Daryl Hatten

Search
Go

Discussion Topic

Return to Forum List
This thread has been locked
Messages 1 - 70 of total 70 in this topic
AP

Trad climber
Calgary
Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 18, 2006 - 11:34am PT
Daryl was one of the truely unique characters in climbing, Politically incorrect but brutally honest. He could not fit in with regular society but found a positive outlet for his energies in climbing. I knew him only in passing and only climbed with him once but heard many outrageous stories.
Perhaps some of the 70's/early 80's Yosemite and Squish crowd can share some stories.
bhilden

Trad climber
Mountain View, CA
Mar 18, 2006 - 11:41am PT
Base of El Cap late 70's. Daryl has been thrown out of the Valley because of an incident at the store. We see this guy rapping from Sickle Ledge. As he hits the ground we come over and it goes like this:

Us: "Daryl is that you? I thought they kicked you out of the Valley."

Daryl (putting on a pair of dark sunglasses): "It Doug. Doug Fir."

Bruce
bachar

Trad climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
Mar 18, 2006 - 11:59am PT
One night we were all standing around outside the Foul Seasons restaurant at the Lodge. I was sitting on my little red BMX bike and Hatten came up and asked if he could borrow it for a few minutes - I said sure and he disappeared. Minutes later he showed up with a trenchcoat on and then rode the bike through the restaurant NAKED! He gave me my bike back and disappeared again.

A bit later we noticed that our group was surrounded in the recesses by a growing circle of security guards...hmmm. I quickly realized that they thought I was the guy who "flashed" the restaurant on the "red" bike. I hit the pedals and bolted out of there. A security guard was waiting in the bushes for me around the corner so I faked right and turned left - he fell flat on his face trying to tackle me! I sped back to Camp4 and ditched the bike and went to sleep.

Way to go Daryl! You sure knew how to get people's attention!

RIP bro!
Grug

Trad climber
Golden, Colorado
Mar 18, 2006 - 12:24pm PT
Hung out with Daryl both in Yosemite and Squamish a bit. Always entertaining...and the man could drink!
Wonder

climber
WA
Mar 18, 2006 - 01:11pm PT
The Hattini and I hung out and got drunk alot together so i dont remember alot. so ill write down some i remember at this hour & then go skateboarding. one time we were all packed and ready to do the east buttress of el cap but we had gotten way too drunk the night before. but we were determined to go. Late in the morning we got a ride to the meadow and with our heads pounding we hiked up and just started climbing up together the lower stuff. we had the tunes with us and with early Police playing we just keep going. at some point we decided it was now 5th class and maybe we should rope up. with Daryl leading (he had done the route before and knew where to go) we just keep climbing without belays with the rope on just in case. At one point i remember asking for a belay. I get up to where Daryl is standing and he's just standing there on some small ledge, smoking, no anchors, pulling the rope up with one hand. Walking on the Moon was playing. We made back to the MR before closing. gotta go, ill rememder more later.
Wonder

climber
WA
Mar 21, 2006 - 01:29am PT
Daryl one time told me how he got into climbing. He use to be a purse snacher in Vancouver. not really for the money, theres no real money in it, but for the rush. He was a young canadian and got in alot of trouble for it. So they sent him to outdoor rehab and they taught him rock climbing. He said it was a way more rush than purse snatching. Well yeah Mr. wet demin daydream.
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
Mar 21, 2006 - 10:09am PT
Hatten and Burton were lounging about C4 one morning, say 10:30 AM, drinking beer. Australian Beer, Tooeys to be exact, if mis-spelled. Darryl is drinking, ya, but on this occasion, it's for scientific reasons. Actually it was a "materials study". Tooeys cans are pretty burly, like a Fosters Can, steel, not aluminum. Darryl had need of rivet hangars for a new route he'd planned for El Cap. He wanted his rivets to be handily adorned with actual hangars. He had only enough money for either beer, or hangars. What do you think he chose?

So he's drinking Tooey's and cutting off the top rim of the can, making his cut about 3/4 inch down from the lid, leaving only the round disk of the top of the can with it's pre-punched carabiner hole (the drinking spout) along with the reinforced rolled edge around the perimeter and a little bit of the vertical aspect of the can. Then, he takes a Yosemite Hammer, a 10 Penny Nail and whacks the steel Tooeys beer can lid into a tree at about shoulder height.

It was an elegant plan. "Ya see Eh? I coot off thah can, sos ya can still see the Tooeys logo at the top. So whin ya get to my rivet ladders, you'll look up and see Tooeys, Tooey's, Tooey's, EH?!" Darryl then clipped a set of aiders to the handy pre-punched 'biner hole, delicately mounted the stirrups and promptly ripped the 'biner through the "Hangar".

"Right, more studies required, Hugh, Hand me another, EH?!"
GDavis

Trad climber
SoCal
Jul 25, 2008 - 08:18pm PT
One of the better climbing stories ive read.
Lynne Leichtfuss

Social climber
valley center, ca
Jul 25, 2008 - 08:30pm PT
Work over ..... having a beer....great rivet story...thinking we need to be more Daryl-like in life. Looking in the closet for trenchcoat.....(kidding, maybe ?)....Denny's, watch your door. hehe
Raydog

Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
Jul 25, 2008 - 09:51pm PT
Daryl was the first person I met in Yosemite.

He got on the bus I was on, up from Fresno.
He saw me and sat next to me, the bus going...
he broke out beers and gave me one - I was a
complete dork and Hatten was as good natured
as they come, he faked a cough to open the can,
I think it was Coors, or Oly.

