On this day, the 12th of August, I got burned.

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willm

Social climber
Oakland, CA
Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 12, 2011 - 09:30pm PT
I apologize in advance if you encounter this elsewhere for it will be cross-post extensively, hoping that someone out there in internet land can provide me with info.

I live in North Oakland. I’m staying at my girlfriend’s house while moving between two houses, in the neighborhood, with a few days in between while it’s painted; belongings all packed away in a friend’s garage; climbing and camping gear in my car readied for a long weekend trip to Tuolumne. I walked to my car before work to grab a nice shirt and noticed that my car had been broken into and the entire hatch emptied of its contents.

I lost my entire rack, my friends rack, all of my shoes, nice shirts, computer, camping gear and jackets; the list goes on. I know leaving my car on the street was a risk - I had it covered but apparently that wasn’t enough last night.

The one glimmer of hope is that there is a witness! Someone from an apartment down the street saw a guy described as “white guy, longish brownish hair” with a dark blue van. Pretty vague, please don't go jumping any white guy with longish brown hair you see at the climbing gym ;)

Here’s what I lost. If you or anyone you know comes across this gear locally or has any information it just might help me get my stuff back. I’ll have my buddy post up his stuff as well in case you come across his gear in the Oakland/Bay Area. All of the gear is taped blue. The f*#king guy even stole my adored coon skin hat from the front seat.

1 Mammut Ophir Harness
1 Black Diamond Momentum AL Harness
1 Five Ten Moccasyms
1 Evolv Defy VTR Shoes
1 Arcteryx Chalk Bag
11 Shoulder Length Slings (some Dynex/Spectra)
14 Black Diamond oval and assorted Biners for alpine draws
17 Black Diamond Neutrino Biners
10 Petzl Express Quickdraw Dogbones
2 Cordalettes
6 Petzl Attache Locking Biners
2 Black Diamond Positron Screwate
1 Black Diamond Guide ATC
2 Black Diamond ATC
1 Metolius Master Cam #0
1 Metolius Master Cam #1
1 Black Diamond Camalot #0.3
1 Black Diamond Camalot #0.4
1 Black Diamond Camalot #0.5
1 Black Diamond Camalot #0.75
1 Black Diamond Camalot #1
1 Black Diamond Camalot #2
1 Black Diamond Camalot #3
1 Black Diamond Camalot #4
1 Black Diamond Stoppers #1-6
1 Black Diamond Stoppers #4-13
1 Black Diamond Hexes #4-10
1 70m Edelweiss Lazer 9.6mm Dry Treated
1 18ft Mammut Sling

Red and gold Granite Gear Pack
Orange Wild Things Guide Pack
Grey and Black Dueter Guide 35+
Blue Patagonia Down Sweater
Grey Patagonia R1

Any help is appreciated. He stole my shoes. All of my shoes! That's just plain inconvenient. DAMN YOU ANONYMOUS BURGLAR.

http://mountainproject.com/u/dinosaurattack//107108404?action=personalpage&
Jay Wood

Trad climber
Land of God-less fools
Aug 12, 2011 - 11:11pm PT
Very sorry.

I'll keep an eye out.

Another sort of climbing injury- leaves scars.
JEleazarian

Trad climber
Fresno CA
Aug 13, 2011 - 01:01am PT
Ouch! I wonder if the thief knew what he got. In any case, very sorry to hear about this.

John
ms55401

Trad climber
minneapolis, mn
Aug 13, 2011 - 01:02am PT
there's a hipster problem in those neck of the woods. the neighborhood has gone to hell
ian stern-markovitz

Trad climber
shaver lake
Aug 13, 2011 - 01:19am PT
Here is a list of the things that I lost too:

1 bd c3 #00
1 bd c3 #0
1 bd c3 #1
1 bd c3 #2
1 bd c4 .#3
1 bd c4 .#4
1 bd c4 .#5
1 bd c4 .#75
3 bd c4 #1
1 bd c4 #2
1 bd c4 #3
1 Metolius power cam #6
1 bd c4 #4
1 full set of wallnuts (#1-10)
1 Metolius nut tool
1 Metolius gear sling

