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Mark Rodell
Trad climber
Bangkok
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I am looking forward to reading Doug's article in Alpinist 42...something about visionary bears, I believe. Many of Doug's articles and stories are pillars of our mountian literature collective. He also throws a mean party as I recall from the Eastside.
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Sport climber
moving thru
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Unsure whether this is a philosophical thread or a DR thread....no matter. I agree with much, but don't think it just pertains to the sport of climbing.
Getting high on your sport leads to a euphoria that brings interesting "interjunction" with the world both real and invisible. jess sayin', lynnie
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Yes, that was a seminal piece of our genre which I fully embraced. I feel
uncomfortable even commenting on it except to say that we all can aspire to
our own measure of visionary. I trust many of us have had days where we were
'in the flow' and 'feeling it'. I can also say that I owe my life to others', and my own,
sense of impending doom and were able to avert certain disaster. This may
be beyond what DR had in mind but to my thinking it is all the same.
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Doug Robinson
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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Good question, Bluering. I just assumed it was old and black -- y'know, trad. Turns out to be not that old, and has been covered by a gazillion artists.
Wikipedia says:
"People Get Ready" was a 1965 single by The Impressions, and the title track from the album of the same name. The single is today the group's best-known hit, reaching number-three on the Billboard R&B Chart and number 14 on the Billboard Pop Chart. The gospel-influenced track was a Curtis Mayfield composition, and displayed the growing sense of social and political awareness in his writing.
"Rolling Stone magazine named "People Get Ready" the 24th greatest song of all time and also placed it at number 20 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks. The song was included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. "People Get Ready" has also been chosen as one of the Top 10 Best Songs Of All Time by a panel of 20 top industry songwriters and producers, including Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, Hal David, and others as reported to Britain's Mojo music magazine, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.
"Mayfield said, "That was taken from my church or from the upbringing of messages from the church. Like there's no hiding place and get on board, and images of that sort. I must have been in a very deep mood of that type of religious inspiration when I wrote that song." The song is the first Impressions hit to feature Mayfield's guitar in the break."
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Charlie D.
Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
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Thanks Ed for prompting this and Doug for a life of insightful literary contribution. The Holy Slow Road indeed, I read your piece in 1969 my first summer in Yosemite as a climber. A summer that changed the trajectory of my life. Would love to share a rope or skin track someday with either of you. Perfect head food as I pack our van and head to the Valley this weekend. Happy trails and a hardy Berg Heil to you all.......
Charlie D.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - May 9, 2013 - 11:55am PT
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I have updated the OP with the revised version and the introduction of Climber as Visionary that Doug provided me, which includes some of the followup since the 1969 version in Ascent.
It is a remarkable thing that we can keep a thought alive for more than 45 years and develop it productively into an even more interesting story.
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BASE104
Social climber
An Oil Field
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You damn sure better come within 500 miles of me on your book tour. I'll take you sailing.
Regrettably, I am taking a full time position with The Man in a couple of weeks.
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Psilocyborg
climber
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I will definitely be seeking out this book. I have been following MAPS for almost 20 years....wow where does the time go?
I have found that being alone really ramps up the changes in awareness.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Yeah, Doug. It's just a great song about Christian redemption. About being welcomed aboard "the train" if you just leave your sinful baggage behind.
Just ask for forgiveness, and get "on board".
Simple, yet profound. Don't need a ticket either, just thank the Lord.
Most people don't realize how spiritual Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart were.
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McHale's Navy
Trad climber
Panorama City, California & living in Seattle
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May 11, 2013 - 03:03am PT
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BUMP! I finally read the entire OP here and look forward to the new read. Was it the same year, 1969, or 1970 that Doug wrote the article encouraging climbers to just go out and climb - for the climbing - and not to write it up in some magazine or journal as a rated climb and first ascent? He encouraged us to keep it to ourselves, to keep our best works of art secret in order to keep the motivation to climb pure. I think he saw back then that climbing was becoming something else, becoming corrupted by the mainstream. I would like for Doug to comment on that period. He had a vision of what climbing should be, and perhaps what the world should be. I'm glad it's all still alive and I'm glad I'm still mostly all alive! Perhaps Doug helped to stop time for many of us.
Now it's time to go home and read about those bears!
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10b4me
Ice climber
Soon 2B Arizona
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May 11, 2013 - 10:34am PT
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Have to go buy a copy of Alpinist 42
It's good to see you posting here again, Doug
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Doug Robinson
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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May 11, 2013 - 11:52am PT
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Hi McHale's,
Time stoppage -- a trick for Alchemists! Stops regularly for me (until I catch shards of the present in the mirror), and I am so grateful for the way my body still soars over moderate stone, which is where the "flow" seems to be kept anyway. Love 5.7 rock! And if you look up flow, you'll find that the guy with the unpronounceable name who coined the concept, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, studied climbers along with surgeons and chess players as he was coming up with it. Brilliant!
Off to go climbing this morning, so no time to get into the question of hiding climbs. Except to say it was never about that, but rather about taming the ego. I've since moderated that idea anyway, in favor of sharing. I found myself using guidebooks in spite of myself, to take advantage of classic routes wherever I go, so I started feeling hypocritical about the "not reporting" stance. And if my ego goes for a stroll now and then, that too seems just another part of the flow. Hard to deny it; more natural to just let it be a part of the larger gestalt. Doing battle with it just ends up giving the ego more credence, when it feels more fruitful to present-focus instead on moving joyously over stone into blue Sierra sky.
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SCseagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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May 11, 2013 - 12:16pm PT
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Too many moves since first purchased, misplaced, whatever, so time to revisit...
Amazon makes it sooooo easy!
Susan
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Doug Robinson
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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May 11, 2013 - 01:19pm PT
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Honored that you want to revisit, Susan!
And I'll just mention the independent bookstore alternative to the octopus that is Amazon. Try alibris.com
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SCseagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz
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May 11, 2013 - 02:17pm PT
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Thanks Doug, I usually am very loyal to Bookshop Santa Cruz, but short notice headed out of town couldn't get it in time....thanks for the link...did not know of them
Susan
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McHale's Navy
Trad climber
Panorama City, California & living in Seattle
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May 12, 2013 - 08:24pm PT
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Thanks Doug!
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Donini bump!
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Tobia
Social climber
Denial
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Mr. Robinson,
Congratulations on finishing the literary work. Will It be available to buy on this site?
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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I think, Randisi, that besides making a point that he doesn't use drugs, mcGees is actually giving a tangential example of a vision that has formedvhisclife in a big way.
I'm so, ready for this book! I have PayPal and know how to use it!!
And like Susan, I'm going to revisit "Night on the ground..." In the meantime.
As well as contemplate the vision inducing scenes and experiences that come on a constant basis.
From this morning;
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