Did the same, he and I'd just met and
were instantly busy consuming alcohol.

Recall Daryl Hatten had a really infectious
and very positive energy/attitude/vibe :)

bluering

Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
Jul 26, 2008 - 02:30am PT
Wow, I don;t know what to sAY...he must've kicked ass!!!!

seems like a great guy!!!
Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
Jul 26, 2008 - 02:32am PT
Many stories and photos in the thread started by his daughter also:

http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=192446
Stewart

Trad climber
Courtenay, B.C.
Aug 3, 2008 - 04:27am PT
I have about 200 (?) slides and photos of Daryl from his early days - many before his ascent of NA Wall. Most of them were taken in Squamish or on Vancouver Island. Also, I have a few odds and sods of memorabilia from the years that we hung out together.

A couple of warnings, though - quite a few are the usual head or ass shots and not very interesting, not to mention that some are out of focus. Also, I'm a bit of a Luddite and have somewhat limited computer skills, not to mention that my eyesight is fading fast. This means that any interest in this archive is going to require a very patient and persuasive response to the above news.

For what it's worth, most of the stories that I'm familiar with are true, although some of the less flattering comments posted by people who claim to have known him well are insinuating a degree of closeness with him that did not exist in reality.











Stewart

Trad climber
Courtenay, B.C.
Aug 7, 2008 - 09:46pm PT
Hey Tami

Alas, it's been quite some time since the scent of roasting mutton has assailed my nostrils. People just don't know how to throw a decent party these days, it seems.

I'll try to get back to you at your e-mail address, but at the moment I can barely read these words... don't be too amazed if typos abound.
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Aug 10, 2008 - 07:34pm PT
Daryl Hatten, Fig and I were hanging out by the side of the road a short distance into El Cap Meadow. A large blustering touron lumbered toward us, turned to face the wall, and asked with a strong drawl, "Is that Halfadome?"

Daryl grinned ear to ear, cocked his head back and declared in a loud and comically husky voice, "Halfadome? Kinda looks like half a dome..., don't it?" We chuckled later and let him continue to believe it was HD.

Stewart

Trad climber
Courtenay, B.C.
Aug 13, 2008 - 01:04am PT
Daryl used to live at my place in Victoria for a while during the late 80's.

One morning I was hurrying off to work and noticed that he was intently watching TV as he ate his cereal. When I figured out what he was watching, he told me that it was his favourite show - the Smurfs.

Still trying to get some of my photos posted here, but I seem to have computer problems these days.
Double D

climber
Aug 13, 2008 - 01:15am PT
Stewart..."he ate his cereal..."

He must have gone through rehab.

This is more like what I remember his breakfasts to be...



Daryl Hatten, Breakfast of Champions.
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Aug 13, 2008 - 01:22am PT
A complete and imbalanced diet!
Mighty Hiker

Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Aug 13, 2008 - 02:29am PT
Stewart is sending me some scanned photos of Daryl from early in his climbing career, which I hope to be able to post in the near future. I may put them on the main "Daryl Hatten" thread, though.
neebee

Social climber
calif/texas
Aug 13, 2008 - 02:48am PT
hey thre tami.... i dont know all the climbers, etc, ...i am hear cause by brother climbed in yosemite....

thank your for sharing from your heart, about your friend daryl.... i know this is an old post and you may not see this---but sharing what you have, helps leave a few more riches behind from a man's life, that had been full of many sorrows, among his few joys....

let's pray that these riches somehow overflow and help someone... even as he tried to help the cat.... (lots of folks do things for money, there are many kinds of odd little jobs folks can do, off and on.... not many folks will try to rescue a cat up a tree, though....)

god bless you tami....
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Oct 25, 2008 - 12:28pm PT
this is cool, i keeep finding more and more stories about my dad and some are hard to read because of heroin and stuff but theres nothing a can do about his past but it is good too see that so many people have good things to say about him, even though he didnt always lead a 'clean' life, keep adding stories if you have any
mazamarick

Trad climber
WA
Oct 27, 2008 - 03:37pm PT
I still remember Darryl's shopping spree with Pete Minks and Al Harris. After being confronted by the law and forfeiting all they "procured" at a local Fresburg store, the trio came back to the valley with only one item, a jock strap. Darryl proudly displayed his "codpiece" in front of the Mountain Room that evening. Just another evening at Yosemite Lodge. Too funny.
TrundleBum

Trad climber
Las Vegas
Oct 27, 2008 - 05:31pm PT


Great stories
Mine is bland but what a hey ?

Al Harris ? is that the same bloke as the Britt "Nipper" ?

One year a met a gal in the valley and we got to be sweet on each other.
One of the first nights we fooled around was in camp. We opted for camp because we had been cited twice in the boulders.

We were in a site by the 'near bath house' (remember when there was two)...

There were about five guys at the bath house sitting in the light drinking. They started to get really loud so my GF prompted me to go over and ask them to pipe down, which I did, or rather attempted to.

I don't recall who all was in their group other than Daryl and 'Nipper' Harris.

When I approached and asked if they could either pipe down or move to the parking lot, Nipper immediately started in with profane expletives and finally said "you have three choices, 1 - sit down and drink with us, 2 - STFU and go back to your site, 3 - persist and get sh#t beat out of you".

I said I think I will opt for not drinking with you guys as I would rather be in the bag making noise with my GF !

Where upon Hatten chimes in with something like:
"Noise ?... go back to your site and we'll give plenty of cover."