6 Petzl atache lockng biners
3 Black Diamond locking biners
2 Petzl William locking biners

1 Petzl reverso
1 Black Diamond ATC

5 Camp Orbit quick draws
2 Petzl Spirit quick draws
6 Black Diamond Quicksilver quickdraws
8 double length slings
1 massive sling
3 cordalettes

1 pair of La Sportiva Muiras

1 Green Metolius chalk bag

1 Grey Black Diamond Axiom 40 pack
1 Grey REI Flash 18 pack

1 Edelweiss 60m Axis rope
1 Mammut rope bag

1 Green Petzl Elios helmet
1 Grey Petzl Meteor 3 helmet

Biners for all of my cams, which were a mix of Wild country, Black Diamond, and Petzl (all but 4 were wiregates)

All of my gear is taped in red.

 the friend
Chaz

Trad climber
greater Boss Angeles area
Aug 13, 2011 - 01:28am PT
I know how you guys feel right now, and it sucks. I had a rack that took over ten years to assemble ripped-off from my car some years back too.

I hope you get your stuff back. I didn't, but at least one other poster on here did.

Good luck!
labrat

Trad climber
Nevada City, CA
Aug 13, 2011 - 03:27am PT
Bump to keep this on first page. Bummer.
Erik
rockgobbler

Big Wall climber
London, UK
Aug 13, 2011 - 05:42am PT
Man that reeeeeealy sucks.

Very similar thing happened to me a while back and it nearly led me to give up on climbing as it seemed like such a massive task to gear up again. All I can say is this - DON'T!!!!

Persevere, spend what you can, scrounge as much as you can off all your mates while you're skint and eventually you will get it all back together again. Plus all the replacement stuff will be newer, lighter and stronger so it's not all bad.

Good luck with tracking down your gear, I really hope it does turn up, but if not keep motivated somehow and just start up the building-the-rack road again.

It would be well worth messaging some manufacturers with your story too as they may sort you out some trade price deals or even the odd free thing if they are feeling generous........
seth kovar

climber
Reno, NV
Aug 13, 2011 - 11:22am PT
Sorry for the loss man, but what the f*#k were you thinking?

North, South, East, West... It's Oakland.

And don't give me any of that "There are safe parts of Oakland" :)

Same goes for S.F.

Never leave valuables in the car... It's the equivalent of leaving 10 or 15 hundred dollar bills on your front seat

I had my car broken into so many times in SF that I just started leaving the doors unlocked.

Really sorry man, and will keep a look out on Craigslist and such...
Norwegian

Trad climber
Placerville, California
Aug 13, 2011 - 12:47pm PT
freedom is just another word for nothin' left to lose.

i got empathy, man.
sympathy too.
the future will continue to unroll in front of you,
make love with it.

cheers.
willm

Social climber
Oakland, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 15, 2011 - 12:31pm PT
monday morning bump
willm

Social climber
Oakland, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 15, 2011 - 03:10pm PT
Speaking of which, any Truckee/Tahoe region folks have suggestions on what gear stores to contact about used gear resale? Other tips for used gear outlets? I'm trying to get the word around about my stolen gear to every resale outlet possible. That's the best I can do :(

seth kovar

climber
Reno, NV
Aug 15, 2011 - 03:41pm PT
I dont think there is anyplace that sells used gear around here (Truckee-Reno) I've been keeping an eye on Craigslist for ya...
le_bruce

climber
Oakland, CA
Aug 15, 2011 - 04:04pm PT
God damnit, that f'ing sucks. We'll keep an eye out for any gear that goes up. One place to keep an eye out might be the local flea markets - Laney, MLK, etc etc.

Willm, can you give us the cross streets more or less where it happened?
H

Mountain climber
there and back again
Aug 15, 2011 - 04:05pm PT
Here is a place that sells gear in Truckee:
530-582-4510
info@truckeesportsexchange.com


Keep an eye on Craigslist too
Good luck Bro
willm

Social climber
Oakland, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 15, 2011 - 04:35pm PT
42nd and Webster in North Oakland.

I am going to start looking at flea markets when I'm in town on the weekend, which should be frequently now that I don't have any gear.

