The Absolute Coolest Freekin' Cat Thread!

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ec

climber
ca
May 5, 2013 - 10:52am PT
MisterE

Social climber
May 19, 2013 - 09:04pm PT
Desktop Cat Containment Unit (DCCU) installed:

kennyt

climber
Woodfords,California
May 19, 2013 - 09:08pm PT
Reilly

Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
May 19, 2013 - 09:36pm PT
Them puddies are weak sauce. We were up at our friends' cabin in the San
Gabriels this weekend when a real nice kitty came by. I didn't try to pet her.

donald perry

Trad climber
kearny, NJ
May 19, 2013 - 09:36pm PT



I can't find a good place to post this, and it does not deserve it's own thread, so please allow me to dump it here next to your very funny cat jokes.

OK? BTW, I am still editing this, and if you guys are too mean I might delete it ... you guys can throw tomatoes at it though, it's all good. I have nothing better to do with my time.

*

Redirectionalism

If this climb was done today there would be no story to tell, but being that it took so long and it started so long ago the story may bear listening too.

The Era:

Back in the 70’s the Gunks were an exciting place to climb, everyone was trying to put up new routes. Well, I guess not everyone, only certain people were driven to this. The people that were making this their hobby, naturally did not altogether appreciate the competition, for fear that either they would lose a route, or that the potential for a good route they were thinking about would disappear. So therefore, it was unanimously excepted that you had to climb in a particular style, or else what you did, whatever you did would be regarded with speculation. No one would consider what you did as credible, if you did not play by the rules. Climbs had to be done without any hanging around. I remember when Max Jones and Mark Hudon came to the Gunk’s and told Mark Robinson and Kevin Bein how they did the Yosemite phoenix. They did "Between The Lines" the same way. When they explained their style to them they didn’t say anything, I was surprised. They did not apologize, they said they had to climb it like that, it was too hard to do it any other way. It was then and there where the idea was born in the Gunks, Phoenix Style, as Mark Robinson called it. I don’t think anyone put it into practice though over here right away.

Hunting Down The Climb:

Mike Burlingame and myself opted out of the world of Uber Fall and wandered into remote cliffs, and almost the entire Shawangunk escarpment looking for the perfect line. We ascribed to another rule adopted by a group of us which included Jim Munson, that climbing to record climbs in the guide corrupted ones soul and distracted from what climbing had most to offer, freedom, love, joy, and peace. After a year or so, we found a route to focus all our efforts on. And we soon found ourselves getting in over our heads, but we knew how to deal with poor protection without taking excessive risks, so it was within reason in that regard.

Millbrook:

We found a few things worthwhile at Millbrook to think about. Some of these have been re-claimed by others, some were never completed, and some we never got around to, but I will try to stick to the point. Mike abandoned climbing and I quit for a long period of time. We found Jesus, became more interested in reading the Bible and church. We loved Jesus too much to spare any more time climbing.

One line we were considering was what later became Sudden Impact 5.12 R. From what I could see, it has a 15’ runout on it, not as bad as what the guides now say. But we thought it was too short, not as much open space over there. Sense then part of it fell off, the feature that most interested us. At the time there was no one out there, and for us we thought that was a good thing. So we had narrowed our first real project down to all that white rock just right of New Frontier. At that time we really were not able to climb much harder than 5.12.

Starting The Project:

So, we started this route over there and we called it The Meat Cleaver, and this was now in the winter. We finished it at night in a snowstorm, after we came up every weekend, it was a lot of fun. Leaving the AMC cabin at 5:00 in the morning would get us to the base of the cliff as the sun came up. It would often get down to 5-10 degrees, but that couldn’t stop us, nothing could stop us. It finally went free between gear placements. We had to stick our hands in your pockets, you know it was fair, or else you could not get anywhere. This certainly did not represent the best warm weather style climbing in the Gunks, but we did this in our own style for cold weather lines. What was important to us was finding great lines to come back and repeat in the summer. If nothing else, we had broken new ground for cold weather climbing and route finding at Millbrook.

After some time we narrowed down the new route to only one line and threw everything else away. We told Dick Willams about it, but he refused to put any of our work in his guide book, even years after the fact. And this may have been because we refused to play by the rules, which in our minds seemed kind of hypocritical in that we were dealing with a Vulgarian.

Re-Starting The Old Project:

After I started climbing again, we had a close call climbing with my son, so we retired from climbing. But the need to get out of the house and the need for exercise brought me back to Millbrook. Sitting around typing all day is very bad for your health, especially if you intend on getting up someday and beating on something with a hammer.