Robb

Social climber
Pick Up Truck Heaven
Oct 27, 2008 - 06:10pm PT
Anybody know who that is on the right in that photo? Kinda looks like a young BW.
Perry Beckham

climber
Mar 29, 2009 - 11:39am PT
I just posted this response in the original thread by Janelle.
We should compile our Daryl stories into some kind of book.

Perry


Janelle,

I'd heard about this forum for some time and finally took the time to read through the posts.

I met Daryl on Psyche Ledge in the spring of 76. I had just hitched up from Vancouver and was planning to rendezvous with Dave for a weekend of neophyte shenanigans (it's a wonder either of us survived that first season). It was late afternoon with the western sun finally warming the Grand Wall and the forested old highway and as I approached Psyche Ledge I saw two trolls sitting in the grass doing troll stuff. I mean, they had to be trolls, they had long shaggy hair and dirty headbands and were communicating in some hard to understand language while passing a bottle of straight Dark Navy Rum back and forth. I cautiously approached them and said hello. The red haired troll responded with a gruff but cheery, "Hi, how's it going man? I'm Daryl and this is Stewart, have a drink."

So began my friendship with the late great Daryl Hatten, aka Doug Fir, Chrome Molybdenum Man, Darly Halfweenie, PO Solo or whatever colorful moniker best suited the occasion.

Daryl and I became regular climbing partners through the late seventies and early eighties. He taught me many of the fundamentals of big wall climbing and was totally trustworthy.
Daryl was also an excellent free climber and a five hour romp up the Grand via Cruel Shoes back in the mid eighties stands out in my mind. Daryl and Eric Weinstein were the strongest rockclimbing team in Squamish at that time. Among their many accomplishments was the second ascent of the PO with Java and Kim, at that time, the hardest big wall in the world.

Daryl had a sharp wit and great sense of humour. He loved plays on words. We were bivied on the Artery Ledge while starting up a cool overhanging unclimbed wall. Daryl thought it looked just like a mini Shield Headwall and suggested we call the wall "The Panty Shield". We liked that and kicked around names for our yet unclimbed route. It was quite rainy and we felt a bit amphibious in our endeavours so a frog theme emerged. I was reading some Kurt Vonnegut at the time and he made reference to a character known as the Pan Galactic Straw Boss. As we lay there mouldering in our sodden bivi gear, smoking bunk we merged the amphibian with some Vonnegut and came up with the Pan Granitic Frogman. We laughed so hard we cried.
We left ropes fixed to our high point and before I could come back to finish the route, sprained my ankle taking a sixty footer of Rainy Day Dream Away while Daryl was holding the rope. Dary went back and finished the aid route with John Simpson.

I have so many fond memories of Daryl and the one that stands out in my mind was us riding borrowed bicycles from No Name Road to the base of the Chief for a one day ascent of the complete Black Dyke. It was four in the morning and we were wearing headlamps and packs and ropes, riding down the highway. There was Daryl pedaling furiously in front of me with his shaggy hair blowing in the wind, cackling back at me, "Beckham..... You're light!....Ha Ha Ha."

Another one that comes to mind was my arriving at the Apron Parking lot some time in the late seventies to find a distraught, elderly woman looking up at the rock. Feeling real concern, I asked her what was wrong. "I wish he wouldn't do that" she wept as she pointed up at a lone figure racing up Diedre unroped in the late afternoon sun. I knew it was Daryl climbing and immediately put two and two together. Daryl was soloing Diedre for his mom, with the remains of a six pack clipped to his belt.

Daryl and I went our separate ways and I hadn't seen him for a few years. I was saddened to hear of his death but not surprised by the nature of his demise. We'd expected to hear the word of an overdose, illness or foul play that went with the lifestyle. That Daryl died trying to save a cat stuck in a tree says everything about his huge heart and good qualities.

As I stood on top of the Chief with old friends, passing around Daryl's hammer and remembering him, I couldn't help notice the lives this gruff, sometimes trollish colorful character touched and inspired. Would that we could all be so well remembered.

I feel privileged to say that I knew Daryl Hatten and that we were friends and climbing partners.

Janelle, you can be proud of your dad, we all loved him and miss him.

Perry Beckham
Squamish BC






Ghost

climber
A long way from where I started
Mar 29, 2009 - 02:40pm PT
Hi Perry

Welcome to the funhouse -- and what a wonderful first post. Daryl touched us all, and took a little piece of all of us with him when he went.

David Harris (now in Seattle, but still at Squamish in my heart).
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Mar 29, 2009 - 05:24pm PT
Fine words about a very fine man.

A warm ST welcome to you, Perry. Thanks for posting your recollections. Please contribute some more stories from your considerable career!

Last time I saw you, I had the pleasure of watching you float the 12a left side of the Split Pillar from above!
hooblie

climber
Mar 29, 2009 - 07:29pm PT
props to daryl, a man and his quest, eh? saddened by his passing and touched by janelle's thread which, gladly, full cycled into a ray of sunshine. hopeful newly wed's tug at my heartstrings too. best wishes. since the circle has been pitching in some stories, let me pose this one as a question and if daryl was indeed in on this ecapade there's just one of his friends and randy russell who could confirm it.

rainy c4 parking lot, the arrival of ranger danger, i hailed a manky little hillman or somesuch just departing with the jolly squamish crew, including my shield partner, randy, AKA rocketbox. a few bills were pooled and "r.box who art in the front seat" was the designated buyer of a gallon of gallo. his pre-existing tipsiness didn't play out in our favor as he appeared at the window with half the wine soaked into his bulky garb. he had lost his footing making the turn out of the store and smothered the jug as if a loose football. as the only unsloshed one on board i was called upon to make the buy with the second pool of cash, carefully negotiating the hazardous burgandied corner.

