Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
|
|
|
Topic Author's Original Post - Jul 20, 2009 - 06:20pm PT
|
Jay Kerr (alpinista55) has actually dropped in on the SuperTaco.
He has quite a background in the alpine arts. He has done two first ascents on Mt. Huntington. (Correct me if I'm wrong Jay.)
Jay and Keith Royster Stevens have done quite a few things together in the Alaska range, back in the day.
They did the second ascent of the N. Buttress of Rooster Comb together.
Besides being old friends, my only climbing experience with Jay is that we survived a weeklong storm together half way up Mescalito. It was Jay, Robbie Lesher and myself. It was Jay's first time on El Cap.
The wind and the falling ice alone would have shattered many a climber's psyche, but Jay was solid as could be and took it all in stride laughing. He taught me to cook safely inside of a portaledge in a gale, and whipped my ass at Backgammon many times! After a week though, the food, water, liquor and weed ran scarce. We wanted to continue, but Bob Williams told us on our radio that we had a 10-12 hr window of good weather before the storm settled back in. It was time to get the hell out of Dodge.
Down-nailing multiple pitches and dodging falling icebergs was the most difficult retreat of my life. Jay took a huge blow from a falling ice block on his thigh during the descent, and I feared his leg was broken. Luckily it only knocked the hell out of him but didn't seriously injure him. We rapped into waist deep snow and ice at the base with Frank Zappa booming on the tape deck.
So from me to one of my heroes....
WELCOME JAY!!!
|
|
couchmaster
climber
|
|
|
Jul 20, 2009 - 06:33pm PT
|
Wow! Blast from the past, just yesterday I was in a car after climbing and Jays name came up. He was telling me that these days Jay, in addition to being a master at graphic arts and Photoshop, had a 40 foot sailboat and was cruising all over some interesting spots.
Hola Jay!!!! 2nd time in as many days your name has come up. PS, I'm going over to see Jim Opdycke tonight !!!
Regards:
Bill Coe
|
|
Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
|
|
|
Jul 20, 2009 - 08:13pm PT
|
Down-nailing multiple pitches and dodging falling icebergs was the most difficult retreat of my life.
Did you write a story about this somewhere? Photos of grimness? If there's one thing we
need around here more than another religion or politics thread, it's wild mountain tales
with photos.
Welcome to Jay, and may he bring wild mountain tales as well.
|
|
survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 20, 2009 - 09:37pm PT
|
We were at the Molar when the storm started. We were well prepared with storm gear, more than I'd ever been prepared, storm wise.
It paid off. We pulled in all the ropes and coiled them inside of tied off garbage bags. There was a team far below us that didn't do this, ended up with their ropes frozen to the wall.
More on them later.....
Everything inside the haul bags was in sealed garbage bags.
Jay and I were in a two man ledge with a fly and poor Rob was hanging in a hammock with a fly underneath us. We both offered to trade with him numerous times during the storm, but he always declined. It would indeed have been a semi-major undertaking in those conditions to do the swap.
I am hoping that Jay had a camera, I honestly don't remember. Robbie often had the camera in those days, but Jay took a lot of photos too, so I've got my fingers crossed!
|
|
Captain...or Skully
Social climber
way, WAY out there....(OMG)
|
|
|
Jul 20, 2009 - 10:23pm PT
|
Whoa.....Mescalito is a tough place to take it on the chin like that...Good on Ya'll.
Howdy Jay Kerr.....Sounds like a good man.Solid partners can make an adventure turn from grim to "not so bad" to downright cool. Depends, I guess.
Anyway, welcome to the campfire of raving & sometimes cool stories.
|
|
couchmaster
climber
|
|
|
Jul 20, 2009 - 11:10pm PT
|
Survival sitting here with 2 guyys who might know or know of you. They remember u as a great kid who later trained rangers or seals how to climb.
did you also do an early ascent of tribal rite?
Edited as I typed that on my Iphone while drinking last night. I'll send a PM or email.
|
|
survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 21, 2009 - 12:00am PT
|
Hi Couch! Yes, that is me.
