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Rob Roy Ramey
Trad climber
Colorado
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Dec 19, 2014 - 07:18am PT
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There was a massive, all-age die off of bighorn sheep from respiratory pneumonia between 1984-86 that affected North San Juan, Maze, Lockhart, and Needles. That is where the bighorn skulls that Eric knew about had come from, and why he was so keen to help.
Native bighorn were not extirpated from Canyonlands. There was a remnant subpopulation in Potash/Island in the Sky that subsequently grew and became a source for numerous translocations, including a reintroduction to Arches, with at least 25 of the 35 reintroduced there between 1985-1991 from Potash/Island in the Sky (which is not all that far away). The Arches subpopulation was extirpated or dwindled to the point of being effectively extirpated, hence needing a reintroduction. (The Arches NPS website is error for not mentioning that, and it and also in error by stating that the die offs were from anthrax, and claiming that unspecified human activity is currently threatening the bighorn sheep. The last one is a commonly held but pseudoscientific belief.) The psoroptic scabies mites in the ears of some of the bighorn Eric and I handled during that capture were so badly infested that their entire ear was occluded - making them easy prey for mtn. lions or subject to falls (if the inner ear was affected). As pointed out earlier, those are introduced parasites.
The native bighorn that inhabited the Needles area and east side of the river were of interest because of potential genetic connections with Rocky Mtn. bighorn to the east, and we were interested in sorting out the genetic affinities of the native (pre-die-off, pre-reintroduction) bighorn, before that information was obscured by subsequent reintroductions and augmentations. The data places them squarely with desert bighorn.
Much of this history of bighorn sheep in the area can be found in scientific publications, NPS and state reports, to lengthy to detail here. However, it is a sound suggestion of wbw to put it in one place, where it is well documented and accessible.
P.S. Hanging in my living room windows, Eric's glass ornaments still catch the morning light.
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crunch
Social climber
CO
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Dec 19, 2014 - 09:35am PT
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Hey, j-Dub, that was a great biography of Eric that you wrote back in 1995 for his Vol. 2 of the Desert Rock series. I remember reading that and being astonished at the wide variety of jobs and adventures Eric had embraced.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Dec 19, 2014 - 10:52am PT
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To a full life well lived.
People like him will live forever through the climbs they pioneered.
My condolences to his Family and many, good friends.
RIP
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SGropp
Mountain climber
Eastsound, Wa
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Dec 19, 2014 - 10:24pm PT
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I met Eric Bjornttad in Moab in the spring of 74. On a trip to the desert with Jimmy Dunn, Earl Wiggins , Steve Hong, Muff Cheney and Chris Woods , we stopped on our way down from Colorado Springs along the river outside of Moab to check out a route that Jimmy had been working on with Eric. The route went up an overhanging smooth wall with a black water streak. I think at that point only the first pitch had been done. The technique was to hammer in various sized pins and then drive them out again a couple of times until there was a placement deep enough to hold body weight. Jimmy was trying to get in good graces with Eric to find out where the secret hidden climbing gems were in that vast desert.
We went to Erics house in Moab. Moab at that time was a windblown , dusty, fading mining town in the middle of nowhere. Jimmy cautioned us to be ''cool''. Eric was a big powerfully built man with a long gray ponytail. How he managed to look the part as a stunt double for Clint Eastwood in the ''Eiger Sanction'' was a bit of a stretch.
He was busy working on some jewelry from fine copper wire and gem stones , a bit of a contrast to his gruff manner and bearlike personality.
Later we took a long dusty drive up an old mining track to visit the '' Desert Bride'' hidden way back in a canyon along the rim.
The next day we hiked up a canyon in Arches to look at a route on Argon Tower that Muff had done. At sunset, we climbed up on a high bench of sandstone below the rim. It had snowed a few days previously and the slab was covered with a layer of fine loose sand, Getting down in one piece was one of the scariest things I've ever done .
The next day Steve and I did an early repeat of the Kor-Ingalls on Castelton Tower. There were still remnants of the Chevy ad that had been shot on the top of the Tower a few years before.
That same day Jimmy and Earl did the FA of Nigga Belle Flake.