smuggly i poured wine into an empty beer can after topping up the boys with their indusrial size drinkware. i was prepared to maintain my status as paternalistic yankee from the back seat. off to a proper venue which was deemed to be BRIDALVEIL! as we crossed the merced. i was shocked, shocked i tell you to learn that judgement was so wrecked as to render the decision that the "SHORTCUT" should be taken. yAAAhh!! my chance to save myself at the expense of mere roadrash had already passed somewhere near the chapel. obviously stressed, my kindly neighbors comforted me with the reminder that speed is safety, eh? besides it's not like he hasn't got his lights on you know. nothing's 100% right? so this is MOSTLY a one way loop! really, their concern for the weak kneed american in the back seat was sincere, as it would have been if my contorted face had been due to contractions and the babies head was crowning. i failed to cut the paternalistic mustard....

very pleased to be alive, the falls were absolutely resplendent. blood refilled my pale areas and, feeling a little cocky, I took the tumbler from the still draining rocket leaving him to fill the stupid beer can. regaining the adult role, on the theory that you are what you asert. which is how mr. box came to be canadian for a while. if anyone knows or has a line on the one and the same dave petingil i would love to have your help..(OT)

that was my close one with daryl, or the spirit of him, though i certainly recognized him and his accomplishments. if indeed he was on board, then i can claim to have shared the most dangerous thing i ever did in yosemite with his legendary soul.



deuce4

climber
Hobart, Australia
Mar 29, 2009 - 08:15pm PT
Never met him, but of course Darrl was legendary. The story of riding though the cafe was oft told (though I heard it as that he rode through the Mtn Room Bar).

Greg Child's story of Daryl on the PO and the cigs after a particularly hard pitch was especially memorable (having read that prior to having led any hard aid, then thinking of it after every hard aid pitch subsequently!)
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
May 17, 2009 - 11:17am PT
thanks guys, i am proud of him even though i never knew him, im glad he touched everyones lives in different ways and im happy he lived his short life to the fullest, but im sorry i had to miss it, thank you all for your storis, i keep checking back from time to time, its incredible the feedback when you type in "Daryl hatten", its so amazing thankyou thankyou thankyou!!!!!






survival

Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
May 17, 2009 - 01:40pm PT
Robb, sorry I missed your post earlier.
Yes, that is indeed a young Bob W. about the time I started climbing with him. Miss that guy.

Cool Hatten stories y'all. He definitely had his own thing going on. What a trip he was.....
martygarrison

Trad climber
The Great North these days......
May 17, 2009 - 07:12pm PT
Hooked up with Daryl in camp four in 77 I think. We spent a day at arch rock and did midterm and gripper together. He was quite the character!
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
May 17, 2009 - 10:51pm PT
hahaha thanks lol i didnt think he 'hooked up' with my dad though, would seem a little out of character lol funny funny
Wayno

Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
Apr 10, 2011 - 02:13am PT
Great stories.

Hatini bump.

That memorial still blows my mind. Every time I talk to Yerian these days we end up talking about that day on top of the Chief, and what a time it was.
The Larry

climber
Moab, UT
Apr 10, 2011 - 04:17am PT
Ah....the troubled soul looking to squeeze the lemon.

Cheers Daryl.
survival

Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
Apr 10, 2011 - 10:47am PT
Anymore Daryl Hatten stories would be appreciated!
Wayno

Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
Apr 10, 2011 - 02:27pm PT
You nailed it, Bruce.
bmacd

Social climber
100% Canadian
Apr 10, 2011 - 05:03pm PT
Daryl belayed me when I led my first 5.12 pitch - thats probably why I pulled it off, just to save face less I fail in the eyes of "The Wall Master", hardman of hardmen ... etc etc
tom Carter

Social climber
Apr 11, 2011 - 02:16am PT
That's got to Fred East in the car with Man Zanita!
Ghost

climber
A long way from where I started
Apr 13, 2011 - 10:27am PT
Somebody brought up Daryl's contributions on the "Squamish in the 70s" thread, and I posted my first memory of him there. I'll repost it here cuz it belongs here too...

Sometime in the seventies, I don't remember exactly when, Daryl and I were sitting in the dirty drinking hole known as the Chieftain. I don't know who either of us had been climbing with that day, or how we came to be sharing a table that night. We didn't know each other, and I don't remember what we talked about. Climbs we planned to do, probably. I do remember being surprised to find that he wasn't what I had expected from the stories that I'd heard. Rough around the edges, sure. But mostly quiet and friendly -- hardly the wildman I'd been expecting.

Then, without warning, he jumped to his feet, and confronted two strangers who had just entered the bar. It was clear they were his friends, but his way of greeting one of them was pretty strange. He said something like, "Whhhoaa! Man." Then hit him. Hard -- really hard -- in the shoulder.

"Heeyyy! Man." The other guy responded, and pounded Daryl just as hard.

They must have taken three or four shots at each other, any of which would have collapsed me to the floor in pain. The other visitor sat down and introduced himself as Bill Price, and said Daryl's good friend was Big Wally. I think his real name was Mike, but even though I climbed with him the next day, I never did find out for sure.

Eventually Daryl and Wally stopped pounding each other and sat down, and we were joined by a few other climbers. But where Daryl had been relatively quiet earlier, he now switched into another mode. Loud and uncouth probably sums it up best. And where the conversation had earlier been mostly about climbs, for Daryl and Wally it quickly turned into a macho fest. Starting with, "I can outdrink you, easy."

