Is the road to CHIMNEY SPIRE open yet ?

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rincon

Trad climber

SoCal

Apr 8, 2013 - 12:15am PT

Chimney Rocks now closed.... until Aug. 15 to protect nesting falcons.

http://www.recorderonline.com/news/closed-56633-rock-falcons.html

Paul Martzen

Trad climber

Fresno

Apr 8, 2013 - 04:44pm PT

The Beckey Route was so named because nobody knew who did it. It was assumed that Beckey originally climbed it because of some fixed pitons or such. I don't think that Beckey ever actually claimed it or was even asked about it.

I used to kayak with a fellow named Ben Dewell from Fresno. I don't remember the name of his climbing partner or the year, but Ben claimed he and his partner made the FA in late 1960's or very early 1970's.

There was a Christian, climbing & adventure camp located in the present parking area when I first started climbing there. They had a big log suspended in the air as part of a ropes course. Sea and Summit, might have been the name as they also had a camp in Santa Barbara. The climbing guides at that camp did the early FAs and named the early routes. Amos Clifford from Visalia worked at that camp.

After my first foray up Duet on a foggy day, my partner and I were treated to supper by a woman who seemed to be in charge of the camp, or the kitchen at least. Years later I did a lot of climbing with a fellow named Glen Cambron. When I told him the story, he says, "Oh, that was my mom."

climber

Apr 10, 2013 - 01:32am PT

Date: April 1, 2013

Seasonal Closure Protects Peregrine Falcons

Sequoia National Forest, CA - The area within ¼ mile of Chimney Rock in the Hume Lake Ranger District, Giant Sequoia National Monument, and Sequoia National Forest is now closed to all entry. The area is a traditional nesting site for Peregrine falcons. The closure will remain in effect until August 15 or until nesting concludes.

Historically, peregrine falcons nested on the cliffs in the Chimney Rock area until the 1970s, when DDT caused nest failures that led to their disappearance. In 1993, peregrine falcons were found using the cliff north of Chimney Rock. Disturbance by humans threatened the nesting success of the birds. To avoid abandonment of the nesting site, a seasonal closure was implemented. Monitoring by volunteers and biologists has found regular use of the area and a need for seasonal closures since that time.

The recovery of peregrine falcon populations in North America has been a great conservation success. After a low point of just two known breeding pairs in California, the birds have rebounded and were removed from the California list of threatened and endangered animals in 2009. However, the nest site near Chimney Rock is the only known peregrine falcon nesting area within the 183,000-acre District. Continued protection of this site is vital to their continued success.

For updated information about the closure and the volunteer monitoring program contact Jeff Cordes, wildlife biologist at (559) 338-2251 x380.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sequoia

limpingcrab

Trad climber

the middle of CA

Apr 10, 2013 - 01:54am PT

Annoying

ß Î Ø T Ç H

Boulder climber

bouldering

Apr 10, 2013 - 02:08am PT

... it's a $5,000 fine.

Just incur the fine, and do a fundraiser on S'topo afterwards to recoup.

climber

Apr 10, 2013 - 02:10am PT

Annoying

Hey. There's plenty of other rocks out there that aren't closed...believe me.

guyman

Social climber

Moorpark, CA.

Apr 10, 2013 - 02:10am PT

Paul, I think the FA was done by folks from the Christian Camp. I was in a Cartography class at CSUN in 1976. Before Google Earth, the only way to study the ground from the air was to look at "Stereo Photos". CSUN had a huge library of these cool photos and I spent many hours prospecting. While looking along the Generals Hwy photos I came across one clearly showing "a god dam huge tower, just over a hill from the road" ... a few days later, Nick, Erik and myself were in Sequoia, parked at a building at the end of a logging road. They were very skeptical to say the least. I assured them the tower was just over the hill, in that direction. Next am, we hike in and are stunned by what we find..... a huge tower, unclimbed!!!!!

Erik cheats and somehow gets to pick pitch one, so he goes for a thin crack leading up and right into a chimney, I got the chimney and Nick finished it off with a 40 foot pitch....
We get to top and find a register..... "WTF?????"

The spire had been climbed about 4 times by about 10 different climbers, all from the Christian camp...

We did start climbing in Sequoia after that and I discovered that you could find unclimbed stone if you put in some effort and that is what I still do today.

limpingcrab

Trad climber

the middle of CA

Apr 10, 2013 - 02:22am PT

I though I heard/read that when the Christian Camp people climbed it they were the ones that found the old pins? Maybe it was Ben Dewell that did the FA, it would be cool to finally know who did it.

Hey. There's plenty of other rocks out there that aren't closed...believe me.

There sure are! But I can see Chimney Rocks from my house and I really like it up there. Recently they've been locking the gate where it messes up the Big Baldy approach too, even though it's not closed. Annoying

Paul Martzen

Trad climber

Fresno

Apr 11, 2013 - 07:28pm PT

Yeah, the Christian camp climbers named the route, "Beckey Route" because they assumed that he had done it.

Captain...or Skully

climber

Apr 11, 2013 - 07:32pm PT

When we were out there, we got fully attacked by a falcon on top of the spire. It was "interesting", to say the least.

It seems that the local custom is that if the FA is unknown, It's assumed to be Fred.

guyman

Social climber

Moorpark, CA.

Apr 11, 2013 - 07:45pm PT

Fred gets around.

Crab/Rincon..... so are any of the other formations closed?

Little Baldy?

limpingcrab

Trad climber

the middle of CA

Apr 11, 2013 - 08:30pm PT

The only things closed around here are Chimney Rocks and part of the East face of Moro, everything else is open.

I'm not sure if only the spire and chimney rock are closed, or the whole complex (crystal wall, Sasquatch spire, etc...). The release does say "within 1/4 mile" and all of the formations are within 1/4 mile of the spire so I assume they're all closed. Most of the time the gate is locked during the closure so the approach is messed up anyway.

I called and left a message with the biologist yesterday to ask some questions, if he gets back to me I'll post up

climber

Apr 12, 2013 - 01:49am PT

I used to be pert of the bird surveyors out there. The radius closes the whole area. Prior to the biologist change, I used to be able to have them only have partial closures. Those days are gone, as they rather not hassle with that type of stuff.
- ec

limpingcrab

Trad climber

the middle of CA

Apr 15, 2013 - 02:05am PT

Too bad it's closed, it sure looked nice from Big Baldy on Friday!

limpingcrab

Trad climber

the middle of CA

Apr 16, 2013 - 02:39pm PT

I just talked to Jeff, the forest service biologist, and EC knows his stuff. The whole area gets closed, including crystal wall, every year now.

I volunteered to help monitor the nesting sites so I'll let them know ASAP once the chicks have left the nests and the cliffs are ready to be swarmed by humans again.

The six people per year that climb there are eagerly waiting ;-)