I don't want to be so manic about searching every corner of the earth that I become consumed by this whole ordeal. Flea Markets are fun, anyway.
Brandon-

climber
The Granite State.
Aug 15, 2011 - 04:48pm PT
Check your local play it again sports as well, if you haven't yet. Hope you get your gear back. Next time, have a little less faith in the goodwill of your fellow citizens.
bergbryce

Mountain climber
South Lake Tahoe, CA
Aug 15, 2011 - 05:12pm PT
Bummer.
Any chance you've got renters insurance? You could possibly file a claim. I had a friend years ago who filed one when his skis got ripped off from the top of his car. I think his rates skyrocketed, but what's skyrocketing when the cost starts at like $15/month?

I had very good off-street parking in a well-lit, clean and quiet apartment complex in Temescal and wouldn't leave a sack of recycling in my car. Too many desperate people around, even in gentrifying neighborhoods.

willm

Social climber
Oakland, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 15, 2011 - 05:47pm PT
There's no shortage of regret on this side of the computer monitor. I feel like a pretty big idiot leaving anything in my car even though I was between apartments. There were other options.

Too many desperate people around, even in gentrifying neighborhoods.

I feel like this was a product of socio-economic factors, not race. Although, I understand that it is hard to ignore that comparatively safe neighborhoods like Rockridge are of a certain demographic.

Any chance you've got renters insurance?

Sadly no. Again, many regrets and should've(s).
Norwegian

Trad climber
Placerville, California
Aug 15, 2011 - 05:57pm PT
repost from the past...


...i was living out of my pickup in and around yosemite. i had just quit my career style job and i had no plan before me (and very little money). high times. after a month or so in yosemite, i return temporarily to placerville to visit friends. i stay at a friends house near downtown, and park my truck out front. in the back of my old toyota i have everything that i own. thousands of dollars in climbing and outdoor gear. i lock it well and don't worry about it.

some time during the night, someone steals my pickup.
(i had left the keys to my toyota RV in the glove box, which i guess worked in my pickup ignition??)

poof. everything gone. save for the tat i was drinking beer in that night.

so i report it to the local authorities and hope for a few weeks. nothing becomes.

in the mean time, a friend offers to sell me an old rack that he had bought and only used a few times. well shite, 100 bucks for all that! sold pardner.

wait a minute? one hundred bucks for a thousand dollars worth of gear? sumthins not right.

so i post a note at lovers leap, letting wind of this suspicious gear. 'call me if you lost anything recently', i invite.

the first caller describes the rack to a tee. someone had stolen his pack from the local top rope area a year or so prior.

so i rendezvous with the climber, and during the exchange, my story comes out:

i lost everthing. then gained almost everthing. then gave everything back.

the climber was touched enuf by my honesty, that he organized a community wide donation for me. a month later, random bits of gear found me. a brand new rope. and a few checks also.

putting it all together, i had a rat-pack of a rack, a new rope, and fancy new kaukulators to boot.

eventually i got my truck back. the sheriff had chased the thief down in sacramento. the truck was recked in the pursuit. then impounded. two days later, im coughing up my last 200 bucks to get it out of impound. its full of random furniture and garbage, and nearly totalled. everything else is gone.

a helluva karma journey i muse as i walk down the dusty path shakin my head.
ontheedgeandscaredtodeath

Trad climber
San Francisco, Ca
Aug 15, 2011 - 06:24pm PT

(posted previously on other "all my gear got stolen" threads but whatev)- I had a VW and some friggen derilict broke in and took all my stuff, tent, bag, climbing gear, etc. He even changed out of his bum clothes and put on my stylish duds! He left his urine smelling rags in my rig. To add insult to injury, he also left the radio and lights on, killing the battery.

Not to pile on or anything, but leaving a fully stocked car out in Oakland?? I've had similar lapses of urban protocol and have generally lucked out- I hope you get your stuff back.

Prod

Trad climber
Aug 15, 2011 - 08:12pm PT
I hope you get your gear back. And I hope you catch the prick that stole it. And I hope you are a vindictive bugger. And I hope you beat the fuk outta that prick.

