've intentionally left a few relics over the years, (and a few fixed pins in the 1960's unintentionally). My first, and one of my very few, bolts is now memorialized in ST's guide to Yosemite top ropes and sport climbs when the topo of the Cookie Sheet refers to "JE's old bolt." It was a dreaded 1/4" Rawl Drive with a Leeper hanger that I place as a rappel anchor 41 years ago.

John

apogee

climber

Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy

Apr 30, 2014 - 02:33pm PT

Very eloquently stated, jstan.

Reilly

Mountain climber

The Other Monrovia- CA

Apr 30, 2014 - 02:35pm PT

Shouldn't the thread title be

"Been climbing long enough to be relics?"

Mungeclimber

Trad climber

Nothing creative to say

Apr 30, 2014 - 02:37pm PT

lol, love that Dingus!

You get 2x the credit!

At this point, I think only maybe a handful of my routes are relics.

Kind of makes me want to go back and see if they've been upgraded, or finish the project.

JEleazarian

Trad climber

Fresno CA

Apr 30, 2014 - 02:51pm PT

I remember trying to do Space Babble not long after your FA, Kevin. I failed, and somehow ended up on Bircheff-Williams, from which I gladly retreated, but you put up a wonderful route!

John

Ghost

climber

A long way from where I started

Apr 30, 2014 - 02:54pm PT

Shouldn't the thread title be "Been climbing long enough to be relics?"

I'm with Reilly on this one. I've left bits and pieces of metal and nylon here and there, but they're probably in no worse shape than I am.

But more interesting to me than the physical relics we leave behind are the emotional ones. Sometimes on a climb, particularly one that is remote, or obscure, I've been overwhelmed by the thought "I know that so-and-so did the first ascent of this peak or route. What did he think and feel when he stood here, where I am now?"

mooser

Trad climber

seattle

Topic Author's Reply - Apr 30, 2014 - 04:23pm PT

I'm pretty sure I remember seeing that bolt, Mooser. It's hard not to be drawn to that spot if you're of a certain type and live relatively nearby.

Highly likely, Greg. There weren't truckloads of us "locals" back then, and most of us were regularly wandering the hills for rock. The remoteness of Bandy Canyon made it an especially cool find.

"Been climbing long enough to be relics?"

Pretty much.

Sometimes on a climb, particularly one that is remote, or obscure, I've been overwhelmed by the thought "I know that so-and-so did the first ascent of this peak or route. What did he think and feel when he stood here, where I am now?"

Absolutely! Are there routes you've put up where someone else might've had that same thought about you?

I fixed a lot of pins in the 70s mostly on MCR

Warbler, have you gone back after a long hiatus from your MC routes, and revisited them? If so, what went through your mind?

Flip Flop

Trad climber

Truckee, CA

May 1, 2014 - 12:45am PT

I love the fukin interwebs. I too was just websurfing canyoneering and thought that I'd do a canyoneering search on supertaco. Here we are.
I really like Gorges and water slides and swimming. The technical aspects are cool too. I can see a bright future for canyoning in America. It is dead sexy.

Madbolter

Big Wall climber

I used to be hard

May 1, 2014 - 01:36am PT

Now I need to go chop the first bolt I ever placed. I'm pretty sure it's still there. It'll be 30 years this summer.

Reilly

Mountain climber

The Other Monrovia- CA

May 1, 2014 - 02:20am PT

I am certain that the first bolt I ever placed on an alpine climb was long ago erased by rockfall.
If by some miracle it hasn't then it is beyond a certainty that no sane person will ever come
across it, let alone me.

mooser

Trad climber

seattle

Topic Author's Reply - May 1, 2014 - 08:35am PT

Warbler - Really nice piece of writing there in your response. Very vivid!

Madbolter - Sounds like my post is serving as a PSA!

Reilly - I don't think I ever want to come across your first alpine bolt (assuming it's not already part of a talus field).

mooser

Trad climber

seattle

Topic Author's Reply - May 2, 2014 - 09:43am PT

Relic: artifact, historical object, ancient object, antiquity, antique.

There are a couple of ways people usually talk about relics; either according to the definition above, or meaning "washed up, out of date, etc." as in, "Dude...you're a relic."

Your FAs on MCR - especially given the quality of the routes and the relatively light traffic on them, hardly qualify as the latter.