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MisterE
climber
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Dad (Mike Borghoff) was a climber and a poet among other things:
I was too young to consider climbing in the technical sense of the word when my parents were traveling and climbing
but I picked it up 23 years later and still going strong 22 years after that!
Edit: I just remember that Mom once told me she climbed Nutcracker when she was 6 months pregnant with me - that would have been the fall of 1961...she gave it up after childbirth.
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Darwin
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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My complements on the choice of topic.
Dad (born 1911) did mining, prospecting and a lot of roughing about. As such he knew ropes, rigging, camping and camp cooking. He a was also a good enough mechanic. Strangely, I don't think he was that good a carpenter. As with many depression era people: he mostly didn't see much use for exercise for the sake of exercise. ...
Mom was a courageous plucky lass who loved traveling, if needs be with just the two us. Oh yeah, she was a woman MD in 1953.
Both had keen scientific medical minds and did a good job transferring knowledge they though was important.
i.e. I think I hit the jackpot.
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Leggs
Sport climber
Tucson, AZ
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Mom and Dad were both avid outdoor adventurers, exposing us kids all through our childhood... until Mom got sick in '84.
When she passed in '86, my Dad took up trad climbing. His decision freaked me the f*#k out.
And then he took me to the rock quarry in Rocklin, CA when I was 15? ... and I had a blast.
It was Kevin Carmichael, here in Tucson, who would actually get me into climbing at the age of 23. I took off with it, in a huge way. It consumed nearly everyday of my life. Made a living, for a brief time, at it.
It wasn't until I started climbing myself that I realized my Dad had sidelined a desire to climb in order to care for my mom and brother and I. And when the time was right, he explored and dived into his desire to climb.
I am so happy he did that for himself, and I have mad respect for him.
Now, when he sees a photo of me bouldering HE freaks out and asks me, "Where is your rope!?".
~peace
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jstan
climber
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Ever hear of Ritner Walling?
I've wondered about that. Ritner used to hang out with the MIT people. His most famous adventure reportedly involved dynamite and an outhouse. That was before I showed up so I have no direct testimony and I am sticking to my story. Later, a skiing accident gave him a spiral fracture of the leg that had us all worried. It did finally knit though. Those were very colorful days.
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dee ee
Mountain climber
citizen of planet Earth
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My Dad was a climber. He took me up my first peaks, my first 14'ers and my first routes at Stony and Tahquitz. He died when I was 12.
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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from him, I inherited the GO FOR IT GENE!
There's something to that!
Not a climber, but USFS Foreman when I was born.
He had a rule when we went on a hike, me and my two brothers.
We weren't allowed to speak or make noise.
Keep your mouth shut, your eyes peeled and your ears open.
You just might see something!
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nboles
Trad climber
fremont. ca
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Well one of My grandfathers climbed in the 1920's
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Only thing my dad ever climbed was his secretary and ended up marrying her and leaving me in the dust at age three. Alas, I ended up with a great stepdad so not to complain.
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lars johansen
Trad climber
West Marin, CA
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My parents wouldn't even go outside. I think that's what drove into the arms of this crazy life.
lars
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Conrad Merrick-that is so cool Banquo.
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Leggs
Sport climber
Tucson, AZ
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^^^ What Guido said...
that is pretty bad ass.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 6, 2013 - 12:19am PT
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Banquo. Your dad has a Chris Christofferson-ness to him. I'm diggin all these "real men" dads. So cool.
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Evel
Trad climber
Nedsterdam CO
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My Dad was The Man! Wasn't a rock-climber per se, but was a Mountain Man for sure. He was a peak-bagger, and me being an impetuous kid wanted to do "real" climbing so we went to Seneca Rocks when I was about 6 years old. That was a while ago, and I haven't stopped! I miss him every day. He was a Man!
Yo Dingus, The only thing you left out was running a trap line every day!
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MarkWestman
Trad climber
Talkeetna, Alaska
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My dad started taking my brother and I on backpacking trips in the soCal mountains in 1979. That led to the Sierras the next year and by 1985 when I was 15 we had completed every section of the John Muir Trail. When I was nine, I was a pretty shy kid looking for a purpose. The mountains became that purpose and the countless great times with my dad in the mountains was invaluable for me. Thanks Dad!!
I didn't do any roped climbing until 1992. By 1996 I was working as a climbing ranger at Mount Rainier. My dad, initially dismayed by my career detour, joined the park service as a volunteer, and then we climbed the mountain together in 1996 when my dad was 61 years old:
We climbed the mountain twice more together including when he was 65. He worked as a backcountry ranger in the park for 8 seasons and retired at age 70. He just had double knee replacements and at 78 is trying to get back on the trail again!
My dad is awesome.
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Magic Ed
Trad climber
Nuevo Leon, Mexico
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In the early 1930's my Dad made his own ice axe and crampons and climbed all the Mexican volcanoes with his gang, who called themselves Los Gorrones (The Moochers).
He later sailed around the world on a sailboat and had a big adventure climbing the highest peak on Bora Bora.
We never climbed together but did a lot of hiking and camping.
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10b4me
Ice climber
Soon 2B in Arizona
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my dad didn't ride dirt bikes, but supported me while I did. Later on, when I got into hiking, he was my hiking partner. Later still, he was my fishing buddy. we fished a lot. good times.However, both he and my mom, especially my mom, never understood why I liked climbing.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Cool thread! Neither of mine were but they both love the mountains and got me started up there.
I'm taking my three month old to Kings Canyon this weekend to get him started early!
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mcreel
climber
Barcelona
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My parents first took us to the Wind Rivers in the early 70s, and we did a fair amount of peak bagging and desert hiking over the years. Little technical climbing, but we occasionally used some goldline and a few biners, once even rescued a stoned hippie on Gannett Peak who fell into the bergschrund below Gooseneck Spire. Later, once I got into rock climbing, they have done a bit over the years. We went out to City of Rocks this summer, and my mother made it all the way up Delay of Game (a long 5.8 face) and my father did the hard part of Adolescent Homo Sapiens (5.7). Both are in their 70s now. Pretty cool.
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weezy
climber
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dad was not outdoorsy in the slightest. he liked to party and wear non-sensible shoes.
mom ran, or "jogged" as they called it bitd. did a few marathons. she got the whole climbing thing, even though it scared her. she eventually got a pitch or two in at j-tree and did the mountaineer's route on whitney with a supertopo person/old school legend. go mom!
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