Prod.
malabarista

Trad climber
Portland, OR
Aug 15, 2011 - 08:18pm PT
Yep. Same thing happened to my friend back in 2003. Left all gear in the truck in Oakland after returning from a trip to the Candadian Rockes. The truck was parked in a locked parking garage! Nonetheless, in the morning everything gone. NEVER leave anything of value in your car ANYWHERE in Oakland. Sorry for your loss. That is all.
Gene

climber
Aug 15, 2011 - 08:24pm PT
willm,

I got a rack that's collecting dust due to injury, mine, not its. Contact me at my ST address and maybe I can hook you up with a gear loan for the time being. I'm in Modesto, btw.

g
HighTraverse

Trad climber
Bay Area
Aug 15, 2011 - 08:38pm PT
that's really a bummer. May have been a climber, may have been a pro. I'm sure the fences in the Bay Area have a good idea of the worth of climbing gear.

I feel like this was a product of socio-economic factors, not race
There are always crook, of all persuasions.
Spider Savage

Mountain climber
SoCal
Aug 15, 2011 - 09:04pm PT
I feel the pain. You handle it well but it's the injustice that hurts.


When I was 19, living out of a home made camper in Portland, about '77, the lock didn't set right one night when I went to class. Right in the middle of downtown, they cleaned me out. Stole my whole universe, Bob Dylan Rolling Thunder style hat, Clint Eastwood style sarape, big collection of Native American beads, and what little climbing gear I had. Trashed the joint too. Before the attack I felt wealthy, afterwards I felt poor.
willm

Social climber
Oakland, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 15, 2011 - 09:20pm PT
Thanks for the support, everyone. Even a bonehead like me leaving valuables in a car in Oakland can get a sympathetic pat on the back from y'all. I'm not the only one that has made that mistake based on many of the replies, which is a small comfort.

@Norwegian - are you saying your "friend" previously stole someones rack? Also, your story of losing everything you had in one go really puts a loss like mine in perspective.

@Gene - Will PM!

@ontheedgeandscaredtodeath - pee covered clothes? all I got was a screw driver and some broken glass.
Toker Villain

Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
Aug 15, 2011 - 09:32pm PT
Have faith. Persevere.

I had a rack stolen once.
But since then I scored many times more through pro-deals and free samples than I ever lost.

Just hang in there. If you don't find it then build another rack in time.
Play hard, build skills, and try to bear in mind;





If you don't suffer then you likely won't have any interesting stories to tell around the campfire later.
Jingy

climber
Somewhere out there
Aug 15, 2011 - 10:08pm PT
Hey fat?

"Murder rate in OAK is up 50% this year."

 First of all... is that relevant to the crime being reported here?

 Second.. is that factual?


That totally sucks willm,dude.

I'd take the Norwegian tack on this one.... Learn the solo!!!
Norwegian

Trad climber
Placerville, California
Aug 15, 2011 - 11:45pm PT
no william my friend bought the rack from some sketchy folks and then held on to it for a while and never used it.

when he learned of my plight he offered to sell it to me for what he paid.
Anastasia

climber
hanging from an ice pick and missing my mama.
Aug 16, 2011 - 12:02am PT
I am so sorry! I can't imagine the sheer horror and shock of such an event!

I do know one thing that I have learned very well in my short life is that what goes around comes around. That guy will get his due even if you might sadly not be there to witness it.

I know that more bad stuff happen to bad people. People attract a whole lot of what they create.

AFS
micronut

Trad climber
fresno, ca
Aug 16, 2011 - 12:36am PT
Hey man,
This happened to me last year, in a nice neighborhood, in front of my home. Everything gone. All of it. Lots of Supertaco dudes and gals helped me out by sending gear. It was really cool and gracious of people. It meant a lot to me. I have some extra shoes and a chalkbag if you need one. Hit me an e-mail and I'll send something if you need. I've also got some extra biners/draws etc.... Would love to help out in some way and return the generosity that was given to me when I got hosed.
Anastasia

climber
hanging from an ice pick and missing my mama.
Aug 16, 2011 - 03:35pm PT
Bump...
willm

Social climber
Oakland, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 17, 2011 - 12:59pm PT
micro: Wow, thanks. I'm going to focus on getting what I can together for my friend who lost his gear while in my possession. He helped me catch the climbing bug and make the decision to get a rack together, so I expect things will come full circle when I mooch off his rack once more ;) I'll send you a PM.