I still had an idea for one last new line which was still open, a better line that should go, perhaps. This would take some work. The only problem was, that my son was now stuck to the X-BOX. After some time and some trickery I taught him how to fly off buckets like a squirrel, and set him loose on the Direct Line off the Meat Cleaver, which we called Redirectionalism. And I got myself up and ready for climbing 5.12. The goal of the climb had always been to find the finest line, everything else every other line was to be trashed, if not you could have [4 different starts X 4 first over hangs X 4 second overhangs x 6 third overhangs x 3 different finishes = 1152] quite a few different variations keeping you from the perfect line. After some time, I finally convinced the boy to finish the thing, against his better judgment. All of which pitch after pitch he deemed either nearly impossible or deadly until after the fact. It was amazing to watch, the climbing was spectacular.

The Style:

Redirectionalism was first done as an aid climb, and thereafter freed on lead. The most remarkable find was the slot for a BLACK DIAMOND CAMALOT C3 - 000 on the 4th pitch. Make sure it is in all the way with the inside cam facing to the left and it will not damage the rock. It kind of just appeared seemingly out of nowhere, full of crystals. Joshua first saw it, I thought he was seeing things or only hoping for gear placements where there was none in the crux roof. Initially we were preparing for 50’ falls, so as to avoid contact with the rock. My son’s new find made climbing with much shorter falls and doing the climb quickly, suddenly very plausible. I think his new placement is bomber, Joshua as usual, is not so sure. We can rate that pitch R not G.

The Climb:

The route is now finished, the line we were looking for is found, and better than all of the other variations combined, finishing off on the left facing corner opposite New Frontier. No bolts necessary. The first part of the climb sets you up just above the sickle on a small flat ledge. From here you traverse right on some small holds and up to a notch. There is some what of a puzzle here, that not everyone can figure out. After this you run it out till you get to the next set of overhangs and come back down to a very small ledge. The climbing up to this point is a little dangerous, somewhere between R-X but not too bad. The next part is not too bad and is nicely sustained, this pitch is unforgettable. Originally we were not sure if it was possible for us. The rock is white and different colors, and very interesting. The next pitch over the big roof is mind blowing, it looks impossible but it goes. The pitch after this is above some spectacular overhangs.

The Future:

The next thing we might do, is someday visit that one west facing cliff we never got to look at, uphill from the Ulster Correctional Facility. I always wanted to go there. Climbing while watching the sun set in the Gunks is something special you don’t get to see very often.
**

REDIRECTIONALISM 5.13 August 2, 2011 Joshua Perry & Don Perry. Start 45 right of New Frontier.

FIRST PITCH 5.9 Climb up past two separated right facing corners to an overhang. Traverse right under overhang to another right facing corner over the roof. Climb through this right facing corner to the base of a ramp. Climb up a ramp left (this ramp is called The White Meat Cleaver) to its top and a small ledge.

SECOND PITCH 5.12 Traverse right a few feet and up to the roof at a notch directly over the Meat Cleaver. Climb upwards and then left (this is the point where Redirectionalism goes direct) around the left side of a wide black streak into overhangs above and protection. Move back down to belay on a narrow ledge to the left.

THIRD PITCH 5.12 At the overhangs, climb slight right over small roofs, then left around a large white bulge and up to roof. Under the roof traverse right pasting a small hole 5' to turn the immediate roof in the middle of the next roof above Climbing straight up to belay under the last roof above.

FOURTH PITCH 5.13 Traverse left 6' just before the obvious break in the giant roof. Turn the roof through a hairline crack and small right facing corners that start 6' out over the overhang. Climb up into short right facing corners in the overhang and left a few feet until under another overhang just before the top.

FIFTH PITCH 5.12-. Traverse left some more on good holds to a giant left facing outisde corner facing New Frontier. Climb over the prow to the top.



Fritz

Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
May 20, 2013 - 12:56am PT
Harley thinks the best thing to do on this thread is -----some more


CAT-POSTS





oH?? Harley wants to be on the thread too.

donald perry

Trad climber
kearny, NJ
Jun 17, 2013 - 10:32pm PT
http://s116.photobucket.com/user/donaldjamesperry/media/cell-phone/3751b1a0-0308-485a-b89c-517063c60266_zpsb42c5502.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

I know this is not a cat, I am trying to figure something out. Cat's soon to come, I have two. One meows all day and the other says nothing, they are old. The had tumors until I fed them organic, then the tumors went away.

