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toejahm
Trad climber
Chatsworth, CA
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Hi gang,
There is a book by Jenny Lawson you may be interested in reading. It's titled "Furiously Happy".
Peace,
Kenny
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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Hey Brian I'm headed down to Tucson for the weekend mineral show. Hard to believe it has been a decade since you first turned me on to the event. Remember how we would camp in the parking lot next to Jimmie Dunn and his family? Well you can't do that anymore. Wish we were going underground for a few days. Miss you and see you on the other side.
Kurt you have my number. Stay strong.
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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Apr 25, 2016 - 01:46pm PT
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I came across this little write up on ST from Hans Florine after he and Brian made an attempt on the first one day ascent of the Wall of Early Morning Light. They encountered a quite a few sabotaged fixed anchors along the way particularly low on the route. I seem to remember Brian telling me that he had to beg Hans to let them take a drill just in case and if memory is correct all they took was a bit with no holder.
I believe Brian went back a short while later with Ammon to get the FOD of the route. A3/5.8
(Report by Hans Florine) posted August 27, 2004 to ST
We started at 6:29am on Tuesday.
The bolts on the first pitch have been chopped. I free soloed the pitch, not recommended unless you have Bacher or Schneider like prowess on thin granite. The bolts at the second anchor were hammered flat, we tried to pry one up but it broke the hanger.
The first bolt on the 3rd pitch was hammered down, albeit it looked old and beat anyway. The first fixed head in the crack on this pitch appeared to have been hammered on until on one very small dapple of wire was holding it there. Brian and I admit to being paranoid sometimes if warranted, but not in this case, we really think some one left this head there purposely f*#ked up dangling by one metal thread.- meaning it looked like someone hammered the wire until it was down to just the thread.
Although rivets do break occasionally it appeared as though they had been purposely chopped in a few places on the route. Brian and I placed six rivets on the route, but only because that is all we had and we were very imaginative in other spots and got by.
We replaced two rivets on the 3rd pitch bringing it back to doable.
On the 8th pitch going over to Mescalito I ran into rivets with the heads just sitting on their shafts as if someone had cut them off and just lightly glued or mashed the head back on to have it sit there. Here there was four or more rivets removed, I had to pendulum over to Mescalito and climb that pitch leapfrogging and back cleaning for 40 ft.
On the 12th pitch I encountered a place where three rivets in a row appeared to have been chopped. I could not get through it by adding one rivet, I had none. I climbed up Reticent to a belay and then pendulumed BARELY enough to lasso the next rivet in line.
At pitch 13 the route joins New Dawn to the top. From there up there was plenty of hard climbing but we did not encounter anything that seemed to be purposely whacked.
I dropped my helmet from the anchor at pitch 21, presumably all the way to the ground. My name is in it, please return it if found! ( love to send it back to Petzl if it's not in working shape.)
Brain led three times and I led three times, Brian led for about 15 hours and I for 12 hours. Kinda cool - I led 12 pitches and Brian led 15. - we kept to an hour a pitch. We topped out at 9:29:57 am. And stopped the clock where a "normal party" would have walked off.
Hans
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trevorl
Trad climber
SLC
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Jul 13, 2016 - 05:09pm PT
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I knew Brian through some mutual friends having grown up close to his hometown. I did have the pleasure of hanging around a campfire in the mosquito cove outside zion each night with him and others for a week back in the early 2000s. His crew (possibly some of you all) was developing the Beehive crag behind the maintenance yard while my partner and I were seeking longer routes. We would regroup each night around the fire and Brian's humbleness (and the entire crew for that matter) struck me. At the time, I was relatively less experienced and that experience will always stay with me. A few days later he and Ammon went to free the Dunn route when Brian dislodged a fridge size block and dropped it on Ammon- another story in itself that perhaps Ammon can tell.
That same week we attended a slide show- part of which Brian put together and the picture that albatross posted above (also below) was in it- according to Brian this was the very 1st time he topped out El Cap, which I distinctly remember him saying was a turning point in his vision as a climber.
The last time I saw him was years later in Vegas. He took us to show us 3 new routes he recently developed, an 11 and two 12s. He then proceeded to float them in his approach shoes to set up a TR for us. Afterwards we went to a buffet somewhere and spent a few hours just talking about anything and everything but climbing. A genuine soul that is missed.
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overwatch
climber
Arizona
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Jul 13, 2016 - 05:45pm PT
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awesome post from Neebee, I like new buds from the break, nice
That sh#t about the sabotaged route is friggin scary. What psychotic miscreant would do that although I could hazard a guess from rumored reputation
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the albatross
Gym climber
Flagstaff
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Jul 13, 2016 - 09:32pm PT
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Thanks for sharing those stories trevori. I'd guess that photo was from around '92-93, Brian would have been about 22-24 years old. In another ten years he would stand among the most accomplished big wall speed climbers that has touched El Cap and Zion (not to mention several hundred sport first ascents in the 5.12-.13 range). I'm not sure if anyone has completed a second ascent of any of his big wall firsts.