The thief took off with only one of my Five Ten Moccs. Has anyone heard of a company selling single shoes? Certainly cheaper than a new pair...

I'm still optimistic that something might show up. If not, I'll have pieced together another rack by ski season. I'm going to check out the flea markets locally and see if I can't get the police to keep a lookout.

The only carabiner I have left was found at the base of Lover's Leap after walking off The Line. It was left at the base by Chris Mac, who was climbing the sport route to the climbers right while I was leading the first (awesome) pitch to his left. I consider it a nice gift after all the money I've paid him for guidebooks ;)
Srbphoto

climber
Kennewick wa
Aug 17, 2011 - 01:02pm PT
white guy, longish brownish hair

Anyone what color/type car Bluey drives?
willm

Social climber
Oakland, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 17, 2011 - 01:18pm PT
Nah, I've met bluey and he's a really nice guy. I won't comment on his or anyone's political views espoused on this site. Actually, I avoid those threads for my mental well-being!
Srbphoto

climber
Kennewick wa
Aug 17, 2011 - 01:51pm PT
You might try calling 5.10 about your single shoe problem. they could have mismatches hanging around and might try and help. the worse thing they can do is hang up on you :)
Norwegian

Trad climber
Placerville, California
Aug 17, 2011 - 01:53pm PT
hey i'll donate a yellow tcu
if you send me your address..
Bill Sherman

Mountain climber
Culver City, CA
Aug 17, 2011 - 01:58pm PT
What size shoe do you wear? There's a 5.10 outlet store in Redlands and you can often score a pair of slightly used shoes for $35.
Hardman Knott

Gym climber
Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, Ca
Aug 17, 2011 - 05:17pm PT
I had my car broken into so many times in SF that I just started leaving the doors unlocked

Amen to that!

-which is why I have no regret whatsoever about laughing my ass off when I read this story:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/12/BAOD12S9S2.DTL

Toker Villain

Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
Aug 17, 2011 - 05:32pm PT
I disagree HK.

The guy was a Gulf War vet and a father with a drug problem. Sure, he probably victimized a lot of people, but this is a byproduct of making substances illegal instead of offering counseling and treatment.

Loss of some fingers, a "thief" tattoo,.. perhaps.

But falling to your death?
You ought to have more sympathy than a non-climber on that one.
Toker Villain

Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
Aug 17, 2011 - 05:38pm PT
Yeah but by outlawing drugs you quintuple the price creating five times the criminal incentive.
Hardman Knott

Gym climber
Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, Ca
Aug 17, 2011 - 05:46pm PT
Sorry Ron, but the multitudes of times my cars were broken into over the years (knott to mention those of my friends) have left me more than a bit reticent to feel sympathy for the poor, helpless drug "victim". I feel much more for the wife and two year old he left behind.

Frankly, he probably faired better than if it was my car and I happened upon him with a baseball bat. ;-)

Crimpergirl

Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
Aug 17, 2011 - 05:54pm PT
Medical marijuana is legal in Colorado and my understanding is that it is REALLY expensive.

Toker Villain

Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
Aug 17, 2011 - 05:56pm PT
cheaper than Utah
graniteclimber

Trad climber
The Illuminati -- S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Division
Aug 17, 2011 - 06:03pm PT
The cops aren't going to recover it for you. If you want it back you'll need to practice detective skills and adopt some "Jason Bourne" tactics.

Just like Dan Osman did. It worked for him.

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.climbing/browse_thread/thread/5c019e6624da679e?hl=en&ie=UTF-8