TwistedCrank

climber
Dingleberry Gulch, Ideeho
Jun 28, 2013 - 07:25pm PT
big cats like boxes too

[Click to View YouTube Video]
Michelle

Social climber
1187 Hunterwasser
Jun 28, 2013 - 08:37pm PT
Cute!
TradEddie

Trad climber
Philadelphia, PA
Jun 28, 2013 - 10:42pm PT
Marlow

Sport climber
OSLO
Aug 15, 2013 - 03:15pm PT
Carnivore 'teddy bear' emerges from the mists of Ecuador

Olinguito is first new carnivore identified in western hemisphere for 35 years, bringing 100 years of mistaken identity to an end


"The olinguito, which lives in the cloud forests of Ecuador, has been described as a cross between a teddy bear and a house cat.

The name olinguito means small or adorable olingo, but writing in the journal ZooKeys, the team give the animal a formal scientific name too, Bassaricyon neblina. The species name, neblina, means "fog" or "mist" in Spanish, a nod to the cloud forests where the animal lives. But it also means obscured. "That's exactly what the olinguito has been," Helgen said. "Lost in the fog.""

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/aug/15/teddy-bear-olinguito-ecuador-carnivore
dirt claud

Social climber
san diego,ca
Aug 15, 2013 - 03:20pm PT

the resident furballs
Simon and Louise

Awesome cat Mr E. Yall got some good lookin cats
Rcklzrd

Trad climber
Durango, CO
Aug 15, 2013 - 06:32pm PT
This was my sweet little boy Spencer. He had chronic renal failure for 7 years and we just had to take that last ride to the vet.
nevahpopsoff

Boulder climber
the woods
Aug 15, 2013 - 09:33pm PT
I've done it 3 times in the last 4 years, I'm not sure that there is anything much more difficult. So sorry...............
D'Wolf

climber
Aug 15, 2013 - 10:04pm PT
Just said goodbye to my boy, Trango also. Rescued from the streets at 3 mths; made it to just over 15 yrs. He developed pancreatitis that became a tumor then pancreatic cancer. He stopped eating then drinking causing his liver to begin failing also. Happened all within a month.

I took the day off to spend with him on his last. Took him outside and let him lay in the grass, his favorite place to be.

Just hours before...
D'Wolf

climber
Aug 15, 2013 - 10:08pm PT
On a happier note, we still have two young ones, Bella and Astro.

Some of you may remember Astro, the chocolate point Siamese that we rescued last September at the base of The Prow - he's doing well


Fritz

Trad climber
Choss Creek, ID
Aug 15, 2013 - 10:48pm PT
Rcklzrd & D'Wolf: Sorry to hear about your much-loved, but deceased cat-pals. We went through that a couple years back after 19 years with an extended cat-family.

After a period of mourning -----and recovering from cat-hair, cat-boxes, and forced cat-pill feeding twice daily------Harley found our hearts late last fall.

Ain't cats great!



Marlow

Sport climber
OSLO
Aug 25, 2013 - 11:43am PT

John Bradshaw: Cat Sense

John Bradshaw's fascinating feline study traces the history of the cat from ancient god through persecution to today's most favoured cuddly pal


From the history of cats:

"As John Bradshaw writes in his exceptionally thorough new study of feline nature, Cat Sense: "Cats now face possibly more hostility than at any time during the last two centuries." And Bradshaw knows his stuff about cat persecution in the past. In fact, as fascinating as Cat Sense will be for anyone wanting to understand their cat more deeply, feline lovers of a squeamish nature should be wary of its early chapters, in which we learn for just how long, and to what horrific lengths, the cats of the world have been the victims of superstition and cruelty.

The last really bad time to be a cat was the 1600s, when, along with falling foul of the Salem witch trials and the self-appointed Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins, they were persecuted by the church of Rome, which gave its official sanction towards cruelty towards cats. In the middle ages, many European cities observed a feast-day custom of suspending cats in a basket over a large fire, in the belief that their screams would ward off evil spirits. As recently as 1817, live cats were thrown ritualistically from the bell tower in Ypres (they now use stuffed toys instead) and in 1648 Louis XIV lit and danced in front of a bonfire in Paris whose prime purpose was to burn cats. Even the Egyptians might not have been quite as nice to cats as we think: on one hand, the members of an Egyptian household would often shave off their eyebrows in tribute to a cat who had died of natural causes, but on the other, many of their mummified cats had been killed by ritualistic strangulation."

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/aug/25/cat-sense-john-bradshaw-review
drljefe

climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
Aug 25, 2013 - 02:20pm PT
L

climber
California dreaming' on the farside of the world..
Aug 25, 2013 - 08:50pm PT
These are my two lovable furballs:


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