Largo Appreciation Thread

Largo is a great man, period.

When the Stonemaster's gusto grew too much for us Southern Californians to contain, our original group burst at the seams and The Stonemaster mojo splashed over one and all. By 1974 there were easily 25 Stonemasters (an ascent of Valhalla w no longer criteria), and by 1975 most everyone in Camp 4 was a charter member of the most unofficial club on the planet....since the original movement diffused into the masses after a few short seasons.

...Pushing the boundaries means having to deal with uncertainty, it is the very nature of going beyond the boundaries. It is the feeling of the first time we walk down the street, alone, as a child to a new block. Some kids do this easily, some never do... some are in between.

In that sense, I was never a Stonemaster.

I think you have it wrong, there, Ed. The reason you weren´t a Stonemaster is that we somehow never ran into you, even though I went to college and grad school right there in Claremont. If we´d ever hooked up you´d have been drawn into the vortex of the thing, like it or not. But that was then and what matters is what´s happening now, and in that context we´re reading about your exploits and adventures all the time, so you got there without us after all. But it would hae been fun to have had you along back in the day.

Hi Steve:

Thanks for the trip report. I was always wondering about that ascent for this reason: The Prow was my second wall climb and we (Richard Harrison, Ricky Accomazzo and I) did this as kids shortly after your solo ascent, long before the climb was bashed out. We heard that you had soloed the thing and I was amazed, it being so steep and exposed and us being so green. You seemed very heroic to us just then. Still do.

JL

He could probably make you believe anything, it's easy to see how the frontiers of the possible were so influenced by that will and confidence. Thanks John!