DEUCE4
View profile
More options Feb 10 1998, 3:00 am
I saw the thread the other day (didn't read them all), so I thought I'd add to
them. The episode related in "A Wrong Turn" happened just last night.
Dano Stories
Some people think Dan Osman is a bit crazy. Master of soloing at the extreme
limit, wild 700 foot bridge and tower rope jumps, and other stuff entailing an
adrenaline surge that would kill most folks, Dan’s always got a glint in his
eye, poised for any kind of wildness.
Dan started working in the A5 prototype division of The North Face last year.
In a few weeks, he picked up the craft of sewing, and has since been designing
packs from scratch in the finest creative manner. Working with Dan allows a
view of his current slice of adventures. One morning he came in from a full
night of dodging cops under a bridge. Another night we climbed a construction
tower in the middle of a city to scope it for a rope jump the next evening.
I’ve gotten to witness a couple of his jumps now, and I can see that he has an
incredible intuitive sense of the mechanics and the dynamics of his jumps, and
can say for sure that no one should ever try them without an advanced awareness
of physics. The reason I can say this for sure is that despite years of
college physics and science, I still had to learn freefall dynamics the hard
way, as my back still aches in the place where I tore some muscle after a 140
footer on two ropes without a chest harness way back in 1986 during some jumps
with Scotty Burke on the Perris Ferry Bridge.
Anyway, Dan’s latest story was so amazing, that I thought I’d write it up for
all:
A WRONG TURN
After a day of designing gear, cutting patterns, and sewing, Dan left the A5
shop minutes after fellow threadworker Jason Smith, whom he was planning to
meet for dinner at the place they were staying. Not knowing the city well, he
took the wrong exit and ended up lost in the central heart of Oakland. Driving
around lost for a while, he eventually stopped at a Kentucky Fried Chicken for
a bit of food. He says now, “Look how life is, one wrong turn and my whole
life was altered”.
When he came out of the fast food joint, he saw three guys running away from
his truck. It took him a moment to realize that they were running away with
his jacket, wallet, car stereo speakers, and two duffel bags full of gear. He
chased them to no avail, got back to his car and surveyed the damage.
Incensed, for the next three to four hours drove around the dark heart of
Oakland looking for his stuff until he finally saw a woman wearing his yellow
North Face Jacket. He jumped out of his rig and chased the woman down.
Cornering the woman and trying to grab his jacket back, he only had moments
before a wall of tough looking guys were bearing down on him with bottles and
steel rods in their hands. He tried to pull the jacket off the woman, but she
bent over clutching it. At the very last moment he let go and at first only a
step or two in front of the tough guys, outran them by jumping over fences,
running through backyards, and dodging dogs (he thought one snarling dog had
him until he heard the chain slap tight just as he leaped away).
Now almost midnight, he wandered around town, and ran into a few police. He
told them his predicament, and they advised him to get the hell out of there,
and gave him directions to where he had been originally trying to get to. They
told him that it was a civil case and would have to be processed later. Dan
shrugged, and told them that if he was found busted up in some dark alley later
that night, they would know the reason why.
Continuing with his search, he saw the woman again, this time in a completely
different part of town. Again he chased her down and grabbed the jacket,
telling her clearly that all he wanted was his jacket back. She refused to
give it up, and tried to pull away. Seeing a cop driving down the street, Dan
double wrapped the cuff of the jacket firmly around one hand so the woman could
not run away without leaving the jacket, and with the other waved the cop down
wildly. The cop continued to drive by, and even after making eye contact with
Dan, turned the corner and was gone. Dan couldn’t believe it. Meanwhile, five
big dark and mean looking guys--what seemed like an army--were now barreling
down on towards Dan, so he again let go of his jacket and booked it, again
through yards and over fences only steps ahead of the chasing thugs. He
reflects, “They would have stabbed and beat me and my head would have been
smashed in if they caught me”.
Back at the truck, Dan paused and planned his next moves. Deciding to seek
information peacefully, he proceeded to walk around town and talk to folks. He
told me he met some really cool people, some who were clueless, and some who
seemed to know the haps. He bribed informants with cigarettes, candy bars,
lighters (with A5 stickers), and spare change as to any information on the
woman. Finding out her name was Niatia, he then moved through town with a
mission. One street person asked him for a smoke, and he bargained with the
guy until he told him more names. “Gimme a smoke, man” Dan: “Not until you
tell me who Niatia hangs out with”. Street: “I dunno no Niatia, just give me a
smoke”. Dan: “No way, man, not until I hear some info.” Street: “denniman”.
Dan: “What?” Street: “Dennis”. Dan: “Cool, man, here’s two smokes”.
Next he found out more about Dennis and Niatia, and even found out what floor
of the house they lived in. It turned out to be a two story house with four or
five separate families living in it. He scoped it out but all the lights were
out, and he couldn’t be sure that it was the right place. He drove around some
more not sure what to do, and was about to call it quits, when he drove by the
house one more time and saw a light on. It was now 5:15 a.m.
He climbed up the slippery shingles of the porch awning to where he could get a
view into the room. Asleep were Dennis and Niatia. He sees his yellow Climb
Light jacket, and a corner of his red duffel through his view into the window.
At this point he got scared, “because he knew he was charging in after it. It
was time for confrontation”.
Next he entered the house, trying to move quietly up the creaking stairs. The
place stank like piss. Going up, he tried the door on the left. Locked, he
knocked and called out, “Hey Dennis, it’s me, gotta talk to you.” A guy from
the door on the right appears, and says, “Haymaan, what chu doin?” Dan
explains, “I’m looking for Dennis, man, I got to talk to him, man” Neighbor:
“Ain’t no Dennis, man, get out of here.”
Dan: “no, man, I gotta talk to Dennis, it’s important” “Okaay”, the neighbor
says, and leaves his door open which led to another entrance to Dennis’s room,
and then disappears into another room (probably he went back to bed). Another
door blocked passage into the room where he had seen the jacket and duffel, and
though there was no handle and the latch were broken, something held the door
from opening. The bottom part of the door was kicked in, so he peered through
the slats, and now he could see that Dennis was using his duffel as a pillow.
As quietly as possible, he pried the slats away, reached up, and pulled out a
knife that was holding the door from opening. It took him about 15 seconds to
decide what to do, and another 5 seconds of visualization as to the location of
his items and his plan of attack, he bust through the door, brandishing the
knife in one hand, while holding his flashlight above his head with the other,
illuminating the knife and making his intentions clear. He said, “Want my
sh#t, man”, and proceeded to grab all he could gather of his possessions strewn
about the room, all the time holding the light in their eyes and holding the
knife out well in front of him.
When he bailed with all he could carry, fearful that the whole house (indeed,
the whole town) would be after him, he escaped, got back to his car, and sped
away, to find that he got his wallet (minus $600 cash) and most of his gear
back. He prayed to God as the sun arose.
As told to John Middendorf 2/9/98