Boat races followed. The two seemed evenly matched, both able to swallow a glass of beer faster than I'd ever seen it done before. I don't remember what other tests they gave each other, but eventually it boiled down to something along the lines of "None of that sh#t matters. I'm just plain harder than you."

At which point Daryl pushed up a sleeve and slammed one of his forearms down on the table. I guess Wally didn't know Daryl as well as he thought, because he went for it. He pushed up his own sleeve and laid his bare forearm on the table, tight against Daryl's.

I didn't know what macho ritual I was about to witness, but what I saw was like nothing I'd ever seen before. Daryl picked up his cigarette, drew hard on it till the end was glowing bright red, then laid it down in the groove of their matched forearms.

Wally was tough, I guess. He had to be, not to jerk his arm away right away. He held on longer than I, and probably any of you could have. Hair burned, then flesh burned, then finally Wally gave up. And throughout it all, Daryl not only didn't flinch, he laughed.

Many of you knew Daryl better than I did. I was certainly never a close friend, but I ran into him regularly enough after that. Sometimes he was the quiet guy I'd been having a beer with at the beginning of that first evening, and sometimes he was the outrageous wildman he turned into toward its end. I often wondered which was the "real" Daryl, not realizing what most of his friends had probably figured out long ago, that he was both, and both were him.

That night, all I could think was how amazing it was that all the punches he took, and the burning flesh, didn't hurt. These decades later I know they did hurt. Daryl could just take it better than anyone else.
Chief

climber
The NW edge of The Hudson Bay
Apr 16, 2011 - 11:06am PT
Ghost's story reminds me of a hilarious occurrence on that same trip.
Somewhere in all the drinking, partnerships were formed and plans made.
The Split Pillar was the must do pitch to introduce Bill to so we formed up two teams and headed up the wall. I seem to recall Bill roped up with Dave Lane and I with Daryl and we were all BADLY hungover.
Bill floated the right side and the rest of us managed to toil our way up.
As we languished on the top of the Pillar, enjoying the exposure and hating our hangovers our attention was drawn to the progress of Ghost and Big Wally who had formed an unlikely partnership and headed up Uncle Ben's.
They were hidden from our view under the big overhang and had just completed the traverse pitch.
Big Wally hollered loud and clear, "Ready to haul, cut the bags loose!"
Moments later the haul bags came plummeting out from under the overhang, tethered to nothing at all and hurtled, cartwheeling into the forest spewing bivi gear, water bottles and hardware.
We laughed so hard we were practically crying.
From under the overhang, SILENCE.
Later two dejected figures emerged, rapping down to spend the rest of the day gathering up their gear.
martygarrison

Trad climber
Washington DC
Apr 16, 2011 - 02:05pm PT
Now Tami, I can honestly say Darryl and I did not have carnal relations. We did hook up in camp 4 however and spent the day at arch rock. I did the leading as I remember. Arch Rock was always my home spot to take guests in the Valley, midterm, gripper, new d, leany meany.
Ghost

climber
A long way from where I started
Apr 16, 2011 - 02:18pm PT
Moments later the haul bags came plummeting out from under the overhang, tethered to nothing at all

Ah, that does bring back memories.

This is a thread to the memory of Daryl, but since Daryl was up on the Pillar with you, laughing his ass off, I guess the story of Wally and me on Uncle Ben's does fit in.

In the pub the night before, when all the plans were being made and the rest of you were set on hard free climbing, Big Wally looked around and said something along the lines of "Doesn't anyone want to do some aid?" He fancied himself a Yosemite Big Wall Climber (although I later heard that his other nickname was Boris Backinoff, so I don't know how good he actually was), and said he really wasn't interested in free climbing. I'd never climbed Uncle Ben's but it was supposedly pretty easy, and I figured it'd be fun to go up on it with a true Yosemite Wall Master. Two mellow days, no need for an Alpine Start, no scary pitches. Just some good fun.

So the next day we scrambled up to the top of The Flake with a gear for a small wall and a small haul bag with not much in it besides a bit of food and water and two sleeping bags. Wally being the guest and all, I thought I'd offer him the first couple of pitches, since I'd climbed them a dozen times. And that's when it started to get weird...

Those two pitches were a classic standalone free climb called Merci Me. Super mellow cruising up a felsite dike that shot straight up from the top of the flake, eventually ending at a big overhang. Easy climbing, but in an amazing location. Obviously, Wally would want them.

"I don't free climb."

"Yeah, I know, but this isn't hard."

"I don't free climb."

"Yeah, but this isn't the Split Pillar or anything, it's just 5.7 and 5.8 dike hiking. Okay, there's only three bolts per pitch, but it's cake."

"I don't free climb."

How can you be an El Cap hardman and not climb easy 5.8? Hell, Perry had climbed the thing barefoot. I was about to give it one more try, but he cut me off with: "You lead it, or I'm going down."

Not an auspicious beginning. But, okay, maybe he's just weirded out by the lack of pro. So I lead the first pitch and brought him up. Then the second. Once we were tucked up under the big roof, Wally seemed more comfortable. There was a 10c traverse pitch heading left, but since it featured a crack at the back of the overhang, into which he could pound pins, life was good for him again. We'd stuffed the aid gear into the haul bag, tied two ropes to it and left it at the base. I started to set up to haul, but Wally more or less shoved me aside and said this was his department.

