The Devil's Tower Climbing History

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Messages 61 - 80 of total 91 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
Gregory Crouch

Social climber
Walnut Creek, California
Feb 10, 2013 - 12:45pm PT
If I could pick one American crag to put on wheels and tow into my back yard, Devils Tower would be it.
WyoRockMan

Trad climber
Flank of the Bighorns
Apr 1, 2013 - 12:35pm PT
While our trip up El Matador certainly isn't newsworthy, these pics are just to good not to share:


Perfection:

March. Perfect.


Jaybro

Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
Apr 1, 2013 - 12:54pm PT
Way to stretch out, Wyo RM!!
Gregory Crouch

Social climber
Walnut Creek, California
Apr 1, 2013 - 02:04pm PT
One of the first stories I ever wrote was about the Hopkins Rescue... does anybody have a scan to post? A little breathless, if I remember right, but still one of my favorites. I had a blast doing the research and got the NPS to send the official after-action report of the head ranger. R&I, circa 1995 or 1996, I think.
Jaybro

Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
Apr 1, 2013 - 02:10pm PT
I believe Frank has a copy on his site; devilstowerlodge.com
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 5, 2014 - 07:07pm PT
I recently interviewed Ray Northcutt and he mentioned that he and Dallas Jackson did the first free ascent of Soler a couple of years earlier than Layton Kor and Raymond Jacquot.

I need to confirm this by contacting Dallas but it was an interesting discovery if corroborated. More details once I hear back from him.
Jaybro

Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
Jan 5, 2014 - 07:30pm PT
Deto and the Buttes New Year's Day 2014


And on 12/26/13

Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 5, 2014 - 07:49pm PT
Where ya takin' the Wayback Machine to, Seeker?
Jaybro

Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
Jan 5, 2014 - 08:16pm PT
The same ole place
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 5, 2014 - 08:29pm PT
The Colonel wanted to back to the 60s for his birthday again and get some cheap tattoos, eh.
Jaybro

Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
Jan 5, 2014 - 08:31pm PT
The om mane padme sigma house!
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 5, 2014 - 08:38pm PT
Did they feely his boney belly the way he likes for the occasion?
ionlyski

Trad climber
Kalispell, Montana
Jan 5, 2014 - 09:27pm PT
All I got is this but it's cool history to me.

Back row L to R.
Bill Briggs, Jon Krakauer, Tom Hornbein
Front Row: ionlyski and son Karl

Highlights were climbing the final 4th class in the meadows with Hornbein and fixing at the rap station in a lighting storm with Krakauer who showed tremendous concern for all.

Also some history on this thread, called Who Was Walt Bailey?

http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=1185487&tn=0&mr=0

Arne
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 5, 2014 - 10:35pm PT
Very cool history Arne!

What was the occasion for the group ascent?
ionlyski

Trad climber
Kalispell, Montana
Jan 5, 2014 - 11:02pm PT
Steve,
I think that Tom wanted to climb the tower and is friends with Krakauer and Briggs and during that time were all living in Colorado. Those were two guys he could really trust as good partners to look out for him. I think he was about 80 at the time, though with the actual climbing he was solid and needed no coaxing.

The story is that my son and I were preparing to launch up one of the cracks but weren't sure exactly which one we were standing below when I noticed a guide looking guy and his elderly client (that was not the actual case however). Anyway I yelled over to this guy for an orientation, which he gave and we ended up climbing parallel together as the cracks were maybe 40 feet apart. I remember wanting to reach the meadows ahead of them so we wouldn't be jammed up in the chimney but they had a slight head start and then they didn't turn out to be any slower than us, despite the elderly gentleman on second.

So, I arrived at the chimney just as this gentleman's rope was coming tight on him and his belayer yelled that it was time to climb. Off he went with me right behind him, chatting with each other. I began complimenting his foot steps and progress and told him I was excited to climb next to him as I had several friends who climbed a lot and they were in their late sixties too. He laughed a little and told me he had been quite nimble 10 years ago when he was in his sixties too! When we got to the top of the tower, I saw it was Krakauer lean over the top and congratulate him. then he asked him if he thought that was as hard as the West Ridge. BINGO, the lights came on! They were just cracking up and generally having a great time. Hornbein really needed no guiding at all, just some good friends to climb with.

Arne
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Jan 11, 2014 - 09:33pm PT
Climbing is truly fun that way.

Thanks Arne!
Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Topic Author's Reply - Dec 23, 2014 - 04:33pm PT
Bump for Jaybro on the Fritz unroped...
WyoRockMan

climber
South Fork of the Shoshone
Oct 13, 2015 - 05:07pm PT
Frank starring in a nice little short:

http://blog.rei.com/climb/the-making-of-frank-and-the-tower/
Patrick Oliver

Boulder climber
Fruita, Colorado
Oct 13, 2015 - 07:08pm PT
Jan,

I write a great deal about Dave Rearick in my new book, his whole life in fact, and his early beginnings in New York at the Gunks. His life really is incredibly fascinating. No one has gone into the kind of detail I do in my book. Same with Kamps and a whole bunch of other individuals. But I picked Dave's very lucid memory clean and also got him to talk about many things he never much spoke about before. One of my favorite little stories is the walk he took to the top of Longs. Before he was a climber, he got a summer job at a camp northwest of Estes Park. One day he went AWOL from the camp and started walking toward Longs. He got to Estes and continued through town, then more or less the direction the crow flies toward Longs. He finally made it to the base of the East Face and climbed the East Face, via Kiener's or thereabouts, to the summit of the mountain. He descended and made it down to the ranger station and finally back, an incredible day's trek.
tolman_paul

Trad climber
Anchorage, AK
Feb 24, 2016 - 09:44am PT
bump
Messages 61 - 80 of total 91 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
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