I feel so blessed to have done some incredible and wild adventures with the man. Most I can't yet talk about in public, but we kissed the sky and swallowed the darkness quite a few times in some truly wild places. Brian was one of the most powerful and insightful men I've ever known, unfortunately for us he saw the truth just a bit too clear at times. It is apparent from all these stories that Brian touched the lives of most that he met. He was one of kind, the material upon which we make our legends. Rest in peace buddy and see you on the other side.
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aspendougy
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Jul 14, 2016 - 10:35am PT
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Dear OVERWATCH;
Shortly after Harding & Caldwell put up the route, Royal Robbins went up to chop the bolts. He did some chopping on the lower sections, then changed his mind, as the climbing was of higher quality than he had supposed Harding could do, and also, it was "tiring to chop all those God-Damn bolts" or words to that effect. I am not sure if the bolt carnage they encountered was left over from that time,
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Burt
Social climber
Angelus Oaks, Ca
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Aug 23, 2016 - 09:26am PT
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2 years ago today I got the news that I have always came to dread, but hope would never come. It started with a phone call and in that instant my life changed. I struggle daily without you here. The overwhelming thing we call life just seemed easier with a phone call or a visit and we would be safe again in our little world mocking and hiding from the world outside. I find myself scared to live anymore. Scared to try, I merely exist. I drown myself in work hoping to find that edge again. Well I could go on my friend but in the end I just miss you. I hope you have found your peace Brian, you are loved and miss greatly.
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SC seagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, A sailboat, or some time zone
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Aug 23, 2016 - 01:55pm PT
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Scared to try, I merely exist. I drown myself in work hoping to find that edge again.
The hardest thing. To live our own life and the responsibility to live the life of one not here.
You are the rare friend to treasure and hold near.
I hope peace and serenity finds you on THIS earth to make your way and never let us forget the specialness you and Brian shared. It's rare, in the purest form you shared life with him.
Most of us only think we have had a bond such as yours and Brian. You did.
Your eloquence should touch something in all of us. I know it shook me up about what is really grace, pain, love, loneliness, and finally blessed. A burden to carry on. But necessary.
Thank you
Susan
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Levy
Big Wall climber
Calabasas
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Aug 23, 2016 - 02:33pm PT
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It's hard to believe that it's been 2 years since Brian's passing. I am still kind of numb regarding this terrible news.
Burt, there's nothing lame about how your feelings can overwhelm you. It just shows you're human. I am glad you have chosen to express your grief and frustration here. It's a cathartic experience to give voice to those dark places. Be well brother and stay strong, Brian would want it that way.
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Flo Rogers
climber
LasVegas
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Nov 27, 2016 - 08:45pm PT
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wayne w
Trad climber
the nw
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Nov 28, 2016 - 01:10am PT
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Thanks for the sweet post, Flo. He was lucky to have had you to share the time you did. Here is Brian on Bad Seed in '98. Was thinking of him as we did Dark Side of the Moon in Zion on the 17th, in 17 hours. He would have been psyched for us!
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Nov 28, 2016 - 02:23am PT
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hey there say, flo... i really like this photo on the beach...
and your kind words, as to your dear friend...
thank you for sharing...
prayers, for you all, at these times of remembrance...
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Chad Umbel
Trad climber
Blue Diamond, NV
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Nov 28, 2016 - 04:48am PT
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Burt
Social climber
Angelus Oaks, Ca
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Nov 28, 2016 - 12:39pm PT
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Flo and Chad love the pics. So I've just kinda gave up on climbing after all of this. It just wasn't very much fun. So Chad calls me this holiday weekend and tells me to get off my ass and lets go do something. I am literally 50lbs overweight and so out of shape its lame. So I grab the kids and wife and tell them its time for an adventure. I literally have to dig out the climbing gear and the kids are stoked the wife a little worried. We leave the house at 4 am and drive 4 hours into the middle of no where, and hike and hike. Up cactus filled gullies, over boulder strewn washes, to marvel at what I took them to. A shitty little high desert tower. The wind blowing at a steady beat, a storm brewing on the horizon, and temps in the 30's. We reached the base of the mighty tower and the wind in the notch was blowing so hard we couldn't stand. I carried a piece of him in my pocket the whole way and when I got there my oldest son looked at me and smiled and asked if this is what Brian and I thought was fun. I chuckled and told him Brian would have called us stupid and this was waaayy too far of a walk for him. I let Brian go in the notch and watched him sail into the desert below. We walked out in the dark, one headlamp between us all. Through the busted up knees, scraped shins, cactus in places I didn't know existed we got back to the truck laughing and smiling. He kept us all company in our own ways and I got to find a piece of my life that has been missing for so long. The joy in adventure and unknown. Maybe its time to look at fear again, maybe its time to live a little.
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drljefe
climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
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Nov 28, 2016 - 12:45pm PT
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Great post.
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JohnnyG
climber
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Nov 28, 2016 - 01:53pm PT
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sweet post, Burt
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Chad Umbel
Big Wall climber
Las Vegas
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Nov 28, 2016 - 09:28pm PT
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