Which it was. He had that bag up beside us in about two minutes, and was soon racked up for the short traverse pitch. Which he was across in almost no time.

Since the pitch was short and the bag was now fairly light, we agreed that the best way to haul was to retie the bag into the middle of the haul line, and then he'd tow it across with me kind of belaying it from my end.

Simple, right? So I tied a figure 8 on a bight, clipped a locker into the knot, and then clipped it to the haul loop. Thats when he gave the "Ready to Haul" shout that Perry and Co. heard. So I started to untie the original haul knot and...

...and it suddenly whipped out of my hand and I watched as the bag did the big plummet.

Yup. I'd somehow managed to clip the new knot into the old knot rather than into the haul loop, and when I untied the old not -- Drop Time.

Not much more to tell. I cleaned the pitch, and we headed down. I think we were both pretty relieved to be off a climb with a partner we didn't trust. I mean, who wants to be on a wall with someone who won't free climb 5.7? And who wants to be on a wall with someone who can't clip a rope to the right point?

At least we provided some entertainment.

Mighty Hiker

climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Apr 16, 2011 - 09:35pm PT
I was once bombarded with bread and canned sardines, at the top of the Flake. Robin Barley and I had done a route, and someone up on the Grand dropped a bunch of stuff. Late 1970s, could have been Daryl. The miracle of the loaves and fishes. That was when I was doing my sentence as Robin Barley's apprentice - someday we should have a reunion of everyone who's ever been Robin Barley's Apprentice. Could be a large group - he goes through them. Anyway, he wrote it all up somewhere.

Never been strafed on Seasoned in the Sun - it's in the line of fire for the Northwest Passage area, and rocks regularly come down, especially from the Northwest Passage/Vulcan's Artery junction.
bmacd

Social climber
100% Canadian
Apr 16, 2011 - 10:05pm PT
Robin Barley's Apprentice I'll admit I can check mark that box

Somewhere I wrote about the first time I met Daryl and Hugh B. - they had just hopped a freight train down from Quesnel, I was camped on Pysche ledge - Daryl chased me around my car at night with a running chain saw I was totally terrified. Hugh then sent me into the Chieften to buy a couple cases of beer and a wild night of drinking ensued on Pysche ledge. classic experience for me, a 16 yr old noob at the time
Mighty Hiker

climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Apr 16, 2011 - 10:54pm PT
Funny, he used to call those he was teasing "little baby X", and no one squawked. He used it for pretty much everyone at some point. Wish I'd known about the Darly one - it would have been a nice comeback.
Chief

climber
The NW edge of The Hudson Bay
Apr 17, 2011 - 01:11am PT
Drinking with Daryl and Paul Kindree, at The Chieftain of course.
Paul convinces these two girls, and they were nice girls, that they should let us take them up Slab Alley. They ask if it's maybe a bit late as it's getting on eight o'clock. No problem says Paul, we're experts. I don't argue and Daryl's getting hammered and up for anything. Off to the Apron we go, Paul and I with the girls and Daryl toting a pool cue he'd liberated.
"What's with the pool cue Daryl?" "Heh, I'm going to fix it in Pineapple Direct". OK.
We flaked our ropes at the base and as Paul headed up Slab Alley, in the fading light, Daryl third classed Pineapple Direct, probably 10a, in his Robbins boots, four beers clipped to his belt, stopping halfway up the flake to jam in the pool cue and disappear up the Apron, cackling, "You guys are light!".
Paul and I ended up finishing the route with the girls, in the dark and bumbled our way back down. Never saw Daryl and didn't get laid 'cause, like I said, they were nice girls.
Wayno

Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
Apr 17, 2011 - 01:48am PT
By the time I met Daryl, I had known Yerian for a couple of years and he spoke a lot about this Canadian guy named Daryl that smoked Camel non-filters and lived off of Chips Ahoy cookies and lots of beer. I pulled into Camp 4 one summer day for a little camping trip with some non-climbing friends and ran into Dave and Daryl. Those two guys together spelled fun and danger, not necessarily in that order. I hadn't planned on doing much climbing but I brought my gear anyway. Dave and Daryl wanted to do Half Dome and they talked me into it. Actually, they were broke and I was generous and had the killer bud. I scored a couple packs of Camel filters from a friend and gave them to Daryl. He promptly tore off the filters and cracked that winning smile, 'Were in". We drank about 80 beers that night and went for the slab approach. None of us had been up that way so we got lost a couple of times and Daryl even needed a rope at one point to get him out of trouble. I can't remember ever having more fun on a wall than that time. I could probably blather all night about it but you guys know Daryl, you get the picture. Daryl and Yerian feed off of each other's humor and I think my stomach muscles got the most work during that trip.
Ghost

climber
A long way from where I started
Apr 17, 2011 - 12:25pm PT
Similar sense of humor by all accounts.

And similar manners. First and only time I met Kit was at some slide show in the Vancouver area given by a visiting climber. I think it was at a church. I was in the foyer talking to Daryl when a young man walked in. He obviously knew Daryl, cuz he came over and they grunted friendly greetings at each other. Then the new guy looked around, pulled an open beer out from under his coat, took the biggest mouthful he could and...

...and spewed it all over Daryl's feet.

Har Har Har. They thought this was the funniest thing they'd seen in years, and walked off together sharing the beer.