Who are the yahoos you're sitting with??
|
|
Captain...or Skully
Social climber
way, WAY out there....(OMG)
|
|
|
Jul 21, 2009 - 01:09am PT
|
Calls for a "yahoo-ID" bump, huh?
|
|
survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 21, 2009 - 11:18am PT
|
YooHoo, couch...
Who were/are those people you were drinking with last night??
|
|
couchmaster
climber
|
|
|
Jul 21, 2009 - 11:40am PT
|
I just emailed the full meal deal over to you........ps, they don't really do the internet.
Regards
Bill
|
|
Chiloe
Trad climber
Lee, NH
|
|
|
Jul 21, 2009 - 12:20pm PT
|
I am hoping that Jay had a camera, I honestly don't remember. Robbie often had the
camera in those days, but Jay took a lot of photos too, so I've got my fingers crossed!
Sometimes I've been so busy climbing I didn't bother to take photos. Then later think, Damn!
If only I had pictures to remember the wildness.
|
|
Alpinista55
Mountain climber
OR
|
|
|
Jul 21, 2009 - 04:23pm PT
|
Hi Guys --
Thanks for the welcome! I don't climb so much any more, as my back became overly sensitive to the heavy loads after 20 years of heavy construction separated by bouts of expeditioning.
As Bill mentioned (Hi Bill), I've transitioned into blue water cruising aboard my Tartan 37 "Betty Lou". Now I can still get my ass to a really remote location, under some very scary conditions, but I don't need to carry anything on my back and I have a toilet, a full galley and a warm dry bunk along for the ride.
Even though I've backed off the climbing a bit, I still like to tell lies (uhh, I mean stories, yeah, that's it... stories). I DO have a few slides of our mega-epic on Mescalito, so I'll dust off the scanner and see if I can post a few. In the meantime, here's a link to some Alaska photos and one to my sailing blog:
http://raintown.com/kerr/Alaska/Alaska.html
http://tartansailing.blogspot.com
Later!
Jay Kerr
|
|
Les
Trad climber
Bahston
|
|
|
Jul 21, 2009 - 04:47pm PT
|
OMG! Those Alaska pics are so friggin' rad! Real glad you shared those! Looking forward to more!
|
|
Captain...or Skully
Social climber
way, WAY out there....(OMG)
|
|
|
Jul 21, 2009 - 04:53pm PT
|
They ARE pretty frickin' cool, huh?
Thanks for sharin' those with us, Jay.....
|
|
Alpinista55
Mountain climber
OR
|
|
|
Jul 21, 2009 - 05:32pm PT
|
BTW, credit to others for some of the photography; Scott Wollums, Scott Shuey.
Jay
|
|
survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 21, 2009 - 05:39pm PT
|
Wow! Those remind me of your slideshows back in the day!!
Thanks for coming to the party Jay.
Man, I can't wait to see your Mescalito pics.
Did I ever see them?? I was probably too stoned at the time.....
|
|
couchmaster
climber
|
|
|
Jul 21, 2009 - 05:43pm PT
|
I crewed on a 41' Tartan during a couple of summer racing series in the 80's on the Columbia. Sweet boat although we had a habit of finishing 2nd most of the times. Looks like you are seeing some super areas in the sound. Nice pics Jay thank you for sharing them: I can't wait to see the Mescalito pics once you scan them.
|
|
guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
|
|
|
Jul 21, 2009 - 05:48pm PT
|
Yo Jay
Welcome! Enjoyed both the sailing and climbing links-great to have you on ST-tell us so Survival stories.
cheers
Joe
|
|
marty(r)
climber
beneath the valley of ultravegans
|
|
|
Jul 21, 2009 - 06:03pm PT
|
Remarkable Alaskan views! Thanks for sharing.
|
|
Alpinista55
Mountain climber
OR
|
|
|
Jul 21, 2009 - 06:07pm PT
|
Hey, Survival... I think you MIGHT have been too high. Hey I Think I have photos of when you and I and Kieth did Dragontail Peak, too. Remember that wild glissade after we ate 'shrooms on the summit?
Jay
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!