willm

Social climber
Oakland, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 17, 2011 - 08:09pm PT
That's totally insane if it's true. I think I value my health and well being a bit more than the loss of something I can live to buy again.

Also the theft fled in a vehicle, making his possible whereabouts as big as the Bay Area. Still there are limited outlets for getting rid of gear and I'm hounding them all, and trying to ignore the likely possibility it's all in a dumpster somewhere.
Toker Villain

Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
Aug 17, 2011 - 08:37pm PT
What size feet do you have?
neebee

Social climber
calif/texas
Aug 17, 2011 - 10:33pm PT
hey there say, willm.... keep on praying and see what kind of open doors surface...


this gal visiting her siter in minn, had her HUGE fancy truck stolen...
police, etc, all thought they'd never see it again...

about 2? nights later (not sure exactly) it was found parked somewhere where someone didn't want it parked, and it got impounded...
edit: they got a call to come it, as it was NOW found, of course (they did have a police report on it)...

she got it back :O
she had been on a travel-road trip, and some stuff was gone, but not much, it was stolen from an apt complex where she was visiting her sister...

it was a real shock for her to get it back...

just keep thinking of any open doors you can try...
god bless...
very sad to hear this, :(
Quick Nick

Trad climber
Huntington Beach, CA
Aug 17, 2011 - 10:35pm PT
Fulls! If you have the time to go out to 5.10, I've been told by someone we all could learn a thing or two from, go out there and buy me a pair as well.
pud

climber
Sportbikeville & Yucca brevifolia
Aug 17, 2011 - 10:53pm PT
Here is a quick way to search mulitple Craigslist areas.

http://www.searchtempest.com/

Sorry for your loss.
allapah

climber
Aug 17, 2011 - 11:12pm PT
somebody tell the Dan Osman story....
willm

Social climber
Oakland, CA
Topic Author's Reply - Aug 25, 2011 - 12:20pm PT
Bump as a reminder. No signs yet. Slowly piecing together a new rack to get back on the rock.
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