I was later told the gentleman in question was Kit.
the goat

climber
north central WA
Apr 17, 2011 - 02:01pm PT
I was a candidate for AA in 76 when Kit and I climbed together and Darryl was crashing in my C4 wall tent. Waaay more beer than a normal person should ever drink. Darryl's "40 beers in a day" challenge still had him waking up at 6:00AM looking for something to climb with no trace of a hangover. Kit's 14" bong was the biggest piece of hardware in our Salathe haul bag....... It was my "fear and loathing" period to be sure.

"do you declare lightweight??"
the goat

climber
north central WA
May 24, 2011 - 02:13am PT
A late night road trip from C4 left Randy's car stuck in a ditch in El Cap meadows. Randy had reasons for not wanting to draw attention to himself so after a brief panic attack we began the process of getting RR's car back to terra firma. After an hour of drinking, smoking and general ineffectiveness, someone, possibly Darryl, came up with the idea of a "jack and stack." This technique involved cranking the bumper jack as high as possible with car attached, then pushing the car off the jack, preferably towards the road we left earlier in the evening.

We made rapid progress using this method and were only a few feet away from asphalt when it was discovered that a few rocks were required to fill a hole necessary to finish the job. Darryl grabbed a nearby chunk, stopped, then got this funny look. "What's wrong ?" I asked. "Shine the light down here" Daryl said pointing at the rock. "Why?" I replied. "Just shine it here?" "OK, but why? You have the rock in your hand for chrissakes, what do you see?" Darryl replied sheepishly, "man, I hate spiders!" I guess it was one of the few things that bothered him.......couldn't stop laughing the rest of the night.

Big Mike

Trad climber
BC
Oct 5, 2011 - 08:49pm PT
Jim- I did see this thread in my lurker days. Thanks for the bump tho, I will include the link in my thread.

Daryl sounds like an amazing character. Thank you all for sharing your stories, so that all of us who couldn't be there, could get to know him through your eyes.
Mighty Hiker

climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Oct 5, 2011 - 08:49pm PT
Hey, that's my photo!
daryl_hattens_daughter

climber
saskatchewan, canada
Aug 21, 2012 - 02:32am PT
hey everyone, every once in a while I check back and read through all you halarious/amazing stories. Thank you all for taking the time to type them out to share with all those who did and didnt know him. I would also like to inform those who care to know that he wouldve been a grandpa last september. We had a beautiful little girl. Too bad he never will get to meet her, but one day I will tell her about him. The good and the bad haha
Thanks again for all the stories!!(i will post this on my thread i started as well) Take Care all!!
Gnome Ofthe Diabase

climber
Out Of Bed
Dec 31, 2014 - 09:25am PT
bump
peace for the new year!
BUMP!
survival

Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
Dec 31, 2014 - 11:30am PT
Still one of the best threads ever to grace the taco. I can't believe it took two years to get the first eight posts. Ahhh, the taco of yesteryear eh?

Tami and Perry for the win with their close to the heart posts.

Daryl's memorial was held atop the Chief on a windy, cold September day a few years ago. Daryl died when he fell from a large arbutus tree; he had been offered some cash to rescue a cat. Daryl was 49 when he died.
Daryl's life was hard. Very hard. It was not a life anybody would willingly desire.
He did indeed learn how to climb in jail - at Haney Correctional just east of Vancouver. A "hoods-in-the-woods" type program. Daryl was heroin addicted at age 15. That might have been why he was "snatching purses". But I never heard that story. It was junk that got him landed in jail at such a young age. HE said he hated jail & did not ever want to go back.
He took to climbing like a fish to water and did some very hard walls early on. He, along with three others, did the 2nd ascent of the P.O. Wall. He was "asked to leave America" around 1979 and not return for seven years. He did indeed pass as "Doug Fir" or "Jack Pine" ..the funniest was "Man Zanita"...but , eventually the Yanx caught up with him and he was sent north of 49. It was very very hard on him to be not allowed back to Yosemite.
He did some major hard walls in Squamish. He was also an excellent free climber. Unfortunately his addictions devastated his life & he was largely out of climbing by the mid-80's.
Daryl was THE inspiration for my generation of Squamish climbers. ( we followed Sutton&Burton & Gordie Smaill & crew ). Daryl's sayings : "beer-loads, pipe-loads, any kinda loads at all" among others.....and his memorable trip to Yosemite that ended at Stoney Ck ( 2 km S of where we were all camped ) with gear & campin' equipment scattered across Hwy99 epitomised the wild and hard life that .......none of us wanted to or could have emulated.....but that he really had not much of a choice with.
As we scattered his ashes into the winds that blunt and bitter day, we remembered that most of us had barely expected Daryl to reach 30 nevermind 49. We passed the "talking stick" ( a battered Chouinard hammer that had belonged to Daryl with notches on the shaft for the grade VI's he'd done ) and we told stories to each other ( there were about 35 of us ). Took some pix and wept for the lost life of a gifted athlete who really wasnt given much of a chance to achieve the greatness that , in a different set of life circumstances, would have been his to enjoy.
WBraun

climber
Dec 31, 2014 - 11:56am PT
I remember Bachar hiring Daryl to steal the fixed lines we had on the Nose for some hollywood feature film.

LOL we get to the base that morning and everything is gone, ha ha ha.

"WTF man, where's our sh!t" we say.

We figured it out pretty quick and got our ropes back from Daryl.

We never ever mentioned Daryl's name or Bachar's to the boss.

We were way too scared he'd kill them both.

Too funny ......
Norman Claude

climber
Dec 31, 2014 - 01:18pm PT
Devis are in the details of the last posted photo. That looks like Fred East lighting up. Bill Nickel at the wheel and the fire extinguisher at Daryl's feet to put out the inevitable flame.

