Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
| Messages 1 - 10 of total 10 in this topic |
Ammon
Big Wall climber
El Cap
|
|
|
Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 20, 2008 - 04:31pm PT
|
My son has been taking notes.
Thanks man!
|
|
deuce4
Big Wall climber
the Southwest
|
|
|
Jan 20, 2008 - 04:51pm PT
|
|
|
Ammon
Big Wall climber
El Cap
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 20, 2008 - 05:06pm PT
|
Hey Ekat, I guess it's only funny if you've seen him lately. Austin has "the look" down. Um, Im 37 Austin is 17, haa haa.
|
|
WBraun
climber
|
|
|
Jan 20, 2008 - 09:25pm PT
|
John Harpole is an all right dude.
But that dude to the left of him is way out out there.
Beware .....
|
|
Risk
Mountain climber
Minkler, CA
|
|
|
Jan 20, 2008 - 09:54pm PT
|
I am pretty darn sure that I have known John Harpole longer than anyone else here. John was my very best friend in Pasadena, CA before my family moved to Fresno in 1962; I met John when I was 3 or 4. John lived at the corner of Madison and Fillmore, and I lived down the street on S. Madison. Being so long ago, my memories are limited, but what stands out is our tree climbing, yeah climbing. John’s house had a great flattop tree where we could both climb to the top and look around at everything. This tree climbing with him remains a sacred memory I always carry.
On my 10th birthday, my parents surprised me as we drove past the old house on a trip seemingly unconnected to my birthday. It was all secretly prearranged, but they suggested I knock at the door of John’s house. John appeared! We “invited” him to come along with us for the day. My parents, John and me took off on some LA freeway, when suddenly we were pulling into Disneyland! I was shocked and will never forget the joy of this event. To commemorate this very special occasion, I took my two young daughters to Disneyland this year on my 50th birthday.
As with almost all friends of our youngest years, John and I fell out of touch. Then, I ran into him sometime in the mid 80’s at Camp 4 or Tuolumne. His dingy LTD was laden with gear, making it sort of sag in the back. Over the next 5 or 8 years, we joined up for various adventures, including a favorite of mine: our Ritter/Banner traverse. On this outing, John and I proceeded from Agnew Meadows to Lake Ediza for the night. When we arrived at the outlet of the lake (I think we just followed the creek up instead of taking the trail), there lay a beautiful 35 mm camera with a zoom lens. Scattered around were hundreds of bright pink shells from pistachio nuts, which were disgusting. While we were both reluctant to simply take the camera and move on, we decided to take it for “safe keeping” and look for the owners and litterbugs later. Despite a gallant attempt, we never found them, so John became the owner of this fine camera. I took the pictures below with that camera when I borrowed it on a trip the next summer to the same area.
We made camp on the far side of the lake and milled around, bored. So, we decided to take an evening jaunt in an attempt to gain a good sunset view from I think “Ritter Pass.” This 3rd class pass at the north end of the Minarets proved way too risky, as it was choked with ice, or otherwise just didn’t seem right. 3rd class in the Minarets is not always a cakewalk, and this was one of those places. We retreated in the shadows to camp instead.
The following day, we rose casually for our chosen destination: Ritter and Banner. John was training for climbing in Alaska, so he threw a bunch of rocks into his pack to give it some weight – about 80 pounds. We ambled on up the meadows and onto the SE Glacier of Ritter. In no time, we were at the Ritter summit for a late morning snack. From there, we descended the north face, down toward the Ritter/Banner saddle. As we scrambled down the gullies and arêtes, there was a team of climbers ascending, fully roped with anchors and everything. We excused ourselves as we down climbed past the team headed up. Then, after a brief jaunt from the saddle to the summit of Banner (Class 2) for lunch, we found ourselves back down at the saddle at the beginning of the best glissade I have ever had (Shasta might be the exception). A 1-inch layer of perfect corn lay atop the glacier and snow field to afford any skier the choice chance to “ski” with just your boots down the 1,500+ drop to the Ediza meadowlands below.
This same glissade proved nearly disastrous to me, solo, the following summer (see pictures below). Overly confident, and sure it was still as perfect as with John Harpole the summer before, I suddenly found myself prostrate and scraping at full speed in a veritable self arrest emergency with shorts and gaiters on as I encountered blue ice beneath that nice layer of corn. Not quite streaks of red down the mountainside, but with a full pack, this incident was a true narrow escape, and a really stupid breach of judgment. Never mind that earlier that same day, alone and carelessly, I nearly fell into the lakeside-crevasse of Lake Catherine, with zero hope of rescue.
After our splendid glissade from the Ritter-Banner saddle and jaunt through the meadowlands back to our camp at Lake Ediza, John and I got bored again. So, off we were for hamburgers and beer at Grumpy’s in Mammoth! No rest for the weary! A great trip with a great friend.
Best to John Harpole, truly a lifelong friend and always a trusted companion.
Ritter Range from the top of Bench Canyon
What I call “John Muir's Glacier,” on Mt Ritter
Ritter-Banner Saddle from Lake Catherine
Looking west from the Ritter-Banner saddle
Afternoon thunderheads, Minarets
Minarets and Lake Ediza meadowlands
|
|
ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
bouldering
|
|
|
Aug 21, 2011 - 05:00am PT
|
The following day, we rose casually for our chosen destination: Ritter and Banner. John was training for climbing in Alaska, so he threw a bunch of rocks into his pack to give it some weight – about 80 pounds.
|
|
Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
|
|
|
Aug 21, 2011 - 12:36pm PT
|
I got sore and tired just reading Jesse's post! Must be getting Old.
Good thing ya'll didn't decide to pull all the rocks out of John's pack in front of those roped climbers.
Cheers for John
Peace
Karl
|
|
Risk
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
|
|
A bump for my friend John. I found this relic from my 10th Birthday surprise rendezvous at Disneyland, ca. 1967.
|
|
Capt.
climber
some eastside hovel
|
|
A couple years ago friends and I would climb all day then bivy outside TM.John would always come meet us every night.We'd all go fish for dinner and Harpole was the only one who NEVER got skunked.When we'd go climb in the morning John would be gettin ready to fish.He was pretty much eating trout for breakfast,lunch,and dinner.We all swore he was turning pink from so much trout.
|
|
| Messages 1 - 10 of total 10 in this topic |
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!