On the way back to the Springs we let Earl off on the highway going west. We gave him $20 to see him on his way to the Valley. He made it , hitchhiking in record time. Later we had heard that he had free soloed ''Outer Limits''. I think he was still a teenager in high school at that time.
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Climberdude
Trad climber
Clovis, CA
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Dec 20, 2014 - 06:57am PT
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I am very sorry to hear this. I never met Eric, but would have loved to meet him to hear some stories. His guidebooks led me to many crazy adventure climbs around Moab and southeastern Utah.
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J-Dub
Trad climber
Durango, CO
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Dec 23, 2014 - 11:48am PT
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Thanks Crunch - I was equally surprised at the diversity in Eric's work, not to mention his climbing! It was an honor to be asked to write that piece.
Cheers, J-dub
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Dec 23, 2014 - 12:40pm PT
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WOW!!! Definitely full value with the Puccini soundtrack! Who knew?
And how 'bout the Mac? Holy cow!
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Camster (Rhymes with Hamster)
Social climber
CO
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Dec 23, 2014 - 01:55pm PT
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Reilley, mate.
I've submitted two 3,000-word essays on Eric to Mountain Gazette (it's a bit raunchy and describes life in the trailer) and the AAC (a more formal piece; an obit of sorts).
Dougald thinks the AAC piece will be up next week. Not sure about the Gazette piece.
I just like the fact that Eric thought he looked a bit like Shirley Temple as a kid----with those blonde curls and all.
Ha! Funny old duffer. I miss him.
Cam
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Dec 23, 2014 - 02:23pm PT
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Seriously, that might be the best two minute video of capturing the spirit
of a man I've seen. I know it sounds trite, and surely no disrespect is
meant, but that was really good!
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Camster (Rhymes with Hamster)
Social climber
CO
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Dec 23, 2014 - 03:43pm PT
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Reilly, mate.
Yeah, it was okay. I guess there's this invention called a "tripod." It's supposed to smooth out the wobbles in a video like that. I bought one but there is no USB plug on it.
I guess I'm just stuck with the wobbles.
Cammo
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pk_davidson
Trad climber
Albuquerque, NM
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Dec 24, 2014 - 07:12am PT
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The desert rat moves on.
Very sad.
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Camster (Rhymes with Hamster)
Social climber
CO
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Dec 25, 2014 - 02:47pm PT
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Eric got all the neighborhood kids to sign my copy of Desert Rock. Let's see: Bob Culpepper, Harvey Cotter, Larry Donkey, unknown, Lester Kershaw, Fred Bonky, Hunter English, Gary Poacher.
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coolrockclimberguy69
climber
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Dec 25, 2014 - 02:56pm PT
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thanks for those photos, cam. please post more if you have the time.
didn't ever get to meet eric, despite living a couple of trailers down from him on powerhouse when i first moved to moab ten years ago. but he did almost run me over on my bike in front of dave's corner market lol (he took out a couple of orange traffic cones instead). i am relieved to hear that he is finally without suffering. from the intermittent updates i would recieve from the pres, it sounded like he wasn't doing too good. what's left of the theist in me likes to believe he's out there drinking wine and talking sh#t with kyle over a small crackling fire, wondering when fred is gonna show up.
lots of folks diss his guidebooks for having inaccurate/shitty beta and i've been guilty of that in the past but i bet no one here who dreamed about climbing towers and splitters in the desert didn't have at least one of his Desert Rock series. the blue out of print original i still consider the bible of desert climbing. or at least the book of mormon of desert climbing.
much respect for his accomplishments on and off the rock. dude doubled for clint eastwood when clint in his prime, for f*#ks sake.
RIP/merry christmas eric
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Camster (Rhymes with Hamster)
Social climber
CO
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Dec 25, 2014 - 03:02pm PT
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Thanks for those comments. Someplace I have a ton of videos of Eric (besides what I've posted already). I'll try and dig them out.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Dec 25, 2014 - 03:19pm PT
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We will look forward to that!
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Dec 25, 2014 - 04:30pm PT
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I spent a few days with Eric in the Arches back in the 1980s. The guy could go without water like a camel. Soft spoken. Sure know the desert. And himself. Adios, amigo.
JL
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melski
Trad climber
bytheriver
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Eric will live on as great pionners should,,more reasons to getback on the rock,,RIP,,,
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