Fondest memory was boat racing the canucks, Hatten, Sutton, and Burton at the TM Grill picnic table. The Americans, Fiddler, Keating, and Mayfield were about to lose the race when Mayfield decided to blow his beer and lunch onto the Canadian crew.


A very appreciative crowd loved Peter's lunge for the finish line. Roy I believe sounded the starting gun.

For those of you unfamiliar with boat racing it consisted of drinking beer loads, as relay teams. Very intimidating to be sitting across the table facing down what had to be the finest crew assembled from the great white north.
Zachary Barr

Social climber
Denver, CO
Jan 7, 2016 - 01:54pm PT
Hey All,

This is Zac from Reel Rock / Sender Films. We're making a short film about Will Stanhope and Matt Segal's adventure on the Tom Egan Memorial route in Bugaboos, and I'd love to build out a scene in honor of Daryl, who did the first ascent. Trouble is we'd need some visual media of him to illustrate the stories. Does anyone know how to find old photos or film? Thanks so much for any tips!

Zachary Barr
Wayno

Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
Jan 8, 2016 - 07:54am PT
Alpinist ten.

I've been to a few but Daryl's memorial ranks as the most awesome heartfelt yet sad ones I've attended. We all still miss him sadly. At some point, words just do not do him justice. The incomparable.
AP

Trad climber
Calgary
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 28, 2017 - 12:23pm PT
That was a great story from Mike Sawyer.
Can you imagine Daryl as a mountain guide? He might make the clients carry the beer
the goat

climber
north central WA
Jul 28, 2017 - 12:35pm PT
it rained for nearly 2 weeks steady and their plans were liquidated.
Very good Tami!

Here's to Darryl and Eric, the best!
AP

Trad climber
Calgary
Topic Author's Reply - Jul 28, 2017 - 01:58pm PT
One of the great aspects of climbing is the entertaining personalities involved. We have all met a bunch of characters in our time
originalpmac

Mountain climber
Anywhere I like
Jul 28, 2017 - 02:45pm PT
That was a great story by Mike. Freaking out uptight guides=good fun.
donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
Jul 28, 2017 - 02:49pm PT
No question there....climbing attracts iconoclasts and people who have trouble adjusting to societies norms.
It's also true that many on this forum encourage destructive behaviors that they don't do themselves but think it's cute when they see it in others. Most notably, excessive drinking and drinking at crags. So, have fun and encourage behavior that you later lament when you're posting your RIP's.
Rollover

climber
Gross Vegas
Apr 24, 2018 - 07:46pm PT
Gnome Ofthe Diabase

climber
Out Of Bed
Apr 24, 2018 - 08:35pm PT
sheesh , yes I deleted it. it was inappropriate,
your hero would'a been my friend.
and
given what you said he would be as welcome here as I am.
you show so much compassion for others,
Yes, a successful, living, Blowhard. It takes one to know one
& I Am Not RR! He & I,traded leads on FAs
I'm glad I got mine and survived.
oh?
no
that's still not clear,
argh! im out;/` gonna go play my guitar


ionlyski

Trad climber
Polebridge, Montana
Apr 24, 2018 - 09:11pm PT
Wait, Rich Romano is Gnome? Seriously?

At any rate the garble is weird nonsense to be sure.


edit-still I have to ask. Reading back through the old threads sounds like Rich and Johnoker did a lot together with John singing the praises of his good friend and mentioning some accidents. Now he's ripping him a new one. What gives? Sorry I'm slow.

Gnome Ofthe Diabase

climber
Out Of Bed
Apr 24, 2018 - 10:40pm PT
Jim my apologies I see how wrong this was, Im sincere and I think You know I am Not Romano.

ionlyski:, not mine to tell
the way I heard it,
They had big plans,
that didn't happen
John was where he said he would be. . .

I stepped on a nail after 4 hours of what i can still climb,I come in to find this, it hits,,,,, ,rains coming, . everything hurts, There might have been some mental break, there are pressure in everyone's life.
Timmc

climber
BC
Apr 25, 2018 - 09:04am PT
I was lucky enough to hang out with Daryl a handful of times. I remember climbing at Fleming Beach and Sampson Narrows with Daryl, Frostback, and the Woz.

My first memory, though, was in downtown Victoria, at Island Alpine, after a Greg Child slide show on Gasherbrum IV. I think this was is 1987 or 88 and I was a 20yr old punk who had just landed a job at a climbing store and I felt like I had found my tribe.

After the slide show a squadron of us walked down to a peeler bar where we ordered jugs of cheap draught. I was definitely out of my element and felt insecure in my new Cobalt Synchilla Snap T amongst all the denim and leather. Daryl, of course, was in good form and held court over the rag tag group of climbers. It was difficult to hear the crazy stories of epics and parties over the crappy music and my eyes stung with the cigarette smoke.
A new performer emerged on stage and started to dance around the brass pole. I don’t remember if she was reluctant to remove her outfit as I had my back to her, but out of the blue Daryl yells ‘SHOW US YER TITS!’ I was stunned and embarrassed but realized that it was the time and place for this behaviour. The rest of the evening was a blur.

Daryl was larger than life and was kind and thoughtful under his rough exterior. I regret not attending his memorial on the Chief. RIP
Messages 1 - 70 of total 70 in this topic
Return to Forum List
 
Our Guidebooks
spacerCheck 'em out!
SuperTopo Guidebooks

guidebook icon
Try a free sample topo!

 
SuperTopo on the Web

Recent Route Beta