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mrtropy
Trad climber
Nor Cal
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Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 21, 2009 - 11:03am PT
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Great trip- Saw elk, on Pacheco Pass at San Luis Res.coming over from I5, very cool. Lots of wild life in the park-quail, turkey, rubber boa, baby rattle snake, condors, vultures, other raptors, rabbits, drunk college students who had crashed a borrowed car over the steep ravine between Bear Gulch and the camp ground and then walked back to campground without shirts or shoes, and tens of thousands of painted lady butterflies flying up the flood plain.
Rant Alert
One question-Was I a jerk or was he a jerk. On Wednesday I was going to tr my kids in one of the easy climbing areas, First the Tourist Trap- full with the Private school group with guides, next through the caves to First Sister and again full of the private school group with guides, checked out the upper Sisters but too exposed for the little ones. Then on to Teaching Rock and you guessed it- taken up with the guides, two ropes hanging down but no one climbing. The head guide said they were waiting for the kids to show up. I asked if we could do a quick top rope as my kids were getting grumpy, and I too. He said no his insurance would not let him. I replied no, I meant with my rope and I could set it up in minutes and take it down before the students showed up. He again said no, he had a permit to use the area and he was going going to use it. He also said he was there first and that whoever is at a place first has dibs on a climb. He said he had permits on all the areas he was using. And he said he would be done in a couple of hours anyway. I was going to ask him if I was there first if that would overrule his permit but decided to play the nice guy, I dropped some names and bs'ed about other climbing areas and asked again if I could set up and take down quickly before his group showed up as there as there was nowhere really for the kids(he and another guide were just eating lunch).
Then the thing he said that pissed me off was when he finally said," You're lucky I am feeling nice and you can use one of the tr until the group shows up" I said thanks and left it at that but I truly thought that guy picked up some bad Karma. We were able to get in about 20 minutes of climbing. At the time I did not know there were three sets of bold on top or I would have clipped into the third as they were only using two of them. And he did get some bad Karma because when we all got back to the campground the store which was to be open was not and he was out of beer. SCHADENFREUDE YES!!!
Sorry for the rant but this is the first time,in 28 years of climbing, I have been to a place climbers were not willing to share.
Pinnacles March17-20 Forgot- perfect weather.
Campground was pretty empty except for a huge group of a private school students loud but not too bad.
Camp cook
Tom Turkey- strutting his stuff
Wild flower-Indian Warrior
Condor
Kids messing around
Where the car went over the edge We did not learn the full story until the next day.
Of course Photographer's Delight after a long hike
Old folks at Tourist trap
Sindbad
Teaching Rock
Bad Photo- but Condor flying overhead while climbing
Burgundy Dome
The Grasshopper
The hike in
The last one, I promise-
The Cave
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mooser
Trad climber
seattle
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Mar 21, 2009 - 11:07am PT
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I'm jealous! Nice TR.
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Zander
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Mar 21, 2009 - 11:08am PT
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Thanks mrtropy for the TR.
Looks like you had a good time.
Zander
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Crimpergirl
Social climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Mar 21, 2009 - 11:13am PT
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There can never be too many photos! Loved it!
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mucci
Trad climber
sf ca
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Mar 21, 2009 - 02:36pm PT
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Hey Man, we ran into each other a few times in the high peaks on thursday. I am sorry to hear about your guide troubles, that is BS! You guys were really cool and your kids seemed to be the most well mannered little people I have seen at a crag. Don't worry those guys will run into problems if they intend to conduct themselves so selfishly in the future. Anyway great pix and it was a pleasure seeing you out at the pinns!
Mucci
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bookworm
Social climber
Falls Church, VA
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Mar 21, 2009 - 03:46pm PT
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fyi...the guides' insurance applies only to those who are paying them...if you haven't paid them, you can't sue them (or, at least, you won't win)...so don't let the pull that one on you
on the other hand, when i take beginners anywhere, i get there waaaaaaaaay early to beat the guides...i don't know about permits, though...most areas require guides to have permits, but i don't think it allows them exclusive use of an area
bottom line, he should have let your kids climb until his clients showed up
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Mar 21, 2009 - 04:30pm PT
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Great trip report. I'd never heard of guiding permits that give one exclusive use of Pinnacles' rocks, and I've climbed there for over 40 years. Shows you what I know!
Were you a jerk? In a word: "no." In two words: "%!*# NO!"
Anyway, I love to see young children climbing -- with their parents, that is. I started mine very young (they're in their 20's now), and they still love climbing, and the mountains in general.
John
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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Mar 21, 2009 - 04:35pm PT
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Thanks! was that a photo of that guide, under the tree?
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ec
climber
ca
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Mar 21, 2009 - 05:11pm PT
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Having had a permit (for several years) in the past for the Pinns, I have to say that the 'guide' was giving you a full load of sh*t about "a permit to use the area." The permit is for the 'area' of the Pinnacles National Monument. You should have found out the name of his company and reported him to the Feds. The privilege of being issued a permit is no license to be a jerk to the public, in fact, he should be setting a good example for having it.
BTW: Great TR with your kids! We used to do the same for are boys when they were about that age.
 ec
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billygoat
climber
3hrs to El Cap Meadow, 1.25hrs Pinns, 42min Castle
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Mar 21, 2009 - 08:23pm PT
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What ec said.
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Dirka
Trad climber
SF
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Mar 21, 2009 - 08:25pm PT
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Love Pins. Nice TR.
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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Mar 21, 2009 - 08:30pm PT
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nice tr-- love the camper. how long've you had that gem?
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Mar 21, 2009 - 09:57pm PT
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Nice TR, looked like you and the family had a great time and that's all that matters despite the as#@&%e guide.
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mrtropy
Trad climber
Nor Cal
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 22, 2009 - 10:12am PT
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Klk,- My parents bought the '72 Grasshopper used in the early 80's. It has been used by them my brother and sister and me since then. The hopper has been drug all over the west and into Canada and the dirt roads of Nevada. Not big but it job done and the kids love it.
Jaybro,- Yea the guide was a turkey strutting his stuff for the new female guide and as my wife said "he is not fooling anybody with his ponytail comb-over." When it starts to go it goes.
e.c. I should have remembered the name of his company, he guides for a company that takes private school kids on Nature trips, he told me he guides at Pinnacles about six times a year, I guess the group had been there about 3 or 4 days.
mucci, My kids were in a good mood when you saw them but my daughter was none too happy halfway up the last switchbacks just before the outhouse. It looked like you guys were having a fun time too.
Great trip the guide thing was only a small part of it, Cheers
P.S. Get the new guide book- excellent!
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seth kovar
Trad climber
Montgomery, NY
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Mar 22, 2009 - 08:00pm PT
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great tr... that guy was a pr#@k... for sure...
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| Messages 1 - 15 of total 15 in this topic |
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